We previously interviewed A. J. about Ellen Outside the Lines here. By A. J. Sass When my proposal for my sophomore novel, Ellen Outside the Lines, sold, I cycled through a mix of emotions. I was thrilled to get to write another book, of course, but I was also nervous. Although I am autistic … [Read more...] about Balancing Authentic and Accessible: A. J. Sass on Autistic Representation in Ellen Outside the Lines
Personal Essay
Digging in the Past for Our Futures
A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow comes out on March 22, 2022. For as long as they can remember, Aaron and Oliver have only ever had each other. In a small town with few queer teenagers, let alone young trans men, they’ve shared milestones like coming out as trans, buying the right … [Read more...] about Digging in the Past for Our Futures
On Nancy Drew, and How Anyone With a Book Can Have an Adventure
By Katryn Bury I was home sick when my mother first handed me a Nancy Drew book. It wasn’t the first time I was missing school, and it wouldn’t be the last. In fact, I’d been stretching my allotted absences to the limit that particular year in fourth grade. I wasn’t sick every time I gave my … [Read more...] about On Nancy Drew, and How Anyone With a Book Can Have an Adventure
Lessons From a Teen Book Club and a Girl Named Angie
Fat Angie: Homecoming is out now. By e.E. Charlton-Trujillo About a year after publishing Fat Angie—the first book in my ALA-winning series—I visited an Illinois high school book club. I hadn’t spent a lot of time with book clubs. Most of the students I met in traditional and alternative … [Read more...] about Lessons From a Teen Book Club and a Girl Named Angie
Of Pozole, Masks, and Beauty Marks: Talking and Writing About Depression
Content note: Mentions of depression, a suicide attempt, and suicidal thoughts Thirty Talks Weird Love by Alessandra Narváez Varela is on sale now. Order it here! By Alessandra Narváez Varela Quiero morirme y ver como la vida de los demás se facilita despues de mi ausencia…El inicio de una … [Read more...] about Of Pozole, Masks, and Beauty Marks: Talking and Writing About Depression
Nepantla and Writing Latinx Characters
Time Villains by Victor Piñeiro is on sale now. By Victor Piñeiro “Dolly was un-com-FOR-ta-ble.” I wasn’t pronouncing it, I was speaking it. Mrs. Brown and the other four students in my kindergarten reading group snickered. “What did he say?” I’d been reading at home since I was three, but … [Read more...] about Nepantla and Writing Latinx Characters
The Beauty of Intersectionality in Mentorship
By Valerie Bolling, 2022 mentor Learn more about and apply for the WNDB Mentorship Program. Recently I purchased a new car. It was time. I’d owned my previous vehicle for 14 years. When I arrived to pick up my new car, the expert who oriented me to the features of my electric car took his time … [Read more...] about The Beauty of Intersectionality in Mentorship
Cover Reveal for Skater Cielo by Rachel Katstaller
Today we're thrilled to reveal the cover for Skater Cielo by Rachel Katstaller! The cover was designed by Rae Crawford, and the book will be released on July 26, 2022 by Scholastic. Meet Cielo, a fierce skater who finds that facing your fear of failing gives you the courage to … [Read more...] about Cover Reveal for Skater Cielo by Rachel Katstaller
Writing YA as Freedom
Things We Couldn't Say is out now. By Jay Coles Once upon a time, my high school guidance counselor told me that my voice was my power. I admit, I had no idea what that really meant then—and I didn’t know what it meant when I started writing my debut, either. That was something that had to be … [Read more...] about Writing YA as Freedom
