With two books we love coming out on the same day, we debated what to do. Give one book the spotlight today and feature the other another day? Arm wrestle for the blog spot? (That would be a pathetic sight!) But our own birthdays are only a week apart and we celebrated them together with a glass of bubbly—after a morning of talking through fixes for … Continue reading Book Birthday Twofer: CARAVAL and EDGE OF EVERYTHING
Caraval is the story of Scarlett, a girl who is desperate to escape her violent and controlling father and to take her younger sister, Donatella, with her. Scarlet hopes marriage to a man she’s never met, a marriage arranged by her father, will save them. Donatella doesn’t believe it will, so she persuades a handsome sailor to transport them off their island home and to Caraval, a … Continue reading Shout out for Stephanie Garber’s CARAVAL
Normally, I don’t write reviews for books by established authors. Scythe was published in November 22nd, 2016 and already has 1,994 reviews on Goodreads, so my 1,995th is not going to have a big impact on Shusterman’s sales. But as a mom with one bookworm and one reluctant reader, I am always on the lookout for books that will pull in a tween/teen boy. This is … Continue reading A Book to Pull in Reluctant Readers: Neal Shusterman’s SCYTHE
*Spoiler alert for Cress. Skip asterisked sentence if you have not finished and plan to read!* I walked into The Heartless Ball with my daughter and her best friend, ready to celebrate the launch of Marissa Meyer’s latest book, Heartless. All around us were characters straight out of Marissa’s books and other fairy tales. Cress floated by in a dress with the yellow and orange wings … Continue reading Fangirl Report: The HEARTLESS Ball – Marissa Meyer’s Launch of the Prequel to ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s 8 on Eight contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. If your name wasn’t drawn from the Triwizard cup this time around, keep an eye out for when our next contest window opens at 8 PM on October 30th. Below, we’ve posted the first 8 lines from this … Continue reading 8 on Eight: October Contest Feedback
Fellow writers! The 8 on Eight contest window is OPEN! Q: I must have missed the announcement. What is 8 on Eight? A monthly contest that provides one lucky kidlit writer with feedback on their opening eight lines! As part of our ongoing mission to support writers, we’ll give a PB, CB, MG, or YA writer feedback on their work from at least 8 of The Winged … Continue reading 8 on Eight October Contest Window is now open!
Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s 8 on Eight contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. If your name wasn’t drawn from the Triwizard cup this time around, keep an eye out for when our next contest window opens at 8 PM on September 30th. Below, we’ve posted the first 8 lines from … Continue reading 8 on Eight: September Contest Feedback
Lizzie Lovett’s disappearance is all anyone at Griffin Mills High School can talk about. Hawthorne Creely can’t believe all the attention Lizzie’s getting. She was a cheerleader and homecoming queen. Nothing bad ever happens to people like Lizzie. Plus, she graduated and moved away three years ago. Don’t people have something better to obsess over? Hawthorne imagines Lizzie somewhere safe, laughing as hundreds of people show … Continue reading Thumbs Up: THE HUNDRED LIES OF LIZZIE LOVETT by Chelsea Sedoti
I love buying books as gifts. What else can provide so much joy for so little money? Okay, the best things in life are free, as they say. But for things that have a price tag, books are really high on the entertainment value/dollar meter. I’m reminded of this every Christmas and every August when my soon-to-be-twelve-year-old bookworm makes a wish list. Her wish list … Continue reading Birthday Shopping for My ‘Tween Bookworm
I picked up a copy of Jen Malone’s At Your Service at the 2015 New England SCBWI Conference after attending her great talk on middle grade voice. (Find the book review here.) I enjoyed the story and my 11-year-old daughter became a fan. She now knows to ask for Jen Malone books when I’m heading to the conference, so this year she got The Sleepover and Map to … Continue reading Jen Malone Book Review Twofer – THE SLEEPOVER and MAP TO THE STARS
Laurel joked on Twitter, “I kind of hate to tell other writers that our @WingedPen CP’s are #PitchWars mentors. I mean, they’re a trade secret!” I agree! But they are so generous to donate their time and wisdom to helping other writers get through a major manuscript revision. So, all of us at The Winged Pen want to make sure everyone knows how awesome they … Continue reading Meet The Winged Pen’s Pitch Wars Mentors
I met Pam Vaughan at my first NESCBWI (New England Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators) Conference in 2014. At the time, I was overwhelmed by the awesome authors all around me and my mind buzzed with all I was learning from the great workshops on craft and the publishing industry. I kept catching glimpses of Pam running around everywhere with her camera. I … Continue reading Secrets of a Great Author Photo: An Interview with Pam Vaughan
