Posts by Miranda McDermott

Booktalking "Tim Gunn: The Natty Professor"

Tim Gunn has much to say about education, life, and much more—including personal finance!

Booktalking "Textrovert" by Lindsey Summers

Keeley is a senior high school girl focused on friends and college. Zach and JT are football rivals—two stars vying for limited scholarships. The last thing Keeley wants is to get caught in the cross hairs...

"How to Handle a Financial Windfall" at SIBL on August 8, 2017

Winning the lottery is what everyone dreams of, right? It can be, but personal safety and security concerns and the anxiety of a significant life change can beset anyone who comes into sudden money.

Booktalking "The Dissociative Identity Disorder Sourcebook" by Deborah Haddock

The Three Faces of Eve. Sybil. Hollywood portrayals of multiple personality disorder have sensationalized the problem and many mental health professionals—as well as members of the general public—doubt its very existence. Nowadays, this disorder of memory, identity, and consciousness is called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and it is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) .

Booktalking "Star-Crossed" by Barbara Dee

Gemma is the apple of Mathilda's eye. Yet, she is shocked when one of her buddies opines that Mattie has a crush on Gemma. What could this mean?!?!

Booktalking "The Flip Side" by Shawn Johnson

Two names, two lives. Two sides of the same personality. Then the two worlds collide.

Booktalking "Great Is the Truth" by Amos Kamil

The Horace Mann School. Right in my backyard, in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Supposedly, it was an elite prep school for the future leaders of this country. But behind the brick walls and hallowed classrooms of learning lay a dark truth.

Booktalking "The Secret Language of Sisters" by Luanne Rice

Mathilda and Ruth, aka Tilly and Roo. Two sisters, so excited to be in the same school again once Tilly entered ninth grade. Then a dog runs in front of Roo's vehicle as she is traveling to pick up Tilly. The ensuing crash devastates her life.

Booktalking "The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids" by Sally Walker

Learning how to effectively parent and advocate for a gifted child not easy, but it can be highly rewarding.

Summer Reading Kickoff 2017 at Harlem Library

As usual, we had a fantastic Summer Reading kickoff celebration this year. We celebrated the beginning of warm weather with a focus on literacy and kids maintaining their reading skills during the upcoming summer vacation.

Booktalking "Parenting Gifted Kids" by James Delisle

Being gifted means that you lead a charmed life and everything is easier for you, right? Not necessarily.

Booktalking "The Power of Noticing" by Max Bazerman

We can all become so focused on a particular task that we ignore helpful and relevant information. This is why it is so helpful to take a step back from what you are doing and see if there is a different tactic that could be applied to the situation.

Booktalking "The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly" by Stephanie Oakes

This was a fascinating and morbid glimpse into the brutal world of religious cults. The author's alternation of past and present gives the book a dreamy, surreal feel.

Booktalking "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon

All Madeleine has ever known is life inside of her house with her nurse, Carla and her mother. Until Olly moved next door, that is.

Bronx Book Fair 2017

I attended the Bronx Book Fair and heard from editors, authors, agents, and library administrators about the world of books, publishing, and accessing materials.

Financial Planning Day at SIBL: Spring 2017

This was my second visit to the semi-annual Financial Planning Day at the Science, Industry and Business Library. This is a terrific event where I always learn much about finances and money.

Booktalking "Faceless" by Alyssa Sheinmel

As if losing half of her face to electrical burns is not enough, 16-year-old Maisie must get used to having a stranger's nose, cheeks and chin hanging off of her countenance.

Booktalking "Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezrich

No one, except the highest trained security, would ever suspect they could be making off with a cool million.

Booktalking "When You Work For a Bully" by Susan Futterman

Ever heard of a constructive discharge? That's when an employer makes an employee's work experience so miserable that any reasonable person would leave under the circumstances. But, good news: there are strategies that one can use to fight back.

Women in Comics Con 2017

I was happy to attend the third annual Women in Comics Con at the Bronx Library Center. I only had time to attend one of the panels, but it included scintillating conversation about women and femininity in comics.