L. E. Dudley | Updates

A Brief History of the "Reading Wars"

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 4 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Phonics vs. whole-word reading.

And yes, educators and researchers do, in fact, call it the "Reading Wars," and this battle goes back to before the United States of America was a nation. So dramatic!

Here is some academic backstory to set the scene-

Many people think that phonics is the modern answer to the shackles of the era of whole-word teaching. You might be surprised to discover that phonics-based instruction dominated early American education, with the New England Primer of 1690 serving as one of the earliest examples of systematic letter-sound instruction (Lexia Learning, 2025).

That began to shift around the 1840's when Horace Mann, Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, rejected phonics.

We are going to need some context to understand this.

At the time, phonics instruction was delivered almost entirely through rigid, repetitive drills. It's important to note that what we know today as the gentler "sound it out" alternative to whole-word memorization was treated more like drill and kill at this time in history. The role of the student was simply to receive instruction and dutifully complete the drills provided, with little emphasis on meaning or enjoyment (CIERA, 2001).

In the early 1840’s, Mann traveled extensively throughout Europe and was deeply influenced by the child-centered progressive education reforms he encountered in Prussia (modern-day Germany).

He believed that allowing a child to encounter a whole-word naturally, in context and with meaning attached, was a humane and child-centered needed reform (Aligned, 2024; CIERA, 2001) and that learning to read should be natural, meaningful, and never mechanical (Britannica, 1998; Memoria Press, 2017). He insisted that rote learning of letters, sounds, and rules was "neither effective nor desirable," and that children should instead be led to discover meaning on their own (Mann, 1848, as cited in Newfoundations, n.d.). He famously dismissed the letters of the alphabet as "bloodless, ghostly apparitions" and championed whole-word reading instead (Kim, n.d.).

His objection was not purely to phonics itself, but to the unnatural, joyless way it was being taught, and his solution was well-intentioned, even if it did throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Early education/neuroscience research-

In 1886, James Cattell's eye movement research appeared to lend scientific support to the whole-word approach, showing that adults perceived whole words more rapidly than individual letters (Kim, n.d.). By the mid-twentieth century, the look-say method had become conventional wisdom in American classrooms. The result of this is seen beautifully in the beloved Dick and Jane reading series that filled schools from the 1940s through the 1960s (Lexia Learning, 2025).

But the phonics advocates were not going to give up so easily and pushed back, most notably with Rudolf Flesch's 1955 book Why Johnny Can't Read, reigniting the debate with force. Jeanne Chall's landmark 1967 study Learning to Read: The Great Debate then brought a research lens to the question, concluding after analyzing hundreds of classrooms across three countries that systematic phonics instruction produced stronger outcomes in word recognition, spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension (Hempenstall, 2009).

This debate has raged in research journals, classrooms, school boards, and state legislatures since the foundation of the United States of America was being formed, making the "Reading Wars" one of the longest-running arguments in the history of American education.

The battle continues.

Sources:

Aligned. (2024). A brief history of literacy instruction in America. https://www.wearealigned.org/blogs/brief-history-literacy-instruction-america

Britannica. (1998). Progressive education. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/progressive-education

Chall, J. S. (1967). Learning to read: The great debate. McGraw-Hill.

CIERA. (2001). Reading in the twentieth century. Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. http://www.ciera.org/library/archive/2001-08/200108.htm

Educational theory of Horace Mann. (n.d.). NewFoundations. https://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Mann.html

Hempenstall, K. (2009). The whole language–phonics controversy: An historical perspective. National Institute for Direct Instruction. https://www.nifdi.org/resources/hempenstall-blog/981-the-whole-language-phonics-controversy-an-historical-perspective.html

Jobe, A. S. (n.d.). Phonics or whole language: Choosing the most effective approach to teach reading [Graduate research paper, University of Northern Iowa]. UNI ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/grp/908

Kim, J. S. (2008). Research and the reading wars. In F. M. Hess (Ed.), When research matters: How scholarship influences education policy (pp. 89–111). Harvard Education Press.

Lexia Learning. (2025). The science of reading vs. balanced literacy: The history of the reading wars. https://www.lexialearning.com/blog/the-science-of-reading-vs-balanced-literacy-the-history-of-the-reading-wars

McArthur, G., Castles, A., Kohnen, S., Larsen, L., Jones, K., Anandakumar, T., & Banales, E. (2015). Replicability of sight word training and phonics training in poor readers: A randomised controlled trial. PeerJ, 3, e922. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.922

Memoria Press. (2017). The history of phonics. https://www.memoriapress.com/articles/history-phonics/

National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Wikipedia. (2025). Horace Mann. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Mann

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Oz-Stravaganza® 2026

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

If you live in NY and are a fan of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Frank Baum, then this is your moment!

Chittenango, NY will host the 49th annual Oz-Stravaganza® June 5-7, 2026

This multi-day festival, which includes a bazaar and parade, also attracts some big names in the Wizard of Oz world. The great-granddaughter of Baum himself will be there as well as, Marissa Bode (Nessarose) from the movie, WICKED and John Fricke, the two-time Emmy Award winner, who is widely regarded as the world’s preeminent Oz and Judy Garland historian/author.

From the Oz-Stravaganza® website

IN THE BEGINNING. . .

In 1978, Librarian Clara Houck set out on a mission to acknowledge the history of the Village of Chittenango as the Birthplace of author L. Frank Baum. Baum would go on to write the American fairy tale- “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to the delight of children around the world.

Clara organized the very first celebration. Local children dressed up as OZ characters and paraded around the library parking lot on May 15th. Then they went inside, had birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to L. Frank Baum.

A lot has changed since then. The festival became a multi-day event. Changed names from Oz-Fest to Oz-Stravaganza, and saw crowds increase from a few hundred for the parade to several thousand for the festival. The event is now run by the International L. Frank Baum & All Things Oz Historical Foundation. A non-profit, 100% volunteer led organization that does it all for the love of Oz.

We are getting ready to celebrate our 49th festival. The longest running and largest Wizard of Oz themed festival in the world is getting ready to dazzle thousands of fans, young and old alike in the birthplace of its creator, Lyman Frank Baum.

This year, whether you are a first time visitor or a well-traveled Ozian, we invite you to join us in the Syracuse suburb of Chittenango, NY. Special guests, live music, costume contests, festival food, rides, games, authors and artists, vendors galore, fireworks, and a museum dedicated to All Things Oz.

Come to Chittenango the first weekend of June. Join us for the whole weekend or just a day. And as for transportation- Syracuse has service by train, bus, and air. Of course…you can always arrive by broomstick, bubble or horse of a different color, if you choose.

No matter how you get here, we’ll be waiting to celebrate the OZ universe with you. Whether you fancy the MGM film or the books, Wicked, the WIZ, OzLand, Emerald City, Return to Oz, Oz: The Great and powerful or any other version of OZ- we have something for everyone. If you are an OZ fan…you definitely belong because after all…there’s no place like home!

https://www.oz-stravaganza.com/

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2026 Book Festivals

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

There are so many amazing book festivals across the country. Looking for a comprehensive resource for them all was challenging. I was only able to find the information from the website Bookreporter.com so we are going to give him all the credit here for this amazing compilation.

Here is the direct link to his website and straight to the book festivals page. I hope you find one near year!

https://www.bookreporter.com/book-festivals

May 2026

Altadena, CA: LitFest in the Dena

Dates: May 1-2

Website: https://litfestinthedena.org

Sonoma, CA: Sonoma Valley Authors Festival

Dates: May 1-3

Website: https://svauthorsfest.org

Annapolis, MD: Annapolis Book Festival

Date: May 2

Website: https://www.keyschool.org/community/annapolis-book-festival

Doylestown, PA: Bucks County Book Fest

Date: May 2

Website: https://www.bucksbookfest.org

Des Moines, IA: DSM Book Festival

Date: May 2

Website: https://beaverdalebooks.com/dsm-book-festival-2026

Hudson, NY: Hudson Children's Book Festival

Date: May 2

Website: https://www.hudsonchildrensbookfestival.com

Montclair, NJ: Montclair Literary Festival

Dates: May 2-9

Website: https://succeed2gether.org/montclair-literary-festival

Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Author Book Festival

Date: May 3

Website: https://azauthorbookfestival.com

Woodstock, VT: Bookstock Festival of Words

Dates: May 15-17

Website: https://bookstockvt.org

Oyster Bay, NY: Gold Coast Book Fair

Dates: May 15-17

Website: https://www.goldcoastforum.org

Santa Fe, NM: Santa Fe Literary Festival

Dates: May 15-17

Website: https://www.sfinternationallitfest.org

Gaithersburg, MD: Gaithersburg Book Festival

Date: May 16

Website: https://www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org

Crested Butte, CO: Mountain Words Literary Festival

Dates: May 21-24

Website: https://www.gvlf.org

Pittsburgh, PA: Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books

Date: May 30

Website: https://www.pittsburghbookfestival.org

Berkeley, CA: Bay Area Book Festival

Dates: May 30-31

Website: https://www.baybookfest.org

June 2026

Pittsburgh, PA: StokerCon

Dates: June 4-7

Website: https://www.stokercon.com

Washington, DC: The Imaginarium Book Festival

Dates: June 5-6

Website: https://www.imaginariumbookfestival.com

Hobart, NY: Hobart Festival of Women Writers

Dates: June 5-7

Website: https://hobartfestivalofwomenwriters.blog

Easton, MD: Chesapeake Children’s Book Festival

Date: June 6

Website: https://chesapeakechildrensbookfestival.com

Nantucket, MA: Nantucket Book Festival

Dates: June 11-14

Website: https://nantucketbookfestival.org

Denver, CO: Lit Fest

Dates: June 12-19

Website: https://lighthousewriters.org/lit-fest

Arlington, TX: Sunbelt Book & Art Expo

Date: June 13

Website: https://sunbelt-expo.com

Bronx, NY: The Bronx Book Festival

Date: June 20

Website: https://www.thebronxisreading.com/the-bronx-book-festival-2026

July 2026

Burlington, MA: Readercon

Dates: July 9-12

Website: https://readercon.org

Columbus, OH: Columbus Book Festival

Dates: July 11-12

Website: https://www.columbusbookfestival.org

Payson, AZ: Payson Book Festival

Date: July 18

Website: https://paysonbookfestival.org

Detroit, MI: Detroit Festival of Books

Date: July 19

Website: https://detroitbookfest.com

San Diego, CA: San Diego Comic-Con

Dates: July 23-26

Website: https://www.comic-con.org

Atlanta, GA: National Book Club Conference

Dates: July 31 – August 2

Website: https://nationalbookclubconference.com

August 2026

Sag Harbor, NY: Black Authors Festival

Date: August 1

Website: https://www.blackauthorsfestival.com

Lewisburg, WV: Lewisburg Literary Festival

Dates: August 7-8

Website: http://www.lewisburgliteraryfestival.com

Grove City, OH: Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo

Date: August 8

Website: https://www.midohioindies.com

West Hollywood, CA: Los Angeles Kids Book Festival

Date: August 22

Website: https://www.lakidsbookfestival.com

Washington, DC: National Book Festival

Date: August 22

Website: https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-book-festival/about-this-program

Harlem, NY: Harlem Book Fair

Date: August 29

Website: https://www.harlembookfair.com

September 2026

Burnsville, NC: Carolina Mountains Literary Festival

Dates: September 10-12

Website: http://cmlitfest.net

Starke County, IN: Beyond the Book Festival

Date: September 12

Website: https://scpls.org/beyond-the-book

Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Book Festival

Dates: September 12-13

Website: https://baltimore.org/event/baltimore-book-festival-2/

Chicago, IL: Printers Row Lit Fest

Dates: September 12-13

Website: https://printersrowlitfest.org

Costa Mesa, CA: Orange County Children’s Book Festival

Date: September 20

Website: https://kidsbookfestival.com

Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Book Festival

Dates: September 20-28

Website: https://www.brooklynbookfestival.org

Wausau, WI: Central Wisconsin Book Festival

Dates: September 24-26

Website: https://mcpl.us/cwbf

Winston-Salem, NC: Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors

Dates: September 24-27

Website: https://www.bookmarksnc.org/festival

Harbor Springs, MI: Harbor Springs Festival of the Book

Dates: September 25-27

Website: https://www.hsfotb.org

Lewes, DE: History Book Festival

Dates: September 25-27

Website: https://www.historybookfestival.org

Chappaqua, NY: Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival

Date: September 26

Website: https://ccbfestival.org

Jackson, WY: Jackson Hole Book Festival

Date: September 26

Website: https://jacksonholebookfestival.org

Jackson, MS: Mississippi Book Festival

Date: September 26

Website: https://msbookfestival.com

Little Rock, AR: Six Bridges Book Festival

Dates: September 27 – October 4

Website: https://cals.org/six-bridges-book-festival

October 2026

Decatur, GA: Decatur Book Festival

Dates: October 2-3

Website: https://decaturbookfestival.com

Saratoga Springs, NY: Saratoga Book Festival

Dates: October 2-4

Website: https://saratogabookfestival.org

Collingswood, NJ: Collingswood Book Festival

Date: October 3

Website: https://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com

Mankato, MN: Deep Valley Book Festival

Date: October 3

Website: https://www.deepvalleybookfestival.com

Fredericksburg, VA: Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival

Date: October 3

Website: https://www.fredbookfest.com

New York, NY: New York Comic Con

Dates: October 8-11

Website: https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com

San Francisco, CA: Litquake

Dates: October 8-24

Website: https://www.litquake.org

Morristown, NJ: Morristown Festival of Books

Dates: October 9-10

Website: https://morristownbooks.org

Farmville, VA: Virginia Children’s Book Festival

Dates: October 14-16

Website: http://vachildrensbookfestival.org

Madison, WI: Wisconsin Book Festival

Dates: October 15-18

Website: https://www.wisconsinbookfestival.org

Brattleboro, VT: Brattleboro Literary Festival

Dates: October 16-18

Website: https://brattleborolitfest.org

Boston, MA: Boston Book Festival

Date: October 17

Website: https://bostonbookfest.org

Greer, SC: Fall Book Festival

Date: October 17

Website: https://www.creativeslingersofink.com/fall-book-festival

Las Vegas, NV: Las Vegas Book Festival

Date: October 17

Website: https://lasvegasbookfestival.com

Nashville, TN: Southern Festival of Books

Dates: October 17-18

Website: https://www.sofestofbooks.org

Iowa City, IA: Iowa City Book Festival

Dates: October 19-25

Website: https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/icbf

Houston, TX: National Black Book Festival

Dates: October 22-24

Website: http://www.nationalblackbookfestival.com

Marlborough, MA: Fall in Love New England

Dates: October 23-25

Website: https://www.fallinlovenewengland.com

Louisville, KY: Louisville Book Festival

Date: October 24

Website: https://www.louisvillebookfestival.com

Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana Book Festival

Date: October 31

Website: http://www.louisianabookfestival.org

November 2026

Charleston, SC: Charleston Literary Festival

Dates: November 6-15

Website: https://www.charlestonliteraryfestival.com

Portland, OR: Portland Book Festival

Date: November 7

Website: https://literary-arts.org/about/programs/portland-book-festival

Rochester, NY: Rochester Children’s Book Festival

Date: November 7

Website: https://www.rcbfestival.com

Saint Paul, MN: Twin Cities Book Festival

Date: November 7

Website: https://twincitiesbookfestival.com

Austin, TX: Texas Book Festival

Dates: November 14-15

Website: https://www.texasbookfestival.org

Nashville, TN: WriterFest Nashville

Dates: November 20-21

Website: https://www.writerfestnashville.com

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Living Literature

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In 2014, we were temporarily transplanted to upstate NY by the Army.

One of my kids' favorite things we did while we lived there was to visit the Almanzo Wilder homestead and museum.

Almanzo was married to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and this homestead is the setting for her book, Farmer Boy. I have a daughter who loved the Little House on the Prairie series, but this trip really spoke to my two little boys, who immediately wanted to go home and read Farmer Boy.

Going to visit museums and homesteads of favorite authors can be an amazing way to encourage reading and writing and connect more deeply with these timeless stories.

There is a non-profit organization called the American Writer’s Museum, based out of Chicago, and their website has a wealth of information including many other affiliate sites listed that you can visit throughout the United States.

They include the Louisa May Alcott Orchard House, the Harper Lee Museum, the Frederick Douglass Historic site, Emily Dickinson's Homestead, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Homestead, the Robert Frost Farm, the Hemingway Museum, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, and so many more.

I will link the website here and the affiliate website. Maybe one is near you or worth traveling to see if they happen to be one of your favorites.

https://americanwritersmuseum.org/

https://americanwritersmuseum.org/partners/affiliates/

Other notable museums:

Beverly Cleary sculpture garden—Grant Park, Portland, Oregon (Ramona Quimby's neighborhood, with statues of Ramona, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy)

L. Frank Baum / Oz sites—Chittenango, New York (birthplace; hosts annual Oz-Fest) and the

All Things Oz Museum in Chittenango

Thornton W. Burgess Museum—Sandwich, Massachusetts (author of Old Mother West Wind and Peter Rabbit stories—the American Peter Rabbit, not Beatrix Potter's)

For younger children:

The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum—Springfield, Massachusetts (plus the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden on the same campus)

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art—Amherst, Massachusetts (writer of They Very Hungry Caterpillar)

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High-Quality Hobbies

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 9 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

You know the saying you are what you eat...

Well, the same applies to how you spend your time. You are what you do consistently.

In the last blog I talked about my excitement over the Analogue Bag trend, but when you're trying to make a dramatic change in your life, you need tangible ideas for how to make the transition.

You must have something to fill the void that stopping scrolling just created, or something to hand your child instead of a screen, and it needs to be convenient and straightforward. Planning ahead is your greatest ally but you also need to clearly know your why.

Why do you want to spend less time on technology? Why do you want this for you, for your kids?

It's pretty shocking to learn that most of the Silicon Valley tech employees, including Steve Jobs, send their children to Waldorf Schools and don't let them have any screens until they are in high school. Waldorf and Montessori schools are famous for their commitment to tech-free childhoods.

Some circles are going so far as to call the tech-free childhood, "The New Rich" because it is only accessible to children whose parents understand the risks and aren't themselves addicted to technology and allows for the "privilege" of normal brain development.

A few years ago, I heard a Scandinavian childhood advocate give a talk, and he said that in 20 years we will look back at smart devices as child abuse. That's pretty harsh to consider, especially when most well-meaning parents and educators have been sold a story that what kids need is greater and equal access to technology.

But the truth is that the research shows only a negative correlation to access to technology and its relationship to academic success. In other words, the studies show that, without a doubt, the more access children have to screens and internet, the worse they do academically and in their mental health. What did Silicon Valley know so early on that the rest of us didn't?

The past is gone and all we can do is the best we can we the information we have now.

Here are some ideas for high-quality hobbies for adults and children. My best suggestion for the success of these hobbies is to not default to social media or the internet to learn these hobbies and don't feel the need to share them on social media.

Find ones that can be done in real life with real people and in-person teachers. Look at your local library, church, or community center, or if your schedule is too busy to go outside the home, get a book to learn it. You will be well-intentioned when you go to look for that YouTube tutorial, but your brain will sideline you to, instead, get easy dopamine, I promise.

Part of escaping the addictive easy dopamine loop that digital life traps us in, you must prove to your brain that digital connection is a sad substitute for actual human connection. You must have enough human and 'in real life' moments daily/weekly to have this perspective. It is great that we live in a time where we can stay connected with family and friends far away, but that can never replace the need for human connection on a daily basis. We are wired for it, and without it we suffer.

Regarding hobbies, over time you'll find the ones that are the right fit for you, but starting out with an open-mind is important and be willing to tolerate a learning curve and the feelings of boredom at first.

My current favorite hobbies are our nightly game of Rummikub, playing in the handbell choir one night a week at church (this might seem like an old lady hobby, but at least half the members are younger than me) and sticker by numbers by the company Brain Games (imagine a paint-by-numbers using beautiful vintage stickers to create scenes of flowers and birds).

Other Hobbies Worth Considering:

Puzzles (they are not just for children. I work on puzzles throughout the week, for a few minutes here and there. I leave them out on a puzzle board so that anyone who passes through can help out.)

Watercolors

Drawing, painting, coloring

Hiking or Walking

Travel

Flower arranging

Learning a new musical instrument

Join the Y or a Gym

Table top or board gaming club

Supper club

Join a dance or swimming class

Pickleball, Tennis, Bowling

Adult team sports or martial arts

Join a community or church choir

Reading (if a novel feels too big try a magazine)

Join a local book club or Bible Study

Cooking or Baking

Knitting, Crocheting, or Embroidery

Cross stitch or Looming

Gardening ( if this feels too big start with something like an indoor aerogarden or a shelf of air plants)

Photography and Macro Photography (one of my most favorite hobbies is macro photography especially in spring time)

Whittling or Carving

Bookbinding (there are whole kits for this)

Book press/engraving

Pressed flower art

Calligraphy

Felting

Leather working

Model car, planes or trains

Paracord braiding

Ham radio operation(check your local and state laws)

Fishing

Foraging and plant identification (we call this nature notebooking)

Journaling or Commonplace booking (I have a blog about the Commonplace book)

For children-

Most children will enjoy the same hobbies listed in the adult category but there are also some specific sites that might inspire you.

Look into Montessori and Waldorf stores for ideas as they are committed to offline childhoods. They have wonderful ideas sorted by age categories and ideas for travel, which is often when parents cave on the screens.

Also, look up Charlotte Mason 'handicrafts'. She was an early childhood educator who wisely believed children needed to be industrious with their hands. Even my boys loved them growing up.

A tech-free Montessori toy that was a favorite for my children and now my 2-year-old niece is called a Busy Book. It has felt animals and farm scenes, shoe lacing or buttons or zippers and it all folds up into a small book size. My sister-in-law raves over it.

Many of these hobby ideas have very inexpensive starter kits at the Dollar Store or 5 Below type stores or even at thrift shops. Normally, I don’t love anything that encourages overconsumption, but the reality is that many young people and young families don’t have any of these tangible craft supplies, and in this case, I would say it is worth a reasonable starter investment.

Trying a small kit first can help you to know if it’s something you’d like to spend more time on before you spend more money.

While the time spent scrolling or on the internet may feel free, there is a cost that one day, you may decide was too high but.

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The Analogue Bag

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Do You Need a Busy Bag?

Before smart devices became a part of everyday life, my fellow moms and I would pack our young children’s Busy Bags.

These bags were like an older version of a diaper bag and kept our little ones occupied while we stood in the line at the Post Office or to keep their little eyes off the candy aisle at the grocery store. Before tablets, parents had to help their children emotionally regulate themselves in boring situations like a dinner out at a restaurant or on long car rides. These bags were filled with crayons, stickers, markers, coloring books, snacks and books.

It is now 2026, and I would like to introduce you to the viral trend of the “Analogue Bag.”

The trend, sparked by content creator Sierra Campbell in 2025, is as follows. Pack a tote with hands-on, screen-free activities like a knitting project, a watercolor set, a crossword puzzle, a book or e-reader to help curb screen time and live a more “analogue” life.

I get so tickled when younger generations discover something old and rebrand it as brand new information. I tease, but I am so here for the analogue bag. For once, I am so far ahead trend and it feels very vindicating!

I have been bringing UNO cards and cross words to restaurants for over a decade to coerce my family members to put their phones down. I carry at least one book with me at all times and, to my husband’s dismay, I travel with several, even for short trips. I mean, you always need a back-up or two in case you lose interest or finish the first.

The reign of the smart phone has been hard on us romantic old souls, especially those of us whose Love Language is quality time. You see it a lot in public. A couple sitting together for a meal. One staring and scrolling while the other, unbeknownst to their partner, sadly looks on wondering when it will be their turn…our children look at us this way too when we have devices in our hands.

I think the tide is changing. As long as the grid prevails, there will always be addicted, chronically online people. However, more and more, I am hearing people talk openly about their discontentment in technology, particularly their smart phones.

I don't know if it is the onslaught of AI in everything or that we are dangerously close to the singularity point where we can no longer tell what is real or fake, except what is right in-front of us, but something is making people long for spending their time with things they can experience “IRL.”

If the online world is your thing and you have no quality of life issues, then by all means, don’t overthink it, however many people today seem to have a deep sense of discontentment every time they pick up their phones. It almost feels as though we are helpless and being forced to do it when we don’t want to, and we know life is literally slipping away.

We have one, wild and precious life to live (Mary Oliver) and when you do the math, you discover that someone who starts with a smart device at 15-years-old and is on it for the average American screen time of 5-7 hours per day, will give away over 20 years of their life to looking at that device if they live to age 85. This is beyond tragic. I’m in my mid-forties and don’t have that kind of time to just give away to Facebook or Instagram.

Researchers have coined the term digital anhedonia to describe a phenomenon where chronic screen overexposure blunts our ability to enjoy real-world experiences. A 2025 study published in Cureus found that frequent social media users show reduced brain activity in the regions responsible for processing pleasure and reward during offline tasks (Lakhan, 2025).

In other words, the more we scroll, the less satisfying everything else becomes. Even things we used to enjoy. Children are especially at risk, according to a Harvard Medical School report, which noted that much of what happens on screens provides meaningless stimulation of dopamine receptors compared to real-world experience, and that boredom itself is actually the mental space we need to stimulate creativity and imagination.

But fear not! The brain is remarkably adaptable. When we choose tangible hobbies such as painting, gardening, cooking, reading, learning an instrument, or playing a game, we can retrain our reward systems. If your brain is experiencing anhedonia, then these hobbies will feel boring and unsatisfying at first. But, if you keep it up, those dopamine receptors will recalibrate and before long, they will not only feel satisfying and fulfilling but you will crave these things instead of scrolling.

We reach our highest potential by living well and experiencing a good life. I think we all instinctively know that scrolling and handing our children a screen is not the good life.

An analogue bag is a great way to start pulling back from the digital world and to start living again in the real one. Maybe you try it for a month, work through the discomfort and boredom, trust the process, and see what trying something new (old) might do for you.

Sources:

Lakhan, S. E. (2025). "Hijacked by the Feed: Social Media Neuroengineering-Induced Digital Anhedonia." Cureus, 17(4), e83256.

Harvard Medical School. "Screen Time and the Brain." Harvard Medicine.

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The Case for Cursive

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Last year I wrote a blog called, The Case for Handwriting. I'd like to present to you now: The Case for Cursive!

There's a meme that floats around Gen X social media that never fails to get a laugh: if Gen Z and Gen Alpha were to join forces and rise up against us, all we'd have to do is write our battle plans in cursive. It's funny (at least to most Gen X's) because it's not far from the truth. Two generations now have grown up unable to read or write in a script that was once as fundamental as learning to read.

But beyond the humor, there is a serious side to this story. A growing body of research suggests that cursive handwriting may be one of the most powerful tools we have for strengthening the brain. This is esepcailly true for the developing brains of kids.

Studies using brain imaging have shown that cursive activates areas of the brain that typing simply does not. The continuous motion of connecting letters engages the motor and visual systems simultaneously, forcing them to work together in ways that support learning and memory. Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that cursive synchronizes brain waves in patterns associated with memory formation priming the brain to learn (Askvik, Van der Weel, & Van der Meer, 2020). Cognitive neuroscientist Marieke Longcamp of Aix-Marseille Université has described handwriting as "probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of" (NPR, 2024).

Cursive writing also develops fine motor control, strengthens connections between the brain's hemispheres, and may even support children with dyslexia by reinforcing communication pathways between the auditory and language centers of the brain (Brain Balance Centers). Researchers at Indiana University found that children who practiced writing letters by hand showed far more "adult-like" neural activity than those who only looked at or typed letters (James & Engelhardt, 2012).

There's also a cultural cost to consider. Some of history's most important documents from the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, personal letters from historical figures like Abraham Lincoln, original manuscripts from authors like Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, were written entirely in cursive. If a generation can't read cursive, the only option they have is to trust someone else's transcription of the documents.

They lose the ability to read these works firsthand, to study the original words as they were actually written, and to verify for themselves that what they're reading is true to the source. Think of how slippery a slope that could be. Despite this evidence, many schools phased out cursive instruction over the past decade.

But, it's not all bad news!! Over twenty states have now reintroduced cursive requirements in their curricula (Nature, 2026) and if your state isn't one of them contact your school boards and your state Dept of Education and let them know how important this is.

In order for our future generations to have equal access to history, we need to make sure that cursive writing remains a standard in the school age curriculums.

What about your state?

States that currently require cursive:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Idaho (by school year 2025-2026)

States with no statewide requirement but with pending legislation or active consideration:

Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, and Wisconsin.

States that leave it to local school districts to decide:

Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

States with no requirement and no pending legislation:

Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

MyCursive.com is a wonderful resource for all things cursive and is up to date on cursive writing legislation.

Sources:

Askvik, E. O., Van der Weel, F. R., & Van der Meer, A. L. H. (2020). "The Importance of Cursive Handwriting Over Typewriting for Learning in the Classroom." Frontiers in Psychology.

James, K. H. & Engelhardt, L. (2012). "The Effects of Handwriting Experience on Functional Brain Development in Pre-Literate Children." Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 1, 32–42.

As Schools Reconsider Cursive, Research Homes in on Handwriting's Brain Benefits." (2024). NPR

Lenharo, M. (2026). "How Learning Handwriting Trains the Brain." Nature.

Brain Balance Centers. "Brain Benefits of Learning to Write in Cursive."

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Human Authored Certification

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 5 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

All of my currently published books (and future books will be) are registered with the Authors Guild Human Writer Licensing Program, and each has a unique registration number.

Books that are licensed and registered as 'Human Authored' through the Authors Guild will have the "Human Authored" trademark symbol and carry a legal license with legal repercussions for falsifying this claim.

How to know if a book is legally licensed as "Human Authored"-

This licensing program is now available to all traditional publishing houses and Indie authors who can meet the "Human Authored" requirements. Registered books will have the official Human Authored trademark on the front or back cover OR the Human Authored registration number on their copyright page as many authors can not redo covers to add it to already published work.

If there is 'human authored' language on the copyright page, there must be a registration number or the trademark symbol with it, or it is not legitimate. The cost is free for Guild members (up to 10 books) and $10.00 per book for Non-Guild members (one-time fee).

If you would like books written by authors who have made a commitment not to use AI in their writing, and are willing to legally attest as such, these are the indicators you are looking for.

The Unicorn Shore: The Secret of the Shell

Human Authored Reg #: 3065554, https://authorsguild.org/human

The Unicorn Shore: Eclipse's Secret

Human Authored Reg #: 7963989, https://authorsguild.org/human

The Unicorn Shore: The Ring of Mischief

Human Authored Reg #: 3903278, https://authorsguild.org/human

Who is The Authors Guild?

"The Authors Guild is the nation’s oldest and largest professional organization for published writers. Since our founding in 1912, we have served as the collective voice of American authors, and have long supported the rich and diverse literary culture of our country. Our members include novelists in all genres and categories, nonfiction writers, journalists, historians, poets, and translators. The Guild welcomes traditionally-published authors as well as self-published, independent authors.

We advocate on behalf of working writers to protect free expression and ensure authors have enforceable intellectual property rights; we fight for fair contracts and compensation; and we provide a welcoming community for writers and translators of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and journalism.

Our educational and charitable arm, the Authors Guild Foundation, helps support our advocacy, offers programming to teach working writers about the business of writing, and hosts literary events that highlight the importance of a rich, diverse American literary culture and the authors that contribute to it."

Quoted from the Authors Guild website: https://authorsguild.org/about/

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Currently in Development

L. E. Dudley — Sun, 1 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ghost Wolf: The Shard of Fenrir by T.K. Wilder is a chilling paranormal thriller for middle-grade (10+) readers who love suspense, psychological mystery, mythology and ghost stories that linger.

Will went into the woods alone—but something followed him back.

Thirteen-year-old Will Anders never knew his parents were running from something. After the accident that killed them, he's sent to the sleepy town of Black Hollow to live with his Aunt Mags. It's supposed to be a safe place to start over.

But Black Hollow isn't what it seems. From the moment Will arrives, he knows he's being watched. The townspeople avoid him and whisper when he passes. At night, things get worse. Eerie howls echo from the woods behind his aunt's house. His classmates warn him that no one goes into those woods—but Will feels a pull he can’t resist.

What he finds there changes everything.

Strange, unnatural things start happening, and Will feels like he's living in a nightmare—but what's hunting him is all too real.

The town's secrets begin to surface, along with an ancient Norse legend no one wants to talk about. When an eccentric classmate offers to help, Will isn't sure if she's an ally or another threat.

As Will uncovers the truth about his family's past, he realizes he's awakened something that should have stayed buried. It wants him dead—and if it succeeds, Black Hollow's dark secret will destroy them all.

To save the town, Will must become the very thing his parents tried to protect him from. The question isn't whether he can stop the curse—it's whether he's willing to pay the price.

Ghost Wolf is written under my pen name, T. K. Wilder and is currently in development.

For more information on why I write middle grade novels using a pen name:

https://ledudleybooks.com/blog/famous-fake-names-throughout-history-authors-have-frequently-used-pen

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March is National Reading Month!

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Did you get the teacher's note about sending your child to school dressed as their favorite book character or to send a donation for the Dr. Suess birthday party...if so, then you are fast approaching National Reading Month!

National Reading Month is celebrated across the United States by schools, libraries, and literacy organizations, and is officially sponsored by Reading is Fundamental (RIF). It happens all month long, starting on Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd.

Their vision: A nation of lifelong readers.

Their mission: Reading Is Fundamental works to disrupt the alarming U.S. literacy crisis by inspiring the joy of reading in children, a critical element to driving the frequency, motivation, and engagement needed to create skilled readers. We know that if we build a foundation of joy for children, then development, discovery, and opportunity follow.

Reading Is Fundamental is the nation’s leading United States children’s literacy nonprofit. They operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and are supported by philanthropic funding from foundations such as the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, among others that invest in literacy programs and resources.

In addition to foundation support, RIF partners with major corporations and national organizations to expand its reach. For example, campaigns like Rally to Read are supported by partners including Barnes & Noble, Macy’s, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Penguin Random House, Little Free Library, and National PTA, which help provide books, events, and reading activities for children nationwide (rif.org).

RIF also works with community volunteers, local sponsors, and educational groups to distribute free books and literacy resources in schools, libraries, childcare centers, and community settings. Corporate partners like Amazon have supported RIF’s literacy efforts by donating books and helping get reading resources into the hands of students in schools across the country.

So, get your glue gun ready for that Very Hungry Caterpillar costume or start digging through the dress-up bin for the Harry Potter cape and wand.

This has to be one of the best days at school ever!

https://www.rif.org/

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Print vs E-Readers and the Brain

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recently, there has been a good bit of research that has brought to light the difference in how our brain processes what we could call analogue habits vs tech habits, including handwriting vs typing and e-readers vs physical books. A recent blog I wrote centered around the "Just One Book" study, which showed how dramatically having one real book in the house affected literacy and future educational success. One of the most surprising findings in this study was that there was no bump in literacy or education success metrics for e-readers or digital reading on computers.

As an avid reader, both physical copies and e-readers, I was floored to see this. I decided to dig a little deeper, and here's what I found.

In 2018, researchers analyzed 54 studies where people read the exact same thing on paper and on screens, and people understood more when they read on paper every time (Delgado et al., 2018). This was especially true for textbooks, news articles, and anything with facts you actually need to learn. Kids who grew up with iPads aren't any better at screen reading than older people, and the advantage of paper is actually getting stronger over time, not weaker (Delgado et al., 2018). It turns out that physical books make your brain settle into a focused "deep reading" mode, while screens put your brain in scanning and skimming mode even when you're really trying to concentrate (Clinton, 2019).

Too Much Distraction

When you read on a screen, your brain is trying to juggle too much at the same time. Part of your brain is reading, while other parts are watching for notifications and resisting the urge to go look at something else more interesting to the brain (aka easier dopamine than reading). Even if you are not aware or intentionally doing so, it seems the brain on a neurological level still is. The brain only has so much neural energy, and these distractions all eat away at that reserve. It basically takes away the neural energy needed for focus, and before you know it, you are re-reading the same page for the fourth time and have no idea what your heroine's name is. All this background noise steals brain power away from actually understanding and remembering what you're reading (Zivan et al., 2023). Physical books eliminate all these distractions completely, so your brain can put 100% of its energy into the actual reading instead of managing what equals to too many tabs open.

Why the Physical Book is Different

Your brain makes a mental map when you read physical books, which is why you can remember things like "that fact was on the left page near the bottom" or "that was somewhere in the middle of the book" (Mangen et al., 2019). You feel the weight shift as pages move from right to left, and you can see your progress visually, and all these physical clues help your brain organize information in your memory. On screens, every page looks exactly the same, so your brain loses all these helpful spatial cues, which makes it way harder to remember the order of events or understand how different ideas connect to each other (Mangen et al., 2019).

Writing in Books Helps You Remember

People take fewer notes and do less highlighting when they read on screens, even though digital tools make it technically possible (Mangen et al., 2019). When you physically write with a pen on paper, the hand movement creates extra connections in your brain that help lock in the information. Plus, you can see all your notes at a glance when you flip back through a physical book, while digital notes tend to get lost or forgotten in whatever app you're using.

The Illusion of Knowing

When people read on screens, they think they understood way more than they actually did, but when they read on paper, they're pretty accurate about knowing what they got and what they missed (Singer & Alexander, 2017). This means students feel totally confident after reading their homework on a laptop, but then they bomb the test because they didn't actually understand it like they thought. This "illusion of knowing" happens constantly with screen reading and can really hurt grades (Singer & Alexander, 2017).

A Balanced Approach for Fun but Maybe not for Students

I love my e-reader. It lets me have a book with me at all times and makes reading when traveling very convenient. I'd rather read than scroll. I've only touched the surface of the research available on this topic, but studying this research in full has given me an entirely new perspective.

As a mid-40's woman, I read for enjoyment but also to exercise my brain and keep new neural pathways forming. The reality that anything I read on my e-reader is doing nothing for my brain is disheartening. I will continue to read on my e-reader part time however, the results were striking enough that I will make sure I am splitting my time between physical books and digital from now on.

For children, it can be so frustrating to do everything you're being told to be successful just to still struggle academically. You read the chapter or teacher’s notes (but it was online/ digital) and then felt ready but then the test results make it seem like you didn't study at all.

If we take all this research to heart, we have a compelling case for the return to physical textbooks and limited online digital resources for information that students will be tested on.

References

Clinton, V. (2019). Reading from paper compared to screens: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Research in Reading, 42(2), 288–325.

Delgado, P., Vargas, C., Ackerman, R., & Salmerón, L. (2018). Don't throw away your printed books: A meta-analysis on the effects of reading media on reading comprehension. Educational Research Review, 25, 23–38.

Mangen, A., Olivier, G., & Velay, J.-L. (2019). Comparing comprehension of a long text read in print book and on Kindle: Where in the text and when in the story? Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 38.

Singer, L. M., & Alexander, P. A. (2017). Reading across mediums: Effects of reading digital and print texts on comprehension and calibration. The Journal of Experimental Education, 85(1), 155–172.

Zivan, M., Vaknin, S., Peleg, N., Ackerman, R., & Horowitz-Kraus, T. (2023). Higher theta-beta ratio during screen-based vs. printed paper is related to lower attention in children: An EEG study. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0283863.

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World Read Aloud Day!

L. E. Dudley — Wed, 4 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

World Read Aloud Day!

Today, February 4th, is World Read Aloud Day!

Did you know such a thing existed? Well, it does, and you know those of us who promote children's literacy are so glad for it.

It is an annual event promoted by LitWorld, a global nonprofit based in the U.S., which is focused on literacy and education access. Their goal is to remind people that reading aloud still matters, and that stories are meant to be shared.

A long time ago, reading aloud to one another(even amongst literate peers) was a common way to pass the time, even for adults. People also read to older adults, the infirmed and on special occasions.

At Christmas, I longed for our family to read, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens outloud every evening leading up to Christmas Eve. Crackling fire...cozy and snuggled up under a blanket listening to the story of Ebenezer Scrooge...heavenly!

World Read Aloud Day started as a way to highlight the importance of literacy around the world, especially in communities where access to books and education is limited. Over the years, it has also become a reminder for families, teachers, and caregivers that reading aloud is one of the easiest ways to support children emotionally and academically.

Reading aloud is not just for little kids. Older children benefit too. Hearing a story helps build vocabulary, comprehension, and listening skills, but it also does something quieter and just as important...it creates a shared moment.

https://www.litworld.org/

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Just One Book

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

My Youtube algorithm gives me a lot of child literacy videos due to my research interests, and recently a video called, Why Your Brain Learns Better From Paper, came into my feed. (I’ve linked the video down below in case you want to watch it.) It immediately caught my attention with its Luddite headline.

The video was based on a large international study that examined children across dozens of countries, income levels, and family backgrounds. The researchers found that children who grew up in homes with just one physical book were nearly twice as likely to meet basic literacy and numeracy standards as children who grew up with no books at all (Evans et al., 2018).

When researchers looked at homes with more physical books, the effect scaled. Children surrounded by physical books completed an average of three additional years of education over their lifetime (Evans et al., 2010). That is the difference between a high school diploma and a college degree. It didn’t matter how poor or wealthy the family was, country location or parent education, and it didn’t matter if the children had access to computers or e-readers.

One physical book made that much difference.

How could the presence of one book matter so much when compared to so many other factors?The authors argue that books change the cognitive and social environment of a home. Books generate curiosity, show the child that learning is important, and create opportunities for social bonding between adults and children. Everything I strive to make this blog about. Even when books are not actively read every day, their presence reinforces language exposure and abstract thinking over time (Evans et al., 2018).

This blows my mind! I’ve always laughed at the joke that says reading books and buying books are two different hobbies. I am guilty on both counts. But, maybe there is some merit to having that massive TBR shelf silently judging you.

The implications of this study are hard to ignore. While it is excellent news, on one hand, because having one book is so easy for most people, it really begs the question about literacy interventions, specifically the promotion of technology in homes and classrooms and the push to decrease the technology divide in low-income schools and homes.

If there was no measurable advantage in literacy and education for the children who had the luxury of e-readers or computers/smart devices in the home, what is the deeper relationship between technology and reading print that we are missing?

Is our well-meaning desire for educational equity going in the wrong direction? Does the brain process reading on devices and print differently? How much is the tech helping or is it making learning harder for children?

I am going to write a part 2 to this blog to look at the research and see if we can figure out why the e-readers and screens didn’t offer any measurable advantage.

The video, Why Your Brain Learns Better From Paper from the Youtube channel The Upgrade with Makai Allbert

Embedded Youtube video removed, see original post to watch.

References:

Evans, M. D. R., Kelley, J., & Sikora, J. (2018). The importance of books in the home for children’s educational outcomes. Journal of Global Health, 9(1), 010403. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.09.010403

Evans, M. D. R., Kelley, J., Sikora, J., & Treiman, D. J. (2010). Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 28(2), 171–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2010.01.002

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2026 Global Reading Initiatives

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 1 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite things about working in children’s literature is realizing how many people around the world share a love of reading. Reading is a lifeline and a source of joy and connection all over the globe for adults and children alike. Living overseas for a while gave me a glimpse (honestly, a fascination) into how other cultures approach storytelling. I follow several YouTubers from other countries for book reviews and literacy topics and it is a source of great enjoyment.

In 2026, there are some exciting global reading initiatives happening that are worth looking into, as they not only celebrate literacy but remind us of the power books can have in bridging cultures through their ability to speak to the human heart.

The United Kingdom has declared 2026 the National Year of Reading. According to the Go All In UK campaign, they hope to help British citizens rekindle their love of reading. Schools, libraries, publishers, and communities are teaming up to encourage reading for pleasure, not just for academics. There will be events, book clubs, giveaways, and lots of public campaigns to remind everyone that reading matters at every age. Want to read more about it... https://goallin.org.uk/

Here in the United States, Reading Is Fundamental is running its Rally to Read 100 challenge. Families and classrooms are encouraged to read 100 books together over six months. The idea is to make reading a shared experience, something to celebrate rather than a chore. If you want to join the challenge go to www.rallytoread.org

On the global research side, 2026 is also a big year for PIRLS, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. This international assessment looks at how fourth graders around the world are doing in reading. The results will influence education policy and help countries understand where children need more support.

UNESCO has named Rabat, Morocco as the World Book Capital for 2026. Each year, one city is chosen to host celebrations, festivals, and programs that promote books and reading. World Book Capital cities often focus on access to books, literacy outreach, and community reading events. How fun would it be to share this with your children and read about Morocco? https://www.unesco.org/en/world-book-capital

LitWorld, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening children, families and their communities through literacy and the power of stories has chosen February 4th as their World Read Aloud Day. This is a worldwide celebration of reading aloud. Teachers, parents, librarians, and kids all participate by sharing stories out loud. Reading aloud is one of the most powerful tools for building vocabulary, comprehension, and emotional connection. For more information visit https://www.litworld.org/

Finally, there are also many grassroots organizations working to close the book gap. The Global Book Alliance focuses on getting quality books into underserved communities and supporting local publishing in their native language.

Worldreader is another group with the ambitious goal of getting one million children reading in Kenya by 2030 through community programs and partnerships.

Historically, books have opened the doors of opportunity for shared experiences and taken us on exciting adventures around the world. Maybe these initiatives will inspire you to re-kindle your own love of reading.

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A Series Designed to Grow With Young Readers

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Now that The Unicorn Shore series is complete and all three books have been published, I would like to share my heart behind why I chose to write this series first.

I wanted to write a series that felt magical, yet timeless. I wanted to send my heroine, Marigold, on an emotional and fantastical journey where she would find through courage to face her loneliness. Marigold wants a friend but doesn't know where to start. Her adventures in this magical realm help show her how to trust others, believe in herself, be courageous when afraid, and how to tell the difference between Light and Shadow Magic. Nothing on the long list of book ideas I had swirling through my mind was more pressing to this generation of young readers than the reality of loneliness.

Designed to Grow With the Reader

As digital media and smart devices become embedded in the day-to-day lives of young children, they are reading less and are struggling with fluency, comprehension and attention span more than ever. With increased screen time and an over-reliance on AI, we are returning to an age of illiteracy nearly as fast as our technology advances. One of the unexpected outcomes of technology and social media is just how disconnected and lonely we are. Our children are no exception.

My hope with this series was to write a wholesome, character-focused series with vivid, cinematic elements that would grow along with its reader. Each book gets a little longer and a little deeper, giving young readers new challenges without ever feeling overwhelming. The return of beloved characters keeps them motivated and excited even as the stories gradually become longer and more complex.

This “grow-with-me” structure helps ensure each book meets the reader right where they are.

In Book 1, The Secret of the Shell, nine-year-old Marigold always believed Grandma Pearl's stories about magic hidden in the waves. But nothing could have prepared her for the moment she found a glowing seashell shaped like a unicorn's horn—and it whispered her name.

Swept away to the Unicorn Shore, a mysterious land where unicorns talk, waves carry secrets, and magic is everywhere, Marigold learns she's been chosen for an urgent mission.

A powerful enemy is rising from beneath the waves, and her storms are already draining the Unicorn Shore's magic. If she breaks free, the bond between both worlds will be destroyed forever—and only Marigold holds the key to stopping her.

With the help of her new unicorn friends—wise Coral, speedy Spark, and snack-obsessed Nibbles—Marigold must solve a riddle hidden in an ancient lighthouse to get the answers they need. Answers that will bring her face to face with her greatest fear.

Can she find the courage to face the darkness and save her friends before the Unicorn Shore vanishes forever?

In Book 2, Eclipse’s Secret, the shell calls Marigold back to the Unicorn Shore to help find Eclipse, who has vanished without a trace. All he left behind was a note and an enchanted map. With her unicorn friends, Marigold follows a trail of ancient symbols into an unknown part of the realm. There, they face the rising threat of Shadow Magic and uncover a secret buried for centuries—one that reveals who Eclipse truly is, and why an unknown enemy has tried so hard to keep it hidden. But the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous the shadows become.

Can they find Eclipse before it’s too late? And will he have the strength to face his past and embrace his true destiny?

In Book 3, The Ring of Mischief, Marigold fulfills her promise by bringing her little sister, Sophie, to celebrate Eclipse’s coronation. At the castle, everyone gathers to cheer the new king when a powerful tremor cracks open a hidden crystal cavern in the hills nearby. Marigold and the unicorns dash off to investigate, but Sophie is told to stay behind.

Determined to prove she's just as brave as her big sister, Sophie teams up with Rose, a daring young pegasus still learning to fly. Together they sneak off on their own adventure and discover a mysterious ring humming with strange energy.

Back at the castle, they hide the ring—unaware it holds Trickster Magic. Soon, mischievous Stardust Sprites burst free, turning the coronation celebrations into chaos with their pranks and mayhem.

Can Sophie and Rose capture the sprites and stop the Trickster Magic before it ruins Eclipse's coronation and plunges the entire realm into disaster?

What is a Junior Novel?

The Unicorn Shore books are a part of a junior novel series for readers aged 6–9. A Junior Novel is a bridge between illustrated early chapter books such as, The Magic Treehouse or Junie B. Jones, and the more mature content of middle grade novels. Junior novels offer an ideal next step up from early chapter books while keeping the content of the story age appropriate.

Junior novels are designed for advancing readers who are ready for longer chapters, bigger adventures, and their first step into chapter books without pictures.

They challenge young readers with richer vocabulary, longer sentences, longer chapters, and more complex narratives, helping to develop their reading stamina and attention span.

If your young reader still relies heavily on illustrations for context and pacing, this would be an excellent book series to read aloud together.

For more information on Junior Novels please check out the following blogs:

1. https://ledudleybooks.com/blog/the-junior-novel-why-i-love-writing-junior-novelsif-you-re-not-quite-

2. sure https://ledudleybooks.com/blog/raising-readers-why-i-wrote-the-unicorn-shore-and-why-quality-

3. early https://ledudleybooks.com/blog/raising-readers-how-early-chapter-books-with-fewer-pictures-help-

4. build https://ledudleybooks.com/blog/raising-readers-understanding-the-categories-of-children-s-books-choosing

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The Ring of Mischief Now Available!

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Unicorn Shore: The Ring of Mischief

Book Three in The Unicorn Shore Series

Human Authored Reg #: 3903278, https://authorsguild.org/human

Kindle ebook, paperback and hardback now available at all major online booksellers.

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The Blessing in Boredom

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 6 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

“Mom, I’m bored!” The dreaded three words of motherhood.

We live in a world that hates boredom. Actually, that was the world I grew up in. Now we live in a world that is intolerant of boredom. As adults, we’ve been conditioned this way too. Think about the last time you stood in line, sat in traffic, or waited at a doctor’s office. How long did it take before you pulled out your phone? Probably seconds, not minutes. Our kids see that too, and they learn from it.

Boredom feels wrong…like something we want to run from. Its stillness makes us ask questions we don’t want to think about. Not pulling out our phone when everyone else is on theirs screams inside us that we are not as important as they are. Being offline, even for short periods of time, creates anxiety that someone will need us and we won’t know it. In reality, boredom is one of the best things for us, and one of the best gifts we can give our children.

Children today have so little downtime to even feel boredom because of their highly scheduled lives, which makes it all the more important for us as parents to tolerate their boredom and see the value in it. Too often, though, in those small pockets of downtime (grocery lines, car rides, waiting for food at a restaurant) children are handed screens. This constant overstimulation of the brain, with no chance to reset, can create a host of problems.

Constant overstimulation, especially through screens, can quietly chip away at a child’s ability to focus, create, and regulate emotions. A 2019 report from Harvard Medical School explained that boredom is actually the space where imagination and problem-solving flourish, but when every moment of downtime is filled with fast, flashy input, children lose the chance to exercise those deeper mental muscles. Psychologist Victoria Dunckley (2017) has also warned that chronic screen exposure can leave the brain’s regulatory center overaroused, making it harder for children to manage frustration, attention, and empathy. Research by Ben-Sasson and colleagues (2019) found that preschoolers who experienced more sensory overstimulation were significantly more likely to struggle later with anxiety, irritability, and sleep problems. More recently, Twenge and Campbell (2025) linked heavy daily screen use in older children to learning delays and higher risks of depression and ADHD. In other words, when we fill every quiet moment with stimulation, we rob children of the downtime they need to grow, rest, and fall in love with slower, richer activities like reading.

Screens are not the enemy. They are simply the most common thing parents turn to when faced with the “I’m bored” dilemma. Parents want happy children because happy children give tired parents peace. Peace in the moment is wonderful, but it is worth asking whether the short-term payoff is worth the long-term impact.

Screens do not have to disappear entirely, but those small pockets of time are golden opportunities. They are the cracks in the day when a child can learn to reach for a book instead of a device.

Over time, kids really do gravitate toward reading in those moments. It doesn’t happen overnight, but they will slowly( and sometimes begrudgingly) turn toward books when they become the natural solution to boredom.

Boredom Vs “Perfect” Parenting

Parents sometimes worry when their kids complain about being bored. I used to worry too. It can feel like we’re failing, like we haven’t offered enough activities or stimulation. But boredom is not failure. It’s responsible parenting and a chance for your child's brain to do its best work.

Research from the University of Central Lancashire has shown that boredom can actually spark creativity and problem-solving. In one study, Mann and Cadman (2014) found that participants who were first asked to do a boring task later came up with more creative ideas than those who hadn’t been bored at all. That same principle applies to kids. When the easy dopamine hit from a video game or an endless scroll isn’t an option, the brain starts looking for deeper sources of engagement. That might be doodling on a napkin, building a tower out of sugar packets, or, best of all, opening up a book.

Plan for Push Back

There will be pushback, but the trick is to let your child experience some boredom first without any sort of rescue. You might say, “Gosh, my phone has bad signal in here,” or, “The iPad stays at home from now on,” and then let them feel that boredom when the stakes are low- such as a quick trip into the store or a short errand. The next time, let the book be the hero of the day, “This time I remembered and brought a few books with me. Would you like to look at these while you wait?”

Do not be surprised if they reject you bitterly at first. Just stay calm and unbothered. When they yell, “No!” or “I want your phone,” respond with a simple, “I understand,” and let them sit in their boredom. You might feel embarrassed but that feeling will go away if your resolve is firm. Let yourself feel a little short term embarrassment for the long term benefit of your child’s wellbeing. It may not happen on the first car trip or grocery run. They may pout or cry the entire time, and it may take several rounds of boredom before they are willing to concede. When they finally do and ask for the book- stay cool. Do not overreact. Do your little happy dance in your mind but don't show your hand. Some obstinate-natured kids spook easy!

Once they have caught on and accepted that the in-between moments will no longer be filled with screens, invite them to help choose what books to bring to the store or in the car. You might have a very artistic child who prefers to draw instead, and that is wonderful too. As you ride, ask them to tell you a story about their picture or imagine what kind of book it would belong in.

The most important thing is not to let books become the enemy. Avoid saying, “We must read, so no screens.” Instead, keep it simple, “No screens on errands anymore.” Let them feel the pang of boredom for however long it takes, and then gently offer, “Would you like a book?”

Kids may not even realize at first that they are forming a habit. They just know that books are what show up in the in-between spaces of the day.

The Payoff

Once kids start experiencing the rewards of reading, it stops being something they do because they “have to” and becomes something they want to do.

When they discover that reading is not just a way to fill time but a source of fun and adventure, it becomes their first choice instead of an afterthought. They long to get back to their story to see what happens next, and they can’t wait to tell you about it. They begin to crave the next chapter in the same way they once craved another show or video game.

When that shift happens, boredom itself becomes less threatening. Instead of feeling restless and empty, kids know they can dive into a story world that is waiting for them. And when there isn’t a book nearby, they turn more easily to daydreaming or creative play. They may still be filling the boredom, but now they are filling it in a healthier and more balanced way, without overstimulating the brain’s dopamine centers.

The ripple effect of these small, consistent choices is that a little book dragon is born. One who not only loves and collects books as treasure, but whose entire world is expanded by the stories they read. They may start begging for an e-reader rather than an iPad. Just be on guard, because these kids are prone to walking into things as their noses are always in a book.

References

Ben-Sasson, A., Soto, T. W., Martinez-Pedraza, F., & Carter, A. S. (2019). Early sensory over-responsivity in toddlers is associated with age 6 outcomes. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 47 (1), 101–112.

Dunckley, V. L. (2017, November 2). Is your child overstimulated from too much screen time? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/201711/is-your-child-overstimulated-from-too-much-screen-time

Harvard Medical School. (2019, July 1). Screen time and the brain. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/screen-time-brain

Mann, S., & Cadman, R. (2014). Does being bored make us more creative? Creativity Research Journal, 26 (2), 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2014.901073

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2025). Screen time and mental health in U.S. children and adolescents: A large-scale survey analysis. arXiv Preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10062

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Currently in Development

L. E. Dudley — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Will went into the woods alone—but something followed him back.

What he finds there changes everything.

Strange, unnatural things start happening, and Will feels like he's living in a nightmare—but what's hunting him is all too real.

The town's secrets begin to surface, along with an ancient Norse legend no one wants to talk about. When an eccentric classmate offers to help, Will isn't sure if she's an ally or another threat.

To save the town, Will must become the very thing his parents tried to protect him from. The question isn't whether he can stop the curse—it's whether he's willing to pay the price.

Ghost Wolf is written under my pen name, T. K. Wilder and is currently in development.

For more information on why I write middle grade novels using a pen name:

https://ledudleybooks.com/blog/famous-fake-names-throughout-history-authors-have-frequently-used-pen

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Famous Fake Names

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 9 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Throughout history, authors have frequently used pen names. The practice has deep roots in publishing history and is especially common in children's literature.

Louisa May Alcott, author of "Little Women," wrote gothic thrillers under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard. More recently, J.K. Rowling has written under the pen name Robert Galbraith for her adult crime novels, wanting to separate this style of work from her beloved Harry Potter series.

Daniel Handler writes adult literary fiction under his real name but became famous as Lemony Snicket, the fictional narrator of "A Series of Unfortunate Events." To no one's surprise, Dr. Seuss is a pen name for Theodor Seuss Geisel who used various other pseudonyms, including Theo LeSieg throughout his career. Even the great Lewis Carroll, the author of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," is a pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.

For children's authors specifically, pen names serve the additional purpose of protecting different reading levels and age groups. A children's author might write chapter books for early readers under their given name, middle grade mysteries under a pen name, and young adult novels under a second pen name. This helps ensure that a curious eight-year-old who loves the author's chapter book series doesn't accidentally pick up a more advanced or mature title from the library shelf.

Pen names allow authors to compartmentalize their work and target different audiences effectively, and when writing across multiple genres, pen names are an excellent marketing strategy and allow for creative freedom. In addition, publishers and booksellers often prefer authors to maintain a consistent brand identity within specific genres, as readers develop expectations about the type of content they'll find under a particular author's name.

Some authors choose to keep their nom de plume secret for their own personal reasons; however, most children's writers disclose their pen names.

As I state in my bio, I write middle grade fiction under the pen name T. K. Wilder. In fact, T. K. Wilder's paranormal thriller, Ghost Wolf: The Shard of Fenrir, is currently in development.

Writing across varied genres and interests is a lot of fun for writers. I also think it's a good idea, every so often, to challenge yourself to read something way out of your normal TBR comfort zone.

Here's to trying something new!

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The Elephant in the Room: Part 2

L. E. Dudley — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

(This blog is a follow-up to the last blog about AI)

Watching AI trends over the last year, as well as following the emerging science looking at the impact it has on our lives and brains, has turned my initial fascination into one of concern. While I am not a full-blown hater of the potential of AI for things like medical advances, I have become deeply concerned about the psychological and developmental impact of AI on children and believe we should approach it with some skepticism and eyes wide open.

Most importantly, I believe educators, parents, and those who advocate for child welfare need to be leading the charge to press our lawmakers to slow down the adoption of generative AI and AI chatbots on devices and debate the questions of ethics and safety before it’s too late. Do not listen to the people say it is already too late. It is not a forgone conclusion that we must go down this path. That is something people tell themselves when they feel helpless, hopeless or don't have the courage to fight back.

AI is an experiment we are participating in on a grand scale, and in every experiment, there is a disclosure you must sign and agree to in order to join. It tells you all the risks and the things that could go wrong, and you agree that they are worth it. With AI, there is no disclosure, and we are all learning as we go. We are the AI lab rats participating in a high stakes psychological experiment.

There have been some fun AI trends that many people participated in, such as the 'roast my Easter photo' or 'turn me into a fantasy character.' These feel harmless and fun. I am not a cybersecurity professional, so I will stay out of the discourse of whether this is a good idea, but most of us have done it and had a good laugh.

However, these types of fun, harmless-feeling AI party tricks can dull our sense of wariness regarding much greater and darker AI themes.

One area where we know AI has a significant negative impact is in using it for brain short cuts.

Anyone else in their 40's or older remember a parent who had just been put on the spot by a homework question they didn't know the answer to, saying, "Go look it up in the encyclopedia/ dictionary?" I can remember rolling my eyes harder than the Robert Downey Jr. meme whenever I would hear this. But, like in so many things, Mom and Dad were right! They also had no idea of the answer, and the internet didn't exist, but in some ways I think that helped protect our young brains.

We would trudge over to the trusty World Book and try to utilize our poor alphabetical order skills to find whatever random keyword we were looking for and then lay the behemoth book down on the coffee table and proceed with turning the super-thin pages without ripping them. After an hour of looking at every picture and interesting topic on the way to our keyword, we would realize it was dinner time and that we still hadn’t finished our homework. Good times!

"Ask Chat" and "Google it"

In the 90's, with our old school Britannicas in hand, there were many steps required between question and answer, which required a lot of brain motivation to reach. These steps produced the good kind of dopamine spike, the kind that is earned through work and the delay of gratification. AI and Google (now that it is AI-powered by Gemini), remove the resistance and hand it to us on a silver platter with no investment or mental engagement. Question to answer without the middleman of our brains.

When we do not experience delay of gratification or the dopamine reward of the hard earned accomplishment and instead outsource these brain tasks to someone or something else, we weaken the part of our brain that is capable of doing hard mental tasks and strengthen the part of the brain that demands hedonistic ease.

Outsourcing our mind tasks sets us up for weak frontal lobes and to become perpetrators of the dreaded Dunning-Kruger Effect. This is the psychological phenomenon where people of actual low intelligence think they are smarter than they are because they have access to just enough info about a topic to fool people into thinking they are knowledgeable and trustworthy. When in truth, experts in their fields are typically the people saying how much they still have to learn. Those suffering from the Dunning-Kruger Effect can give dangerously bad information with a great deal of confidence. This is AI. A roulette wheel of just enough right information to seem like an authority, presented with the confidence of an expert while being peppered with dangerously bad information.

Why should we care about the frontal lobe?

The frontal lobe is the part of the brain responsible for executive functions. It helps us plan, focus, solve problems, think ahead, and (in my opinion, most importantly) control impulses.

In other words, when we have a weak frontal lobe, we have poor attention and focus, declines in critical thinking and our ability to see long-term harm or gain, reduced emotional regulation, and the impulse control of a 2-year-old. Our frontal lobes are not fully developed until around the mid-twenties, which is why so many young people make dangerous, impulsive decisions.

AI can help us be better by giving us the information and skills (carefully vetted, please, with sources cited) for learning new things. Asking AI to help you fix your broken dryer, followed by you, then doing so is learning something new, not outsourcing your mind. You developed a new skill with AI assistance, where in the past you would have called a repairman. But if we are outsourcing tasks we would otherwise be doing ourselves(cognitive offloading) with our own brain cells, then that could be a problem.

What does this have to do with children and literacy?

According to Risko and Gilbert (2016), cognitive offloading refers to using physical actions or external aids to change the information-processing demands of a task to reduce internal mental effort. Examples include writing reminders, setting alarms, or using tools like calculators and navigation aids instead of holding all details in mind.

While some cognitive offloading can improve focus (setting alarms rather than tracking the time as you work) one of the key concerns around cognitive offloading is that while it makes tasks feel easier in the moment, it also can reduce how often people fully engage their own mental abilities. The authors explain that, when individuals regularly rely on external supports instead of using memory, planning, or problem-solving internally, those internal processes are used less frequently. Over time, this habitual offloading could mean fewer opportunities to practice and strengthen core cognitive skills, such as working memory, attention, and self-monitoring. They caution that consistently choosing external aids when internal processing is possible may come with costs that are not immediately visible. In particular, they raise concerns that people may offload based on perceived effort rather than actual necessity, which could lead to an over-reliance on tools and a gradual weakening of confidence in one’s own cognitive abilities.

If we are allowing our children to use a technology to do tasks which we know are necessary for strengthening their developing frontal lobes decades before that part of the brain is fully formed, we are setting them up for possible arrested neurological and emotional development, and we are removing the hard earned dopamine that will help motivate them to learn the hard tasks of reading and writing.

Long-Term Risks

Even more concerning is that a once rare early-onset type of dementia characterized by shrinkage and death of the frontal lobe, called Frontotemporal Dementia, is on the rise worldwide. While there isn't yet a definitive understanding of the cause, we do know that certain behaviors cause the frontal lobe to be stronger by increasing brain activity and new cell growth, and some that weaken it.

Reading and writing skills are developed through hard work and are maintained in a 'use it or lose it' sort of way through continued mental challenge. While most people don’t have a modern set of encyclopedias to send their kids to, it is just an important reminder that in the areas where we can encourage a deeper engagement with the material, the more likely we are to generate an upward spiral of healthy neurological growth.

AI may be part of our future but it doesn't mean we are helpless to it and it certainly doesn't mean that it needs to be in the hands of children whose brains are developing who have no understanding of the potential consequences that might stem from its use. Maybe a wait and see rather than a dive head long into it would be a wiser approach.

Urso, D., Giannoni-Luza, S., Brayne, C., Ray, N., & Logroscino, G. (2025). Incidence and prevalence of frontotemporal dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Neurology, 82(9), 930–940. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.3307

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