“Mom, which book are we going to read next?” A big part of our family’s nightly routine is reading out loud together, and it’s a question I’m constantly contemplating. And I don’t always have an easy answer. The number of amazing books out there is endless. It can be completely overwhelming to know which books will keep my kids’ attention and which may flop, which are age-appropriate and which might be great a year or two down the line.
I have spent countless hours at libraries and bookstores combing through bookshelves and talking with friends, my youth librarian sister, and professionals about which books to choose for my kids. Now, with both of my kids in school all day and the itch to write, I aim to use my blog to share what I’ve learned over the years with others facing the same challenge of answering, “which book is next?”
I live in the Chicago suburbs with my husband and two sons. A native of Iowa, I earned a journalism degree from the University of Iowa and spent 15 years working at several national public relations agencies on a variety of national consumer brands. One of my proudest accomplishments was planning and executing a national campaign for the American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery breast cancer program. My husband (an advertising copywriter) and I followed our careers to Atlanta, Portland (OR) and Minneapolis before settling closer to our Iowa roots in Chicago.
Mom, which book is next? 