know before buying

As warmer weather is starting to round the corner, make time for feel-good activities during the final stretch of winter. Schedule a weekly book club night, complete with popcorn, prizes, and a whole lot of family fun!

First, check out the local bookstore. Pick out some old classics and soon-to-be favorites, and invite faraway friends to join in the fun via social media.

Next, set weekly reading goals, share progress and reactions via status updates, and award story-themed prizes to those who keep up.

Then, top it off with a treat! Make Orville Redenbacher’s® sweet and savory popcorn balls for the perfect way to celebrate your reading adventure. Don’t forget to tag and share your experience!

FIND DELICIOUS INSPIRATION AND MORE AT ORVILLE.COM.

grants wishes makes things better—but then more complicated.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

BY ANN BRASHARES

AGES 12+

“Though mostly a story about the power of women and friendship, there’s a really relatable portrayal of one character’s parents’ divorce and her visiting her dad who is getting remarried. Her despondence is captured perfectly,” says Cora Collette Breuner.

GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION

10,000 Dresses

BY MARCUS EWERT

AGES 5TO 9

This is about a boy who dreams of dresses—bringing in the theme of being misunderstood, with a comforting message that it’s all going to be fine.

Elena’s Serenade

BY CAMPBELL GEESLIN

AGES 3TO 7

A girl defies gender stereotyping by pursuing her dream of being a glassblower in Mexico.

George

BY ALEX GINO

AGES8TO 12

A wonderful, important story that centers on a girl who was born in a boy’s body—she’s named George but knows she’s really Melissa.

More Happy Than Not

BY ADAM SILVERA

AGES 13+

A boy from the Bronx grappling with his sexuality contacts a mysterious institute to try to erase his orientation. “It’s compelling, and it creates a space for conversation about social class, sexual identity, and memory,” says Kevin Hicks.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

BY BENJAMIN ALIRE SAENZ

AGES 12+

A coming-of-age story about two boys’ growing friendship (and, eventually, relationship), as well as coming to terms with family history.

FAMILY DIVERSITY

The Family Book

BY TODD PARR

AGES 3TO 6

“It presents children with a whole portfolio of different kinds of families. It’s really wonderful for little kids starting school, who might encounter and wonder about families that look different from theirs,” says Eliza Byard.

And Tango Makes Three

BY JUSTIN RICHARDSON

AGES 4TO 8

Focusing on two male penguins who adopt a baby penguin, this affirms that no matter what your family looks like, it’s legitimate.

Asha’s Mums

BY ROSAMUND ELWIN AND MICHELE PAULSE

AGES9TO 12

Which name on the school permission slip is her mum? Well, it’s both. One little girl tackles questions about samesex parents (making it easy for you to do the same with your kids).

RECOMMENDED BY THE FOLLOWING:

CORA COLLETTE BREUNER, M.D.,

pediatrician and professor at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

ELIZA BYARD,

executive director of GLSEN, a gay, lesbian, and straight education network based in New York City.

KEVIN HICKS, PH.D.,

president and head of the Stevenson School, in Pebble Beach, California.

KATHRYN HOFFSES, PH.D.,

pediatricpsychologist at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, in Wilmington, Delaware.

MOLLY JARDINIANO,

senior program manager of child and parent education at the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center.

PAULINE JORDAN,PH.D.,

clinical psychologist in Greenwich, Connecticut.

ANN LEVINE,

assistant manager at Bank Street Book Store, in New York City.

LYNN LOBASH,

manager of reader services at theNew York Public Library.

KATHERINE MEGNA-WEBER,

children’s specialist at Books Inc., in San Francisco.

TAYLOR NAM,

children’s specialist at Books Inc., in San Francisco.

KELSEY PARKER,

high school counselor at the Bay School of San Francisco and a psychotherapist in private practice.

LAURIE ZELINGER, PH.D.,

psychologist specializing in clinical/school psychology in Cedarhurst, New York.

Work &Money

THEVIEW FROM HERE

MICHELE ROBERTS • Executive director,

National Basketball

Players Association • New York City

Tell us about your childhood. I grew up in New York, in the South Bronx. My father left a couple of years after I was born, and my four siblings and I were raised by my mom. We were raised on public assistance, and my mom would work multiple jobs. When I was 13, she discovered a program for so-called disadvantaged youth, and I ended up going to a boarding school for three years, then went off to Wellesley.

What drew you to law school? When I was in second or third grade, we

Prominent attorney Michele Roberts has spent most of her careerworking on high-stakes criminal and corporate cases. Now executive director of the National Basketball PlayersAssociation, she uses her defensive skills to protect the rights of 400-plus pro ballers. Roberts, 59, talked to Real Simple about courting change, being decisive, and realizing that other people’s biases are their problems, notyours.

started going to the court building not far from our apartment to watch trials. I understood very little of what I was seeing, but I did decide I wanted to be a public defender.

You did that for a long time. How was it? When you lose a case, it means somebody is going to do a good chunk of time incarcerated. You have to compartmentalize in a way that’s very challenging. I won most of my cases, but you don’t remember the ones you win. You remember the ones you lose. When I saw families completely devastated by convictions, even with confidence that I had done the best I could, it was still hard to watch. At some point, I decided to do something different.

Written by

Jane Porter

work&money You went into private practice, then corporate law, then to the NBA. What does your position entail? Among other things, it involves improving working conditions and making sure that the players view the union as a place they can go for help.

How did you transition into the job? I was elected by a committee of 36 players, but I’ve got 400-plus players in my union. I’m not a fan of travel, but I did a lot of it, met the players, spoke with them. I wanted to introduce myself to my new bosses.

Are you a sports fan? I’ve been a fan of basketball all my life.

Tell us your thoughts on leadership. I quibble with the idea of leadership as a solo act. I have a collaborative management style. But I tend to be fairly decisive. When I’ve made a decision, I don’t allow much secondguessing, by me or by other people. We have too much to do.

What’s your advice regarding failure? You have to know that it’s part of being alive. You’re not going to win every case. You’re not going to close every deal. But the way you

“I used to think I had to strategize around the fact that Iwas a woman or that Iwas AfricanAmerican. But at some point I decidedit was not my problem. You’d be surprised how liberating that is.”

can get up and brush yourself off is to know that nothing about your preparation or your performance was the reason for it.

You’ve worked in male-dominated fields your entire career. As a young lawyer, I was always very sensitive in thinking that I had to strategize around the fact that I was a woman or that I was African-American. But at some point I decided it was not my problem. If it was a problem, it was someone else’s problem, and they would have to get over it.You’d be surprised how liberating it is when you realize it’s not your problem.

What does balance mean to you? Work balance is an individual issue, and we can’t try to figure out some formula that’s going to work for every woman. For me, not having children was a deliberate decision. If I was going to have children, I was going to give them all the attention in the world, which was going to mean I couldn’t give my work as much time. I love my work. I didn’t know my kids, because I didn’t have any yet, so I chose the work.

Any wisdom for those just starting out? Young people suffer with the notion that “whatever I decide I’m going to do with my life today is going to be how I live my life forever.” I used to think that, too. I’m glad that I was wrong about that.

Do you have time to exercise? I work out nearly every day. I roll out of bed, check my e-mail, check the stories I need to check, and then roll on down to the fitness center in my building.

Do you cook? I don’t cook. The beauty of living in New York is that I get great food delivered or I eat out.

Parting advice? Don’t second-guess what your instincts tell you. We overestimate how much power other people have over our lives and our destiny, and we underestimate how much power we have.

ASK BUCKY

TIME INC.’S* ALL-KNOWING, STRAIGHTSHOOTING VICE PRESIDENT OF STAFFING, BUCKY KEADY, TACKLES YOUR WORKPLACE CONUNDRUMS.

I try to be clear and detailed in e-mails to my staff, but invariably they come to me asking questions I’ve already answered. Help!

Sometimese-mails—in the spiritof thoroughness—can become too wordyand cumbersome, andthey end up dilutingthe point.When you have something complex to share, grab people out of their offices and have a quick meeting.Youcan treat the meeting almost like an e-mail: Go afterthis oneissue, and don’t even sitdown. But everyone is rightthere, and you can address any confusion inthe moment, sothere’s no opportunityto get frustrated. In general, I’m not a hugefan of e-mail asthe number one communicationtool.When I do use it, my style isdirect, curt, andtothe point. Itell my staff aboutthis in advance and ask them notto read any additional meaning intothetone ofmy messages. But Ithinkyou save yourselfsomuch time with drive-by visits.

*TIME INC. IS THE PARENT COMPANY OF REAL SIMPLE.