Living Books Lady

....custom reading recommendations for your children, on any subject, via easy email access...

....full access to her detailed, content-rich database on 25,000 out-of-print and living books rarely found online or in public libraries…

....immersion in the Golden Age of youth books (1930s-60s) when inspiring breadth and depth in every topic was planted first into the heart of the reader (not just the brain), through vivid, memorable narratives and tender illustrations which elevated character and family.  These "living books" embed wisdom, not just knowledge; care and character, not just impersonal facts; vitality and vision, not just data.  These are the core values of heart-changing, profound, and classical education.  [See Articles to learn more.]

We'll help you find such treasures near you, with our customized title recommendations and database info.  Get ready to enjoy!

Michelle Miller Howard
Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, University of Alabama

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C.V.  For over 25 years, Michelle has been a librarian, home education consultant, author, columnist, and speaker, specializing in top-quality living books, educational vision, and history instruction.  It began in 1985, when she pioneered, funded, and acquired a library of such rare children's literature, which has been thriving ever since; her Children's Preservation Library (in Michigan) now houses over 20,000 valuable volumes, serving patrons in several counties.  A second library, Living Learning Libraries, with 25,000 volumes, is now operating in Florida, with plans for additional libraries, as well. 

Michelle is considered a national leader/expert on living libraries and literature, and helps others around the nation found and operate such libraries as well, including requests to work with colleges, charter school systems, and non-profit foundations.  Currently, she is also consulting for the library at the Hillsdale Academy (the K-12 classical school affiliated with Hillsdale College), to further build their book collection with her top-flight expertise.  She has developed a massive database on specialized youth literature, which has been of service to many, and her first-hand knowledge of youth literature in all academic areas is unsurpassed. 

Michelle has also been asked to speak about education, literature, and history at many levels--both in person and via national radio--and is a regular contributing columnist to various national magazines and educational websites.  Editors have requested her insights through published articles on several topics over the years.  But, she also helps home-educating families (live or via phone/Skype) find thrilling, child-specific vision and direction through consultation.

Management of her own library for over two decades has led to her high-level expertise in library science, the Dewey Decimal system (significantly memorized), book acquisition and processing, as well as communications, service, operations, organization, teamwork, and fiscal responsibility.  Michelle wrote the multiple award-winning TruthQuest History curriculum, which steers families through American and world history with deep, engaging, spiritually-probing commentary, and which embeds her vast knowledge of topic-specific living book recommendations throughout. 

Michelle was an outstanding student herself in both high school and college (including invitations to apply to West Point, MIT, etc.), graduating summa cum laude from the University of Alabama, with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Communications, and an extensive, A+, senior project in youth literature and library science.  Michelle home-educated all four of her children, one a Hillsdale College alumnus admitted to their esteemed Honors Program.  She has been an active member of local churches and educational support groups over the years, has traveled to Europe and Russia several times, including overseas mission trips and international adoption, and now has seven cute grandsons.