Book-Talk : Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!

Major-league pitcher VJ Capello has been Vivy Cohen’s hero ever since he showed her his grip for the knuckleball at a social event for people on the autism spectrum and their families. Vivy writes a letter to VJ to satisfy the requirements of her social-skills class and, after Vivy sends him several letters, VJ actually writes back! The author, Sarah Kapit brings her lived experience as an autistic individual to craft Vivy as a believable character. In 2021, Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! was an Honor Book for the Schneider Family Book Award.

‘The Eleventh Trade,’ my current read-aloud

Recently, I agreed to record a read-aloud of a suspenseful story, and the middle-school language arts teacher at my school posed a vote among her students for the titles I’d suggested. The Eleventh Trade was the winning vote-getter. Here’s my Book-Talk video for The Eleventh Trade. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you are enjoying my videos.