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Cover Reveal for THE LAST GRAND ADVENTURE!

I’m so excited to share the cover for my next middle-grade novel that I’m skipping an introduction. Here it is!

 

 

Robyn Ng illustrated it, and Laura Lyn DiSiena designed it–the same team that created the beautiful cover for Summer of Lost and Found. And again they perfectly capture the spirit and setting of my book. I love the vintage font (perfect for historical fiction) and the sunset color palette, and the way my characters, Bea and Pidge, are facing out toward the great wide world.

Before I tell you all about The Last Grand Adventure, here’s information on how you can win an ARC and find out (early!) for yourself:

Simply leave a comment on this post to enter–if you’d like an extra entry, you can sign up for my newsletter or tweet about the cover. Full instructions and links below.

About The Last Grand Adventure:

Twelve-year-old Bea finds herself on a unique road-trip with her grandmother as they search for her grandmother’s long-lost sister—the legendary Amelia Earhart—in this charming and poignant novel from the author of When Audrey Met Alice and Summer of Lost and Found.

It’s 1967 and twelve-year-old Bea is in need of some adventure. Her mother is off in San Francisco, while her father has just gotten remarried in Los Angeles. Bea has gained a younger stepsister, and she’s not thrilled about her blended family. So when her ailing grandmother, Pidge, moves to an Orange County retirement community and asks if Bea would spend a few weeks helping her get settled, Bea is happy for any excuse to get away.

But it turns out, her grandmother isn’t interested in settling in. What she really wants is to hop a train back to Atchison, Kansas—where she thinks she’ll be reunited with her long-missing sister: Amelia Earhart. And she wants Bea to be her sidekick on this secret trip.

At first, Bea thinks her grandmother’s plan is a little crazy. But Pidge has thirty years of letters written in “Meelie’s” unmistakable voice, all promising to reunite. This might be the adventure Bea needs . . .

With letters in hand, Bea and Pidge set off on their quest to find Amelia. But getting halfway across the country proves to be more of an adventure than either of them bargained for. And their search for Amelia leads to some surprising truths about their family—and each other.

Early Praise

“I loved traveling alongside Bea and her grandmother Pidge on their grand adventure. Bea learns to embrace courage and sisterly devotion as they draw ever closer to finding Pidge’s missing sister, Amelia Earhart. The mystery kept me thinking–and hoping–long after I finished reading!”
—Caroline Starr Rose, author of Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine
 
“Soaring with the thrill of possibility, The Last Grand Adventure delivers an intimate tale of navigating rough pockets in life’s airspace, chasing dreams, and discovering that the greatest journeys are filled with mystery, risk, setbacks, laughter, and a whole lot of heart.” —Jessica Lawson, author of Waiting for Augusta
 
“Hooray for The Last Grand Adventure, an irresistible blend of historical fact and adventure-filled fiction! Behrens sweeps the reader up with this charming mystery about Amelia Earhart’s whereabouts and the unbreakable bond between sisters. Traveling with Twelve-year-old Bea and her rule-breaking, free spirited grandmother Pidge across America in 1967 was the perfect way to explore timeless lessons about following  dreams, taking risks, persevering, and the unshakable strength of family ties.” —Nikki Loftin, author of Wish Girl

The Details

Coming from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin on March 20, 2018

Historical fiction for ages 8+

ISBN: 9781481496926

Preorder from:

Barnes & Noble
Indiebound
Amazon
Books-a-Million
or your local bookstore (the ISBN is 9781481496926)

And you can add The Last Grand Adventure to your shelves on Goodreads.

ARC Giveaway Instructions (the long version):

To enter to win an ARC, simply leave a comment on this post. Don’t worry if it doesn’t appear right away–my site requires approval for all comments. If you’d like an extra entry, you can sign up for my newsletter or tweet about this cover reveal. Make sure to let me know in your comment if you did one or both of those! This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada, and will end on Wednesday, June 28. I’ll announce the winner, chosen randomly, on Thursday, June 29. Good luck, and thanks for entering!

Update: Congrats to Kaitlin Hundscheid, who won the ARC–I’ll send you an email shortly. And thanks, all, for the cover love!

SUMMER is here (at least in paperback)

It might be a little chilly and gloomy this week, but Summer is finally here–at least in paperback.

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It was a real treat to come home from a great day at #nErDcampNJ last Saturday and find a package with some early copies inside. It’s the same gorgeous art by Robyn Ng and lovely design by Laura Lyn DiSiena, but there is a surprise inside . . .

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A teaser for my next middle-grade novel, The Last Grand Adventure (which is coming in March 2018 from Simon & Schuster).

I was a huge paperback reader as a kid–and still as an adult. Hardcover editions are beautiful, but they are not so easy to put in a bike basket or a beach bag, or to lug on the subway. I’m excited to think of Nell and Ambrose heading off to camps and swim clubs and cabins in the next few months.

And finally, I have winners to announce for the Educator Giveaway! Jennifer Pickrell and Kristy Guerriero won the reading-group sets. You should have received an email from me, and I’ll get those books and guides to you ASAP. Thanks to all who entered!

My 2016 in Books

Happy New Year! 2016 brought a lot of good–and some not-so-good–so I’m looking forward to starting fresh today. But one good thing about 2016 was the wonderful books I read. Thanks to Goodreads (which makes a great book log), here are the titles that enriched, engaged, and entertained me over the past year:

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I read 28 kidlit titles, 7 nonfiction titles, and 31 grown-up fiction titles–for my personal reading. I didn’t track how much kidlit I read at my dayjob, but I’m guessing there’s another 30 or so there.

Here’s to a 2017 full of great books! What was your best read of last year?

A Week in Wisconsin

Last week I traveled back to Wisconsin for a couple of book events, and it was perfect timing for fall color:

The view from Ski Hi, my favorite orchard. The pies are amazing!

The view from Ski Hi, my favorite orchard. The pies are amazing!

Hiking at Devil's Lake

Hiking at Devil’s Lake

Madison has great coffee :)

Madison has great coffee 🙂

The famous farmer's market is at its very best in fall.

The famous farmer’s market is at its very best in fall.

Green and gold

Green and gold

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The view from my Sunday morning coffeeshop

What’s missing? Photos from my talk at the Reedsburg Public Library and my school visit at EAGLE School. I was so excited to meet with readers and writers that I never quite got around to taking pictures . . . oops! But I had a great time talking about reading, researching, and writing.

Now I’m back in NY, working on short fiction and researching a project, and getting ready for nErDcampLI!

How does fall look where you are?

 

SUMMER Cover Reveal!

Last week, the fantastic Mr. Schu helped me share the cover of Summer of Lost and Found! Check out the post here:

 http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2015/08/cover-reveal-for-summer-of-lost-and.html

And here’s the lovely cover!

Summer of Lost and Found final cover

When I first saw the sketch from the designer, Laura Lyn DiSiena, and the color sample from the illustrator, Robyn Ng, I freaked out. They perfectly captured my main character, Nell Dare, and the watercolor beauty of Roanoke Island. I love how richly layered the foliage is in the illustration–just like it is on the island.

Biondo Studio also helped me put together the Resources page for Summer, which you can now find here.

Summer of Lost and Found will release in hardcover from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster on May 24, 2016. I can’t wait!

 

When Audrey Met Alice–in paperback!

I’m excited to share that When Audrey Met Alice will soon be in paperback! Personally, I love paperback books–they’re so much easier to read on the go (which makes up a lot of my reading time lately) and they are priced right for class sets, book clubs, and babysitting money. Also, it’s fun to see a different interpretation of the story on a paperback’s cover. Speaking of which, here’s the new look for this edition of Audrey and Alice:

 

 

 

I love it! It’s fresh and bold, and Audrey would love the yellow type. The shoes on the back cover mean that every cover for the book–from the ARC to the hardcover to this paperback–has played with footwear past/present, which is a cool unifying detail.

The paperback will be in stores 5/1/2015 for $7.99. Starting next week, I’ll be giving away a paperback preorder every Wednesday in March to celebrate Women’s History Month–check back on 3/4 to enter!

Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer

How exactly is it July 22nd already? I swear, I was staring out the window at slushy snow just days ago. And now back-to-school ads are popping up . . .

But even though this has been a busy summer so far, it’s been busy in delightful ways:

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Pre-fireworks in my beautiful hometown, Madison, WI

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Quality time with my adorable nephew

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Sunny days at the beach

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Exploring the Catskills (not pictured: black bear encounter)

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NY’s gorgeous waterfalls

I’ve also read some amazing books lately, like Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign and the short-story collection This Is Paradise.

From now until I head off to Texas, I’m working very hard on edits for The Summer of Lost and Found. I’m a little nervous about making this the best book it can be, but revising is also my favorite part of the writing process. I’ve had a few lightbulb moments in the past week, and I’m excited.

How’s your summer?

 

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