Featured: THE BRIDGE HOME by Padma Venkatraman

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we are featuring THE BRIDGE HOME by Padma Venkatraman. Eleven-year-old Viji and her younger sister Rukku quickly discover how vulnerable they are when they run away from their abusive father and try to make a home for themselves … Continue reading Featured: THE BRIDGE HOME by Padma Venkatraman

Celebrate Multicultural Children’s Book Day- Featuring TWO Wonderful Biographies: VIRGINIA HAMILTON-AMERICA’s STORYTELLER by Julie K. Rubini and DELORES HUERTA STANDS STRONG by Marlene Targ Bill

It’s my honor to participate in Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 to celebrate the gift of story and diversity in children’s books. To celebrate, I’m featuring two recent biographies about important women trailblazers. First up, Virginia Hamilton: America’s Storyteller by Julie K. Rubini. Virginia Hamilton was a shy, quirky, and extraordinary author that I knew very little about before reading VIRGINIA HAMILTON: AMERICA’S STORYTELLER. In this biography, … Continue reading Celebrate Multicultural Children’s Book Day- Featuring TWO Wonderful Biographies: VIRGINIA HAMILTON-AMERICA’s STORYTELLER by Julie K. Rubini and DELORES HUERTA STANDS STRONG by Marlene Targ Bill

Big News: New Thesaurus Revealed!

Have you ever held onto a secret you’ve been dying to share, and then finally…you can? For the last few weeks I’ve been helping Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers keep a BIG secret…what the next book in their thesaurus series will be. It might seem strange to not tell one’s readers what book you’re planning to release…unless you happen to write books on Show, … Continue reading Big News: New Thesaurus Revealed!

Enchantee, Gita Trelease, young adult, fantasy, historical

On Creating Magic Rules & Researching the Streets of Paris in 1789: An Interview with Gita Trelease, Author of Enchantée

Enchantée reaches from a humble 6th-floor apartment in the Paris slums to the
glimmering Palace of Versailles. It’s clear from the story that you love both of these settings. What was the most fun aspect of writing about Paris? Versailles?

The thing that drew
me into both the settings was the element of danger. In Paris, there was the danger of starvation, the possibility that Camille (Enchantée’s main character) would be forced to become a
prostitute, and that every dark corner hid physical danger. The danger at Versailles was really different—gambling, the chance that Camille could lose all the money she’d gathered to keep a roof over her and her younger sister’s heads, and the danger of her disguise being seen through by multiple people. That was fun to write.

The contrast between the two settings was really interesting to play with. The darkness of Paris and the glittering brightness of Versailles. Continue reading On Creating Magic Rules & Researching the Streets of Paris in 1789: An Interview with Gita Trelease, Author of Enchantée

Featured: THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS by Bill Konigsberg

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we are featuring THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS by Bill Konigsberg! Max and Jordan couldn’t be more different on the outside. Max is an athletic, half white/half Latino dude bro who is in the closet about his sexuality with his … Continue reading Featured: THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS by Bill Konigsberg

Ghosts, Haunts, and Haints: A Paranormal Writing Weekend

Do you believe in ghosts?
Do you love ghost stories?
Do you want to write ghost stories?
If you answered yes to these questions, then I dare you to visit the historic and haunted city of Charleston, South Carolina and ponder the ghostly stories inhabiting the shadowy corners of your mind. Continue reading Ghosts, Haunts, and Haints: A Paranormal Writing Weekend

Windows & Mirrors Feature: TIGHT by Torrey Maldonado

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. This week we are featuring Tight by Torrey Maldonado Bryan is a Puerto Rican sixth grader whose home life is always full of drama. He has a very awkward relationship with his dad, who is newly released from prison. … Continue reading Windows & Mirrors Feature: TIGHT by Torrey Maldonado

Featured: YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, JILLY P! by Alex Gino

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we are featuring You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino! Jilly loves hanging out on the fan site for her favorite book series, the Magically Mysterious Vidalia trilogy. She’s especially good friends with username=profoundinoaktown, a boy … Continue reading Featured: YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, JILLY P! by Alex Gino

Alice Faye Duncan- A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks

Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences. Today we are featuring TWO new books by author and librarian Alice Faye Duncan! First up, A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks. Through free verse, Alice Faye Duncan celebrates the life and times of Gwendolyn Brooks, an African-American poet whose gifts … Continue reading Alice Faye Duncan- A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks