Author and Illustrator Spotlight – Page 3

The Writing Room: An Interview with Author Marcia Argueta Mickelson

The Writing Room is a slice-of-life coming-of-age story that gracefully addresses larger themes of immigration, economic disparity, and familial struggles. Immediately after high school graduation, eighteen-year-old Maya is kicked out of her wealthy dad’s NYC home. She struggles to find her footing until she gets access to a “writing room,” a shared workspace where she […]Read more

Returning the Sword: An Interview with Author Caren Stelson

Returning the Sword: How a Japanese Sword of War Became a Symbol of Friendship and Peace is a powerful true story of cross-cultural friendship and reconciliation. Minnesota soldier Orval Amdahl served in World War II, arriving in Nagasaki, Japan, in the autumn of 1945 to keep the peace in the aftermath of the atomic bombing […]Read more

Author Interviews

So Rude!: An Interview with Author Jessica Fries-Gaither

Humans have rules for how to behave, but sometimes animals need to break those rules to survive. So Rude!: Animals Behaving Badly introduces seven human behavior rules and the animals that break them! Scarlet kingsnakes lie; they pretend to be venomous coral snakes to scare off predators. And hippos make a mess; they spray waste […]Read more

Author Interviews

Absolutely Everything: An Interview with Author Damian Alexander

Lately, life feels like a lot for Marcella. Sixth grade seems complicated on purpose. She keeps forgetting her homework or getting distracted while she’s doing it. Plus, her bestie has new friends, and her parents even want to move apartments. She’s trying to keep track of the changes—but absolutely everything is stressing her out! Absolutely Everything is a funny, […]Read more

Author Interviews

Arm in Arm: An Interview with Author Angelica Shirley Carpenter

As historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said, “Well-behaved women seldom make history,” and the Grimké sisters were anything but well-behaved. Born into a family of enslavers in the South, Sarah Grimké and Angelina Grimké Weld were some of the first women to speak out about abolition and women’s rights. Arm in Arm: The Grimké Sisters’ Fight […]Read more

Author Interviews

Wild Song: An Interview with Author Candy Gourlay

In 1904, sixteen-year-old Luki travels from the US-controlled Philippines to the World’s Fair in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she discovers a wider world. But even as Luki makes friends and discovers intriguing things, she learns dangerous secrets and difficult truths. Facing pressures from all sides, she must decide what kind of future she wants after […]Read more

Author Interviews

Rewriting the Rules: An Interview with Author Danna Zeiger

As someone with cerebral palsy who runs a lab to help others with cerebral palsy, Dr. Kathleen Friel is rewriting the rules, defying expectations, and opening up new possibilities for herself and others. Rewriting the Rules: How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability is the incredible true story of how […]Read more

Author Interviews

Speaking Out Loud: The Voices Behind the New YA Nonfiction Ban This!

What would you do if your school removed books from the library—books that reflected your identity, your history, your reality? In Ban This!: How One School Fought Two Book Bans and Won (and How You Can Too), a powerful group of students and educators from Central York High School in Pennsylvania show exactly how they […]Read more

Watch Them Grow: An Interview with Author Carrie A. Pearson

Sure, baby animals are cute. But have you ever seen what they look like before they’re born? Watch Them Grow: The Fascinating Science of Animal Beginnings introduces readers to a variety of animals and shows how they develop some of their defining features. Today author Carrie A. Pearson joins us to share why she writes […]Read more

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