About

My name is Katie Fitzgerald, and I am the Read-at-Home Mom. I have five children: daughters M. (10 years old), C. (8 years old), and E. (6 years old), and boy/girl twins R. and A (4 years old). My husband and I are both trained librarians, and we share a common love for well-written children's literature. We homeschool our two oldest children, and plan to do the same with their siblings as they reach school age.

Though this site was new in September 2016, there is a lot of backdated content, which represents the best of my book reviews and articles from my professional blog, Story Time Secrets. Story Time Secrets is now home to reviews of new picture books,  but older posts with story time assistance and reflections on library issues are still up on the site as well. Read-at-Home Mom takes a more personal approach to books and reading. Here I share reviews of the books we have purchased for use in our homeschool, along with award-winning books, treasures discovered at used book sales and libraries, and, occasionally, new releases by authors whose work I have previously enjoyed. I also write about my children's relationship to books, and the specific titles they love.

Other things to know:

• I am the author of Story Time Success: A Practical Guide for Librarians (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016), and Successful Summer Reading Programs for All Ages: A Practical Guide for Librarians (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018). 
• I and my family are practicing Roman Catholics. We have a special affinity for books which portray our faith accurately and treat it kindly.  
• Though I have done so in the past (and may still be on several outdated lists of reviewers), I am not accepting unsolicited review copies in 2024.
• I am very active on Goodreads, and many of the reviews I did not transfer to this site are archived there.

Want to get in touch? My social media links are in the sidebar, or you can email me at katie.r.fitzgerald@gmail.com. (Again, please note that I do not accept unsolicited review copies.)