Category Archives: Author Spotlight

Just Use Guano Or How to Turn a Short Story into a Novel

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Guest Contributor

You’d think I’d have learned something by now, some 300+ books along in my career. I should have said, “You have turned short stories into novels before—Dragon’s Boy, Snow in Summer, Dragon’s Blood, and others.” Surely, I should have remembered … Continue reading →

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Choosing Books for Young Readers about “that stranger who sits next to me” — Refugees and War

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Isn’t it ironic?  For over ten years our young people have been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan for the freedom of their citizens.  During this same time, refugees from those countries have sought asylum here.  But when these refugees arrive, … Continue reading →

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Continuing a Story

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Guest Contributor

I wrote and published The Breadwinner books over ten years ago. The books, about girls named Parvana and Shauzia living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, were based on stories I’d heard in the Afghan refugee camps. The books were an … Continue reading →

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National Hispanic Heritage Month and Dia

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Jeanette Larson

I’ve always been a little more attuned to Mexico’s Independence Day than might be expected because it is also my birthday. But I recently found out that September 16, along with the independence days for six other Latin American countries, … Continue reading →

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Painting with Words

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Guest Contributor

After years of illustrating picture books, I decided to give writing a try. It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw marked my debut as an author. It’s a biography of outsider artist Bill Traylor, a former slave who … Continue reading →

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How innovative learning in Malawi inspired an author

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Guest Contributor

One minute I was in graduate school studying public policy in Massachusetts, and the next minute I was tooling through the bush in Central Africa visiting primary schools where chickens roamed through classrooms, and school roofs blew off in the … Continue reading →

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Engaging Young Readers Through Graphic Novels

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Guest Contributor

I write books about natural history.  I’ll be the first to admit that the history of life on earth is not the most exciting topic for my audience, children ages 8-12.  Dinosaurs are exciting.  Wooly mammoths are exciting.  The story … Continue reading →

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Fact & Fiction: One Author Sharing Story

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Guest Contributor

In Truth with a Capital T (Delacorte, 2010) my main character Maebelle T. Earl lugs around a Little Known Facts Book of Just About Everything after she doesn’t test into the gifted and talented program as she moves into 6th … Continue reading →

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