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I hope you’ve been having a mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful National Poetry Month.
In honor of Poem in Your Pocket Day (and springtime!), here are two poems I published in my hometown newspaper, the Island Ad-Vantages, in May 1986 (age 7), plus some never-before-seen original artwork.
And here's a link to another spring poem, "April Prayer," by a much better Maine poet, Stuart Kestenbaum.
Talking with kids about books and writing is one of my favorite parts of being an author, and I was lucky to spend last week visiting five elementary schools in the D.C. area, where I met hundreds of fantastic kid readers. Thank you to all the students, librarians, and educators who welcomed Anna, Banana, and me into their schools and asked terrific questions. And thanks to An Open Book Foundation, which sponsored my visit to the Washington School for Girls, and to local independent bookstore One More Page Books, which provided books at the other schools.
If you’re interested in having me visit your school, I'd be delighted to try to make it work. Please see the newly updated school visits page for more information.
Here are a few snapshots from the tour!
I'm thrilled to share the news that there soon will be two more books in the Anna, Banana series. Up next: Anna, Banana, and the Little Lost Kitten. I can't wait to see the cover art! (But first I have to write the book.)
Here's the official announcement from Publishers Marketplace. I'm lucky to continue working with the fabulous team behind the first four books: editrix Kristin Ostby, agent Meredith Kaffel Simonoff, illustrator Meg Park, and art director Laurent Linn.
Click on the image above to open a PDF of the article.
I have a new piece in the March issue of The Writer magazine, called the Price of Promotion. In it, I share what I did to help promote my debut novel (Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split), and what it cost, in time and money. I hope other writers will find it useful. (Click on the image to open a PDF.)
Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split recently went into its third printing. THANK YOU to all the booksellers, librarians, teachers, and readers who helped make this happen!
Anna, Banana, and the Puppy Parade marches into stores today, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with you.
Find out more about the book (and read an excerpt) here. You can ask for it at your local bookstore or library, or order a copy from Indiebound, B&N, BAM, Target, iTunes, or Amazon (which recently named Puppy Parade a Best Book of the Month!). Thanks for your support.
I invited some doggy friends to take a peek inside, and they agreed it's the most pup-tastic Anna, Banana book yet. Thanks to Bacio, Fiona, Bowser, Beyla, Soren, Carly, Ruby, Ezra, Seamus, Winston, Dixie, Lula, Roogie, Miles, Newsboy, Schnippy, and Teddy (and their humans!) for taking part in this photo parade.
Click to scroll through the photo carousel above. You'll find even more adorable dogs in the illustrations throughout the book!
What did you read in 2015? Here are the books that shaped my year (not including picture books, books read in part, chapter books read while standing or sitting in the bookstore, books I wrote or edited, or books read in manuscript form).
Whatever's on your TBR, I wish you a 2016 filled with memorable characters and words that matter. Happy New Year.
I reveal the One True Rule of writing—and the inspiration behind Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split—in the January issue of The Writer magazine, on newsstands now. It's their annual children's and YA issue, so there's lots of great kid-lit content inside. My essay is also published on the magazine's website, under a slightly different title. Here's the link.
If you're in the mood for some games, challenges, puzzles, and coloring sheets, please check out the brand new Anna, Banana activity kit. It's free, fun, and printable!
Only six weeks to go before Anna, Banana, and the Puppy Parade marches into a bookstore near you. It's available for pre-order in all the usual places, and there's a five-copy giveaway happening on Goodreads now through January 19th.
Speaking of giveaways, thank you to all who helped spread the word about my Anna, Banana donations endeavor. I got a fantastic response from teachers and school librarians across the country, and there are now 150 Anna, Banana books en route to 50 high-poverty schools in 21 states. The thought of Anna and Banana meeting so many new friends makes me grin ear to ear. I hope these books will make the kids smile, too.
This holiday season, I'm hoping to donate Anna, Banana books to high-poverty school districts.* If that's your school, please be in touch! And if you know a teacher or librarian with an elementary-school classroom or library in need, please help spread the word. Thank you! Details below.
*U.S. only, due to postage costs.
I'm not sure who's more excited—third-grade me or grown-up me—to see Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split in this month's Scholastic Reading Club flyers, but it's definitely a dream come true. Thank you, Scholastic! And thanks to the wonderful sub-rights team at S&S that made this happen.
4th Grade Scholastic Reading Club flyer, October 2015
Lucky Scholastic Reading Club flyer, October 2015
Teachers and parents, you'll find Anna, Banana in the Lucky and 4th Grade flyers.
Doesn't it look nice as a paperback?
One of my favorite parts of being an author is getting to meet and talk with kid readers, fellow authors, and other book lovers. I've been lucky to do several fun festivals and events in the past few months. Here's a photo tour of where I've been.
If you would like me to visit your elementary school or library this fall or winter, either in-person or via Skype, please be in touch! I love talking with kids about books and the writing process, from ideas to drafts to revisions, and beyond.
Reading and workshop at the Newburyport Literary Festival in Newburyport, MA (April)
Book release party at Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, VA (May)
Reading at the Stonington Public Library in Stonington, ME (August)
Children's Parade at the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA (September)
Moderating the What a Character! panel with authors Lenore Look (Alvin Ho), Abby Hanlon (Dory Fantasmagory), and Jon Scieszka (Frank Einstein) at the Brooklyn Book Festival in Brooklyn, NY (September)
Joint book release party with author Terra Elan McVoy (Drive Me Crazy) at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA (May)
Book release party at BookCourt in Brooklyn, NY (May)
Welcome signs at the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA (September)
Best Friends Forever! panel with authors Terra Elan McVoy (Drive Me Crazy) and Abby Hanlon (Dory Fantasmagory), moderated by Tui Sutherland (Wings of Fire), at the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA (September)
Autographed copies of the Anna, Banana books on display in bookstores throughout New York City and in Princeton, NJ, Decatur, GA, and Waterbury, CT (May-September)
Thanks to all the terrific bookstores, libraries, festivals, and schools that have welcomed Anna, Banana, and me so far—and a huge thank you to the friends and fans who've come out to see us. I look forward to meeting more of you soon!
Anna, Banana, and the Big-Mouth Bet comes out today and I can't wait for readers to sink their teeth into it. This was the trickiest of the Anna, Banana books to write, but it's my favorite one so far. I hope you'll like it!
Here's the plot:
Anna has a loose tooth! It's as wiggly as her dog Banana's tail. But while Anna is poking at her loose tooth, class clown Justin keeps poking fun at Anna and her friends.
Anna tries to make Justin leave them alone and gets pulled into a high-stakes bet. If Anna wins, Justin has to play nice; but if Anna loses, she has to do something so jaw-droppingly embarrassing, even Banana can't believe it.
There's no wiggling her way out of this one. Anna has to win this bet.
And here's a bite from Chapter Nine: You Bet.
No way was I doing that during class. Even the idea of it was embarrassing. And Ms. Burland would give me detention for life.
But I wasn't going to lose this bet anyway. I had to win it, for me and my friends.
"Fine," I said. I stuck out my hand to shake on it.
Justin beamed. "Really?"
"Whatever," I said. We shook.
I picked up my lunch tray and followed my friends to our table, trying to look like I didn't care. I took a big bite of the pizza and said, "Mmm," but the truth was I couldn't even taste it. My insides felt heavy, like they were already stuffed with cheese. Cold, lumpy cheese and regret.
I should never have gotten pulled into that big-mouth bet. This loose tooth was causing nothing but trouble.
Please ask for Anna, Banana, and the Big-Mouth Bet at your local bookstore or library, or find it online at one of these fine places: Indiebound | B&N | BAM | iTunes | Amazon | Target | S&S. Thanks, and happy reading!
Now booking virtual and in-person AUTHOR VISITS for 2025 and 2026. For more information, please see the school visits page.
