The Lerner Blog

This time of year always gets me nostalgic about going to baseball games with my dad. Every now and then when I was growing up, we’d jump in the car, head to the Metrodome, and settle in with some popcorn or an ice-cream cup and watch the Twins try to win one for Minnesota. What […]Read more "Baseball Really IS Fun!"

It’s Free Book Friday: National Poetry Month Edition! Enter to A Rock Can Be…, written by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Violeta Dabija, a picture book in rhyme about the many uses of rocks. Rocks may seem like boring, static objects—until you discover that a rock can spark a fire, glow in the dark, […]Read more "Free Book Friday: A Rock Can Be…"

We know spring’s only just begun, but let’s talk about fall! We have an amazing list next season that features seven young adult novels, a multitude of picture books, fascinating nonfiction titles, and a graphic novel about Matthew Henson thrown in for good measure. Today, we’re excited to reveal the cover for Game Changer: John […]Read more "Game Changer Cover Reveal!"

We’re trying something new on the blog! Next Friday, we’ll be posting an author Q&A with Amber J. Keyser, author of Sneaker Century and the YA novel The Way Back from Broken (available 10/1/15). We’d like your help coming up with questions! You can leave them in the comments on this post or tweet us at @lernerbooks […]Read more "Author Q&A with Amber J. Keyser"

On Monday, Stacked kicked off its “About the Girls” series with a guest post from Elana K. Arnold, author of Infandous. In case you missed it, we’ve reposted the essay here in its entirety.  A few days ago, I got an email. This is what it said: “My 13 year old daughter is interested in […]Read more "Appropriate Literature: Guest Post by Elana K. Arnold"

I’ve worked with some great authors on work-for-hire projects aimed at the school/library market. I would like to work with even more great authors. It’s not hard to become a standout work-for-hire author. Besides writing skills (of course), the magic ingredients are super simple: patience, diligence, and some self-awareness. If you’re thinking about giving it […]Read more "How to Be an Awesome Freelance Author"

Enter to win our new Locked Out high-low series by acclaimed author Patrick Jones. Bridge, a book in his previous The Alternative series, earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. This urban fiction series features diverse characters and is set in cities around the US. Locked Out explores the complex ways that parental incarceration affects teens, from […]Read more "Free Book Friday: Locked Out"

Who hasn’t dreamed of being an astronaut? Maybe a famous inventor? In our new STEM Trailblazer bios, students can read about many of the big names in science, technology, engineering, and math today. This week, I’m so happy to share the standards-aligned teaching guide for this new series. This teaching guide, aimed at grades 2-5, […]Read more "FREE Teaching Materials: STEM Trailblazer Bios"

I invited Amber J. Keyser to say a few words about writing TFCB’s Sneaker Century, just out this spring. Reviews are glowing, and Booklist points out, “This [book] will be popular.” Here’s what Amber has to say: I wish you could see my pile of research notes for SNEAKER CENTURY: A HISTORY OF ATHLETIC SHOES. […]Read more "Sneaker Century Outtakes"