What's New?

TITAN AND THE WILD BOARS: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team is now available from my good friends at HarperCollins. I'm thrilled to team up with Thai journalist Pathana Sornhiran who was reporting outside the Tham Luang Nang Non Caves last summer as this mesmerizing story unfolded. Take a peek at the "Behind the Art" book trailer created by talented illustrator Dow Phumiruk. 

 

Super honored that LIFEBOAT 12 is now in its fifth printing and is nominated for state awards in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Vermont! It has been named an 2019 ALSC Notable Book, a 2019 Bank Street Best Book of the Year and the winner of the 2019 SCBWI Golden Kite Award for middle grade fiction. (See the NYC awards ceremony below!) And now you can get it as an audiobook!

Join me on
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Purchase My Books

IndieBound
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Fall, 2017

Highlights

You know what they say about pictures and 1000 words. 

    2017 Américas Award at the Library of Congress with ADA'S VIOLIN illustrator Sally Wern Comport

 

   Chappaqua Children's Book Festival

 

  2017 Connecticut Book Awards at the Mark Twain House with Doe Boyle, Leslie Bulion, Mary-Kelly Busch, Bina Williams, Leslie Connor, winner Karen Fortunati, and Paul Meisel

 

Maryland.png

Media Folder: 
Media Root

School visits!

 

July, 2017

 

DOUBLE TAKE Book Trailer

"Who is AHEAD and who is BEHIND is different for everyone standing in line." It's all about perspective! Here's a peek inside my newest book, with art by debut illustrator Jay Fleck, published by Candlewick. Julie Danielson writing in Kirkus Reviews calls it "a thought-provoking book that will prompt questions for child readers about perspective and point of view. ... a powerful notion for children, particularly at the me-me-me stage of development." See more reviews here.

June 2017

E. B. White Awards

One day ago, on May 31, this happened—the E. B. White Awards at Book Expo America in New York. DU IZ TAK? by Carson Ellis was named the winner and ADA'S VIOLIN was named one of five honor books. (See the complete list here.) I can still hardly believe I got to share the afternoon with these kidlit superheroes!

 

Clockwise from top left: Richard Peck, honoree for THE BEST MAN; Julie Fogliano, honoree for WHEN GREEN BECOMES TOMATOES; Marla Frazee and Gene Luen Yang, Indie Champion Honorees. 

May, 2017

The Christopher Award! 

Blown away to have Ada's Violin awarded the 2017 Christopher Award for books, ages 8 and up. The medal is inscribed with the words "Better to Light One Candle Than to Curse the Darkness" and is given annually to books, movies and television shows "that affirm the highest values of the human spirit." Congratulations to all the other winners, including the children's book authors and illustrators of Baby Wren and the Great Gift; What Do You Do With a Problem; Ida, Always; Soar; and Unbound.

 

                                     The awards ceremony with Father Jonathan Morris and Ada's Violin illustrator

                                     Sally Wern Comport

April, 2017

A Day to Remember

On April 6, ADA'S VIOLIN was awarded Bank Street's 2017 Flora Steiglitz Straus Award for children's literature, alongside Congressman John Lewis's MARCH and Caren Stelson's SACHIKO. The award is given anually to a "distinguished work of nonfiction which serves as an inspiration to young people." And I got to meet illustrator Sally Wern Comport for the first time!

 

As a long-time devotee of Bank Street, this recognition means the world to me. Heartfelt thanks to the Children's Book Committee and congratulations to all the other winners. Find out more here. 

 

 

P.S. It wasn't until I got home that I discovered that LEAPS AND BOUNCE and MISSION: BACK TO SCHOOL were also listed in Bank Street's Best Children's Books of the Year! 

 

 

March, 2017

Diving into a New Book

Working 24/7 on a thrilling new project. More news when I come up for air! 

Pages

Author Visits

I'd love to come to your event! Click here to contact me about scheduling a visit to your school, library, bookstore or book festival.

 

 

Download my Author Visit Brochure to get detailed information about my school and library presentations, along with testimonials and pricing.
Download Here.

Upcoming Events

  • September 28, 2019

    Saugatuck StoryFest

    Westport Public Library

    Westport, CT 06880

    https://www.ssfteenboard.com

    Connecticut Nutmeg Book Awards Panel 

    Featuring: Jake Burt, Susan Hood, Geoff Rodkey, Ibi Zoboi

    Meet past and current nominees of the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Awards, a statewide literary award voted on by Connecticut students.

    12:00pm to 1:00pm
  • October 5, 2019

    Chappaqua Children's

    Book Festival

    Robert E. Bell Middle School
    50 Senter St, Chappaqua, NY 10514

    ccbfestival.org

    10:00am to 4:00pm
  • October 12, 2019

    Warwick Children's Book Festival
    c/o Albert Wisner Public Library
    1 McFarland Drive
    Warwick, NY   10990
    845.986.1047
    warbookfest@rcls.org

    11:00am to 4:00pm
  • October 20, 2019

    Connecticut Book Awards

    Connecticut Center for the Book

    Hartford Public Library

    500 Main Street

    Hartford, CT 06103

    Keynote speaker: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Philip Caputo

    Ceremony followed by reception and book signings

    3:00pm to 4:00pm
  • October 21, 2019

    Author Palooza

    CASL CECA 2019 Conference

    Connecticut Convention Center
    100 Columbus Boulevard
    Hartford, Connecticut

    (All day)
  • November 2, 2019

    nErDCampLI

    James H. Boyd Intermediate School

    286 Cuba Hill Road 

    Huntington, NY 11743

    (Details to come!) 

    (All day)
  • February 29, 2020

    Pequot Library Writers' Series

    720 Pequot Avenue

    Southport, CT 06890

    information@pequotlibrary.org

    Join me and other esteemed picture book authors and illustrators for a panel discussion about a child's first books.

    12:00pm to 1:00pm