Kelly is the award-winning author of the bestselling Front Desk series for middle-graders. She has won numerous accolades for her work, including the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature. Here, she talks with podcast host Suzanne McCabe about her writing journey and about Room to Dream, the latest title in her wildly popular series about the indomitable Mia Tang. It’s due out September 21.
Kelly also describes the struggles that she faced immigrating to the U.S. with her parents when she was a child. “You don’t have to strip away everything about yourself to conform,” she says. “That was a hard lesson for me growing up because there were definitely times I felt that pressure.”
Later in the episode, Dr. Don Vu, an educator with more than two decades of experience in the classroom, talks about his new book, Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Supporting Our Immigrant and Refugee Children Through the Power of Reading. Educators and parents will want to hear Dr. Vu’s incredible insights into helping young students thrive as readers, writers, and learners. He also tells the moving story of his own family’s escape from Vietnam in 1975, when the city of Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces.
Dr. Vu’s experiences as a refugee growing up in California helped him develop empathy for families much like his, who arrive in America with little more than a dream.
From Todd Nesloney’s “Honestly, Let’s Talk” series, Asian American friends talk about the current issues in America and the impact of racism on the AAPI community.
Book Talk Adventures
Book talks are a fun way to introduce a new book to kids. Video Book Talk Adventures are an awesome way to introduce a new book and new ideas to kids. In addition to building background knowledge, these videos encourage kids to pick up a book and read! CLICK HERE
OTHER VIDEOS
Check out Good Day Sacramento stories on reading at the Ranch!
CLICK HERE TO SEE DR. VU TALK ABOUT THE 40 DAYS OF SUMMER READ ALOUDS!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DR. SEUSS READING LOUNGE ON GOOD DAY SACRAMENTO!
CLICK HERE TO SEE DR. VU’S PROMOTION SPEECH TO HIS FORMER STUDENTS!
DR. DON VU 