I’m delighted to wish a superb book and it’s author, Angie Smibert, the very happiest of book birthdays!

BONE’S GIFT is a supernatural historical mystery about twelve-year-old Bone, who possesses a Gift that allows her to see the stories in everyday objects. When she receives a note that says her mother’s Gift killed her, Bone seeks to unravel the mysteries of her mother’s death, the schisms in her family, and the Gifts themselves.

In a southern Virginia coal-mining town in 1942, Bone Phillips has just reached the age when most members of her family discover their Gift. Bone has a Gift that disturbs her; she can sense stories when she touches an object that was important to someone. She sees both sad and happy–the death of a deer in an arrowhead, the pain of a … [more]

Today is the day, folks! The day that the eighth book in the marvelous, colorful, silly and happy series, SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS, is available — aka your lucky day!

A group of sloths arrives at the Grumpy River for a synchronized swimming competition, and the Super Happy Party Bears are thrilled. They throw a party to celebrate their team, but the sloths just…sleep.

The residents of the Grumpy Woods can’t help but notice the giant pile of snoozing sloths, and Mayor Quill plots to get rid of them by shutting down the competition…until he unexpectedly gets the opportunity to show off his swimming moves.

Illustrated in full color!

Praise for Super Happy Party Bears: Knock Knock on Wood : “The pure delight of the story will easily draw youngsters in and probably turn a … [more]

I’m so happy to share that Daphne Kalmar’s debut MG novel, A STITCH IN TIME, has sold to Jean Feiwel and Anna Roberto at Feiwel & Friends!

Donut is an eleven-year old geography buff who keeps her taxidermied mice hidden in her late mother’s hope chest.  Her pops died eight weeks ago, leaving her an orphan.  Aunt Agnes has moved in, bringing along her lumpy oatmeal, her knitting and a plan to drag Donut off to Boston forever.

Donut stands to lose everything: her friends, her Vermont village, her home, the woods and walks where the memories of her pops are stored up like the bread and butter pickles in canning jars on the shelf.  While Donut dodges the hurt of missing her pops, she and her best friend Tiny plan how to keep her … [more]

Happiest of book birthdays to Shelley Tougas’s LAURA INGALLS IS RUINING MY LIFE!

A life on the prairie is not all its cracked up to be for one girl whose mom takes her love of the Little House series just a bit too far.

Charlotte’s mom has just moved the family across the country to live in Walnut Grove, “childhood home of pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder.” Mom’s idea is that the spirit of Laura Ingalls will help her write a bestselling book. But Charlotte knows better: Walnut Grove is just another town where Mom can avoid responsibility. And this place is worse than everywhere else the family has lived―it’s freezing in the winter, it’s small with nothing to do, and the people talk about Laura Ingalls all the time. Charlotte’s convinced her family will … [more]

I’m so happy to wish LOVE, TRIANGLE by Marcie Colleen and Bob Shea the very happiest of book birthdays! LOVE, TRIANGLE was a special project right from the start – when Marcie and I first met to discuss representation, we talked over a number of her manuscripts. She mentioned a story she had brewing – nothing to share yet – about a Circle and a Square who have been friends forever…

…Circle and Square just fit, the way best friends do. Then someone new comes along: Triangle. Triangle is different, bold, inspiring. A wedge develops between Circle and Square and before long, they find they no longer fit the way they used to. Can this friendship for two grow to become one for three?

The genius of LOVE, TRIANGLE is its geometry-inspired wordplay, but the … [more]

I’m so happy to share that Paul Acampora’s new MG novel, CONFUSION IS NOTHING NEW, has sold to Nancy Mercado at Scholastic!

This book is a true gem. Generous in spirit, funny and a real pleasure — or, as Paul says, it’s fueled by bighearted 80s rock&roll, a dash of Goonies, and large doses of Cyndi Lauper’s girl-power joy.

Ellie Magari is figuring out what it means to be a girl in the world today, especially when the one role model she could have had (her mother) was never around and she was raised by her hardworking single father who didn’t exactly keep the lines of communication open. Exactly who was Ellie’s mom? And now that she’s gone for good, what does that mean for Ellie?

Fueled by the bighearted sounds of ’80s rock and … [more]

Congratulations to Marcie Colleen on the publication of the fifth and sixth books in the SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS series!

The Super Happy Party Bears are back in this silly chapter book series filled with full color illustrations and adorable animals.

In BAT TO THE BONE, the bat-only punk rock band “Flying Blind” has a dedicated following of other nocturnal music lovers. Their screechy sound really meshes with sonar hearing. While on tour to expand its fan base, Flying Blind stops at the Grumpy Woods for a midnight show. Soon tons of rock fans are keeping everyone awake at night! But when the bears start jamming with the band, its sound changes, driving away the crowd. This time it’s Opal Owl who saves the day―and returns some peace and quiet to the woods.

With music, … [more]

I’m delighted to share that the next books in the BABY LOVES SCIENCE! series by Ruth Spiro will be published next year by Charlesbridge. Topics this time are Gravity and Coding, and I can’t wait to see how Ruth makes the magic happen again: her ability to explain complex scientific principles in 75 words or less never ceases to amaze and delight me! We’re so lucky to have a wonderful team working on these books — illustrator Irene Chan’s sweet and colorful artwork brings the books to life, and the whole group at Charlesbridge, especially editor Alyssa Pusey, couldn’t be better to work with.

Can’t wait to see covers for these, and in the meantime, enjoy the first four below!

 … [more]

Happy publication day to Sarah Tolcser – her thrilling, immersive new YA fantasy is out today!

SONG OF THE CURRENT is Sarah Tolcser’s debut novel. Set in a vividly imagined world, with action expertly balanced against building romantic tension, it features a fabulous heroine – Caro is fiery, headstrong, resourceful; longing to feel at home in her own skin, but determined to find happiness on her own terms.

Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. Her father is a wherryman, as was her grandmother. All Caro needs is for the river god to whisper her name, and her fate is sealed. But at seventeen, Caro may be too late.

So when pirates burn ships and her father is arrested, Caro volunteers to transport mysterious cargo in exchange for his release. Secretly, Caro hopes that by … [more]