About Mrs. Mac and this blog

I’m “Mrs. Mac.” I hold a BS and MS in Elementary Education, and an MLS in Library Science. Over the past 39 years I have been an elementary school teacher and librarian. I started teaching in 1984, and became a school librarian in 2001. I worked as a school librarian in elementary, middle, and high schools in NYC, MA, and FL until 2023 when I returned to the classroom. It’s been a bumpy ride, after being “out of the classroom loop” for so many years, but I’ve made the adjustment. Next year will be year 40, and I plan to hang up my teaching slate.

I’m proud to have served on the 2019 John Newbery Committee, working hard to choose the most distinguished book in America. Serving on it was the professional high point of my career. I am currently serving as National Secretary for REFORMA (The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking).

My professional memberships include the American Library Association (ALA), The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA), and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).

I was a 2007 ALA Spectrum Scholar, and was selected to give the graduation speech at Simmons College (now Simmons University) School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) ceremony held in Boston 2008. Go Sharks!

I love to read and review books, so put those loves together when I created this blog in 2012. I’d like to thank publishers who send me physical ARC’s (Advanced Reading Copies) or digital ones in return for honest reviews. It’s always fun meeting authors and publishers at ALA Conferences and seeing books on shelves AFTER I’ve already read them.

Have fun reading my reviews, and be sure to ask yourself “Should I Read it or Not?”