The Lerner Blog

Patrick Jones is the author of many Darby Creek series for reluctant readers, including The Alternative, Locked Out, The Dojo, and the upcoming Support and Defend series. Today, he’ll share why author visits benefit authors and students, and give some anecdotes from his recent school visits. What’s that line about writing…one percent inspiration and 99 percent […]Read more "Pressing the Fresh: Guest Post by Patrick Jones"

Ah, May…the month of celebrating moms, first visits to the lake or pool, last days of school for some lucky kiddos, and gardens just starting to bloom with those colorful, gorgeous harbingers of summer—flowers. In celebration of May and all it has to offer, I turn my focus today to From Bulb to Tulip (cover […]Read more "Hello, May Flowers!"

Full disclosure: I’m a history nerd. If I weren’t working as a children’s book editor, I’d probably be an underemployed social studies teacher or a barely-paid tour guide at a historic site. But since I am working as a children’s book editor, I get to help make social studies books for school libraries and classrooms. And I […]Read more "The Myth of Boring History: Sharing the Suspense with Kids"

It’s Free Book Friday! This week, enter to win two graphic novels! We’re giving away The Other Side of the Wall and Terrorist: Gavrilo Princip, the Assassin Who Ignited World War I. Simon Schwartz was born in East Germany to political dissidents. His striking graphic novel memoir The Other Side of the Wall chronicles the family’s difficult […]Read more "Free Book Friday: Graphic Novel Giveaway"

I picked up a new book from the library* yesterday: Between You & Me by New Yorker copy editor Mary Norris. I’m already smitten, so I thought I’d share a passage I particularly appreciated. But good writers have a reason for doing things the way they do them, and if you tinker with their work, […]Read more "To Tinker or Not to Tinker"

Free Book Friday is back! This week, enter to win Prairie Fire, the sequel to E. K. Johnston’s much-lauded The Story of Owen. Listen! For the song of Owen Thorskard has a second verse. Every dragon slayer owes the Oil Watch a period of service, and young Owen was no exception. What made him different was […]Read more "Free Book Friday: Prairie Fire"

Today’s post comes from Jenny Krueger, our new senior editor. I have recently returned to editing after taking time off from the sport to pursue the world of writing. The switch has me thinking about the relationship between the two skills, how they differ, and how they are alike.                When I first started in […]Read more "Writing and Editing, Not Apples and Oranges"

Alix Reid, the new editorial director of Carolrhoda Books and Carolrhoda Lab, is back on the blog to answer more questions, this time talking about her favorite books, hobbies, and what she’d be if she wasn’t an editor. (In case you missed it, you can find the first round of Q&A here.) 1. What were […]Read more "Meet Alix Reid! [Part 2]"

What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to be a dancer. I took ballet lessons in my early years, and, when I wasn’t in class, I spent many hours twirling around the family room of my childhood home in a leotard, tutu, and pink ballet shoes. Of course, I became […]Read more "Dancing Dreams"