Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we recap our experience around Miracle by Karen S. Chow.In this episode, we discuss... Everyone needs an editor -- and multiple kinds! SO to the copy editor who led Chow to her eventual decision to have the characters play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild throughout Miracle.Relationships and mind reading and how we can short ourselves and those around us when we start to guess what other people are thinki...

"We had ups." - GabrielWorlds of Words Center Middle School and Teen Reading Ambassadors discuss the past academic year as they read and promoted reading together.As each group read their four novels, we encountered issues around banned books, school libraries, and talking to grownups. We learned about the process of creating and promoting books for young people and are grateful for the diversity brought to us by authors who shared their work with us. Finally, we explore stereotypes of high s...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School and Teen Reading Ambassadors as we discuss A Little Like Waking by Adam Rex.We open the episode by describing our time with Rex as "meeting a legend in person." We chat about dreams and love and the duality of both. We also discuss getting back on the proverbial bike and whether we need a push off a cliff or to jump on our own.We failed to talk about the book illustrations in this podcast, so watch for that in our bonus year-end recap episode. Lis...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera.In this episode, we discuss Other books mentioned in this episode:The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba HigueraWe will post Higuera's graph on our Instagram account at the end of the season. Watch for it there at @WOWTeenAmbassadors.Special shout out to Tucson Festival of Books! Watch for a bonus episode about our experience with the book festival. We are grateful for thei...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee by Ellen Oh.Meeting Oh sparked our thinking around diversity in books for teens, book bans, ghost stories, and how far we are willing to go with research in service to story telling. There's plenty of Ellen Oh love in this group.In this episode, we also mention:Sunshine: a currently unpublished webcomic by QuinA-Ha's Take On Me videoWe Need Diverse BooksSpirit Hunter by Ell...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Up In Flames by Hailey Alcaraz.We talk retellings in general and this one specifically as well as new-to-us information about the auction process in publishing in this episode of WOW Reads.Books and other retellings mentioned in this episode:Anna K by Jenny LeeBecause You Love to Hate Me edited by AmerieGone with the Wind by Margaret MitchellThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldIliad by HomerMalice by Heather...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss our experience participating in a mock Randolph Caldecott Medal award event to determine our winner for the most distinguished artist of an American picturebook.The mock Caldecott event was held in Worlds of Words by Dr. Kathy G. Short and Dr. Desirée Cueto. The American Library Association announced the awards on January 22, 2024, two days after we recorded this episode.Books mentioned in this episode:An ...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi.We tested out some new podcasting equipment, so our sound levels aren't that great. You may want to adjust your volume as you listen.In this episode, we discuss how we came to read both the U.K. and U.S. versions, the differences we noticed, and how the versions might affect the reader's experiences. We share our perspectives on how children (real and fictional) ...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss Clarice the Brave by Lisa McMann.In this episode, the Reading Ambassadors talk about the theme of separation. We also butcher the word "anthropomorphism" to discuss how human characteristics are attributed to the animals in Clarice the Brave. In our off-air literature discussions, we considered anthropomorphism as a basis for banning/challenging books.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and...

Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss The Broke Hearts by Matt Mendez.This episode gets personal as we elaborate on Matt's suggestion that we never stop becoming something.It was reported in this episode that the book launch had just under 30 attendees, but it was actually over 30 attendees. This matters because the Middle School Reading Ambassadors challenged the teens to see who could get more people to their author event. Did they? Didn't they? That ...

Join the WOW Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we recap our year together.The novel in verse that Alessa refers to in this episode is Your Heart, My Sky by Margarita Engle. Other books specifically mentioned include Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro and Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert.The Tucson Festival of Books deserves multiple shout outs!This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tec...

Join the WOW Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors as we discuss Distress Signal by Mary E. Lambert.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, WOW MSRAP Literature Discussant and COE Graduate StudentAudio Engineer: Liam Arias, WOW Student Employee and Radio, TV, Film MajorCoordinator: Vian...

Join the WOW Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Echoes of Grace by Guadalupe García McCall.Special shout out to Tucson Festival of Books!This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, RAP Literature Discussant and COE Graduate StudentAudio Engineer: Liam Arias, Student Employee and R...

Join the WOW Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss The Many Assassinations of Samir the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, WOW MSRAP Literature Discussant and COE Graduate StudentAudio Engineer: Liam Arias, WOW Student Employee and...

Join the WOW Center Middle School and Teen Reading Ambassadors as we discuss the 2023 Outstanding International Books from the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) and the International Board on Books for Young People's (IBBY) 2020 and 2022 Illustration Honor Book.The Reading Ambassadors specifically mention the following books in this podcast:This is Our Place by Vitor Martins (USBBY OIB)Last Week by Bill Richardson and Emilie Leduc (USBBY OIB)The Invisible by Tom Percival (...

Join the WOW Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz and We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade as part of the National Endowment of the Arts' (NEA) Big Read Tucson.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, MSRAP Literatu...

Join the Worlds of Words Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) to meet Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of Echoes of Grace, at the 2023 Tucson Festival of Books. Our session takes place at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 4 in room 349 of the UArizona College of Education.For more information on TRAP, please visit wowlit.org.We Can Promote Global Literature Together!The Worlds of Words Reading Ambassador program is completely free for participants who receive a book for themselves and a book to share w...

Join the WOW Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, MSRAP Literature Discussant and COE Graduate StudentAudio Engineer: Liam Arias, Student Employee and Radio, TV, Film MajorCoordinator: Vianey Torres...

The WOW Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors invite you to join us in meeting Daniel Nayeri, author of The Many Assassinations of Samir the Seller of Dreams, at the 2023 Tucson Festival of Books. Our session takes place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 5 in room 351 of the UArizona College of Education.For more information on the WOW Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP), visit wowlit.org.We Can Promote Global Literature Together!The Worlds of Words Reading Ambassador program is completely ...

Join the WOW Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss The Hidden Knife by Melissa Marr.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, Literature Discussant and COE Graduate StudentAudio Engineer: Liam Arias, Student Employee and Radio, TV, Film MajorCoordinator: Vianey Torres, WO...

Join the WOW Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, MSRAP Literature Discussant and COE Graduate StudentAudio Engineer: Liam Arias, Student Employee and Radio, TV, Film MajorCoordinator: ...

Join the WOW Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling.This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate DirectorCo-Producer: Sara Logan, MSRAP Literature Discussant and COE Graduate StudentAudio Engineer: Liam Arias, Student Employee and Radio, TV, Film MajorCoordinator: Vianey To...