Author: Amy Weir

Amy M. Weir is a public youth services librarian in SW Pennsylvania, and there’s nothing she geeks out about more. Outside of work she obsesses over music (especially rock especially psychedelic pop especially The Beatles), sews clothes, gardens when the weather’s nice, avoids housework, and generally is the poster-child for Enneatype 9, which she attempts to counteract with yoga when she remembers. Her entire family has ADHD. This includes an RPG-and-firearms-geek husband who asked her out by playing a Paladin-in-Shining-Armor devoted to serving her character in D&D; a vehicles-and-video-game-geek 14yo named after a hobbit; an art-and-animation-geek 12yo named after a SFF writer; and an Imaginary Husband named Martin Freeman, who isn’t actually aware of this relationship.

white flowers on copious green-leaved vines growing around barbed wire. A call-out as if from one flower head reads "You may win the battle, but you'll never win the war!"

Perils of Gardening While Imaginative

June 18, 2018June 17, 2018Amy Weir1

I have a bad habit of anthropomorphizing the plants in my garden, turning weeding into a morally dubious war.

Two children facing away from camera on wooden chairs in the sunshine, one reading a book, the other looking curiously over her shoulder.

Tips for Enjoying Summer Reading

June 9, 2018June 8, 2018Amy Weir3

Just because the school wants your kids to focus on their summer reading doesn’t mean it should be a chore.

(I Wish I Knew) How to Parent an Extrovert

June 2, 2018June 1, 2018Amy Weir1

An introvert struggles to figure out what her young extrovert needs to socially grow.

Richard Peck and the most recent paperback cover of Ghosts I Have Been

A Belated Thank You to Richard Peck

May 25, 2018May 24, 2018Amy Weir

Upon the death of author Richard Peck, Amy finally, belatedly thanks him for creating the Imaginary Best Friend who got her through middle school.

So Many Books to Read as a Family, So Little Time

May 20, 2018May 19, 2018Amy Weir2

My kids and I can only manage to sit down for a 45-minute evening read-aloud session, which is just not enough time to handle everything that needs to be read.

Mental Health Awareness Through Fiction

May 12, 2018May 11, 2018Amy Weir28

What does mental health awareness mean? Maybe it will help if we read more.

Geek Links: Vote for the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards

April 30, 2018April 29, 2018Amy Weir

Students in grades K-12 can vote for the winners of the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards during Children’s Book Week, courtesy Every Child a Reader.

Two toddlers sitting at an upright piano, appearing to sing and play

Self-Medicating Through Music

April 27, 2018April 26, 2018Amy Weir2

Though scientists continue to study the effects of music on life, I know that I, personally, have felt the effects of music on my own mind and body, and I use them to my advantage.

Tray of cupcakes, decorated like Super Mario powerup mushrooms, with white fondant polka dots on red or green icing.

A Super Mario Party in a Few Easy Tweaks

April 18, 2018April 18, 2018Amy Weir

With just a few simple tweaks to a standard birthday party lineup, we gave my 11-year-old’s party an unmistakable Super Mario theme that went over memorably.

Woman holding a book open for a baby, who is diving at it excitedly

Open Letter to the People With The Misbehaving Kids at a Kids’ Place

April 11, 2018April 10, 2018Amy Weir

Kids will be kids, and we who work with children understand that. Adults aren’t guilty for their kids’ kid-like behavior—but they are responsible for how THEY, the adults, react to it.

Emotional Labor and the Executive-Dysfunctional Mom

April 4, 2018April 4, 2018Amy Weir4

A lot of moms don’t realize they have an executive function disorder like ADHD until their children are being diagnosed with one. Maybe it’s because motherhood makes it that much harder for our brains to function.

Mindy Kaling as Mrs Who surrounded by stacks of books in A Wrinkle In Time movie

What to Read After ‘A Wrinkle In Time’

March 22, 2018March 21, 2018Amy Weir

Finished ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ and searching for read-alikes? Here are reading suggestions, everything from more L’Engle to books that reference the classic story.

Screenshot of sStorm Reid as a concerned-yet-determined Meg Murry

Age, Audience, and ‘A Wrinkle In Time’

March 13, 2018March 12, 2018Amy Weir1

Reviews of the new movie of ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ vary wildly. Maybe that’s because the audience hasn’t really understood who the movie was made for.

Buffet table with hot drink dispenser, tuna sandwiches on a scale, cookies on a wire rack, and a stereo microscope, labelled "Mrs. Murry's Home Lab"

Throw a ‘Wrinkle in Time’ Party in the Comfort of Your Own Home Laboratory

March 9, 2018March 8, 2018Amy Weir1

Party like the Murry family with this guide to foods and activities to help celebrate ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ whether book or movie.

Teenage Rebellion and Adult Disillusionment

February 27, 2018February 26, 2018Amy Weir5

Every generation of teenagers thinks they can change the world. And then they grow up. And has the world changed? Maybe the now-grownups shouldn’t have given up.

Family tree of the Murry-O'Keefe families

Me, Meg Murry-O’Keefe, and a Woman’s Choices

February 19, 2018February 19, 2018Amy Weir

Are you going to shame Meg for her choice to focus on family instead of a career? I thought feminism had progressed beyond this. I thought we understood, now, that we have the right to choose what part of our life we want to most focus on. That’s feminism.