I heard about SISTERS OF THE NEVERSEA from a friend of mine, and as soon as I learned the premise, I reached out to Cynthia Leitich Smith for an interview. Not only is she is an award-winning author, her latest novel offers a Peter Pan reimagining from an indigenous perspective: Stepsisters Lily and Wendy […]
I’ve been following Anna Staniszewski’s career ever since I first interviewed her back in 2013. I’ve featured her My Very Unfairytale Life series as well as her picture books. She also did a guest post about finding emotion within a story idea. Her newest Middle Grade book, CLIQUE HERE, centers on Lily, whose science experiment […]
I first featured Misa Sugiura in 2018, with her book It’s Not Like It’s a Secret. And when I heard that she was coming out with a Sapphic romance, LOVE & OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS, I contacted her for a follow-up interview: When Nozomi Nagai pictured the ideal summer romance, a fake one wasn’t what […]
HOW TO SAVE A QUEENDOM by Jessica Lawson is a book that has probably one of the best titles I’ve featured so far this year. It also has a great premise: Life’s never been kind to twelve-year-old Stub. Orphaned and left in the care of the cruel Matron Tratte, Stub’s learned that the best […]
When I first saw the cover of ACROSS THE POND I couldn’t believe that there was a Middle Grade novel set in Scotland, and in a castle! Joy McCullough also wrote the critically acclaimed YA novels Blood Water Paint and We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire. Her other Middle Grade title is A […]
Happy release day to THE KATE IN BETWEEN by Claire Swinarski! I interviewed Claire back in March. Kate McAllister is desperate for a change. Something to hit refresh and erase the pain of her mother leaving town without her. So when a group of popular girls folds Kate into their clique, it feels like the […]
Back in January, I featured Alyson Gerber’s newest book, TAKING UP SPACE. I’m delighted to report that TAKING UP SPACE is now released into the world! Sarah loves basketball more than anything. Crushing it on the court makes her feel like she matters. And it’s the only thing that helps her ignore how much it […]
I’ve been a fan of Ashley Herring Blake ever since GIRL MADE OF STARS came out, and I also loved IVY EBERDEEN’S LETTER TO THE WORLD. Her newest Middle Grade novel, HAZEL BLY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, comes out on May 25, 2021: Hazel Bly used to live in the perfect house with […]
When I heard the title of this book during a writing conference panel, I immediately knew I had to feature it. HOW TO BECOME A PLANET by Nicole Melleby is not only a necessary addition to any library shelf, it captures the bifurcation that comes with mental illness. The book comes out on May 21, […]
Chad Lucas is definitely a middle grade author to watch. In THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE, he effortlessly weaves together the tale of two boys–Brian and Ezra–in a way that is both heartwarming and meaningful. This is a necessary addition for all library shelves and was also a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. It comes […]