Author Archives for Michala Sage

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (10/12/2020-10/18/2020).

Annamarie’s Reading

Note: Lots going on in real life, so much less reading this week. I should be back up to regular-ish reading amounts next week. Still squeezed in some great titles!

Make sure to stop by on Tuesdays for short reviews of some of these titles!

Stats for the Week:

  • 12 Books Read This Week
    • 8 Books with Diverse Main Character (67%)
    • 5 Books by Diverse Authors (42%)
    • 4 Books by Own Voices Authors (33%) (to the best of my knowledge)

This week’s reading highlights:

Michala’s Reading

Note: Alright, so I stepped up my game since Annamarie the super librarian was off this past week. I tried stacking in more Youth books, but as usual when I see them lined up here I feel like did not read all that much. Happy Reading y’al!

Teen Craft Kit: Bubble Tea

Oh my goodness, can it be????? Michala has actually written a blog post?! 

I have! And it is for a socially distanced Covid time craft that had full attendance and gotten positive reviews from teenagers….via their parent’s emailing me. 😊 

My teens have gotten seriously burnt out of computer time for all the things. And in July or August I tried a grab and go craft program that could be picked up through our drive-up window. (I’ll make another blog post on this one soon – I’m on a roll!) And because it had 16 teens sign up, pick up, and do the crafts I knew I hit the jackpot on programming during this weird time. 

On Monday, September 14, the next teen craft kit went out to registrants; this time they had option of being picked up at the drive-up window or being mailed to registrants. And allowing for mailing is really the way to go! Out of 25 teens that signed up 21 requested the supplies be mailed to them which means I was able to get a fun afternoon project to kids that may not otherwise have been able to get the supplies. (Thank you, USPS, please continue surviving so I can keep this going.)

Looking for more Mail-To-You Kit Ideas? Check out:

– Baby-Sitters Club Membership Kits
– Camp Half Blood Welcome Kits

This magical Teen Craft Kit for September that had 25 teen registrants?

Bubble Tea!

GIPHY

It was really a simple and cost-effective kit to put together too. Each kit wound up being a little under $1 as I was able to buy my supplies off Amazon. (And while they not my favorite supplier, it is my fastest and most reliable option at the moment.)  

I bought a multipack of milky tea sachets: Prince of Peace 3 in 1 Hong Kong Style Tea Latte (30 Sachets) 

Amazon

And a combo pack of boba pearls and hygienically wrapped boba straws: BOBA Black Tapioca Pearl Bubble Tea, 2 Pack (Each 8.8 OZ) + 1 Pack of 50 BOBA Straws (Variety Color) 

Amazon

I then raided our coffee station and took Splenda packets that we had on hand, grabbed some of our tiny weird shaped baggies, and a bunch of DVD cases to start packing things up. 

Every kit got 1 tea sachet, 1 Splenda packet, 1 ½ T of tapioca pearls, and a straw. I also placed my business card in the kit in case of any questions. 

Upcycling DVD cases as packaging, meant that I got to be creative in the design for directions (making sure to include ingredients/allergen information) while also ensuring that no matter which delivery option they chose (mailing or drive-up) the contents would remain secure. 

And for only about $1 per person, we had a simple snacky craft, which reinforced basic cooking skills, following directions, and patience…and the teens loved it! 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (9/21/2020-9/27/2020).

Annamarie’s Reading

Picture Books & Readers:

Everything Else:

Note: Fun reads this week! I’ve still got a big stack of books in my TBR pile, and of course a bunch of ebooks came in at once, but I’m working through it.

Make sure to stop by on Tuesdays for short reviews of some of these titles!

Stats for the Week:

  • 44 Books Read This Week
    • 23 Books with Diverse Main Character (52%)
    • 11 Books by Diverse Authors (25%)
    • 8 Books by Own Voices Authors (18%) (to the best of my knowledge)

This week’s reading highlights:

Michala’s Reading

Note: It’s autumn! I want to get school supplies, and go to a pumpkin farm, and drink cocoa or coffee under a tree that is dropping leaves with a good book. That last one has never been an actual thing that I’ve ever done, but I love the esthetic of it. Maybe one day this autumn when the leaves actually turn and I don’t want to yell into the void of time and space (because of 2020 reasons) I can make it happen. If I do I’ll take lots of pictures and share!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (8/31/2020-9/6/2020).

Annamarie’s Reading

Picture Books:

Everything Else:

Note: My reading is very picture book heavy–life is throwing me lots of curveballs this week.

Stats for the Week:

  • 56 Books Read This Week
    • 42 Books with Diverse Main Character (75%)
    • 30 Books by Diverse Authors (54%)
    • 25 Books by Own Voices Authors (47%) (to the best of my knowledge)

This week’s reading highlights:

Michala’s Reading

Note: Happy Labor DayI I hope that you are enjoying your day off (or that you got the day off) After reading a bunch of graphic novels in the hopes that I could match Annamarie with number of titles read (spoiler alert I did not even come close), I have decided that I will not be reading anything today. Instead I am going to hang up some art that has been waiting to be displayed forever and love all over my fuzzball Frankie so he doesn’t act like the kitty in No Fuzzball!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (8/10/2020-8/16/2020).

Annamarie’s Reading

Picture Books & Readers:

First Chapter:

Everything Else:

Note: More books with diverse main characters, but fewer overall books by own voices authors. I have a good pile of own voices chapter books in my to-be-read stack, but I haven’t had the energy to push into them right now. This weekend, I made a good dent in the shorter books checked out to me–but I do have a rapidly growing eARCs stack that I have abandoned. So. Many. Books.

Stats for the Week:

  • 46 Books Read This Week
    • 31 Books with Diverse Main Character (67%)
    • 20 Books by Diverse Authors (43%)
    • 10 Books by Own Voices Authors (22%) (to the best of my knowledge)

This week’s reading highlights:

Michala’s Reading

Note: I know that I am reading, I know that I am still consuming literature and that I still do reader’s advisory (however few and far between it is now), but because of the weird time vacuum we are in I feel like I have read nothing and it is all for naught. I really miss my teens.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (7/20/2020-7/26/2020).

Annamarie’s Reading

Picture Books & Readers:

Everything Else:

Note: I squeezed in a few more graphic novels this week. There is a big pile of j-fiction chapter books staring at me that I just haven’t had time for. Listening to a teen book, and will be spending part of next weekend reviewing another teen book, so I’m glad I’m fitting some more of those in this year.

I had a decrease in books with diverse main characters and diverse authors, BUT an increase in own voices, which is a number I really want to pay attention to. Just pulling these stats each week is making me more conscious of my reading choices. Stats:

  • 47 Books Read This Week
    • 23 Books with Diverse Main Character (49%)
    • 12 Books by Diverse Authors (25%)
    • 11 Books by Own Voices Authors (24%) (to the best of my knowledge)

This week’s reading highlights:

Michala’s Reading

Note: I took a few days off from work for a mental vacay and attempted the quarantine cleaning/organization thing that everyone else seems to have done at the beginning of this whole mess. My house now feels extra messy, Goodwill has gotten a lot of clothes from me, I am a craft supply hoarder, and I feel like I haven’t read anything.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (7/6/2020-7/12/2020).

Annamarie’s Reading

Picture Books:

Everything Else:

Note: I wasn’t feeling the reading this week, so I leaned heavily on picture books.

I’m going to do my best to keep myself to my reading goals created a during my mid-year reading, and here are some stats I’m going to try to keep track of week-to-week:

  • 51 Books Read This Week
    • 35 Books with Diverse Main Character (69%)
    • 14 Books by Diverse Authors (27%)
    • 11 Books by Own Voices Authors (22%) (to the best of my knowledge)

This week’s reading highlights:

Michala’s Reading

Note: I ACTUALLY READ THIS WEEK!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (6/8/20-6/14/20).

Annamarie’s Reading

Picture Books & Readers:

Graphic Novels:

Everything Else:

Note: Pushing through as much reading as I can before I officially start partial back-in-the-building work this week, and (most likely) regular back to work schedule at the end of the month. Reading will drop off then between the commute, regular work exhaustion, and the added cleaning measures due to COVID and taking care of folks that are high risk.

Michala’s Reading

Note: I’m back in building 2 days a week now and am feeling extra burnt out. I was already dying from no human interaction and ramifications from the plague, now physical activity that I haven’t done in months and human peoples I don’t know how to interact with anymore combined with online burnout from my teens not coming to programs since they aren’t the same kind of weird fun we normally get to do (I don’t know how to make a Hunger Games Nerf War online!) and I am officially all kinds of destroyed. Positive note, I get a cat this week so hopefully he helps my morale a bit.

Black Lives Matter: A Non-comprehensive Book List for All Ages

If you have spent any time reading this blog, you know that I am not the best posting partner. But after sharing my resources with Annamarie (Scaffolding Anti-Racism Resouces, A Plan for Movement Worksheets, Student Voice) and reading her post, I felt like I should contribute more than a weekly post of “here are some good books I’ve read”.

Let’s be real, I am a white woman. I am not maligned because of the color of my skin. I do not face adversity, I am not profiled, and I am not judged or harmed because of the amount of melanin I have. I may have grown up in a “black and Hispanic” neighborhood, I may be considered an ally, but I am not a person of color and will never know the same struggles. My skin tone has given me an advantage all of my life even if I hadn’t always been conscious of that fact.

My story is not one that needs to be focused on.

But stories teach people. And written words can sometimes reach people better because they refuse to listen or cannot hear other’s truths over their own. So while my goal was to contribute more to this blog than a list of books…..I’m still going to give you a list of books.

Black Lives Matter: Books for All Ages

Picture Books & Readers:

Youth:

Teen:

Adult:

And just because Isa’s (a student in my community) words are so powerful I wanted to include her spoken word poem again:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

We are joining the blog trend of Monday posts about what we have read during the last week (5/11/20-5/17/20).

Annamarie’s Reading

Picture Books & Readers:

Everything Else:

Note: More books! Much of this reading is happening because I don’t have a commute anymore–I imagine my reading will have to decrease once I have to wake up earlier than 10 minutes before I want to start work.

This week’s highlights:

  • History Comics – This series will fill a much-needed Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales readalike void.
  • Beetle & the Hollowbones – Gorgeous illustrations mixed with a great fantasy-adventure story with a touch of LGBT romance–this is a definite winner, perfect for fans of Snapdragon.
  • Arlo Pips: King of the Birds – Why have I read two upcoming graphic novel releases about crows? And how are both books actually engaging, good reads?
  • Some Pigtails – Cute first chapter book about a young girl and her fight for the right to have crazy pigtails. I hope this becomes a series.

Michala’s Reading

Note: I channeled my best Annamarie this week and read the last of all the things I had in the house. Because apparently I go

I’m gonna need to grab a brain candy for teen reads next week cause this week was way too heavy on the angst for the times we are in right now. #Ineedfluff

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