This week I posted a review of Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lai at The Pirate Tree. With her first novel for young readers (Inside Out and Back Again, HarperCollins 2011), Thanhhà Lai captured in verse one child’s experience adjusting to life in Alabama after leaving Vietnam. In Listen, Slowly, Lai explores the experience of Mai (Mia at school), whose parents both emigrated…
I'm up today at The Pirate Tree (a collective of writers for children and teens interested in social justice issues) with an interview with Kekla Magoon about her recent novels How It Went Down and X: A Novel (co-written with Ilyasah Shabazz). If you haven't read How It Went Down and X: A Novel, get them on your TBR lists now! Timely and relevant, for…
Happy 2015, friends! What better way to usher in a new year than with a revamped and updated website. (Not as pretty as my old site, but it's a transition year and the new design will allow me to update more quickly and easily than the old one.) There are still a few bugs, but I'm working them out. My…
Happy fall, friends! First, the news with immediate gratification potential — for the month of November, the e-book of Personal Effects is on sale for $1.99. So, if you've been meaning to read Personal Effects, but haven't yet picked up a copy, now is the time to buy. Second, I can finally share information about my next novel! I…
It has been a wonderful week and a half for Personal Effects. I received word last week that Personal Effects has been selected for Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2013, a cooperative project of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council. The list will be published in the NCSS magazine in May….