Our April resource review issue always fills up quickly, and I think that’s a great sign! It’s so exciting to open my inbox and see proposals from teachers around the continent who are reading great books, finding new technology tools, and designing lessons that will engage students and push them to more faithful living. 

We like to highlight a list of great books to add to your classroom library each year, and Mary Jo Staal volunteered for this issue with a guide to some of the best new middle grades and picture books. Then, some interesting patterns emerge. Christine Scholma reviews a book by Bill Boerman-Cornell about innovative and prayer-centric ways to approach reading novels with students. Then, Bill himself collaborates with a student (who is now a teacher in her own right) to dissect some of our favorite dystopian heroines. 

Next, both Anthony Bigornia and Jonathan Boone write about books involving Indigenous people. Anthony’s is a novel that offers amazing representation of Indigenous teens, while Jonathan’s is a nonfiction text for teachers that gives suggestions for incorporating more Indigenous pedagogies in our classrooms.

The issue ends with two technology-based articles. Brian Karsten writes about an app used school-wide that makes it logistically easy to get students the extra support they need for particular skills. Lastly, Chris Parker, a contributor from our sister magazine in Australia, writes an excellent piece about the implications of artificial intelligence for Christian schools, Christian students, and Christian teachers.
We hope you enjoy this issue, and we hope you’ll consider submitting a piece to CEJ next year! You can find the announcement of next year’s themes under the Contact/Write for CEJ tab.