Trade reviews for Alone in the Woods have started rolling in, and I’m excited to share what these critics from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal have to say about the girls’ Northwoods adventure:
feel the love
The Disaster Days is a Bank Street Best Book!
I’m really excited to share that The Disaster Days was selected by Bank Street College of Education as one of its “best books” of 2020. From Bank Street’s website:
[The 2020] edition includes more than 600 titles chosen by the Children’s Book Committee as the best of the best published in 2019. In choosing books for the annual list, reviewers consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes. Each book accepted for the list is read and reviewed by at least two committee members and then discussed by the committee as a whole.
Awesome! You can view the whole list here and grow your reading list 🙂
Launching The Disaster Days
Pics, or it didn’t happen, right? 🙂
October was a whirlwind of bookish events, and I’ve had a great time introducing The Disaster Days to readers. Here are some photos from my launches in New York and Wisconsin and other places I’ve shared my book:
A first for The Last Grand Adventure
I’m thrilled to share that The Last Grand Adventure is a 2019 WILLA Literary Award Finalist in Children’s Fiction and Nonfiction. While writing Bea and Pidge’s story, I hoped their journey would celebrate the beauty and rich culture of the parts of the West they traveled through, from Orange County to Atchison, Kansas. It’s deeply meaningful to receive this honor and know that I succeeded in capturing the setting that so inspired me!
About the award: The WILLA Literary Awards honors the best in literature, featuring women’s or girls’ stories set in the West that are published each year. Women Writing the West (WWW), a non-profit association of writers and other professionals writing and promoting the Women’s West, underwrites and presents the nationally recognized award annually at the WWW Fall Conference. The award is named in honor of Pulitzer Prize winner Willa Cather, one of the country’s foremost novelists.
For more information and to see the other winners and finalists, visit Women Writing the West.
Launching The Last Grand Adventure
Time flies when you’re having fun, and when you’re launching a new book. I can’t believe The Last Grand Adventure has already been out for three weeks! It’s been a lot of fun traveling around and talking about Bea and Pidge and Amelia’s adventures. Here’s where I’ve been so far:
I got to share The Last Grand Adventure a little early with readers at Barnes & Noble Neshaminy in Bensalem, PA. Lauren Magaziner, Tae Keller, Jessica Lawson, and I had a lot of fun answering questions and tackling truth-or-dares.
On Saturday, March 24, I officially launched The Last Grand Adventure with the help of the fantastic Claire Legrand, at Books of Wonder’s new Uptown store. We had a great talk about writing quietly adventurous MG characters and our own travel experiences. And I turned my book into Rice Krispie treats, because of course.
Airplane dress!
I wonder why we were laughing so hard?
Next I hopped a plane home to Madison, WI, where I met some fantastic young readers at EAGLE School and Thoreau Elementary, my alma mater.
Then celebrated the book’s release with a reading at my hometown indie, Mystery to Me. I forgot to take any pictures at this event other than this “After” one of my book cake. It was the most delicious map I have ever eaten.
You can check out my Instagram for some photos and reposts of Bea and Pidge in the wild. And if you’d still like a chance to have a book signed or meet me in person, I’ll be at The Voracious Reader in Larchmont as well as One More Page in Arlington, VA, this weekend. Check out my Events page for all the details!
Pre-order giveaway for THE LAST GRAND ADVENTURE
The Last Grand Adventure will be out in a month, and I can’t wait!
But did you know that you can buy a copy today? Pre-ordering books is a great way to support both authors and booksellers. Author Lisa Schroeder tells all the reasons why in this helpful post, but in short:
–Pre-orders can help a bookstore decide whether to stock a book
–Pre-orders can help the author get more marketing support from a publisher
–Pre-orders can help a publisher decide whether to sign up more books from an author
Basically, readers who pre-order books are helping out all the people who make and sell books! As a thank-you, everyone who pre-orders a copy will receive The Last Grand Adventure swag:
–a signed and personalized bookplate
–stickers featuring both the beautiful cover art and the adventure map
–a bookmark
–a super shiny postcard
–bonus pieces of When Audrey Met Alice and Summer of Lost and Found swag
How to pre-order and get your swag:
1. Order The Last Grand Adventure from the retailer of your choice. Here are links to major retailers:
If you’d like to purchase from your local indie, that is extra great! Just ask a friendly bookseller to order you a copy. In case you need it, the book’s ISBN is: 9781481496926.
2. Email me before March 20, 2018 with the following info: Name, mailing address, instructions on how to personalize your bookplate, and proof-of-purchase (e.g., screenshot of an order confirmation or receipt, or forward the order in your email). Feel free to delete or blur any personal info, but I promise I will not use or save any info you send me.
Also let me know if you’d like to be added to my mailing list. I send out a newsletter about 4 times a year, and I will never share your email.
3. That’s it! I will email you to confirm once I’ve put your pre-order swag in the mail.
Thank you for your support, and happy reading!
MG Palooza at The Voracious Reader
Last Thursday, author-friends Tara Dairman (the All Four Stars series), Lauren Magaziner (The Only Thing Worse Than Witches and Pilfer Academy), Michelle Schusterman (the I Heart Band and Kat Sinclair series) and I had a great time meeting readers at The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY. The delightful bookstore is only 30 minutes north of Grand Central, in a charming suburb. There’s an ice-cream shop on the same block. Does it get any better than that?
We each did a brief reading from our latest books, and then opened up for questions. The enthusiastic readers and writers had some great ones for us, and it was so much fun to spend the evening with them. This was our second “palooza” at The Voracious Reader–we were all there in 2014 when our first books came out–and we can’t wait to go back.
The ad Michelle and I stumbled on in a neighboring Starbucks, which got us even more excited about the event.
Our beautiful books on display
Authors in their happy place 🙂
The wonderful readers who came out to see us!
Celebrating SUMMER at Mystery to Me
I grew up visiting a wonderful children’s bookstore, Pooh Corner, in my hometown, Madison, WI. So I was delighted a few years ago when a new independent bookstore, Mystery to Me, opened on the same block where Pooh Corner once had a home. I try to stop by every time I’m back in town, and last week I got to launch Summer of Lost and Found there. (I wonder if kid-me would believe that adult-me was back on Monroe Street as an author!)
It was so much fun to meet up with family, old friends, former teachers and librarians, and new readers to talk about writing the book–and to sample some scuppernong grape juice and Duck Donuts. Here are a few pictures:
“Event Today” signs make me happy 🙂
What would a book party be without snacks?
It was a great crowd–so many thoughtful questions.
Signing a book for children’s librarian (and friend) Nancy!
Probably double-checking the spelling of a name–I’ve learned that lesson!
Thanks to Joanne Berg and the staff for having me! It was a fantastic day.
SUMMER is here!
Summer of Lost and Found is on shelves today! Hip hip hooray!
I hope readers will have as much fun discovering the past and present Roanoke Island as I did while writing it. Thanks to everyone who helped get this book into the world, especially: my agent, Suzie Townsend, and her assistant Sara Stricker; and my editor, Alyson Heller, publicist, Faye Bi, and the whole team at Aladdin.
If you’d like a signed copy of Summer and you can’t make one of my events, you can order one from Books of Wonder–or send me an email, and I’ll pop a personalized bookplate for you in the mail.
If you’d like to read a little more about the book and my experiences writing it, here are some interviews, reviews, and guest posts to check out:
A conversation with author Caroline Starr Rose
An interview with author Nikki Loftin
An interview in the InkSplat newsletter
A review from Bookshelf Fantasies
Interview with Pop! Goes the Reader
And last but not least–it’s time to announce the winner of the pre-order giveaway! Annette Burns won the beautiful bag of blurber books and school/library donation. Thanks to all who entered.
Happy Reading!
Recent Reading
I spent January and February speeding through the stack of MG/YA ARCs I picked up at ALA Midwinter. And if these ten books are any indication, 2016 is going to be an amazing year for kid lit. Here’s what I read, and in one(ish) sentence, I’ll tell you why I loved it:
Ravenous: I raced through this adventure-ful fairy tale reimagining–and I adored Greta, who is one brave, determined sister.
The Key to Extraordinary: Every word of this book is beautiful, and my heart felt so full after the pages I spent in Blackbird Hollow.
Up to This Pointe: A story that seamlessly blends ballet, Antarctica, and grief–it’s utterly original, the voice is perfect, and I loved it.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall: Quirky, dry-witted, and poignant–and points for an awesomely unique title.
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary: Diverse and in verse!
Makoons: The latest in The Birchbark House series, this was an engaging and informative story of family life on the Great Plains.
Tru & Nelle: Harper Lee and Truman Capote as kid detectives: Yes.
The Darkest Corners: Compulsively readable, and the ending–DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!
Counting Thyme: Thyme and her family–and all the wonderfully drawn characters–will stay with you for a long time.
Wanderlost: Sweet and swoony story of the power of travel to change you.
Which books are you looking forward to this year?
ARCs have arrived!
I came home to a great surprise on Monday night: a package from Alyson Heller, my editor at Aladdin/S&S. I started ripping it open before I even got up the stairs. Inside, I found:
ARCs! And a jacket proof–the first peek I’ve gotten at all the true colors and lovely effects (like shiny spot gloss).
I adore the book design–thanks to Laura Lyn DiSiena at Aladdin for making the book look beautiful, and to Robyn Ng for the gorgeous art.
It’s really cool how the foliage and water continue onto the spine.
Inside, the book is just as lovely–and there’s even a map!
Maps in books are one of my favorite things, and I’m thrilled that Summer of Lost and Found includes one of Roanoke.
Writing takes so much work, dreaming, and hope–and sometimes uncertainty. It’s kind of amazing when something that started as an idea and was slowly (or very slowly, in my case) nurtured into document finally shows up in your mailbox. It’s a special moment to hold the story, in book form, in your hands.
Egmont’s Last List
Publishers Weekly had a great article about the next steps for some Egmont USA employees (congrats, Jordan, Alison, and Michelle!) along with information on Egmont’s Last List.
The Last List is a publicity and marketing campaign for Egmont’s Spring 2015 titles–all of which are still being distributed and sold by Penguin Random House. These authors need all the support they can get with launching their books, so please check out the blog hop hosted by Cuddlebuggery and the group’s Tumblr. Here’s a handy reference for the great Egmont USA books still TK:
In the midst of the sadness of Egmont’s closing, it has been heartening to see how the kidlit community has banded together to help the affected publishers and authors–myself included. Thanks for all the support and well wishes!
(And stay tuned for news I can’t share quite yet on Summer of Lost and Found.)