The Lerner Blog

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press No, no, Elephant in the Kitchen isn’t a variant of the expression “elephant in the room.” I’m not about to bring up some terrible unspoken fact about the editorial department kitchen. Elephant in the Kitchen is, in fact, the name of the first chapter book I read entirely by […]Read more "Elephant in the Kitchen"

I recently had the good fortune to vacation in Mazatlan, Mexico. Not being much of a beach person, I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy this town famous for its resorts and sport fishing. But Mazatlan is a jewel. The turquoise Pacific, long stretches of sandy beaches, and the buttery late-winter sun instantly dissolved my […]Read more "Writers in Paradise"

Actually, I’m in Amsterdam, having left Bologna this morning at the uncivilized hour of 6:50. I’d planned to blog after dinner last night, but I should know better. You see, “after dinner” at the book fair is no earlier than 11:00 and last night it was much later. (Before you have visions of Bolognese bacchanalia, […]Read more "Bologna Briefly (And Late!)"

By Blythe Woolston, author of the forthcoming novel The Freak Observer (Fall 2010): Today I would like to honor Vioalle Hefferan, a citizen scientist whose work assisted in the advance of technology. Vioalle Hefferan wasn’t an engineer, unless a person considers what a feat of engineering it is to inspire dozens of teens to spend […]Read more "Ada Lovelace Day: Guest Blogger Blythe Woolston"

Rebecca L. Johnson (pictured at right) is the author of dozens of award-winning books about science for children and young adults as well as an avid scuba diver. Recent titles with Lerner include Investigating Climate Change and the Microquests series. Her research for the forthcoming Journey into the Deep: Discovering New Ocean Creatures (Fall 2010) […]Read more "Ada Lovelace Day: Guest Blogger Rebecca L. Johnson"

By Elizabeth Dingmann, Publicist Sally M. Walker (pictured at right on an archaeological site where she researched her book Written in Bone) is the author of many books, including the Sibert Medal-winning Secrets of a Civil War Submarine. Her research for the forthcoming Frozen Secrets (coming Fall 2010) brought her into contact with explorer and […]Read more "Ada Lovelace Day: Guest Blogger Sally M. Walker"

Well, actually, Lerner author Sandra Markle never met nineteenth-century computer programming pioneer Ada Lovelace—though I suspect she’d have loved to. I’ve got Sandy’s permission to profile her in my blog entry for Ada Lovelace Day, which honors pioneering women in science and technology. Sandra Markle (below right, surrounded by some of her books with Lerner) […]Read more "When Sandra Met Ada…"

By Peg Goldstein, TFCB editor and author I play online Scrabble constantly. The only problem is finding suitable partners. People are so responsible. They say things like, “I’m too busy;” “I have to do my job;” “I have to take my son to the emergency room.” Where are their priorities? If you have a Scrabble […]Read more "Just Busy Enough"