Embracing Inventiveness and Perseverance in Ethan Marcus Stands Up by Michele Weber Hurwitz

September 19

Often, all it takes is a crumb – a little morsel of a moment – to spark an idea for a book. One that may not even seem like a moment at the time. My high-energy son was in eighth-grade, studying for a science test. Let’s just say science did not come easy to this […]

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Disaster and Discovery: True Stories of Survival That Inspired Five Nonfiction Authors by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace

September 17

Imagine embarking for an unexplored world, relying on faulty maps based on guesswork and fake science. Your goal is a tropical oasis at the North Pole, inhabited by unknown species of animals and maybe a lost race of humans. It sounds like science fiction, but that was the prevailing belief in 1879 when the USS […]

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Hey, Educators! Josh Funk Wants to Embarrass You! (Book Trailer Premiere for IT’S NOT JACK AND THE BEANSTALK)

September 15

Educators are the best! I’ve written before about how #TeachersAreRockStars and how incredible it is that you work 100+ hour weeks basically year round, etc, etc. I love you all. And hopefully you look good in front of your students when you read my and other authors’ books.   However, with my newest book, I […]

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Getting Personal by Barbara Dee

September 14

HALFWAY NORMAL is out this month, and I’m getting nervous. Not for the usual reasons (“Will they like this book? Will it sell?”). What I’m nervous about is the public-appearance piece, especially the inevitable questions about my son’s health. When I first thought of writing this book, I made a deal with my son: I’d […]

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From Journalism to Fiction by Dick Lehr

September 13

One thing I know a lot about is journalism – writing that is based on facts. I teach it. I write it. One thing I don’t know a lot about is writing fiction. – stories that are made-up. Which is basically why two years ago I decided to write a novel titled TRELL. I have […]

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A Tool for Teaching Text Structures and Revision by Melissa Stewart

September 12

Back in 2013, when No Monkeys, No Chocolate was published, I created this Revision Timeline. Educators love it because in just 15 minutes students can watch the videos and see for themselves how much a professional writer revises.   Students can also view three rejected manuscripts and do a text-to-text comparison. What they’ll discover is […]

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Pets & Poetry by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong

September 08

As we watch the news reports of the impact of hurricanes, flooding, and storms across our country, we’re united in our concern for neighbors or strangers affected by these disasters. Scenes of help and rescue are inspiring, and glimpses of pets reunited with their families are heartwarming and reassuring. At times like these, the beloved […]

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Looking Back, Looking Forward by Sheila Greenwald

September 07

I started illustrating books for children in 1956 and began to write them in 1975. As a freelancer involved with many publishing houses, I had an outsider’s view of quickly changing styles, rules, and acceptable content. The pendulum swing of change seemed faster and wider as time went on. Children’s book department offices in the […]

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My Inspiration for Elsie Mae Has Something to Say by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

September 05

So, who ever heard of the Okefenokee Swamp?  Well about twenty years ago, I hadn’t; but today I’m celebrating pub day for my book, Elsie Mae Has Something to Say, which takes place in the Okefenokee Swamp in the 1930’s.   So how do you go from not even knowing about a place to writing […]

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How Parental Guilt Syndrome Led to The Adventures of Caveboy by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

September 03

I know that I’m often a disappointment to my family. They’ll tell you something different – they’re good people who love me and don’t want me to feel badly. But I know in my heart that I fail them from time to time. Sometimes, when I’ve had to work, I didn’t make it to every […]

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