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
Personal Essay
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
How To Win A Slime War Is the Book Mae Respicio Has Wanted Since Childhood
How to Win A Slime War by Mae Respicio comes out September 14, 2021. We revealed the cover for the book here. by Mae Respicio It’s here! I’m thrilled to share my newest middle grade novel, HOW TO WIN A SLIME WAR. This one’s all about a creative, empathetic boy who finds his voice with the help … [Read more...] about How To Win A Slime War Is the Book Mae Respicio Has Wanted Since Childhood
How Adults Can Discuss 9/11 With Young People
Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero by Saadia Faruqi is on sale now. By Saadia Faruqi As the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11 approaches, many of us—parents, caregivers, teachers—are wondering how to broach the subject with young people who weren’t alive during the … [Read more...] about How Adults Can Discuss 9/11 With Young People
How Picture Books Can Normalize Anxiety and Make Kids Feel Understood
By Manka Kasha Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster by Manka Kasha is on sale now. I was an extremely anxious child. Saying “hello” or “thank you” to adults, phone calls, interacting with other kids—all these day-to-day activities were my personal hell (and, who am I kidding, in many ways they … [Read more...] about How Picture Books Can Normalize Anxiety and Make Kids Feel Understood
