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Every superhero has villains—and for teachers, integrating new YA releases into everyday lessons can feel like a battle. Here are some of the toughest foes you’re up against:

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Time: Your #1 nemesis. When do you have time to research new YA releases, borrow or buy them, and read enough to keep up with your students’ diverse interests? Between lesson planning, teaching, grading, meetings, and a thousand other daily missions, your time is already stretched thin.

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The Unknown: Staying on top of new YA releases takes detective-level awareness. How can you keep track of every new novel hitting the shelves—especially in genres you don’t usually pick up? It’s virtually impossible! 

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Time...AGAIN: Even if you manage to read widely, the biggest challenge is finding classroom time to actually discuss these books. How do you sneak new YA lit into lessons while still covering standards, team curriculum, and all the rest of your heroic duties?

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That’s where YA Lit Sidekick swoops in. We do the heavy lifting—researching, reading, reviewing, and curating books you can plug straight into short, engaging activities. Our mission is to help you seamlessly bring current YA literature into your classroom every day—while giving you a ready supply of fresh titles to recommend to your students.​​​

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When time is your enemy, teach like a hero.
We'll be your sidekick.

Welcome to YA Lit Sidekick

A site dedicated to helping busy teachers find quick, easy, and engaging ways to bring fresh Young Adult Literature into the classroom.

 

Each week, we will write detailed reviews of new YA books (released within the past three years), specifically geared toward teachers. These reviews will include:

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  1. Book Basics: Page length, audiobook listening time, Goodreads and Common Sense Media ratings, reading levels, setting, themes, and more.

  2. Plot Summary: Written by me, highlighting the key aspects of the book.

  3. Star Qualities: What about the book captured my attention as a reader and a teacher?

  4. Classroom Use Info: Check here to learn how the book could work as a class novel, including class-wide interest levels and content warnings.

  5. Pre-Selected Read-Aloud Section: A passage ready for a book talk read-aloud in class.

  6. Mentor Texts: Recommended excerpts you can use in writing lessons.

  7. Sentence Practice: Pre-selected sentences for sentence combining or imitation exercises.

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All of the activities included in each Sidekick Review take just 5–10 minutes—making them easy to slip right into your daily classroom schedule!

  • Monday: Kick off the week with a book talk! Check the website for the latest review—you can even read it word-for-word as your script. Watch my example here to see how it works.

  • Tuesday: Try the “Reading Like a Writer” mini lesson using one of the mentor text passages provided in each review (at least two passages per book). Watch my video here to learn how.

  • Wednesday: Build fluency with a sentence combining exercise. Each review comes with multiple sentences sets I've created to choose from. Watch my how-to video here for a model.

  • Thursday: Practice sentence imitation with one of the examples pulled straight from the book (at least three per review). You’ll find another sample video here.

  • Friday: Teacher’s choice! Repeat a sentence combining activity, do another imitation, or revisit a “Reading Like a Writer” lesson—it’s flexible.

 

By the end of the year, your students will have discovered so many new YA books—while also building real confidence and skill as writers.

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And because I know a teacher’s greatest nemesis is time, I’ve designed these resources to be quick, simple, and ready to use. Don’t let a busy schedule keep you from bringing fresh YA literature into your classroom. Subscribe to my blog for regular reviews that help you find new books to recommend and teach with.

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