I’m Glad You’re Here

As a teacher of 7th graders and high school students for many years, I am a big believer in the power of words. I began writing for tweens and teens because I wanted to tell stories that help readers understand that we are not alone. Our triumphs and our pain connect us to one another. As C.S. Lewis claimed, “We read to know we are not alone.”

But stories are like doors: they open us up to new ways of thinking, new kinds of relationships, and new opportunities to see ourselves and the world creatively and differently. In my writing and teaching for young children, middle-graders, teens, and teachers, I hope to offer a few doors along the way.

I teach at Endicott College in the Education department, where I passionately hope to inspire new teachers to make a difference by working towards classrooms focused on justice, relational connection, and meaning.

Books

I write books because I have questions. And because I love to create vivid ways to think about these questions through CHARACTERS (YES!), through new SETTINGS (YES!), through crazy possibilities and unlikely probabilities and the small voices inside our hearts that push and push and push until one day…they come out.

As Zora Neale Hurston claimed, “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” I believe that we write to figure things out, and to help one another with our questions along the way.  Here are some of my books; be sure to check out your LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE to see if they’re available. Also available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers.

BRAVER is due out on September 13, 2022!

Even More Fantastic Failures

Released in September 2020, Even More Fantastic Failures explores the lives of admirable and courageous people from Joan of Arc to Ayanna Pressley to Grace Hopper to Ryan Coogler to Emma Gonzalez AND MANY MORE AMAZING PEOPLE who have struggled, failed, and been rejected but nonetheless have found ways to keep pushing forward to make themselves and their world better and more just.

Some reviews and commentary on  the original Fantastic Failures

KIRKUS REVIEWS:

In this hybrid of collective biography and self-help, Reynolds hammers home the message that everyone fails, and failure can be used as a source of enlightenment, insight, and inspiration. Thirty-four people and one horse (Seabiscuit) are held up as examples of those who achieved success despite numerous adversities and setbacks. Many of the six- to eight-page profiles are of well-known figures, such as J.K. Rowling, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, and Frida Kahlo. Among the lesser known is Ilhan Omar, who came to America with her family from Somalia as a refugee and recently became the first Somali-American Muslim woman elected a national lawmaker. Luis Fernando Cruz, raised in Honduras with little access to computer science education, nevertheless channeled his passion into inventing accessible technologies for computer users with disabilities. Om Prakash Gurjar, once a child laborer, is a children’s rights activist protecting children from slavery, trafficking, and forced marriage. Intermixed with the profiles are brief highlights of additional figures. Each profile includes inspirational words from Reynolds that are similar to what one might see on posters in a school guidance office: “Nobody gets to tell you who you are—that’s your job, and yours alone,” for example. Reynolds concludes with 100 questions about failure and success to prompt reflection and inspiration. An upbeat, reassuring showcase of notable, successful people who refused to let adversities and setbacks stand in their way. (bibliography) (Collective biography. 8-12)  (Kirkus 7/15/18)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:

This collection highlights the times when high achievers either failed outright or faced drastic setbacks in achieving their goals. Each chapter opens with the idyllic and humorous story of a particular person’s road to success. This book communicates well that failure is an important part of growth and achievement. The breadth of different people and fields of study covered is a positive. Readers will connect to the challenges of Duke Kahanamoku, a champion swimmer and actor who popularized the sport of surfing in the 1930s and 19402; Om Prakash Gurjar was forced into helping his parents pay back his debts at the age of five. He went on to advocate for children forced into labor and eventually won the International Children’s Peace Prize. These stories serve as a model and send the message that success is rare at first attempt and failure is necessary to succeed. The text is well written and engaging. VERDICT: An entertaining pick for biopgraphy collections. (Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD, School Library Journal (August 2018)

Blog

3 Blogs: Writing, Teaching, Parenting

Here are links to three blogs housing information and ideas from many years: Intersections: Focused on the ways genres of life cross paths–writing, parenting, teaching,  faith, and social justice Middle School Lessons and Activities:  A Real-Time Blog I kept for my 7th grade English Students, complete with links to activities, projects, lessons, and readings A …

Contact

Please feel free to reach out to me with comments, questions, or to connect about school visits (both in person or via video conferencing) by e-mail at LWReynolds@gmail.com.