Author friend Michelle Schusterman and I had a fantastic time visiting schools and bookstores in the Dallas area this November: Lamar Middle School in Flower Mound; Bowie, Crockett, Lady Bird Johnson, and Lamar Middle Schools in Irving; Barnes & Noble Southlake; and Interabang Books!
We were so impressed by the engaged readers and talented writers we met along the way. Here are a few photos from our tour:
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”7″ display=”basic_slideshow”](Interested in having me, or us, visit your school? Check out my Visits page for more info!)
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:
Last week, I visited four great schools in New Jersey (Bloomfield Middle School, Roosevelt Middle School, Byram Township Intermediate School, and Fredon Township School) to talk to young readers and writers about The Disaster Days and how I research the real (and really fascinating) facts in all my books. One of the best parts of being an author is connecting with kids, sharing about the publishing process with them, and hearing their great questions!
TR in the library at Roosevelt Middle School!
A warm welcome from Bloomfield Middle School
The wonderful audience at Byram Township Intermediate School
Roosevelt Middle School’s cozy LMC. Their amazing librarian was setting up an escape room!
Talking about research trips at Roosevelt Middle School
Sharing a bit about all my books at Fredon Township School
I’m excited to hit the road and visit a bunch of schools and bookstores–with some fabulous author friends–to share The Disaster Days. Here’s what’s scheduled for public events so far:
For more information and updates, check out my Events page!
Time flies when you’re having fun . . . or you’re revising. I was doing both this fall. In November I turned in the final manuscript for my next MG novel, which will be out in October 2019. The new title (and cover, and a bunch of other info) I’ll share in the new year!
In terms of fun, I had great trips to Wisconsin (where the fall color is always divine), California (where the Disneyland is always magical), and Sleepy Hollow (where the Halloween is pumpkininny). In terms of bookish fun, on October 28 I visited the lovely New Canaan Library for a middle-grade author extravaganza. We had a lively panel followed by a signing, and it was delightful.
The extravagant authors (and friends)
Our books on display at Elm Street Books 🙂
The lovely library
The next Saturday was one of my favorite days of the year: nErDcampLI! I was too busy learning, sharing, connecting, laughing to take many pictures, but here are two:
Our panel on school visits went great–lots of ideas to incorporate for next year!
Book love in cookie form
Now I’m ready to hibernate with a new project I’m writing. Hope your fall was fantastic!
On July 21, I was thrilled to be a part of the Amelia Earhart Festival–the annual celebration of her birthday in her birthplace of Atchison, Kansas. Readers of The Last Grand Adventure will know what a significant place Atchison was in Amelia’s (and her sister, Muriel’s) life. For me, it was a place I came to know, and love, through research. This passage from Muriel Earhart Morrissey’s biography of Amelia, Courage Is the Price, shows why:
“Midsummer evenings have always been a time of mystic spellbinding for the young. The long August twilights wrought their peculiar magic upon Amelia and me when we were little girls in Atchison. I remember the symphony of summer sounds; the chirping of crickets and of the invisible tree-toads . . . As the last carnation and saffron clouds faded, bats began to dart across the darkening sky, and, as if in defiance of these harbingers of the nightfall, fireflies twinkled in the garden and across the way among the peach and pear trees in the orchard.”
Such a lovely description! How can you read that and not want to write about Atchison in the summertime?
While writing When Audrey Met Alice and Summer of Lost and Found, I was able to visit my settings in person. For The Last Grand Adventure, the closest I’d gotten was Google Earth. So it was incredibly meaningful to see the town for myself, and to meet the warm and welcoming people who live there. And what a weekend to visit–the festival draws in thousands of Earhart experts and enthusiasts and leaders in STEM and aviation fields to celebrate not just Amelia’s birthday but her incredible life and accomplishments. I had a great time sharing my book and also learning so much more about her life and legacy.
If you’ve ever read this blog or met me in person, you know two things to be true:
1) I love independent bookstores
2) I love the beach
So combining the two is my dream, right?
Last week it came true: I drove down the East Coast to lovely Bethany Beach for a visit to its fabulous independent bookstore, Bethany Beach Books. On a somewhat chilly (for June) night, I got to meet its beach readers and chat with the friendly staff. It’s really a delightful shop, with an amazing lineup of author events, so if you’re ever in coastal Delaware, you must stop in.
The bookstore!
Ready to chat and sign–and give out historical candy, of course.
The beach and boardwalk
Look at the amazing collection of books for upcoming author events!
A picture is worth a thousand words–but unfortunately, I was having so much fun sharing The Last Grand Adventure with readers that I barely took any (other than of books) during my events!
I had a great time with author friends Michelle Schusterman and Kirsten Hubbard (aka Fox & Coats) at the Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY–their new series Secrets of Topsea is sweet and zany and so creative.
Later that weekend, I headed down to DC to the awesome Arlington indie One More Page, where Lauren Magaziner, Jonathan Roth, and I had a fun panel:
Lauren also spotted Audrey hanging out at the Amazon bookstore in DC:
The following weekend was nErDcampNJ, which was full of engaging and inspiring talks and workshops. It’s also a super fun chance to meet up with other kidlit authors in real life:
I’m back at home now, working on a new project and resting up for some of the events I have planned this summer–hope to see you there!
Books of Wonder MG panel: May 19
Bethany Beach Books: June 11
Amelia Earhart Festival: July 21
(For more info and updates, check the Events page of my site.)
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.
I have fond memories of the trips I took as a kid and teen, so it surprised me when, a few years ago, I unearthed my childhood travel journal and found it full of worries. From ghosts in New Orleans to grizzlies in Denali National Park, to spiders in New Mexico and seaweed on Coronado Beach. Yes, I was even afraid of seaweed.
Like me, Bea (the protagonist of The Last Grand Adventure) is more of a natural worrier than a natural adventurer. As she heads off on a planes-trains-and-automobiles journey with her strong-willed and eccentric grandmother, Pidge, Bea is constantly faced with the dilemma of whether or not to yield to her fears. Of course, there’s a pretty tantalizing reason for them to keep going, all the way to Atchison, Kansas: the promise of finding Pidge’s long-lost sister, Amelia Earhart.
Travel opened my eyes to the world beyond my quiet neighborhood, showing me about people and places different than those I had known. As Bea’s journey takes her far across the country, she also experiences that feeling of discovery. The best souvenir, though, is the unexpected bravery she finds inside herself.
At its heart, this story is about the power of both an open mind and an open road. I hope readers will enjoy riding along on Bea and Pidge’s adventure.
Thanks to everyone who helped get this book into the world, especially: my agent, Suzie Townsend, and her assistants, Sara Stricker and Cassandra Baim; and my editors, Alyson Heller and Tricia Lin, publicist, Samantha Benson, and the whole team at Aladdin.
If you’d like a signed copy of Adventure 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.
It’s been a busy couple of months–more on that soon! But I’m belatedly excited to share a few more snippets from trade reviews for The Last Grand Adventure:
“Informed by history, Behrens’s narrative treasures family relationships and celebrates courage.” —Booklist
“Normally unadventurous twelve-year-old Bea (“I left my adventure journal empty and my worry journal full”) is a sympathetic narrator as she frets about her place in her newly blended family and her grandmother’s wavering memory. The tantalizing thread of possibility about Amelia Earhart and the letters she—or somebody—has been writing to Pidge adds alluring mystery.” —BCCB
“Historical fiction lovers are in for a treat with this heartfelt tale of discovery and hope. . . . This story has much to love, from the touching development of Bea and Pidge’s relationship to Bea conquering her fears and discovering the appeal of adventure. . . . VERDICT An excellent purchase for readers who enjoy a strong dose of adventure and solid character development in their historical fiction.”—Darla Salva Cruz, School Library Journal
I’m blushing, SLJ! It’s always a great feeling when a reviewer seems to really get the story you were trying to tell. I’m grateful to these reviewers for their thoughtful and insightful reviews.
The Last Grand Adventure will be out next week, and it’s only fitting that I hit the road to share Bea and Pidge’s story with readers. Here are the places I’ll be in March and April:
Time flies when you’re having fun–I can’t believe summer is over, and September almost is, too. It was a busy month:
The new Books of Wonder opened! I love both stores, but it’s so exciting to have a children’s bookstore (and its awesome events) uptown.
Of course I visited Nell and Ambrose when I stopped by to check out the new space.
Meanwhile, at the downtown location, I went to a fabulous panel with Tara Dairman, Jessica Lawson, Alison Cherry, and Tracey Baptiste. Lots of author friends were there–we even had a mini reunion of our 2014 debut author group. Here we are: Jessica Lawson, Tara Dairman, Lauren Magaziner, me, and Michelle Schusterman. We all have new MG releases in either 2017 or 2018!
Speaking of new releases, I got a delightful surprise from the UPS man one morning: ARCs (advance reader copies) of The Last Grand Adventure!
Aren’t they pretty? It’s so exciting to finally see this story in book form.
Now it’s back to work on some new projects, and starting to think of fun ways to share The Last Grand Adventure with readers.
On July 21, I was thrilled to be a part of the 
