The Lerner Blog

I’m editing a biography of a YA author—the creator of some wildly popular novels geared toward young female readers. The biography discusses the novels’ mixed critical reception. Some of the unkind reviews got me thinking about how other famous novels were once received. From popular paperbacks to the works of literary giants, no book—or author—is […]Read more "Unkind Words"

This was on the cusp of being an entirely different post, but then the news of J. D. Salinger’s death popped up on Twitter. I must confess to not being a true Salinger fanatic. I’ve read and enjoyed the novel and most of the stories (A Perfect Day for a Banana Fish made a strong […]Read more "Salinger"

By Peg Goldstein, TFCB Author and Freelance Editor When my neighbor Caroline asked me recently to be a judge at a spelling bee at her son’s middle school, I didn’t hesitate. “You’d be really good for it,” she said. I replied instantly, “Yes, I would be.” Twenty-plus years of thinking about how to spell things […]Read more "How Bad Could It Bee?"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press To stay with the sports theme on this blog, let’s go from barefoot running to figure skating. While a significant number of Minnesotans were focused on a certain football game yesterday, the highlight of my weekend was watching the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships. After Rachel Flatt bested Mirai […]Read more "Nonfiction Monday: On Figure Skating Scoring and Writing"

[From Anna Cavallo, associate editor] I recently did something I can’t claim all that often: I finished a nonfiction book that I was reading for fun. (I pick up nonfiction titles from the library all the time, but I have a much better track record of finishing novels.) I knew of Christopher McDougall’s Born to […]Read more "On Variety and Barefoot Running"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press Perhaps I am biased, but I think that being read to is one of the great pleasures in life. I still remember a summer road trip during which my mother read Johnny Tremain to us. As an adult, it’s not so easy to find someone to read to me, […]Read more "Reading Aloud"

From Mary M. Rodgers, editor in chief, Lerner Publishing Group I’m beyond thrilled for Vaunda Nelson for winning the 2009 CSK award for Bad News for Outlaws. With this book, she found a wonderfully authentic western voice that enriched the telling of a little-known story. It was a joy to work with her to finalize […]Read more "Thrill-Filled Journey"

By Domenica Di Piazza, Editorial Director, TFCB The stories coming out of Haiti, with the recent devastating earthquake, are heartbreaking. Updates posted throughout the day on the Lede blog on the New York Times website offer readers and viewers an amazing mix of text reporting and video footage related to the disaster. From among many […]Read more "Haiti"

I like it when history works out well. One hundred years ago this month, Bass Reeves passed away in Muskogee, Oklahoma, bring to an end one of the most remarkable stories in African- American history and in the history of the American West. And today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Bad News for Outlaws: […]Read more "Congratulations Vaunda Micheaux Nelson!"