Lina Miller is a wife, mother of two boys, and an educator. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and received a Master's degree from Wilmington University. She is currently pursuing a Reading Specialist certification. Lina has 20+ years of experience as an elementary school teacher in Delaware. Over the years, she has taught general education, special education, and multilingual learner students in grades kindergarten through third. She always thought of herself as a "math person," but ever since she taught first graders, she fell in love with teaching children how to read. Decode by Heart came as a result of teaching students the foundations of reading, but then noticing a lack of general trade books appropriate for her students. Her students would make great progress with school-based materials, but then could not apply their reading skills to books in the classroom library because they were not written for new readers who were learning how to decode, which was very disheartening to both Lina and her students. Whenever Lina could not find the teaching materials she needed, she would just create them herself and share them with her colleagues. Then one day, she decided she could help more children be successful readers by publishing a series of books that focuses on what new and struggling readers need: simple, decodable sentences paired with a few story words that build with each story. She wanted to do this, but also give the young readers lovable characters that they could follow on various adventures. As an avid reader herself, it is Lina's passion to instill the love of reading in as many children as she can. With family support and consistent practice, children can build a love of reading and learn to Decode by Heart! You can follow Lina on Facebook or Instagram @decodebyheart Website: www.decodebyheartbooks.com