Not many of my Friend Friday guests have run away to join the circus, but Lisa Robinson has! Well, perhaps she didn’t exactly run away, but click here to be amazed at her aerial skills. She’s also pretty darned good at keeping her feet on the ground, writing picture books on a varied number of… Read more »
I’m grateful to recent Friend Friday guest, Margo Sorenson, for introducing me to Bonnie Graves, fellow historical fiction lover. As Bonnie shares below, historical fiction gives us great tools for looking at tough issues through the lens of the past. I am eager to read Catch Me When I Fall (Fitzroy Books), her latest book…. Read more »
I believe this is the first time I’ve ever hosted a costumed friend for Friend Friday; maybe we can start a trend? Nancy B. Kennedy’s outfit not only evokes the suffragette era, her smile speaks to the suffragettes’ hopefulness in undertaking the long battle. As Nancy acknowledges below, her wonderful new book, Women Win the… Read more »
I so appreciate that complete strangers will allow me to count them as friends! Often, I see a mention of a new book and I boldly contact the author, asking if he/she/they would be willing to be my Friend Friday guest. That’s what happened with Patricia Hruby Powell and her newest picture book biography, Lift… Read more »
Trudi Trueit does something so important with her Explorer Academy series. She certainly tells a good story, highlights fascinating discoveries and people and brings far-away places to our very own reading nooks. But the true power in her work is that she empowers kid readers, helping them see themselves as protectors of the natural world,… Read more »
A key characteristic of a successful writer is perseverance. Kristin L. Gray might win the prize in that department! As you will discover below, she did not quit when a perfectly brilliant idea did not gain traction. Read on for how she responded to a big obstacle in her writing path, and ended up with… Read more »
What a genuine honor and pleasure it is to count Laurie Ann Thompson as a friend and to celebrate her newest book, Elizabeth Warren’s Big, Bold Plans, illustrated by Susanna Chapman (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon Shuster). Laurie never ceases to inspire me through her personal actions as well as her wonderful books (Emmanuel’s Dream;… Read more »
On her blog, Beth Anderson describes writing as “mining” — from digging deep to find little-told stories to digging deep to find the heart of a story once she’s ready to write. I certainly share her desire to tell stories of the past to readers of today. And I so admire the way she’s taken… Read more »
Every week, I so enjoy hosting book creator friends in celebration of their work. But my heart does a little extra happy skip when the book in the spotlight is historical fiction. Teachers and librarians have quietly confessed to me that it’s a tough genre to get kids hooked on (ouch); but I am convinced… Read more »
I confess to not remembering how Sarah Miller and I first met face-to-face, but I knew we would be pals after reading her Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller (Atheneum Books for Young Readers). Sarah brought out aspects of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller that were new and fresh to me; I also figured out she… Read more »