Welcome to my new blog, which now includes content from many of the blogs I’ve created over the years. You can now also access content via category from this one page instead of having to search for my individual blogs, which were scattered over various platforms and websites.
In honor of Banned Books Week, I’ve illustrated one of my favorite Judy Blume quotes: “Having the freedom to read and the freedom to choose is one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me.” I was lucky that way, too. My father used to take the whole family to our . . .
Guest post by Chuck Sambuchino UPDATED March 16, 2017: please note that the info in this 2015 post is now outdated. Do your research online for updated info. Thanks – Debbie I once joked that debut picture books are the one of the most difficult things to get published—perhaps second only . . .
For more info about Sylvia McNicoll, see SylviaMcNicoll.com.
If you’re looking for funny, smart middle grade books and lots of entertaining animal facts, you need to check out Jess Keating’s “My Life Is A Zoo” series. I met Jess through Torkidlit and Nerd Camp; she’s funny, smart and entertaining in person, too :-). The third book in her series, . . .
Happy National Punctuation Day! Be kind to a comma today, and beware of misplaced apostrophe’s.
Just finished AWKWARD, an absolutely wonderful middle grade graphic novel by Svetlana Chmakova (Yen Press/Hachette, 2015). This needs to be in every school library. Why? Because it Svetlana does SUCH a great job at capturing the awkwardness of middle school personal interactions, especially for the insecure and shy. I wish this . . .
I love this quote by Robert Cormier so much that I’ve made it available as a free, print-ready poster. Download the poster here. (after opening the image, right-click for PC, ctrl-click and hold for Mac) Also see my free, print-ready Archives.
One of my favourite Neil Gaiman quotes: “Just write. Many writers have a vague hope that elves will come in the night and finish any stories for you for you. They won’t.” You can see the original video in which he offers advice for young writers:
Just finished THE KIDNEY HYPOTHETICAL: OR HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE IN SEVEN DAYS by Lisa Yee (Arthur Levine Books, Mar/2015). I’ve been a fan of Lisa’s since MILLICENT MIN, and I thoroughly enjoyed her new YA. What I love about all of Lisa’s books, including this one: the wry sense of . . .