Author Interviews – Page 7

If I Were a Fungus: An Interview with Author and Illustrator Gaia Stella

Fungus is everywhere: cities, mountains, on food, and in deserts. Fungi are found around the globe, yet we know very little about them. Scientists even have a hard time defining what they are because they’re so contradictory.

If I Were a Fungus by Gaia Stella is a playful and informative introduction to the fantastic world of fungi for the youngest of readers. Today Gaia joins us to describe her fascination with fungi and how they continue to surprise her. Read on to see initial sketches and illustrations!

Author Interviews

The Rock in My Throat: An Interview with Author Kao Kalia Yang

Quiet, lyrical, and profound, The Rock in My Throat tells the true story of author Kao Kalia Yang’s experience as a young Hmong refugee navigating life at home and at school. Having seen the poor treatment her parents received when making their best efforts at speaking English, she no longer speaks at school. Kalia feels as though a rock has become lodged in her throat, and it grows heavier each day.

An author’s note at the end of the book reflects on how and why Kalia became a selective mute and how she eventually found her voice. Today, Kalia joins us to share her experience writing this story. Read on to download a free teaching guide and listen to an original composition, created specifically for this picture book.

Author Interviews

Pigeons at War: An Interview with Author Connie Goldsmith

Pigeons were the unsung heroes of both world wars. In Pigeons at War: How Avian Heroes Changed History by Connie Goldsmith, readers discover how these unassuming birds were crucial to communications between Allied troops. When phone, radio, and telegraph lines were cut or officers needed to send top secret messages, pigeons delivered information from the front.

Today author Connie Goldsmith joins us to describe her writing process, hopes for young readers, her favorite pigeon from history, and more!

Author Interviews

Pangu’s Shadow: An Interview with Author Karen Bao

A lab, a murder, and two young scientists that risk it all. Pangu’s Shadow follows rival apprentices Ver and Aryl who work in the most prestigious biology lab in the Pangu Star System. One night they’re working late and find their brilliant but egotistical teacher, Cal, sprawled on the floor, dead. Murdered. And they immediately become the prime suspects. To clear their names, the girls must put aside their mutual suspicion and team up to investigate Cal’s death.

Today author and neuroscientist Karen Bao joins us to share how her career in research inspires her science fiction, her writing process, and more! Don’t forget to download the free discussion guide and share a video from Karen on life as a scientist with your readers!

Author Interviews

The Power of Snow: An Interview with Author Bob Raczka

Snow and math. Both beautiful and overwhelming in their own ways, but when brought together they create the perfect picture book. The Power of Snow by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Bryony Clarkson introduces the concept of exponential growth with playful verse and intricate illustrations as a snowstorm builds snowflake by snowflake.

Today author Bob Raczka joins us to discuss his inspiration, his decision to incorporate math into a picture book, and more! Read on to download a free educator resource filled with activities and questions for young readers.

Author Interviews

The Denim Diaries: An Author Interview with Laurie Boyle Crompton

Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s was full of hilarity and heartbreak, and The Denim Diaries: A Memoir is here to share it all with you. From relationships and makeup to parental divorce and disordered eating, young adult author Laurie Boyle Crompton recounts her coming of age in rural Pennsylvania and her early twenties in New York City. Laurie sensitively guides readers through her most venerable moments with compassionate and poignant verse.

Today Laurie joins us on the Lerner blog to answer some of your burning questions.

Author Interviews

Forsooth: An Author Interview with Jimmy Matejek-Morris

Sometimes you just know you’re destined for great things. In Forsooth thirteen-year-old theater kid Calvin knows he’s going to be a star. All he has to do is prove himself as an actor and fix the awkwardness with his friends that started after the play where he got stuck on a single line. But nothing’s going according to plan. His parents don’t get his love of performing. His best friend is moving on without him. And he might have a crush that could change everything.

Today author Jimmy Matejek-Morris joins us to discuss his inspiration for this middle grade novel, his favorite musicals, and so much more. Read on to download the free discussion guide!

Author Interviews

The First Invasion: An Interview with Author Zack Soto

What would you do if you found a strange tunnel in the woods behind your house? Investigate of course! In The First Invasion: Book 1 Cousins Truly and Kaz discover a hideout full of treasures and slip on wristbands that summon a space knight named Trinn Cyclo. And he arrives just in time to help them fight Maximo Skulldigg, an alien set on conquering planet Earth!

Today author and artist Zack Soto joins us to share his inspiration for the Power Button series, the relationship between the characters, his artistic process, and more! Keep reading to see an excerpt from this new graphic novel.

Author Interviews

Small Shoes, Great Strides: An Interview with Author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Many students know the story of Ruby Bridges, but how about the McDonogh Three? Small Shoes, Great Strides: How Three Brave Girls Opened Doors to School Equality tells the powerful true story of how Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, and Tessie Prevost courageously integrated a New Orleans school on November 14, 1960.

Today award-winning author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson joins us to discuss how she discovered this amazing story, her hopes for young readers, and more. Read on to listen to a Shelf Care interview with the author as well as download our free educator guide!