Author: michardillo
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Book Review: Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World
By Anthony Doerr (Published June 12, 2007 by Scribner Book Company) I realize I am late to joining the Anthony Doerr fan club, but I tore through this piece of nonfiction in less than two days. I probably would have finished it in one day had I not stopped so frequently to admire his wide…
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Book Review: The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry
This debut novel by Pamela Terry represents authentic Southern storytelling. It unfolds slowly and the reader gets to know the characters and plot as it is peeled back layer by layer like a Vidalia onion. So much of the story resonated with me as a Louisiana native whose mother was first generation Scottish-American. Lila’s descriptions…
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Tween and Teen Book Recommendations
March 12, 2021, marks the one year anniversary of the last day I was teaching in my classroom last school year. It seems like eons ago, doesn’t it? This pandemic and quarantine business has been very difficult and challenging for all of us. With the third quarter of the 2020-2021 school year almost over, we…
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Book Review: The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray (Gallery Books, June 2021)
I’m glad I persevered with this book. When I was at 27%, I wasn’t sure I wanted to finish it. But, I hate leaving books unfinished out of respect for the author and the hard work involved in bringing a book project to fruition. The beginning of the book focuses a lot on Amy’s hidden…
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Grammar for Grownups
Just for fun: How many of these can you check off? ☐ Do you ever lose your train of thought when you stumble upon a typo while reading a magazine or newspaper article? ☐ Do you cringe when you see a billboard or signage in a store with an apostrophe being used to show possession…
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Grammar for Grownups: Kangaroo and Joey Words (yes, really)
Allow me to blow your 🤯 mind! I recently saw this image on a friend’s post on Facebook. I guess that makes Facebook an educational tool, right (LOL)? To understand this, just look at the white letters above. The word “masculine” contains within its letters the word “male” which is another word for masculine. So,…
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My latest piece – published in a national outlet!
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/classroom-teacher-retired-covid-19-pandemic_n_5ff89e3bc5b63642b6fb71e4
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New Article!
November is a busy month for me! Check out my new article in Baltimore’s Child! http://digital.baltimoreschild.com/issues/November-2020/index.html
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 