Podcast appearances and mentions of Kelly Yang

Hook of a Book is now on TikTok!! Follow @hookofabook for all things bookish! And enjoy a review of Private Label, by Kelly Yang!Goodreads/Fable: Ellie ManoInstagram/TikTok: @hookofabookEmail: hookofabookpodcast@gmail.com

Send us a Text Message.Is it a memoir? Is it fiction? Who can say when your author and main character are both wunderkind business people. This episode takes us to the Calivista Motel, a charming motel operating on the backs of children and horribly exploited immigrants.  When you are an 10 year old front desk clerk, you're responsible for a lot - checking people in, locking bad guys out, making keys, your English and Math homework, and chasing down conmen car thieves. In Front Desk by Kelly Yang, Mia Tang (see what she did with the name there -Mia/Me...never mind) does all of this while fending off the affections of a sparkly pencil thief and becoming baby Howard Johnson.  We talk English language learning, terrible teachers, and just how feasible a motel owning co-op really is. In a first for the pod, our expert is also our guest host and does Yesenia ever have some stories to tell about interesting guests and toilet catastrophes. These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe, Twitter @PGCMLS, with #TheseBooksMadeMe on any social platform or by email at TheseBooksMadeMe@pgcmls.info. For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.We cover a lot of ground in this episode and used some books and articles as jumping off points. Here's a brief list of some of them if you want to do your own further research:Chinese immigration in the 90s in a circa 1990 article:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-15-ss-95-story.htmlAn overview of Taiwanese immigrants in the US:https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/taiwanese-immigrants-united-states-2008

Mia Tang is back in book 5 of the Front Desk Series. Readers will enjoy Mia at 13 years old while she explores San Francisco's Chinatown and attends journalism camp. Transcript here

Today, on Hook of a Book, I review Parachutes, by Kelly Yang! This is a YA realistic fiction book that absolutely blew me away. It explores heavy topics and spreads incredible messages. It's absolutely phenomenal! Email me: hookofabookpodcast@gmail.com Goodreads username: Ellie Mano --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/Ellie-Mano/message

In this Forecast episode, Chrissie shares the ten kidlit releases she is most looking forward to in Feburary 2024. She also shares a speed round of ten more next-in-series that the kids in her library can't wait to read.FEATURED TITLES:Picture BooksThe Door That Had Never Been Opened Before by Mrs. and Mr. MacLeod, out 2/6Lucky Duck by Greg Pizzoli, out 2/6The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn by Shawn Harris, out 2/6I Do Not Eat Children by Marcus Cutler, out 2/20Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris, out 2/27Middle GradeAcross So Many Seas by Ruth Behar, out 2/6Heroes by Alan Gratz, out 2/6The Liars Society by Alyson Gerber, out 2/6Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz, out 2/27GraphicsWildfuli by Kengo Kurimoto, out 2/6SPEED ROUND (Next in Series)Middle GradeCity Spies: Mission Manhattan by James Ponti, out 2/6Finally Heard by Kelly Yang, out 2/27Finding Bear by Hannah Gold, out 2/27The Last Bookwanderer by Anna James, out 2/27GraphicsWaverider (Amulet 9) by Kazu Kibuishi, out 2/6Eowulf: Of Monsters and Middle School by Mike Cavallaro, out 2/13The Love Report, Volume 2 by Beka and Maya, out 2/13Agents of SUIT: From Badger to Worse by John Patrick Green, out 2/20Wombats! Go to Wizard's Wharf by Maddie Frost, out 2/20Hilo: Rise of the Cat by Judd Winick, out 2/27Be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the show on Instagram @bookdelightpod, follow Chrissie on Instagram @librarychrissie, and subscribe to Chrissie's kidlit newsletter at librarychrissie.substack.com. If you want to support the show, please consider becoming a paid subscriber on Substack. For $7/month, you are helping to pay the costs of the show and receive exclusive content like extra booklists, roundups of kidlit books that have received starred reviews, reviews of books Chrissie did not like, and more.

As we say farewell to 2023, we look back at another year of unprecedented book challenges, efforts to defund libraries, and other threats to the profession. But one silver lining has been the authors who have voiced their support for librarians, books, and democracy. In Episode 90, Call Number presents its “2023 Author Chats.” Hear never-before-released clips from conversations with Idina Menzel and Cara Mentzel, James Patterson, Rick Riordan, Brian Selznick, Clint Smith, Tracy K. Smith, Angie Thomas, and Kelly Yang. They share how libraries have been an integral part of their life and work—often highlighting how the library has been a sanctuary throughout their lives.

The American Library Association observed Banned Books Week at the beginning of October — an especially poignant marker this year. A report by PEN America found more than 1,200 books were censored or removed from U.S. public school classrooms and libraries during the 2022-23 school year, compared to only 333 in the previous school year. That's an increase of almost 400 percent.Authors whose books are most frequently targeted are usually female, people of color or LGBTQ+. This week, Big Books and Bold Ideas commends the freedom to read by talking with three young adult authors whose books are frequently found on the targeted lists. Kelly Yang is the author of many young adult and children's books, including “Front Desk,” which is based on her own memories of working at her family's motel business after they immigrated to California from Hong Kong. As she tells MPR News host Kerri Miller, the first few years after “Front Desk” was published, it was a huge success. But then it started to get pushback. “I guess people started to question why kids should learn about the immigrant experience. Like: I don't want my kid to feel sad or uncomfortable,” said Yang. “But if we airbrush our nation's history and ignore the experiences of millions of people, what is the difference between this country and where my parents came from, which is China?”“The freedom to read is what makes this country great,” Yang told Miller. Matt de la Peña is also a writer of children and young adult books. He won the Newbery Medal in 2016 for his picture book “Last Stop on Market Street.” But it is “Mexican Whiteboy,” the novel inspired his own experience of growing up mixed race in San Diego, that has faced the most criticism. “When you're a new writer, you sometimes glorify the idea of getting banned,” laughed de la Peña. “But then you don't have the context for who is unable to have access to your book.” “I wrote [‘Mexican White Boy'] because I'm mixed — my dad is Mexican, my mom is white — and I wanted to write about sometimes not feeling Mexican enough growing up.” But then it got caught up in a political battle in Arizona. De la Peña met with students at Tucson High School who had the book taken out of their hands as they were reading. And why? “There is no context for the banning,” de la Peña told Miller. “It's a rumor. ‘Oh, I heard this book has a scene about such and such.' Or, ‘I heard this book leans into racial identity too much.' ‘Maybe it fits into that critical race stuff.'” “Book banning has nothing to do with young people. It has everything to do with parents,” he said. “And I understand this instinct. I'm a parent of two young kids, and I'm very cognizant of what goes into their brains. But we run into trouble when parents are trying to eliminate that content for other people's children.”Samira Ahmed writes stories about “revolutionary girls” for middle grade students and young adults. Several of her books have been challenged, including “Internment,” published in 2019, and her newest novel, “Hollow Fires.” Ahmed said her earliest experience with book banning was “soft banning.” Librarians told her they were hesitant to put her first book on their shelves because they had no Muslim students in their community. A Kansas teacher told her a school staff member continually delayed putting in a purchase order for Ahmed's “Internment.” Book ban attempts on the rise in Minnesota schools “You might not read about this in the newspaper. It's not even getting to a school board meeting,” Ahmed said to Miller. “But this is happening — not just to my books, but to queer authors and authors of color, where there's this soft banning, almost this pre-banning, where people are not allowing the books to come into schools.” But Ahmed, like de la Peña and Yang, is not deterred.“The voices of those who want to challenge books or censor books or ban books are very loud,” she said. “But I assure you, they are the minority. Find your community who is willing to advocate to ensure that our children have freedom to read.” And if you want proof that authors are willing to fight being silenced, Ahmed's next novel comes out in 2024. It's called, “This Book Won't Burn.”

The New York Times bestselling Front Desk series, which takes inspiration from the author's childhood when her family immigrated to the United States from China to manage a motel in California, continues with TOP STORY (FRONT DESK #5) by KELLY YANG. Beloved protagonist, Mia Tang, achieves her dream of attending journalism camp, but when the gatekeepers don't like her story ideas about Chinatown, she must find another way to share her voice with the world! Mia Tang is at the top of her game! She's spending winter break with Mom, Lupe, Jason, and Hank in San Francisco's Chinatown! Rich with history and hilarious aunties and uncles, it's the place to find a great story—one she hopes to publish while attending journalism camp at the Tribune. But this trip has as many bumps as the hills of San Francisco…Mia's camp is full of older kids, with famous relatives, fancy laptops, and major connections! Can she compete with just her pen and passion?Lupe's thinking about skipping ahead to college! Will Mia ever get a chance to just chill with her best friend?Jason's crushing hard on a new girl. For the first time ever, Mia is speechless…and jealous. Can she find the courage to tell Jason—gulp—that she has a crush on him?Even for the best writers, it's not always easy to find the right words. But if anyone can tell a top story, it's Mia Tang!

Author Kelly Yang called in for a fun chat about her new bookTop Story: A Front Desk Novel.KELLY YANG is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books for young readers, including the Front Desk series: Front Desk, Three Keys, Room to Dream, Key Player and Top Story, New From Here, and Finally Seen. Front Desk won the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was chosen as a Best Book of the Year by multiple organizations, including NPR, the Washington Post, and the New York Public Library. Kelly's family immigrated to the United States from China when she was a young girl, and she grew up in California, in circumstances very similar to those of Mia Tang. After attending college at the age of 13, she graduated UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a leading writing and debating program for children in Asia and the United States. Her writing has been published in the South China Morning Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. To learn more about Kelly and her books, visit kellyyang.com

Mia Tang is at the top of her game! She's spending winter break with Mom, Lupe, Jason, and Hank in San Francisco's Chinatown! Rich with history and hilarious aunties and uncles, it's the place to find a great story—one she hopes to publish while attending journalism camp at the Tribune. But this trip has as many bumps as the hills of San Francisco…Mia's camp is full of older kids, with famous relatives, fancy laptops, and major connections! Can she compete with just her pen and passion?Lupe's thinking about skipping ahead to college! Will Mia ever get a chance to just chill with her best friend?Jason's crushing hard on a new girl. For the first time ever, Mia is speechless…and jealous. Can she find the courage to tell Jason—gulp—that she has a crush on him?Even for the best writers, it's not always easy to find the right words. But if anyone can tell a top story, it's Mia Tang!

On this episode, we discuss our March 2023 Book Club Pick, Front Desk by Kelly Yang, a middle grade coming of age novel about young Mia Tang who helps her immigrant parents run a motel in Southern California while dreaming of ways to help her parents achieve their American Dreams. Along the way, Mia encounters many challenges that modern day minorities face, including micro-aggressions from teachers, exploitation from business owners, and prejudices from law enforcement. *Support the podcast by purchasing books at our bookshop or by buying Books & Boba merch at our Bonfire store*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba April 2023 pick is Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q SutantoThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Kelly Yang is on the #ReadingWithYourKids #Podcast to celebrate her #MiddleGrade #Novel Finally Seen. Kelly immigrated to America when she was 6 years old and grew up in Southern California, where she and her parents worked in three different motels. She overcame poverty to go to college at the age of 13 and law school at the age of 17. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she majored in Political Science, and Harvard Law School. After law school, she gave up law to pursue her passion of writing and teaching children writing. She is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project (kellyyang.edu.hk), a leading writing and debating program for kids in Asia. As a writing teacher for 13 years, Kelly helped thousands of children find their voice and become better writers and more powerful speakers. In this  episode of the podcast she speaks with Jordan Sahley about her beloved series. Click here to visit Kelly's website - https://www.kellyyang.com/finallyseenstories/  Click here to visit our website - www.readingwithyourkids.com 

When ten-year-old Lina Gao steps off the plane in Los Angeles, it's her first time in America and the first time seeing her parents and her little sister in five years! She's been waiting for this moment every day while she lived with her grandmother in Beijing, getting teased by kids at school who called her “left behind girl.” Finally, her parents are ready for her to join their fabulous life in America! Except, it's not exactly like in the postcards: For instance: School's a lot harder than she thought. When she mispronounces some words in English on the first day, she decides she simply won't talk. Ever again. And her chatty little sister has no problem with English. She seems to do everything better than Lina, including knowing exactly the way to her parents' hearts. They live in an apartment, not a house like in Mom's letters, and they owe a lot of back rent from the pandemic. And Mom's plan to pay it back sounds more like a hobby than a moneymaker. As she reckons with her hurt, Lina tries to keep a lid on her feelings, both at home and at school. When her teacher starts facing challenges for her latest book selection, a book that deeply resonates with Lina, it will take all of Lina's courage and resilience to get over her fear in order to choose a future where she's finally seen.

Immigrants that finally feel what it's like to be seen...

In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to FINALLY SEEN author Kelly Yang about Roald Dahl, Ron DeSantis and why children's literature has become so politicized. KELLY YANG, Founder, is the New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of FRONT DESK and winner of the 2018 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. FRONT DESK is a debut middle grade novel published by Scholastic Inc, the publishers of Harry Potter, about a 10 year-old Chinese American immigrant girl who manages the front desk of a motel while her parents clean the rooms. In 2018, FRONT DESK was awarded the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature as well as the Parents' Choice Gold Medal. In addition, FRONT DESK is a Children's History Book Prize Honor Book, a E.B. White Honor Book, and has earned numerous other recognitions including being named an Amazon Best Book of the Year, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, a NPR Best Book of the Year, a NBC Best Book of the Year, and a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year. In 2019, it was announced that FRONT DESK is a 2019 Global Read Aloud, connecting 1.5 million children around the world through one book. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Next Reads, Erin reads from Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine. Read-alikes include: When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks Room to Dream by Kelly Yang New from Here by Kelly Yang

Hey guys!!!! Welcome back to another episode of Brooks Books. In this episode I'll be reviewing Just Like Jackie by Lindsay Stoddard. If any of you had or have had trouble with a bully you'll really connect with this book.The featured author is the one and only Kelly Yang, the great author of the Front Desk series!  You can also email me at brooksbooks13@gmail.com for book recommendations or if you want a shout-out!

Kelly Yang is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Front desk series, two YA novels and a non-fiction book about the Chinese American experience.in 2019, she was awarded the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature and the Parents; Choice Gold Medal, along with several other accolades.Kelly immigrated to America when she was 6 years old and grew up in Southern California, where she and her parents worked in three motels. She eventually left the motels and went to college at the age of 13 and law school at the age of 17. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she majored in Political Science, and Harvard Law SchoolShe is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project, a writing and public speaking project for children based in Hong Kong,Kelly joined Nikki Gamble In The Reading Corner to talk about fiction as a powerful vehicle for writing about life and to offer some reflections on the Chinese American immigration experience. She also talked about Key Player, her most recent novel in the Front Desk series.About Key PlayerMIA TANG IS PLAYING TO WIN!The Women's World Cup is coming to California, and everyone has football fever - especially Mia! But when her PE teacher gives her a C, Mia has to pull up her grade by scoring interviews with the championship teams. It's not so easy when... 1.The two teams are hunkered down in secret hotels in Pasadena and not taking any media requests. 2. Mr Yao is back at the motel- as a co-owner! Jason is sure his dad deserves a second chance.Mia is not so sure. 3. Mia's parents are trying to buy a house of their own, which turns out to be a LOT harder than they thought! As Mia aims for her goals, she'll have to face strikers from all corners and her own fears.But if anyone can find a way to win big, it's Mia Tang. The fourth book in the FRONT DESK series - following Mia Tang as she plays to win!vThank you for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. And if you are interested in the books we have featured, purchasing from our online bookshop Bestbooksforschools.comIn the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. It is produced by Alison Hughes.Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1For general news and updates, follow us on Twitter @imaginecentreFull details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Today's episode Keelia has worked in libraries for over 15 years. She is currently the Youth Librarian at the Palmetto Library, and moved here to FL from Virginia. With our focus this month on literacy skill building, we are so excited to have Keelia join us on the podcast! Some fun facts about Keelia, as well as some of her favorite children and teen books: My favorite children's books at the moment are: Aquicorn Cove by Kay O'Neill, Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion by Stephen W. Martin, and Front Desk by Kelly Yang. My favorite teen books at the moment are: That Time I got Reincarnated as A Slime Manga by Fuse, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, and Lore by Alexandra Bracken. You can click on these links to find various social media and websites referred to in today's program. https://www.mymanatee.org/departments/manatee_county_public_library_system https://www.facebook.com/PalmettoFriendsoftheLibrary https://www.instagram.com/explore/search/keyword/?q=palmetto%20library If you'd like more information on the subjects discussed, or suggest any upcoming topics for discussion, just email us at info@parentingmattersfl.org and we'll respond as soon as possible.

Imagine being a ten-year-old girl, a first generation immigrant from China, and staffing the front desk at a Southern California motel. That is the story of Mia, and the book is titled Front Desk. I spoke with the author of Front Desk, Kelly Yang, just before she was scheduled to speak to some of her fans at the Hamilton East Public Library in Fishers.

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Today's book is Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Veronica Klash Instagram: @veronicaklash Tofu Tees Oksana Marafioti Instagram, Facebook, Twitter: @OksanaMarafioti American Gypsy Michelle Yang Instagram, Facebook: @michelleyangwriter Twitter: @michellehyang --- Social: IMDb | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Podcast | LinkedIn | Stage 32 Book me: Manager Sue Sheridan | Agent: Joaquin Sahagun | Publicist: Bruce Wawrzyniak --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/comics-in-motion-podcast/message

It's Banned Books Week. You might be aware that across the country there's been a spate of challenges and bans against books that make some people uncomfortable. Many of these books focus on the marginalized experiences of queer and BIPOC characters and writers, especially in books for kids. In this week's Misshelved, settle in as Bettie's Pages owner Nicole Lintemuth talks with New York Times bestselling author (and routinely banned) Kelly Yang about banned books and why they both love kidlit. SHOP BETTIE'S PAGES: bettiespages.com LISTEN TO MYSTERIOUS GALAXY'S PODCAST: mystgalaxy.com/podcast-galaxy-not-so-far-away FULL TRANSCRIPTIONS + SHOW NOTES: misshelved.nebrinkley.com LEARN MORE ABOUT BOOKS: tinyletter.com/misshelved MORE PLACES TO LISTEN: anchor.fm/misshelvedpod Edited by Nicole Brinkley and Rebecca Speasy. Logo by Jean Michel. Music by Mark Shwedow.

Banned Books Conversations: Where Radical Readers Discuss Prohibited Prose Banned books are works that have been removed from a library shelf or school curriculum. Over the course of Banned Books Week, this series will cover seven different books, the reasons they were banned, and the value in reading them. Today's book is Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Veronica Klash Instagram: @veronicaklash Tofu Tees Oksana Marafioti Instagram, Facebook, Twitter: @OksanaMarafioti American Gypsy Michelle Yang Instagram, Facebook: @michelleyangwriter Twitter: @michellehyang

This week, Eva and Katryn talk about how to feed your creativity, from the seedling of an idea through revisions. Music, exercise, mood boards and lots and lots of television? It all works. Eva talks about her childhood crushes (hello, Colm Wilkinson and Devon Sawa in Casper!) and Katryn explains how the Goo Goo Dolls made her buy a refrigerator. Sources Behold the wonder of original Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson Also, Katryn…really likes Butterflies and Hurricanes by Muse The yachties of Below Deck have a recipe for espresso martinis because of COURSE they do This article is a good overview if you missed the Barnes and Noble malarkey that is causing bestselling authors of color (like Kelly Yang, Meg Medina, and Keah Brown) to point out the systemic racism and ableism inherent in bookstores at the corporate level. Eva's playlist for “Seducing the Creative Spirit”: Evermore by Taylor Swift, I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Miya Folick, Now & Then by Lily Kernshaw & Goody Grace, Oh Baby by LCD Soundsystem Katryn's playlist: Gillian Anderson by Silent Meow, A Bad Dream by Keane, Cathedrals by Jump, Little Children Spotify Playlist of all songs! Follow us on Instagram: @evadeslaurbooks @katrynwrites @writewhereithurtspod *Tune in next time for another episode powered by broken hearts, belly laughs (and bourbon). Don't forget to RATE, REVIEW, and SUBSCRIBE wherever you listen

Today, on Hook of a Book, I review Key Player, by Kelly Yang! This book will be released on September 6th, 2022–I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC). This is the 4th book in the Front Desk series—it was totally amazing! Email me: hookofabookpodcast@gmail.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ellie-mano/message

 This is a podcast where Lisa analyzes literature and discusses several bookish topics. This week, Lisa released a Book Bits episode about Barnes & Noble's new policy regarding its effort to reduce the types of new books they're selling.  Authors have posted online, including Kelly Yang, author of the Front Porch Desk series, along with author Kalynn Bayron who is releasing a new book this fall named:  The Vanquishers.  Britney S. Lewis's debut novel, The Undead Truth of Us, was told it would not be shelved at Barnes & Noble.  Several articles, including Book Riot and Publishers Marketplace, delve into how this policy means fewer middle-grade and debut authors will get their books on the shelves at Barnes & Noble. *The book titles mentioned include affiliate links. You can support the podcast by purchasing a book with the links because the podcast receives a small commission.  For more information, find Lisa on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and her website. 

This week KPL Podcasts speaks to Kelly Yang about her latest YA novel, "Private Label".  The recommendation section is filled with books on the immigrant experience or moving to a new location.  If you have suggestions for us please write to us at podcast@kirkwoodpubliclibrary.orgRecommendationsKlawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat by Johnny MarcianoInterpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa LahiriThe Namesake by Jhumpa LahiriLobizona by Romina GarborEl NorteLa Guardia: A Very Modern Story of Immigration by Nnedi Okorafor

Today, on Hook of a Book, I review New From Here, by Kelly Yang. This book is amazing, and it taught me so much about what it was like overseas, particularly in Hong Kong, when COVID-19 struck. I didn't quite realize how much COVID had devastated Europe and Asia before reaching North America! Kelly Yang's new book is funny, sweet, and a great family story. Email me: hookofabookpodcast@gmail.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ellie-mano/message

In this episode, Claire and Sophie talk about National Careers Week. They talk about the importance of careers education in school and then discuss how their own career paths have turned out. Including job history and what their dream jobs were when they were at school.Book Reviews: 'The Twyford Code' by Janice Hallett (11.48) 'The Front Desk' by Kelly Yang (13.12) 'Loveless' by Alice Oseman (16.18) We will see you next week! In the meantime let us know your career paths & dream jobs over on twitter @lounge_learning.

 In this episode Claire & Sophie chat about World Book Day! They discuss what they are doing to celebrate and what the School is doing too. After they review their books!Book Reviews: 'The Supreme Lie' by Geraldine McCaughrean (7.38) 'The Anamoly' by Herve Le Tellier (9.29) 'The Twyford Code' by Janice Hallett (11.59) 'The Front Desk' by Kelly Yang (14.28) Enjoy World Book Day and check out our Wakelet page hereShare your love of books with us on twitter @lounge_learning

Today, on Hook of a Book, I review Room to Dream, the newest addition to the Front Desk series, by Kelly Yang. I'm so excited to share this book with you! Email me at: hookofabookpodcast@gmail.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ellie-mano/message

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, questions@townsquaretalk.org or @townsquaretalk. Last week, Katy ISD parents wanted school officials to cancel Jerry Craft's virtual author visit and pull books of the 2019 Newbery Medal winner New Kid and the sequel Class Act. The school district recently pulled books from their library and postponed the author's visit. Today, during today's airing of Town Square, Katy ISD reached out with an updated statement which announced the return of the books to school libraries, which Ernie Manouse read on air: Earlier this week, the review committee met and determined the appropriateness of the book, “New Kid.” The reading material is already back on District library shelves and the virtual author visit is scheduled to take place on October 25 as part of the instructional day. - Katy ISD A petition claimed that the books contained critical race theory, to which these parents objected. How do readers, libraries, and schools define what someone may find distasteful versus dangerous messaging?  We invite experts to talk about banned books and censorship and the role these books play in society and education. Also, in light of President Biden's speech yesterday on the global supply chain crisis, we walk-through the bottlenecks and their impacts on the upcoming holidays. Dietrich von Biedenfeld Assistant Professor in the Marilyn Davies College of Business, at the University of Houston – Downtown Deborah Caldwell-Stone Director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom Rick Peralez  Deputy Director of Customer Experience of the Houston Public Library Kelly Yang New York Times bestselling author of the Front Desk series, including Room To Dream, and Parachutes Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day's most important and pressing issues. Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Notes and Links to References from Episode 77 with Danielle Fuentes Morgan    On Episode 77, Pete is happy to welcome Danielle Fuentes Morgan, and the two talk about her reading and writing influences, and go into great detail about her nuanced and interesting and important book, Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century. Dr. Danielle Fuentes Morgan is an assistant professor in the Department of English at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. She specializes in African American literature and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries and is interested in the ways that literature, popular culture, and humor shape identity formation. In particular, her research and teaching reflect her interests in African American satire and comedy, literature and the arts as activism, and the continuing influence of history on contemporary articulations of Black selfhood. Danielle has written a variety of both scholarly and popular articles and has been interviewed on topics as varied as Black Lives Matter, the dangers of the “Karen” figure, race and sexuality on the Broadway stage, and Beyoncé. Her book, Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century (published Fall 2020 by University of Illinois Press as a part of the New Black Studies Series), addresses the contemporary role of African American satire as a critical realm for social justice. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications including on Racialicious and Al Jazeera, in Post-Soul Satire: Black Identity after Civil Rights, Humanities, Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, Pre/Text: A Journal of Rhetorical Theory, Journal of Science Fiction, College Literature, and Post45 Contemporaries. She is a member of the Center for the Arts and Humanities Faculty Advisory Board and has served as the Frank Sinatra Faculty Fellow for the Center working with W. Kamau Bell and Taye Diggs.  Danielle earned her B.A. in English with a minor in African American studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A.T. in secondary English education at Duke University. After teaching high school English, she returned to school and received an M.A. in English literature from North Carolina State University. She earned her Ph.D. in English literature from Cornell University with focuses in African American literature, African American studies, and American literature. She hails from Durham, North Carolina.   Buy Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century    Danielle Fuentes Morgan's Writer Website  At about 3:20, Danielle talks about her allegiances to The University of North Carolina    At about 5:10, Danielle describes the myriad ways in which she was a “bookworm” as a kid, and how her daughter shares this love for words   At about 7:45, Danielle details the books that thrilled her as a kid, including The Outsiders and Anne of Green Gables, and works by Lois Duncan, Nikki Giovanni, and Eleanor E. Tate   At about 10:00, Danielle lists contemporary writers like Sharon Draper, and texts about kids of various backgrounds, Radiant Child about Basquiat and Front Desk by Kelly Yang, that she has enjoyed with her children   At about 15:00, Danielle talks about the eternal pull for her of Ponyboy Curtis and The Outsiders   At about 17:15, Pete asks Danielle about her relationship with pop culture as a kid, and her Uncle Kevin's outsized impact on her pop culture experiences; she describes watching tv as an “active experience”    At about 21:00, Pete asks Danielle about moments in which her desire to write for a living became manifest, including her reading of Their Eyes Were Watching God during her junior year in college and her future dissertation advisor asked a key question   At about 23:45, Pete and    At about 24:15, Pete notes Zora Neale Hurston's puré sense of individuality as described in Scott Ellsworth's writing, and Danielle notes Zora's inspiration to her, especially in the ways that Hurston wrote as an anthropologist    At about 26:10, Pete and Danielle discuss the power of Hurston's “How it Feels to be Colored Me”   At about 27:20, Danielle talks about writers and texts who thrill her these days, including James Baldwin, Danielle Evans and her The Office of Historical Corrections, and R. Eric Thomas    At about 30:30, Danielle and Pete discuss the iconic A Separate Peace and Romeo and Juliet, texts that Danielle says really spoke to her high school students   At about 33:30, Pete references Natalie Lima and he discussing A Separate Peace and asks Danielle her thoughts on the book's climactic event   At about 34:25, Pete asks Danielle to describe her “average” writing and teaching day   At about 37:00, Pete shouts out Danielle's colleague and Pete's first guest, fabulous SCU prof Claudia Monpere McIsaac, in asking Danielle about the status of “publish or perish” in 2021 academia   At about 39:10, Pete asks Danielle about her thoughts on seeing her name on a book jacket, and she describes the two events of Dave Chappelle having disappeared and Barack Obama just having been elected as the beginning of a long, serpentine process in publishing the book   At about 43:10, Pete and Danielle discuss satire and Danielle's take on satire in her book   At about 47:10, Danielle explains the significance of the book's title and its connection the famous saying, “laughing to keep from crying”   At about 47:58, Pete's son makes a short appearance!   At about 49:15, Danielle responds to hearing her introduction, including the book's thesis    At about 50:50, Danielle defines and describes “post-black” as used in the book and how it differs from “post-racial”   At about 52:45, Danielle discusses the reexamination of minstrel shows and blackface in earlier times, as now often seen as winking, nodding   At about 55:00, Danielle and Pete reflect on Richard Pryor's stunning and profound ending for his comedy album, the ending of Danielle's introduction   At about 57:00, Pete points out a parallel in a Dave Chappelle skit in which there is a moment of seriousness juxtaposed against a comedic scene   At about 58:25, Danielle and Pete discuss the first chapter of the book, which brings in Tarantino's Django, (and he shouts out Traci and The Stacks Podcast and its strong interview of Quentin Tarantino) discussed by Danielle for the film's misses     At about 1:03:15, Pete asks Danielle if the premise was flawed from the beginning for Django, and Danielle talks about ways in which slaves were given humanity in Octavia Butler's work and Key and Peele   At about 1:05:20, Danielle describes Jordan Anderson's stunning work and post-slavery story, a part of the book   At about 1:07:20, Danielle talks about ayo's work in satire, “How tas described in the book   At about 1:08:40, Danielle talks about her book's second chapter and ideas about race as a construct, including “Blackness” being put up for sale on EBay by Keith Obadike as performance and activist art   At about 1:10:40, Danielle juxtaposes the book and movie versions of Precious and how satire fell a little flat in the movie (lesser so in the book)   At around 1:13:35,    At about 1:14:00, Pete and Danielle discuss her chapter on the performative, which touches upon Erasure by Percival Everett, an episode of Atlanta, and Barack Obama's “dad jeans,” as well as a piece by Touré   At about 1:16:10, Chapter Three is discussed, with its focus on satirical misfires, and when “keeping it real goes wrong”; Danielle details Chris Rock and Leslie Jones and their hiccups; “in group” and “out group” is probed   At about 1:19:55, Pete and Danielle discuss Chapter Four, starting with Get Out and its connection to Bell's 1992 poetry; Danielle discusses her visceral reaction to her first viewing of the movie    At about 1:23:10, Danielle highlights the standout points from Issa Rae's Insecure and its focus on agency and platonic love with and among Black women   At about 1:24:55, Danielle discusses the last chapter of her book, its focus on Dave Chappelle and his SNL skit (with Chris Rock) and statement right after Donald Trump's election victory, as well as the future of African-American satire and humor   At about 1:30:10, Danielle explains “just jokes” and the idea of doing satire in the chaotic world of 2021-the basis of the end of the book-with some reflections on what can be done to continue productive satire in the future   At about 1:31:55, Danielle details future projects, including the ever-decreasing line between comedy and horror in the 21st century   At about 1:33:10, Danielle shouts out Brian Tyree Henry and Donald Glover and their greatness  You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.  This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form. The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com. I'm excited to share my next episode with Adam O'Fallon Price on September 10. Adam is the author of much great work, including 2020 Edgar Award Winner THE HOTEL NEVERSINK. I hope you can tune in.

Hello, and welcome back to The Series Review! Today I'll be reviewing the Front Desk series, by Kelly Yang. These books follow ten year old Mia, a Chinese immigrant. Mia is so excited when her parents take a job managing the Calivista Motel. Mia gets to manage the Front Desk! But between school, the mean motel owner and his son, and the motel, Mia has a lot of problems! And to add to that, Mia and her parents are hiding Chinese immigrants in the motel! And if Mr. Yao, the motel owner, finds out, he'll fire them? What will they do? I love these books! If you have a book or series for me to review, email me at theseriesreview13@gmail.com. Or send me a voice message! Thanks! Enjoy! Send me a voice message: https://anchor.fm/riya-b13/message feat. an explanation for why there was no episode last week AND my cousin Sadie!

Kelly is the award-winning author of the bestselling Front Desk series for middle-graders. She has won numerous accolades for her work, including the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children's Literature. Kelly talks with host Suzanne McCabe about her writing journey and about Room to Dream, the latest title in her wildly popular series about the indomitable Mia Tang. It's due out September 21. Kelly also describes the struggles that she faced immigrating to the U.S. with her parents when she was a child. “You don't have to strip away everything about yourself to conform,” she says. “That was a hard lesson for me growing up because there were definitely times I felt that pressure.” Later in the episode, Dr. Don Vu, an educator with more than two decades of experience in the classroom, talks about his new book, Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Supporting Our Immigrant and Refugee Children Through the Power of Reading. Educators and parents will want to hear Dr. Vu's incredible insights into helping young students thrive as readers, writers, and learners. He also tells the moving story of his own family's escape from Vietnam in 1975, when the city of Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces. Dr. Vu's experiences as a refugee growing up in California helped him develop empathy for families much like his, who arrive in America with little more than a dream. Resources: Front Desk: (https://www.kellyyang.com/?p=141) Learn more about author Kelly Yang and her books for young people. Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Happiness (https://drdonvu.com/author/drdonvu/): Learn more about Dr. Don Vu and his new title for educators. 19 Books by Asian & Pacific Islander Americans to Read All Year (https://oomscholasticblog.com/post/books-asian-pacific-islander-americans-read-all-year?linkId=88729963): Here are lots of great titles to share with the young readers in your life. Special Thanks: Producer: Bridget Benjamin Associate producer: Constance Gibbs Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl Coming Soon: Celebrating Pride Month with authors Leah Johnson and Molly Knox Ostertag Inside the music biz with authors Tami Charles and Lamar Giles

They're called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the US while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she'd be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California... This title is intended for teens, however, it may contain language or themes that some readers may find offensive. Recorded with permission of Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

Lauren Tarshis remembers the responsibilities that fell to her on March 11, 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was declared, and schools around the country began to shift to virtual learning. Lauren is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Scholastic Classroom Magazines. The magazines, which reach more than 25 million students and their teachers, have been a staple in classrooms for more than a century. In this episode, Lauren tells host Suzanne McCabe how a talented team of writers, editors, designers, video producers, and IT experts have helped support educators and keep students engaged and learning this past year—even though many classrooms have been empty. Lauren is also the author of the best-selling I Survived book series, which recounts terrifying and thrilling stories from history through the eyes of a child who lived to tell the tale. Later in the episode, Scholastic Kid Reporter Siroos recounts his journalistic experiences during the pandemic. Siroos, who is 12 years old and lives in New York City, is a member of Scholastic Kids Press, a team of 45 young journalists from around the world who report “news for kids, by kids” on our websites and in our Classroom Magazines. Resources: From Fear to Hope (https://storyworks.scholastic.com/issues/2020-21/030121/from-fear-to-hope.html#800L-900L): Author Lauren Tarshis tells young readers how the polio epidemic affected her grandmother's generation and finds similarities to the coronavirus pandemic. The Killer Flu of 1918 (https://storyworks.scholastic.com/issues/2020-21/030121/from-fear-to-hope.html#800L-900L): Young readers learn about the powerful flu that claimed millions of lives and disrupted everyday life. Science World Magazine's COVID-19 News Hub (https://junior.scholastic.com/issues/2020-21/100520/the-killer-flu-of-1918.html#990L): Young readers can get updates on the virus and vaccines here. NEW Storyworks' Immersive Read-Alouds https://storyworks.scholastic.com/issues/2020-21/050121/the-lost-ship.html?share-audio=d20a3f771b4c52139b1fbb9f75f74eca#On%20Level: Filled with music and special sound effects, this audio feature brings students into the action of the story and boosts their reading and listening skills. Try it for free here (https://storyworks.scholastic.com/issues/2020-21/050121/the-lost-ship.html?share-audio=d20a3f771b4c52139b1fbb9f75f74eca#On%20Level). Scholastic Classroom Magazines (https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/): Reserve your magazines for the fall now, and get free online access. Meet Lauren Tarshis (https://www.laurentarshis.com/): Learn more about Lauren and I Survived, her best-selling book series for kids. Scholastic Kids Press (https://kpcnotebook.scholastic.com/): Check out recent articles by our Scholastic Kid Reporters. If you know a 10- to 14-year-old with a nose for news, encourage them to apply to Kids Press. Applications must be received by June 1. Learn more here. Scholastic Kid Reporter Siroos Pasdar (https://kpcnotebook.scholastic.com/user/355): Read Siroos's news articles for our young readers. Special Thanks: Producer: Bridget Benjamin Associate producer: Constance Gibbs Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl Coming Soon: Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with author Kelly Yang and educator Don Vu Inside the music biz with authors Tami Charles and Lamar Giles

This is the introduction to front desk! I’m really excited and I hope you are too. Enjoy!!

This is chapter 2 of Front Desk. Written by Kelly Yang. Hope you enjoy!!

Tune in to hear Nicole and Nusrah talk about Asian American female authors, in conversation with the wonderful Kelly Yang, author of Front Desk and Parachutes. For even more kidlit news and recommendations, sign up for our The Kids Are All Right newsletter! Books Mentioned Any Day With You by Mae Respicio Insurrecto by Gina Apostol – adult recommendation Stargazing by Jen Wang Eyes That Kiss in the Cornersby Joanna Ho Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park Lalani of the Distant Seaby Erin Estrada Kelly Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Togetherby Andrea Tsurumi Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us by Analiza Quiroz Wolf, illustrated by Tuire Suirainen Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist, written by Julie Leung  From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea by Kai Cheng Thom, illustrated by Kai Yun Ching You can find Nicole on Twitter @ittybittyNY You can find Nusrah on Twitter @JavedNusrah Until next time! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*SPOILERS* In this episode I will be giving my review along with a synopsis of Parachutes by Kelly Yang. follow us! #witba https://www.instagram.com/whatisthisbookabout/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCURa-bICCiZz0XnjXniFENg New book reviews on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Support Podcast Here: https://anchor.fm/whatisthisbookabout Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-is-this-book-about/id1497467663 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Gaining work experience at school can increase your chances of landing your dream job after you graduate. Sometimes easier said than done! Listen to some experiences and get some tips and tricks to help find your first internship or work experience. Some school programs provide coop and work integrated learning opportunities. For others, you are on your own to find work for any terms where you don't have classes scheduled. Leverage your career center to get help where possible. Also, look to use volunteer, school activities and other experience to showcase that you're ready to add value to the employer for the job they are offering. Listen the episode for more details! Watch the episode here https://youtu.be/xdRVhgkiqEE Special thanks to https://www.instagram.com/lincolnalexanderthe2nd/ for the theme music Want more personalized career coaching or to connect with Luki: http://linkedin.com/in/lukidanu http://focusinspired.com http://instagram.com/lukidanu

YOUTH CORNER: Kelly Yang One of the main focus areas of going to school is academics. Assignments, tests, exams. Don't be surprised if your marks drop in first year. Be mindful of how expectations change in university and build better habits. Also, make sure that you take some time to take advantage of what the university experience has to offer outside of class. Kelly Yang https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-yafan-yang/ Shares here SIWIKE related to academics and balancing that with social activities. Listen the episode for more details! Watch the episode here https://youtu.be/ypinVyJiH_Y Special thanks to https://www.instagram.com/lincolnalexanderthe2nd/ for the theme music Want more personalized career coaching or to connect with Luki: http://linkedin.com/in/lukidanu http://focusinspired.com http://instagram.com/lukidanu

University can be a defining period for those privileged enough to have the means. The first year of a university career can set the stage for that time period. Often filled with challenges and opportunities alike. Kelly Yang https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-yafan-yang/ Shares here SIWIKE from first-year. From adapting your studying habits, to making friends, to getting our of your comfort zone, to getting a map to know your way around campus. I'm sure many that have gone through the experience can relate. While the information will be instructional for those looking to go through the process. Watch the episode for more details! Listen to the episode here https://siwike.fireside.fm/YOUTH-KY002 Special thanks to https://www.instagram.com/lincolnalexanderthe2nd/ for the theme music Want more personalized career coaching or to connect with Luki: http://linkedin.com/in/lukidanu http://focusinspired.com http://instagram.com/lukidanu http://twitter.com/lukidanu Get SIWIKE Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier: How to unlock your career potential here https://amzn.to/2LEF52R

We learn a bit of her background, growing up in small towns around Ontario, Canada. Feeling a bit lost when growing up. Then picking an unexpected option of going to a business school after growing up in a STEM environment. Kelly shares some insights on choosing a university and other considerations like residence. Listen to the episodefor more details! Watch the episode here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCBex8w261A Special thanks to https://www.instagram.com/lincolnalexanderthe2nd/ for the theme music Want more personalized career coaching or to connect with Luki: http://linkedin.com/in/lukidanu http://focusinspired.com http://instagram.com/lukidanu http://twitter.com/lukidanu Get SIWIKE Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier: How to unlock your career potential here https://amzn.to/2LEF52R

Enjoy our presentation of Front Desk, written by Kelly Yang and published by Arthur A. Levine Books. Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. First, she lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel. Second, her parents hide immigrants, and if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Third, she wants to be a writer, but how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language? It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Front Desk was the winner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature! Front Desk is the first book in a series that follows Mia Tang through many more adventures! This title is recommended for ages 9+. Please visit Common Sense Media for more information and reviews. https://bit.ly/FrontDesk_ReviewsFront Desk is available as an eBook and an audiobook on Libby by Overdrive.Libby eBook- https://bit.ly/FrontDesk_LibbyEbookLibby Audiobook-  https://bit.ly/FrontDesk_LibbyAudioPlease visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.Music: Dub the Uke (excerpt) by Kara Square (c) copyright 2016. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mindmapthat/53340

Today, we're celebrating Scholastic's 100th anniversary with President, Chairman, and CEO Dick Robinson. Dick's father, Maurice R. Robinson, known affectionately to generations of staffers as Robbie, founded the company in 1920, a venture that started with a small weekly newspaper has since grown into the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. Generations of readers have fond memories of attending a Scholastic Book Fair on an autumn afternoon, or checking off a list of books to purchase on one of the many Scholastic Book Club order forms that arrived in classrooms. Kids have grown-up with, and obsessed over Clifford the Big Red Dog, Goosebumps, The Baby-Sitters Club, Harry Potter, and Captain Underpants. Stories by Suzanne Collins, the late Walter Dean Myers, Raina Telgemeier, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Kelly Yang, to name a few, still captivate young readers. Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic are still staples in classrooms across the country, and Scholastic Kid Reporters are still out there getting stories that matter to them and their young readers. Last, but not least, young people still receive coveted Scholastic Art & Writing Awards each year, as they have done for nearly a century. Past recipients include Andy Warhol, Bernard Malamud, Kay WalkingStick and Mozelle Thompson. The list goes on, but we wanted to hear from Dick about his memories of his father, the early years at the company, and how he has remained true to his father's vision, that few things are more magical than children discovering themselves in the pages of a book.

The Vulgar Geniuses duo take a backseat during this episode of FORKS X FANGS. We are joined by resident kid correspondent, Olivia Wang, as she reviews the novel

First Draft Episode: International Settings (Panel) A conversation between Randy Ribay, author of the National Book Award Finalist Patron Saints of Nothing; Kelly Yang, author of Parachutes; Laura Taylor Namey, author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow; Mayra Cuevas, author of Salty, Bitter, Sweet. This conversation was held as part of A Mighty Blaze’s YA Weekend, and many thanks to Joseph Moldover (author of Every Last Breath) and Jennifer de Leon (author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From) for all the help putting that entire celebration together. You can watch the Zoom video of this panel at A Mighty Blaze’s Facebook page, here. I want to hear from you! Have a question about writing or creativity for Sarah Enni or her guests to answer? To leave a voicemail, call (818) 533-1998 or send an email to mailbag @ firstdraftpod dot com! Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds; Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and the Grishaverse series; Creator of Sex and the City Candace Bushnell; YouTube empresario and author Hank Green; Actors, comedians and screenwriters Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham; author and host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast Linda Holmes; Bestselling authors and co-hosts of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow; Michael Dante  DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish and co-host of the Sciptnotes podcast; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works. Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Track Changes If you’re looking for more information on how to get published, or the traditional publishing industry, check out the Track Changes podcast series, and sign up for the Track Changes weekly newsletter. Support the Show Love the show? Make a monthly or one-time donation at Paypal.me/FirstDraft. Rate, Review, and Recommend Take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you! Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Just click the Share button at the bottom of this post! Thanks again!

Today we have a special episode with one of my favorite kid lit authors, Kelly Yang. Librarians, parents, and teachers, her books are must purchases for your bookshelves! Kelly Yang is the NYTimes Bestselling author of the middle grade novel Front Desk and its new sequel Three Keys, as well as a young adult novel, Parachutes. Front … Continue reading Ep. 65: Kelly Yang, Author of Three Keys →

In honor of the final year of the Global Read Aloud, Unabridged Podcast revisits our episode from last year, in which we discussed Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves, Padma Venkatraman's The Bridge Home, and Kelly Yang's Front Desk. Join us in celebrating this fantastic program, which highlights books for young people and promotes global collaboration.   Bookish Check-in Ashley - Mark Oshiro’s Each of Us a Desert (thanks to Partner NetGalley) Jen - Roshani Chokshi’s The Silvered Serpents (thanks to Partner NetGalley) Sara - Beth O’Leary’s The Switch (thanks to Partner Libro.fm)   Celebrating the Global Read Aloud Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves Padma Venkatraman's The Bridge Home Kelly Yang's Front Desk   Mentioned in Episode Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony Cormac McCarthy's The Road Peter Heller's The Dog Stars Neal and Jarrod Shusterman's Dry Mindy McGinnis's Not a Drop to Drink Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven Alan Gratz's Refugee Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers   Give Me One - New Find Ashley - American Gods Jen - 800 Words Sara - Olive and June and Speed Cubers   Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.     Want to support Unabridged? Check out our Merch Store! Become a patron on Patreon.​ Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram. Like and follow our Facebook Page. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store. Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter. Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher. Check us out on Podbean.

When you hold a new book in your hands, the rest of the world seems to fade away. Lots of great titles from Scholastic are hitting the shelves this fall, bringing the promise of adventure to our young readers. We wanted to give you a preview of the books you can look forward to, so we invited some of our authors to read aloud. First, Tami Charles reads All Because You Matter (https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/all-because-you-matter-9781338574852/), her love letter to Black and brown children. (2:31) Next, Christina Soontornvat takes us inside the pages of Icing on the Snowflake (https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/icing-on-the-snowflake-by-christina-soontornvat/), the latest title in her popular chapter book series, Diary of an Ice Princess. Christina's adventures for elementary school readers start with a simple premise: What if Frozen's Elsa went to regular school? If you have any Elsa fans in your house, this is the series for them! (6:41) We also hear from Brazilian author Vitor Martins. He shares an excerpt from his new queer romance, Here the Whole Time. This story about the magic of first love explores the insecurities that many teens feel around body image. (11:12) Then, Kara McDowell reads from her new novel for young adults, One Way or Another. It's a poignant story about a girl who learns to face her debilitating anxieties as she navigates a relationship with her best friend and longtime crush. (17:55) For 8- to 12-year-olds who enjoy horror and spooky mysteries, Daka Hermon reads from her suspense-filled debut, Hide and Seeker (https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/hide-and-seeker-by-daka-hermon/). (25:39) Last but not least, middle-grade favorite Kelly Yang reads the opening pages of Three Keys (https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/three-keys-by-kelly-yang/), the highly-anticipated sequel to her debut best-seller, Front Desk (https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/front-desk-9781338157826/). (31:52) You can learn more about these titles and all of our latest fiction and nonfiction at scholastic.com/kids. To check out the Scholastic Student Vote, a virtual mock-election, that has been running since 1940 visit scholastic.com/election. Special thanks: Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl Producer: Bridget Benjamin Associate producer: Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan

This Los Angeles-based actor and non-profit founder discusses the importance of seeing children of color on the covers of picture books, how growing up in Atlanta as the daughter of an educator inspired her to support teachers and students, and what it means to turn around for someone else. Find L. Marelle Camel online at camelkidsfoundation.org and on social media @camelkidsfndn. The books recommended by Camel Kids Foundation in today’s episode are: 1. “Brothers of the Knight” by Debbie Allen. 2. “Sophie Washington, the Snitch” by Tonya Duncan Ellis. 3. “Miami Jackson sees it Through” by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. 4. “Ellray Jakes, the Recess King!” by Sally Warner. 5. “The Meteorologist in Me” by Brittney Shipp. 6. “Front Desk” by Kelly Yang. Subscribe to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/anotherdooropens and know you’re making the world a better place one conversation at a time. Follow the Another Door Opens podcast on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook at @podcastado. Visit https://www.stephaniehimango.com to learn more about host, Stephanie Himango. Drum beats by Eric Brown and podcast editing by Jonathan Raz. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Introducing our new member of the kt literary team, Jas Perry! Jas Perry is a freelance editor and Manhattan-based associate agent with kt literary. She attended New York University in Florence and London before graduating with a degree in English from CUNY Hunter College. She was awarded the We Need Diverse Books Internship Grant and held several editorial intern positions with Levine Querido and Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books, where she assisted on titles by Kelly Yang, Varian Johnson, Daniel José Older, Eric Gansworth, A.S. King, Francisco X Stork, and Cherie Priest, among others. Jas is Black American/Japanese and interested in representing a diverse range of strong voices — especially by disabled and/or QTPOC creators. She particularly enjoys dark contemporary fiction, offbeat humor, (Alondra Nelson-defined) Afrofuturism, and bold SFF that makes her think. Find Jas on Twitter at @TakahshiPerryDownload the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitchr, and more platforms! And please do rate, review, and subscribe to the show.

[CW: This episode discusses sexual assault.] Jenn speaks with bestselling author Kelly Yang (Front Desk) about her new young adult novel Parachutes centering two teen perspectives on sexual assault. Kelly speaks to the importance of these books, the ways in which victims deserve more advocacy, and the need to open up more discussion and education around rape culture. 

#173 – Cats! They're not our friends, but sometimes they can be our pets. We ask Kate what's going on with her two new cats in our critically acclaimed, much beloved Follow-ups Corner. Also: the ending of season one of The Outlander, which Jack watched with horror. Then, it's onto our main topic of the hour: infinity. Where does it come from? Why are there so many types of infinity? Does infinity matter? How does infinity make us feel?   Plugs this week: Kelly Yang's PARACHUTES (Kate) Biking down Lafayette (Hao) Dwarf Fortress (Jack)   downersradio@gmail.com /r/downersradio @downersradio https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Kelly’s episode is edited from a livestream we recorded back in March. Please note that the audio quality isn’t as clear as it’s pulled from our livestream, and you’ll hear some popping sounds in the background which were notifications from the live commenting during the livestream, but the content is so important especially during these times so don’t let the audio quality get in the way!  If you’d like to watch our full 2-hour live streamed conversation, head on over to Kelly’s shownotes page at 88cupsoftea.com/kelly-yang! --------------------------------------- How do we move through these arduous times? How are writers sustaining creativity? How does one determine when there’s enough research to begin drafting? We discuss these topics and more with Kelly Yang. Kelly is the award-wining author of Front Desk, the winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature, her newly released YA novel Parachutes, and her upcoming book and sequel of Front Desk - Three Keys.  Kelly and I kick off our conversation diving into Kelly’s experience during Covid-19 as an Asian-American, how she is feeding her creativity during this challenging time, ways she is trying to keep herself and her family emotionally healthy, and how she has redefined her self-care. She also shares ways in which we all can help combat the horrible racism and discrimination in our communities brought about from Covid-19. Further in, she shares her writing journey and her experience so far publishing Asian-American stories. She gives us a snapshot of her newly released novel Parachutes and a glimpse into her research process drawing from personal experiences and gathering stories from other parachute children. We discuss how to determine when you have compiled enough research to jump into your story, and how drafting the first few chapters of a story idea before committing to writing the whole book can help you figure out if it’s the perfect story for you. And later, Kelly drops some real-talk about making an income as a creative, shares her golden rule in life that’ll inspire you to not give up on your projects, and steps you can take to reach your writing goals, especially during this challenging time. Please say 'Hi' to Kelly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/kellyyanghk Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/kelly-yang to download Kelly's writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Cordelia reviews Front Desk by Kelly Yang, a middle grade novel about a recent immigrant from China and her family as they run a motel in California.

Kelly Yang, best selling author of the MG novel FRONT DESK, is on this podcast to tell us about here YA debut PARACHUTES. Bookshop.org Episode Page The Kelly Yang Project

Kelly Yang, best selling author of the MG novel FRONT DESK, is on this podcast to tell us about here YA debut PARACHUTES. Bookshop.org Episode Page The Kelly Yang Project

Listen to why Lisa K.'s thinks you should read the book Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Written For: 4th & 5th Graders​ Genre: Historical Fiction​ Themes: Chinese culture, immigration, poverty, friendship, self-confidence​ Download with your Westerville Public Library card at: ​ Cloud Library or Overdrive​ Also available as an eAudiobook with Cloud Library

For today’s episode, I really wanted to review Front Desk by Kelly Yang. It’s a fantastic book and the story is interesting, in a good way! I hope this review convinces you to check out Front Desk! Keep reading folks! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/readability-for-kids/support

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

In this episode of ReadRadio, Dana makes the BIG announcement you’ve all been waiting for: the 2019/2020 Reading Link Challenge book list! She introduces listeners to the main characters of each book, and the stories you’re about to fall in love with. Ready, set, read! The books are: 1. Front Desk by Kelly Yang, 2. Kenny & the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi, 3. Where's Burgess? by Laurie Elmquist, 4. Loot by Jude Watson, 5. A Whale in Paris by Daniel Presley, 6. The Losers Club by Andrew Clements. Learn more at www.readinglinkchallenge.ca.

Introduction A bookish holiday you may not have heard of, an author who raised thousands of dollars to get more books in kids’ hands, and a new graphic novel nonfiction/fiction hybrid. We’ve got all this and more. I’m Corrina Allen and this is All The Wonders This Week. Thank you for joining us this Tuesday, August 6th, 2019!   Joining me today to talk about all things exciting and new in the world of children’s literature is Jarrett Lerner - MGBookVillage co-founder, co-organizer of the #KidsNeedMentors program, and author of EngiNerds!  KidLit News More from VAMOS! Creator Raul the Third -  Michael Ian Black was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert talking about I’m Worried, I’m Bored, I’m Sad - the books he wrote with illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Kelly Yang’s debut YA novel, Parachutes new picture book collaboration between author Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrator Suzy Lee, titled Someday Soon.  YA author Nic Stone’s middle grade called Clean Getaway  Jarrett Lerner raises over $13,000 for FirstBook  Upcoming Events August 9th is National Book Lovers Day! National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference is in Baltimore, Maryland this November 21-24  and registration is now open.  Back to School! Today’s New Releases Picture Books Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice and Sing Inspired Generations by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Keith Mallett  Jennifer & Matt Holm have a picture book coming out today called The Evil Princess vs. the Brave Knight   Chapter Books / Middle Grade Pablo Cartaya’s Each Tiny Spark  The Good, the Bad, and the Bossy The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner Gabrielle Byrne’s RISE OF THE DRAGON MOON Melissa Sarno’s new book, A SWIRL OF OCEAN Kristin Mahoney’s THE 47 PEOPLE YOU’LL MEET IN MIDDLE SCHOOL   Graphic Novels Kate Hannigan’s Cape, Book 1 in the League of Secret Heroes series  New Dog Man -  For Whom the Ball Rolls Nonfiction Jennifer Thermes’s Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island Bringing Down A President: The Watergate Scandal by Andrea Balis and Elizabeth Levy and illustrated by Tim Foley.  Other Media New Releases TV Shows / Miniseries I saw that She-Ra and the Princess of Power Season 3 dropped on Netflix on August 2nd AND a third season of Ask the Storybots was also released that same day. And Season 3 of the Worst Witch just came out on Netflix brand-new Netflix show called Twelve Forever Currently Reading Jarrett: Jess Keating’s Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray, and Monster Mayhem, a graphic novel from Christopher Eliopoulos -- creator or Cosmic Commandos  Corrina:  Knockout - the sequel to K.A. Holt’s House Arrest Closing Thank you for listening and sharing your Tuesday with us. You can find an outline of the show and links to all the books and topics we chatted about at allthewonders.com.  And, if you have an extra minute this week, reviews on iTunes or Stitcher are much appreciated. The All the Wonders This Week podcast is brought to you by All The Wonders, where children's books are for everyone. Journey beyond the page with podcasts, videos, crafts, and more at allthewonders.com. See you next week!

If you're looking for books that feature diverse characters and tackle inclusion themes (and you should be), this lovely little book deserves a spot in your stack. It's the story of a young Chinese immigrant, Mia Tang, who helps her parents manage a hotel and uses her ever-improving English skills to help just about everyone around her. Full show notes at Mommyspen.com

If you’ve grown up playing Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Lin wants you to know that you can relive its delights with Netflix’s eponymous new series (https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80167821). It brings entertaining geography lessons alongside fun and dynamic adventures which prove Carmen to be a thief with a heart of gold. Kelly Yang’s middle-grade novel Front Desk (https://www.frontdeskthebook.com/) features the so-called “sandwich generation” of Chinese immigrants who came to North America in the 1980s-90s. Through the eyes of ten-year old Mia Tang, we grasp the multi-faceted experiences of struggling immigrants, while holding out hope for the better. Lin's new book FLY WITH ME is available for pre-order now! books2read.com/flywithme Question of the episode: What’s your experience with learning about the world—history or geography, for example—from fiction? Join the conversation on Twitter at @World_ofStories or email us at worldofstoriespodcast@gmail.com. 

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom, and battling a cold this afternoon! So if I sound a little...off - that is why! This is episode #68 and Today I’m answering some questions about trends in middle grade and sharing with you some fabulous 2019 titles to look forward to this year! Q&A - Trends in Middle Grade Fiction Last month, my husband asked me some questions about trends in middle grade fiction. He teaches a class at Seton Hall all about trends in genre fiction and wanted some input on middle grade. So I thought I would share my responses with you. And I would be very curious about what YOU would answer. What genres or subgenres do you believe are the hottest right now? Well, it’s a format and not a genre but graphic novel memoirs like Hey Kiddo, Real Friends, and Be Prepared are still really popular. And also graphic novel adaptations of classics (like Anne of Green Gables) and popular novels (like Wings of Fire or Percy Jackson).  And again, not genre, but I see more books that are based on the core experiences of the writer. Those novels that draw on the real-life backgrounds of the authors like Kelly Yang’s Front Desk, Tami Charles’ Like Vanessa, and Supriya Kellar’s Ahimsa.  They’re not memoirs but they are books rooted in a very personal experience. To authors, I’d say - take those things that make you unique, that make you a bit quirky, that set you apart from most other people - and write THAT story. Like Kelly Yang taking the experiences of her family coming from China and running motels to write Front Desk. Jarrett Krosoczka writing the critically acclaimed graphic novel memoir Hey Kiddo about his life living with his grandparents after his mom lost custody of him due to drug addiction. Crack that door open and invite us inside. What genres or subgenres do you believe are passé or overexposed? I don’t know…. I do wonder how long the unicorn and narwhal craze will last but that seems to live more in picture books than middle grade. Magical realism - or rather realistic fiction with a magical twist - doesn’t seem to be slowing down. You know - anything can be new and fresh with the right spin.  And also, authors from marginalized backgrounds are still underrepresented in just about every genre so those are stories that will likely have new points of view. I thought I was totally over zombie stories but Dread Nation popped up and whoa!!  I’ve never read a zombie story like THAT before!   If you had to predict, what genre or subgenre do you think is primed to be the next Big Thing in the next year or so? I would say stories about immigrants, refugees, and the unique experiences of marginalized groups (especially by #ownvoices authors) will continue to be popular. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen an explosion of critically acclaimed middle grade stories like Alan Gratz’s Refugee, Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me, and Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai among many more. We also have more and more books coming out that tell stories of police violence in developmentally appropriate ways like Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Blended by Sharon Draper.  I’m also really excited about a new crop of middle grade #MeToo stories on the horizon like So Done by Paula Chase and the upcoming Barbara Dee novel Maybe He Just Likes You.   Any comments about where you see genre fiction heading? In middle grade, like everywhere else,  #ownvoices books are still underrepresented  - everyone has a unique story to tell or a unique POV to offer.  EVERYONE. So my advice to authors, take the spark of your unique life experiences and let that burn throughout your story.  My advice to educators - scour those shelves to find a wider variety of books. Also - if you write for a YA/MG audience, librarians and educators are more and more eager to the ditch the old canon and form partnerships with authors. Look for opportunities like #KidsNeedMentors or reach out to your local schools and libraries.   Book Talk - Most Anticipated Middle Grade Books of 2019   The last couple of episodes were all about looking back on some of the best that middle grade had to offer in 2018. (If you missed those, go check out episodes #66 and #67.)  But today is all about looking forward into the new year. Last year, when I did our Most Anticipated MG of 2018, I went chronologically by month. But this year I’m going about it a little differently and discussing the new releases by category.     First, we’ll chat about the new graphic novels coming up in 2019. And then we’ll talk about new releases from authors who debuted in 2018 and 2017 and see what they’re up to now. After that, I’ll give you a peek at some of the 2019 debut middle grade authors.  Then we’ll see what new books are coming out in favorite series and what sequels we have to look forward to. And finally, we’ll finish up with the 2019 releases from more established authors.   So, buckle up and get ready to add to your wish list. And remember - no need to go hunting for a pen and paper. You can find every book mentioned AND a picture of the available covers AND a link to pre-order them right on the Books Between post for this episode, #69, at MGBookVillage.com.  I’ve got your back, I know you’re busy, so it’s all right there for you. And as I’ve said before, I’ve come to really love pre-ordering - it helps out favorite authors and it’s like a little surprise to your future self.   Before we jump in, just remember that this is just a sampling of all the incredible books coming out this year. I’ll add some links to some other great resources in the show notes and on the website where you can find more complete listings of titles to browse through and the MGBookVillage website has a great release calendar so that’s one to bookmark for sure.   https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/111975.Middle_Grade_Novels_of_2019 http://novelnineteens.com/books/middle-grade-books https://mgbookvillage.org/2018releasedates/ http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2018/12/19-2019-middle-grade-books-to-have-on-your-radar/ https://www.readbrightly.com/middle-grade-books-2019/ https://www.bookish.com/articles/must-read-childrens-books-winter-2019/ http://www.popgoesthereader.com/target-audience-middle-grade/70-middle-grade-novels-i-cant-wait-to-read-in-2019/   Also - publication dates do occasionally change, so just be aware of that.   Alright, get your Goodreads tab open, or your library website pulled up, or your Amazon/Indiebound shopping cart ready, or ….. print out the show notes and bring it to your favorite local bookstore!   Alright - let’s get to it! The 2019 Graphic Novels This January, Lincoln Peirce, the author of Big Nate, has a new graphic/illustrated novel series set in the middle ages called Max and the Midknights that looks really, really cute. Also out on January 8th is Click by Kayla Miller - the story of 5th grader Olive who is having some trouble finding where she “clicks” in middle school. The sequel, called Camp, is being released this April so fans won’t have to wait long for the next one. A fantasy graphic novel that Mel Schuit recommended that I check out is The Chancellor and the Citadel by Maria Capelle Frantz so that’s on my radar now - and yours! Thank you, Mel! On January 29th another Hilo is coming our way! Hilo 5: Then Everything Went Wrong. And on that same day the 5th Bird & Squirrel is coming out called All Tangled Up. One graphic novel adaptation that has really piqued my interest is Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Modern Retelling of Little Women by Rey Tercerio and illustrator Bre Indigo. The classic is reimagined as a blended family living in modern-day New York City. I don’t think I’ve ever hit “pre-order” faster and will be eagerly stalking my delivery person on February 5th for that one! My mailbox is going to be brimming on February 5th because I also HAD to preorder New Kid by Jerry Craft!  It’s about seventh grader Jordan Banks who loves drawing cartoons and dreams of going to art school. But his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school instead, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. Looks amazing!!  90-Second Newbery was singing its praises on Twitter last night and said this about it: “The amazing graphic novel New Kid by @JerryCraft should definitely be on everyone's tbr list and it has a full-cast (and all-star cast) audiobook released at the same time….perfect for rich, nuanced convos abt race, class, identity, school systems, how we share books, code switching, starting new school, just so much!”   So, yeah… I’ll just wait here for a bit while you hit pause and go order that! We also get  the second Wings of Fire graphic novel, The Lost Heir, on February 26th AND the second Mr. Wolf’s Class book called Mystery Club. And a heads up that the graphic novel of The Hidden Kingdom (Wings of Fire Book 3) is out in October 2019. For those Minecraft fans in your life, this March we get another Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior graphic novel - Forging Destiny. And for older middle grade kids - maybe 11 or 12 and up -  look for the new graphic novel adaptations of The Iliad and The Odyssey this March as well. And fans of Terri Libenson’s Invisible Emmie and Positively Izzie will want to get their hands on Just Jaime - coming out May7th. There were lots of smiles among my students today when I told them that news! Bad Guys #9 - The Bad Guys in the Big Bad Wolf is out June 25th.  Perfect launch for a fun summer read. This August brings us Best Friends, the sequel to Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham’s Real Friends -  out on August 27th. And have you seen the cover? It’s Shannon at the top of a rollercoaster with this vibrant purple background. Love it, love it, love it! And Dog Man fans (like my daughter) will be psyched this August because we are getting Dog Man #7: For Whom the Ball Rolls! The seventh graphic novel adaptation of the Baby-sitters Club, Boy Crazy Stacey, illustrated by Gale Carrigan, will be out September 3rd. That’s one of those no-brainer preorders for my classroom library. Also - I was interested to hear that R.J. Palacio is publishing her first graphic novel Wonder story this fall called White Bird. This one is Julian’s grandmother’s story about her life as a young Jewish girl hidden away by a family in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. So be on the lookout for that one September 3rd as well. You want another don’t-even-have-to-think-about-it-just-preorder-it graphic novel? Guts - the long-awaited new Raina Telgemeier graphic memoir is out September 17th!! September also brings the latest from Tillie Walden - Are You Listening.  The peeks I’ve seen of that online look incredible, so that one is definitely on my radar this fall. And then….….. Drumroll please…… Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl!! Ahhhh!!  I knew it! That last page in Mighty Jack and the Goblin King was just too good not to be followed up with a joint adventure. Yay! Jen Wang -  author of last year’s hit, The Prince & the Dressmaker, has a new graphic novel coming out in September called  Stargazing. This one draws on her personal experiences and is the story of two friends - Moon and Christine. And this November we’ll get The Midwinter Witch - the third and final book in the trilogy that includes The Witch Boy and The Hidden Witch. And - wow, I’m just going to start saving up now for September because the graphic novel adaptation of Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover is also coming out on September 24th!  It’s going to be a pancakes and ramen noodles for dinner kind of a month if I want to keep up with all these awesome books coming out!  (And I haven’t even gotten past the graphic novels!) And…. I think, maybe, possibly.. that Amulet #9 (the final one of the series) will be released late this year. But I can’t find much info on it. No title, no date, no synopsis - nada! So, I’m cautiously optimistic that it will arrive in 2019. Finally - another graphic novel to be on the lookout for later in 2019 is Twins by author Varian Johnson who you may know from The Parker Inheritance and illustrator Shannon Wright. The publication date isn’t yet announced, but apparently it’s about twin sisters struggling to figure out individual identities in middle school and it’s based on Johnson’s own childhood experiences as a twin. New Releases from 2017 / 2018 Debut Authors   Early February brings us the second in Anna Meriano’s Love, Sugar, Magic series called A Sprinkle of Spirits and oh is that cover gorgeous! And definitely snag a copy of the sequel to Jarrett Lerner’s EngiNerds - Revenge of the EngiNerds out on February 19th. It is EVEN FUNNIER than the first one. And that’s saying something! Another book I’m looking forward to is Jen Petro-Roy’s Good Enough - about a young girl with an eating disorder. Game of Stars by Sayantani DasGupta - the follow up to The Serpent’s Secret is out on February 26th. And the end of February also brings us Bone Hollow  by Skeleton Tree author Kim Ventrella. Also be on the lookout for The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras on March 5th. That sequel is getting rave reviews so it’s definitely one to add to your library. Alyson Gerber, author of Braced, will have a new novel out called Focused. It’s about a middle school girl who loves chess and has been recently diagnosed with ADHD. Definitely a book a lot of my students will be able to connect with! In the last week of April we get the sequel to Roshani Chokshi’s Aru Shah and the End of Time called Aru Shah and Song of Death This April brings us the second novel from Rebecca Donnelly called The Friendship Lie. One book I’m excited to dip into this spring is Up for Air by Laurie Morrison. You might know her from last year’s Every Shiny Thing. From the author of 2017’s The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora and 2018’s Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish comes Each Tiny Spark. This is Pablo Cartaya’s third MG novel and this one features a young girl, a father recently returned from deployment, and… welding. So look for that one in August. And The Cryptid Keeper, the sequel to Lija Fisher’s 2018 The Cryptid Catcher is out this August as is Melissa Sarno’s A Swirl of Ocean. In September comes the sequel to Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. It’s called Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus and follows Aven’s adventures as she heads into high school. At first I thought that might put it in the YA category, but from what I can tell, it’s still middle grade. This fall we’ll also be treated to Abby Cooper’s third novel - Friend or Fiction. Just like Sticks and Stones and Bubbles, this one is also magical realism. It’s about a girl named Jade. In the pages of her notebook, she writes all about Zoe--the most amazing best friend anyone could dream of. But when pretend Zoe appears in real life thanks to a magical experiment gone right, Jade isn't so sure if she likes sharing her imaginary friend with the real world.   Another treat in store for you this fall is the third novel by Elly Swartz - Give and Take. This book is about 12 year-old Maggie whose grandmother’s recent death has triggered her to start hoarding things under her bed. 2019 Debut Authors   So - I’ll just say right now that I could have had an ENTIRE show just dedicated to the amazing middle grade debuts coming our way this year but at some point, I had to cut myself off.  So - I’ll include a link to the Novel19s website where you find many more middle grade debuts and discover some of your new favorite authors.   The Whisperers is Greg Howard’s middle grade debut and one that has really caught my eye. Just listen to this description: “Eleven-year-old Riley believes in the whispers, magical fairies that will grant you wishes if you leave them tributes. Riley has a lot of wishes. He wishes bullies at school would stop picking on him. He wishes Dylan, his 8th grade crush, liked him, and Riley wishes he would stop wetting the bed. But most of all, Riley wishes for his mom to come back home.” Oooo…. This one is out January 15th. If you are looking for a new book for younger middle grade readers - something along the lines of Ramona Quimby or Stella Diaz - check out Meena Meets Her Match by Karla Manternatch. One book that keeps popping up into my radar is the middle grade debut of Padma Venkatraman called The Bridge Home about four children who discover strength and grit and family while dealing with homelessness. That one comes out Feb 5th so be on the lookout for that one. Another debut that I have been dying to read is The Simple Art of Flying by Cory Leonardo!  Let me just read you the teaser: “Born in a dismal room in a pet store, Alastair the African grey parrot dreams of escape to bluer skies. He’d like nothing more than to fly away to a palm tree with his beloved sister, Aggie. But when Aggie is purchased by twelve-year-old Fritz, and Alastair is adopted by elderly dance-enthusiast and pie-baker Albertina Plopky, the future looks ready to crash-land.”  My step-mother had parrots when I was growing up, so this one in particular I really am interested in reading! So I’ll be checking my mailbox for that one on February 12th. Another debut I am excited to read this year is Joshua Levy’s Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy! Since one of my goals this year is to introduce my students to more science fiction, a story about a school on a spaceship orbiting Jupiter would be perfect! On March 12 we get Lisa Moore Ramée’s debut A Good Kind of Trouble about a girl who just wants to follow the rules. And sometime this spring we get rather the opposite in Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen by Niki Lenz. This one is about a “bully” who ends up living with her aunt who is a nun and tries to turn over a new leaf. This March is the debut of Julia Nobel with The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane about a girl who gets shipped off to a British boarding school and finds a box of medallions that might just be connected to the disappearance of her father. A graphic novel debut coming in March that looks fabulous is Red Panda & Moon Bear by Jarod Roselló. It’s about two Latinx kids who defend their neighborhood from threats both natural and supernatural. And in late April is the first book in a new MG detective series called Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers by Shauna Holyoak and a time-traveling action adventure that will transport readers to ancient Egypt called Jagger Jones & the Mummy’s Ankh by Malayna Evans. Hurricane Season by debut author Nicole Melleby comes out May 7th and oh how do I want to read this novel!  On a recent #MGLitChat focused on the 2019 debut authors, the moderator asked, “What do you hope young readers take away from your book?”  And Nicole Melleby said the following, “ I want them to take away that they’re not alone, that they’re seen, that mental illness is hard but manageable, and that love may have its limits, but help comes in all shapes and sizes. Also that Van Gogh was a brilliant man.”  After reading Vincent & Theo last summer - uhhh…. gimme that book!! Another great middle grade debut to look for on May 7th is Just South of Home by Karen Stong which is described as Blackish meets Goosebumps. The story follows a rule-abiding girl who must team up with her trouble making cousin, goofy younger brother, and his best friend to unravel a mysterious haunting in their tiny Southern town. Also coming this spring is a book that I immediately knew I wanted to read. It’s called Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos. (So, I was pretty much ALREADY sold by the Bowie reference.) The book follows Nova, an autistic, nonverbal, space-obsessed 12-year-old who is awaiting the Challenger shuttle launch and the return of her big sister, Bridget, as she struggles to be understood by her new foster family.  I was a 4th grader when The Challenger Disaster happened and vividly remember watching it happen live on tv, so I am really interested to see how that plays out in this book. Another debut to look for early this summer is All of Me by Chris Baron - a novel in verse about a 13 year old boy who is dealing with a big move, struggles in his parents’ marriage, and his own body image issues. So… if you are a close listener, you have probably figured out that I’m a sucker for books involving baking or cooking.  Maybe that’s why Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca just leapt out at me when I stumbled across it last month. This is a contemporary-fantasy retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream about an 11 year old Indian American girl whose father is a food writer and whose mother is a successful businesswoman. But when she adds some rather…. unusual (and maybe magical?) ingredients to her baking, things get out of hand. So look for that one on June 4th. And if your kids are looking for a fun spooky read this summer, Ollie Oxley and the Ghost comes out on June 18th and looks really cute. It’s about a boy who moves to California and ends up becoming friends with a ghost from the Gold Rush era. Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega is another paranormal middle grade coming this September and it’s described as Coco meets Stranger Things. So, uh… yeah...gimme that for sure! Also coming out this September is The Light in the Lake by Sarah Baughman - a book about a young girl who finds herself caught between her love of science and her late twin brother's belief in magic. Sequels and Favorite Series This January 29th we’re getting two awesome books: a 4th in the Crime Biters series - Fangs for Everything AND I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 by Lauren Tarshis.  And watching out for another I Survived book in September called I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919. Also in 2019 we are getting not one but TWO new Babysitting Nightmares books! The Phantom Hour this January 29th and The Twilight Curse on August 20th. February 5th brings another Stick Dog book - Stick Dog Gets the Tacos AND the third Frazzled book by Booki Vivat! This one is called Minor Incidents and Absolute Uncertainties. I just love her titles! In late February kids will be getting book 4 in the DC Comics Secret Hero Society - Science Fair Crisis! Lion Down by Stuart Gibb is out on February 26th. The second in his FunJungle series and the follow up to Panda-monium.) In March comes book five in The School for Good & Evil series: A Crystal of Time , a new Emily Windsnap novel called Emily Windsnap and The Pirate Prince, and another in the Fairy Tale Reform School series called Wished. In March we also get a seventh Jedi Academy Book called Revenge of the Sis. This one starts a new storyline and is written by Amy Ignatow with Jarret Krosoczka illustrating. And an as yet untitled 8th Jedi Academy novel is scheduled for September 2019. AND I’m really excited for the third BAT book: Bat and the End of Everything by Elana K. Arnold.  My daughter’s 4th grade class read the first book and they - of course! - fell hard for this series! Jeff Kinney fans will be excited about Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid - a book told from Rowley’s point of view that is out this April. And that month also brings us another Unicorn Rescue Society novel - The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande. And my 9 year old is going to be thrilled when I tell her that Katherine Applegate’s sequel to The Endling is coming out May 7th. It’s called Endling: The First and is already in my cart. The second book in Laura Ruby’s York series - The Clockwork Ghost is also headed our way this May and so is Another Fenway & Hattie book - In the Wild! Natalie Lloyd’s sequel to The Problim Children - Carnival Catastrophe is due to be out June 25th. And not quite a sequel but more of a spin-off, is Dough Boys by Paula Chase - author of 2018’s So Done. Characters Simp and Rollie are the leads in this novel told in two voices. Also - Karina Yan Glaser’s third Vanderbeekers novel is coming this September - The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue! And finally - just announced this morning - is Kate DiCamillo’s new novel coming September 24th - Beverly, Right Here. And if you guessed that this is the Beverly from Raymie Nightingale - then you are correct!  So now each of the three girls will have their own novel. By the way - if you haven’t seen it yet, the cover by Amy June Bates is stunning!!     2019 New Releases from Established Authors   First up here is the book I am devouring right now - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart which just came out on January 8th. And oh…. does this book live up to its hype! Brace yourself to hear lots more about this one later! Also out this January is a book my friend Sandy has been raving about - The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, U.S.A by Coretta Scott King honor nominee Brenda Woods. So I definitely need to add that one to my TBR list. This January readers will get a new Gordon Korman novel - Unteachables AND a new Andrew Clements novel - The Friendship War. January also brings us the first book in the really incredible Rick Riordan Presents Imprint - Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee. This is a space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. (By the way - if you have kids who love Rick Riordan’s novels or who love adventure books with a dash of humor and myth - then check out his Imprint site. I’ll include a link in the show notes so you can check them all out. From those lucky enough to read advanced copies, I haven’t heard anything but praise.) Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas by Andrea Pyros is one to watch out for this February. And another upper middle grade February release that caught my attention is a joint novel told in letters by Counting by 7s author Holly Goldberg Sloan and The Interestings author Meg Wolitzer. It’s called To Night Owl from Dogfish and it’s about two very different 12 year-old girls named Averie and Bett who are sent off to the same sleepaway camp in order to bond after their single dads fall in love with each other. February also bring us another novel by Anne Urso (author of the critically acclaimed The Real Boy) This novel, The Lost Girl, is about identical twins Lark and Iris.   On March 5th we get another Lisa Graff novel called Far Away about a girl, CJ, whose aunt is a psychic medium who claims that she carries messages from the dead. And I’m really psyched for We’re Not From Here by Tapper Twins author Geoff Rodkey. This novel is also out March 5th and is about refugees from planet Earth who need to find a new home on a faraway planet. I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this one and it’s quirky and hilarious… and timely. Definitely add this one to your pre orders. March also brings us another Rick Riordan Present’s book called Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. I’ve been hearing lots of great buzz about this one, so I’ll definitely need to pre-order a copy. On March 19th we get a new Kevin Henkes novel called Sweeping Up the Heart and this one is the story of the spring break that changes seventh-grader Amelia Albright’s life forever. In late March Natalie Lloyd fans will be treated to Over the Moon - a story about twelve-year-old Mallie who lives in a mining town where boys leave school at 12 to work in the mines, and girls leave to work as servants for the wealthy. But of course with that quintessentially Lloyd magic interwoven. And another Cynthia Lord book is coming out this March! She is the author of Rules and A Handful of Stars. This one is titled Because of the Rabbit and is about a young girl who starts public school for the first time after being homeschooled. Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles is coming out April 2nd and a really interesting looking book called Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway will be released April 16th. It’s about a girl who has to save her aunt’s pie shop. I think this one would be  a winner for kids who enjoy shows like The Great British Baking Show. In early May, we get to read Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s next novel, Shouting at the Rain about a girl named Delsie who lives with her grandmother, loves tracking weather, and who starts to wish for a more “regular” family and life. You can’t go wrong with the author of Fish in a Tree and One for the Murphys so… just pop this one in your cart now! And another novel that is getting all kinds of early buzz is the latest from K.A. Reynolds called Spinner of Dreams. It’s being called “inventive, empathetic, and strange in all the best ways.”  Plus - it has a really otherworldly cover that I just want to stare at... And finally - I know you all have heard me rave about this one before - but Barbara Dee’s Maybe He Just Likes You is going to be AMAZING!  My students and I got the chance to read the first chapter and we were all already hooked. But let me give you a little taste from the teaser: “For seventh grader Mila, it starts with an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. The next day, it’s another hug. A smirk. Comments. It all feels…weird. According to her friend Zara, Mila is being immature, overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like? They don’t understand why Mila is making such a big deal about the boys’ attention. When Mila is finally pushed too far, she realizes she can’t battle this on her own–and finds help in some unexpected places.” I can’t WAIT!!   Phew!!  Alright - I am both energized and - I gotta be honest - a little daunted! But - I am reminding myself and I hope you’ll remember too that it’s not about a mad dash to read all of these books. But to give you a taste of what’s to come so you can match readers with books they might like and get them excited about new releases.   I hope you have a wonderful year reading and I would love to know - what are the books that you and your students are most looking forward to in 2019?   You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or jump into the conversation on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.      Closing   Thank you so much for joining me this week.  You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org.   And, if you have an extra minute this week, reviews on iTunes or Stitcher are much appreciated.   Books Between is a proud member of the Lady Pod Squad and the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com   Talk with you soon!  Bye!  

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher in Central New York, a mom of two tween girls, and currently - all about the new Miles Morales Spiderman movie. It’s the lockscreen on my phone, my girls and I have the soundtrack set to shuffle in the car….and I already have plans to go see it a second time.  Into the Spiderverse is the most innovative and fresh and exciting movie I’ve seen in years. It’s some next-level stuff. Just - go see it!! And see it on the BIG screen! This is episode #67 and today we are celebrating some of the best middle grade graphic novels published in 2018. On our last episode, I listed my top 25 middle grade novels of the year and I’ll include a link to that if you missed that episode. I think it’s important at the outset when making a list of this kind to explain what “best” means to you. What are your criteria? Is that popularity? The Goodreads best of lists tend to veer in that direction. Is it literary appeal? That is more along the lines of say, the Newbery Awards. For me, an outstanding book has to fit three criteria: I couldn’t put it down. Meaning - it was immersive, it has flow, it kept me turning the pages. I can’t forget it. Meaning - it had some extra special sparkle. An unforgettable character, an intriguing setting, a ground-breaking format, or a powerfully poignant message. I think kids would like it. There are books out there marketed to middle grade readers (sometimes those big award winners) that adults love but kids don’t seem to latch onto as much. So I also try to be mindful that kids books are for kids. Not for me. I am just the conduit to getting books into their hands and helping them discover what they like. Okay - let’s jump in! Main Topic - The Top 9 MG Graphic Novels of 2018 9. Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk This full-color graphic novel is about a 7th grade girl named Dany. She has just started middle school and is pretty lonely. Her friends are in different classes now and have new in-jokes and stories that she doesn’t get anymore. So she’s feeling socially vulnerable when her eccentric (and loaded) great-aunt passes away and she ends up with the woman’s sketchbook. A magical sketchbook that will turn your drawing into real-life. So when Dany draws the head of her favorite anime character (uh yeah… JUST the head) and a super popular girl to be her friend, there are (as you can imagine!) some unintended consequences. This book is FUNNY but you won’t catch half the stuff unless you read the background texts - like the store names:  “Hot Topic” is “Cool Subject” and the indredients list on the food have some interesting things listed on them. This book is like a mix of Shannon Hale’s Real Friends with a touch of Suee and the Shadow with a little sprinkle of Amulet. If you have readers about ages 10 and up who like graphic novels about friendships and would be up for something with a supernatural twist, then this would be a great recommendation. And… I see Gudsnuk has a sequel in store as well!   Mr. Wolf’s Class  by Aron Nels Steinke This graphic novel started as a webcomic and is a great option if you are looking for something for younger middle grade readers who’d enjoy a sweet, gentle story. And it looks like lots of sequels are on their way! Mr. Wolf’s Class is about the first day of 4th grade - for brand new teacher Mr. Wolf and his students. By the way, Mr. Wolf is a wolf and the students are… rabbits and frogs and pigs and… well, just suspend your disbelief over the whole predator/prey thing! The book includes a cool preview of each student the night before school starts  and then the day unfolds with short slice-of-life stories as we get to know each of the students and their teacher. A strength of this book is that the author clearly KNOWS what an actual classroom community is all about - the interactions of personalities. It feels really authentic in that way.  And uh… I can definitely relate to being late to pick my kids because I was distracted by a donut in the break room!   Sheets by Brenna Thummler You might be familiar with Thummler’s brilliant artwork from last year’s graphic novel adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. And if you haven’t yet gotten to that gem, bump it up on your TBR pile! This is her first solo graphic novel and I have a feeling we have a lot more in store from her! It’s the story of 13 year-old Marjorie who has been thrust into the responsibilities of running her family’s laundromat and taking care of her younger brother after her mother dies and her father has fallen into a deep depression. She is just barely hanging on and resisting the awful Mr. Saubertuck who wants to run them out of business and turn their building into a spa. But then… enter Wendell. He’s a young ghost  - young meaning new and young meaning died when he was young who winds up being pulled out of the afterlife world and into Marjorie’s life. He’s looking for.. meaning. And after a rocky start with Marjorie, does end up finding it. For me, the strength and charm of this book is really about the outstanding illustrations - the gorgeous pastel palette and the nuances of the wordless panels. And based on how this book is flying through my classroom, it clearly also has that all-important kid-appeal.   The Night Door (Edison Beaker Creature Seeker) by Frank Cammuso The author of The Knights of the Lunch Table series and the Misadventures of Salem Hyde has really taken things to the next level with this incredible and hilarious new world he’s created.  This book is about a young boy named Edison who is afraid of the dark. When his mom has to go out of town, Edison and his little sister, Tesla, go to stay with their Uncle Earl. Uncle Earl is an exterminator and he reluctantly takes the kids (and their hamster!) on a late-night “emergency” job where the two kids (and the hamster!) wind up going through a portal into a shadowy other-worldly place where Edison has to confront his fears and lots of weird and cool creatures! This is one of those few books that has kids laughing out loud while they read it.  It’s sort of like a mix between HiLo and Amulet. So if you have kids who love those two series, and want something similar, introduce them to Edison Beaker Creature Seeker.   All Summer Long by Hope Larson I loved this graphic novel for a lot of reasons but one of them was that it features a friendship between a girl and boy that doesn’t ever fall into that trope of “well, maybe things are changing because you two really just have crush on each other!” Nope! It’s real, platonic - and has rocky parts - but it’s not a stepping stone to a love interest. And - thank you Hope Larson!  What it IS about is that one defining summer is a young teen’s life when you start to realize that your childhood is something behind you that you’re looking back on and you are entering a new era with new interests. Where music - and finding people that like the same music as you do - takes on heightened importance in your life. At least, for me it was like that. Maybe for other kids it’s sports or art or theatre.  But you start to find your people. And not just be freinds with the people who are in your class or happen to live next door. This graphic novel is about 13 year-old Bina whose best-friend and neighbor, Austin, is off to soccer camp this summer. So she ends up.. Binge-watching Netflix until her mom cuts her off. (Relateable!) Also - it’s a little thing but I like the pale orangey-peach tones of the book, which one reviewer described as orange creamsicle.   Crush by Svetlana Chmakova I really, really loved her  two earlier Berrybrook Middle School stories - Awkward and Brave, but this one just might be my favorite. This one takes a step away from the intrigues of the art club and the school newspaper and focused on Jorge Ruiz, a big kid, a pretty-popular jock who nobody really messes with, who seems to have it all together. Until he realizes that he’s got a massive crush on Jazmine and his world is suddenly tilted.  This graphic novel really captures those quick relationship changes in middle school and that dynamic between texts and social media and how that influences and complicates face-to-face interactions. Sometimes novels totally leave out modern technology. I mean, half the time the problem in the book could be solved with a quick Google search or you know - maybe talking with the person that you’re having an issue with!  But Chmakova knows that technology might solve some problems but ushers in a whole host of other ones. Crush is another one of those graphic novels that is getting passed from kid to kid to kid in my classroom with a big enough waiting list I ordered a second copy. And - a bonus - kids don’t have to read the three books in the series in order. They each definitely can stand alone.   Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol This graphic novel is loosely based on the author’s real-life experiences and her Russian-American background and that makes for a unique twist on a familiar setting for some kids - summer camp! 9-year old Vera is a Russian immigrant and we learn at the beginning of the novel, she doesn’t doesn’t exactly fit in with the popular crowd. Or really any crowd at all.  Her family is poor and their traditions and food are just enough “culturally off” to make her feel awkward among the girls she invites to a birthday sleepover that goes bad…. And oh man… how I felt for poor Vera that night! That’s some real-life cringe-worthy stuff though.  Vera desperately wants to fit in and finally convinces her mother to send her and her brother to a Russian summer camp sponsored by their Orthodox church where they will learn the Russian language and religion along with the typical summer camp things - like learning why you shouldn’t feed the wildlife and finding a comfortable place to poop! Brosgol’s illustrations are outstanding with a foresty green color palette.  And this book about the poor choices one can make in the quest for friendship along with that added layer of feeling like you don’t really belong enough in any culture makes this graphic novel feel like a blend of Shannon Hale’s Real Friends and Kelly Yang’s Front Desk. This would be a great recommendation for kids in about grades 4 or 5 and up.   The Prince & the Dressmaker by Jen Wang Oh how this book made me smile!!  It’s set in a 19th century-ish Paris where 16 year-old Prince Sebastian has a huge secret he is keeping from his parents - from everyone except for his trusted butler. He loves getting dressed up in fancy gowns and makeup and wigs.  Eventually he discovers a lowly dressmaker, Frances, who has shown she is willing to break societal norms - and secretly hires her to help him transform into a different, more glamorous person. But things go awry when Sebastian’s parents try to arrange his marriage and his alter-ego (and her designer) become the talk of the town. It’s like Project Runway meets Versailles with a twist of Cinderella. And I really, really want Disney to make this into a movie!  We need more books that go beyond the traditional gender norms so kids can both see themselves and also so that kids can see others not like them at the center of important and positive and fun stories.   The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell (and others)   I was reading the last third of The Cardboard Kingdom after dinner one night. I may have mentioned before that we have a post-dinner reading routine of 20-30 minutes. All of us. And since the girls had taken over my prefered reading spot on the couch, I was off in the easy chair in the corner. Chuckling and smiling and just… reacting as I read it. And suddenly, Helena, my 9 year old, is reading over my shoulder, looming over me.  Then she’s sitting on the arm on the chair, her head pressed against mine to see every angle of the illustrations. Then she’s in my lap with her hands on the book slowing down my turns of the pages so she could absorb each panel. Until finally, I relinquished it to her and just said, “Start from the beginning babe. It’s all yours.”   I just happened to pick up this graphic novel right after I finished The Prince & the Dressmaker, and I loved the parallels between it’s main character, Sebastian, and the first character we meet here - The Sorceress!  The first section is told completely through wordless panels as we witness two siblings playing with a kiddie pool, a chair, and a bunch of cardboard boxes and how their imagination has transformed that into magic and adventure.  A girl peeking over the fence at them starts laughing and at first it breaks the spell and ends the game. But then she gets drawn into their world in her own unique way. And the story takes off from there - with each neighborhood kid bringing in their own personalities and quirks and their own imaginative spin on adventure.  There are knights and robots and banshees and beasts. And entreupreneurs. There are conflicts and battles. And quieter moments of understanding. The stories stack and intertwine and build and build to create an amazing collection of backyard adventures! And just as the kid’s adventures are collaborative - so is this book! Chad Sell is the illustrator but each section was crafted along with a different writer - Jay Fuller, David Demeo, Katie Schenkel, Manuel Betancourt, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Cloud Jacobs, Michael Cole, and Barbara Perez Marquez.  And somehow, those diverse authors and illustrators have captured that magical feeling of childhood where there’s boundless inspiration and freedom and when it’s good - acceptance and transformation of flaws into strengths and positive energy. It’s hard to describe the special magic of this book. But it gave me the same feeling as watching the new Spiderman movie I mentioned at the top of the show. A feeling of witnessing some of the best that collaboration has to offer - it’s some next-level stuff.   Well - you’ve heard from me and now I want to hear from you!  What graphic novels from the past year did you and the kids in your life love?  Which ones are really making an impact among your students?   And which ones are you all looking forward to in 2019?      You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or jump into the conversation on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.      We’ll be back to our every-other Monday schedule starting January 14th and make sure you check out the next episode which will be all about the most anticipated middle grade books of the upcoming year.   Closing   Thank you so much for joining me this week.  You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org.   And, if you have an extra minute this week, reviews on iTunes or Stitcher are much appreciated.   Books Between is a proud member of the Lady Pod Squad and the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com   Talk with you soon!  Bye!

Based on the author’s personal experience, this story of 5th grader Mia Tang captures her qualities of cheer, ingenuity, and resilience. Mia moves with her parents from China to California and almost immediately aids them in managing a motel by taking over the front desk. By turns humorous and horrifying, Mia’s optimism sees her through transitions and challenges and wins the hearts of motel weeklies—and of listeners. Published by Listening Library Read the full review of FRONT DESK at audiofilemagazine.com. For more free audiobook recommendations, sign up for AudioFile Magazine’s newsletter. On today’s episode are host Jo Reed and AudioFile Magazine Assistant Editor Emily Connelly Support for Behind the Mic comes from Grammy Award-winning publisher Hachette Audio, home to works by James Patterson, JK Rowling, Joel Osteen, David Sedaris, David Baldacci, Elin Hilderbrand, Michael Connelly, and many more bestselling audiobooks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for educators, librarians, parents, and everyone who loves middle grade books!  My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fantastic books and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two girls, a 5th grade teacher, and I just discovered the COOLEST thing last week and I have to share it with you!  There is this teacher named David Marsh and he makes stop motion LEGO Batman Book Talks. They are SO awesome! There’s one for Enginerds and one for Serafina and the Black Cloak - and, my favorite - the one for The Frame-up! I’ll drop a link to his YouTube Channel in the show notes. Do you yourself a favor and go watch them. This is Episode #56 and oday is all about Kelly Yang and her fabulous new novel, Front Desk. Before we begin, I have two quick announcements! First is the Middle Grade at Heart Book Club update. This month’s pick is Where the Watermelons Grow, and I am so close to finishing that book - it’s so good and I can’t want to have Cindy Baldwin on the show to chat with me about it. In September we are reading The House That Lou Built and in October is Three Rules of Everyday Magic. So grab those books and let me know if you have questions you think I should ask the authors when they come on the show. And second quick reminder that Monday nights are the #MGBookChat Twitter chats with some really juicy topics coming up like building book access in book deserts, creating a classroom community through books, and ending gendered labels of books. It can be very easy to get into the hustle and bustle of your day and forget - so set a reminder on your phone for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter. Kelly Yang - Interview Outline Our special guest today is Kelly Yang. And as you will hear - she is one incredible and humble person. And since she’s not going to talk herself up, I am. Kelly Yang is one of the youngest graduates of Harvard Law School - earning her degree at 17. She’s a columnist for the South China Morning Post and her features have been published in The New York Times and the Washington Post. She’s a commentator, a debater, and founder of The Kelly Yang Project - an award-winning writing and debate program for kids in Hong Kong. And that’s really just scratching the surface of this WOW Woman! I was really honored that Kelly took the time out her family vacation to sit down with me and chat about so many things - how to reach English-language learners, racial profiling, the Simpsons, her writing journey, and her childhood helping her parents run motels which was the inspiration behind her debut middle grade novel, Front Desk. Take a listen… Front Desk Your debut middle grade novel, Front Desk, has been getting all kinds of love!!   For our listeners who have not yet read the novel, can you tell us a bit about it? Would you mind reading a favorite passage? Aside from running the front desk of the motel, Mia is often translating for her family. Was this something you also had to do? If so - how did that impact you? I adored Mia, but I really really came to love her parents! But… her mother could be carelessly cruel. Her pressure to be good at Math. And then when she tell Mia that the other kids are cars but that Mia is a bicycle - oh my GOD!  I started to wonder if maybe Mrs. Tang was just really scared for her daughter? One of the most powerful scenes is when a car was stolen from the motel and in the course of that investigation, Mr. Yao discovers that the Tangs have been renting to black people. And he says, “I thought I told you not to rent to bad people.” That thread of discrimination and racial profiling (even by other marginalized people) was woven throughout the story at various points.  Can you speak a little bit about your thought process behind those sections? I love following you on Twitter and I loved your thread about the Simpsons and Apu controversy. Could you talk a little bit about your response to that and your relationship to that character? **BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Kelly and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you’d like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today’s episode at the 40:14 mark. Your Writing Life What was your journey from Harvard Law graduate to author? What are you working on now? Your Reading Life One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians and parents inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books.  Did you have a special teacher or librarian who helped foster your reading life as a child? What were some of your most influential reads as a child? What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? Links: Kelly’s website - http://kellyyang.edu.hk Kelly on Twitter and Instagram   Books & Authors We Chatted About: The Babysitters Club series (Ann M. Martin) Matilda (Roald Dahl) To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) Unidentified Suburban Objects (Mike Jung) Peasprout Chen (Henry Lien) Magicians of Elephant County (Adam Perry) Alan Gratz Ban This Book (Alan Gratz) The Wild Robot (Peter Brown) The Wild Robot Escapes (Peter Brown) Orphan Island (Laurel Snyder) Ghost Series (Jason Ryenolds) Closing Alright, that wraps up our show this week! If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well. Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!  

We are a nation of immigrants. And they have stories to tell. Today, we invite you to listen to stories from authors and illustrators who are creating work that shares the immigrant experience and what it means to leave your home in search of a better life.  Featured authors: Kelly Yang, author of Front Desk Edwidge Danticat, author of Untwine  Alan Gratz, author of Refugee Sayantani DasGupta, author of The Serpent's Secret Rashin Kheiriyeh, author of Saffron Ice Cream Carmen Agra Deedy, author of The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! Additional resources: See the note from Kelly Yang's teacher about promoting her to second grade See a photo of the dress Carmen Agra Deedy wore when her family left Cuba Listen to Edwidge Danticat on the Scholastic Reads, podcast episode #18: "Edwidge Danticat: Beating the Darkness" Listen to Alan Gratz on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #42: "Telling the Stories of Refugees" Listen to Sayantani DasGupta on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #58: "Sayantani DasGupta and The Serpent's Secret" Listen to Carmen Agra Deedy on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #32: "The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet: Giving Children a Voice" Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow  

We are a nation of immigrants. And they have stories to tell. Today, we invite you to listen to stories from authors and illustrators who are creating work that shares the immigrant experience and what it means to leave your home in search of a better life.  Featured authors: Kelly Yang, author of Front Desk Edwidge Danticat, author of Untwine  Alan Gratz, author of Refugee Sayantani DasGupta, author of The Serpent's Secret Rashin Kheiriyeh, author of Saffron Ice Cream Carmen Agra Deedy, author of The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! Additional resources: See the note from Kelly Yang's teacher about promoting her to second grade See a photo of the dress Carmen Agra Deedy wore when her family left Cuba Listen to Edwidge Danticat on the Scholastic Reads, podcast episode #18: "Edwidge Danticat: Beating the Darkness" Listen to Alan Gratz on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #42: "Telling the Stories of Refugees" Listen to Sayantani DasGupta on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #58: "Sayantani DasGupta and The Serpent's Secret" Listen to Carmen Agra Deedy on the Scholastic Reads podcast, episode #32: "The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet: Giving Children a Voice" Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow  

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom, and spending a lovely weekend with my family inside away from the bitter cold playing epic games of Sorry and watching all the Star Wars movies. Again. This is Episode #41 and today I’m sharing with you some fabulous 2018 titles to look forward to this year and an awesome interview with EngiNerds author Jarrett Lerner! Book Talk - Most Anticipated Middle Grade Books of 2018 Typically in this segment, I share with you a few books centered around a theme. And during the last few episodes I was all about looking back at some of the best middle grade fiction and graphic novels of 2017. (If you missed those, go check out episodes #39 and #40.) But this week I want to talk about some of the most anticipated books of the upcoming year.  Some are long-awaited sequels or new installments in well-loved series. Some are new ventures for favorite authors. And some are by debut authors. So, buckle up and and get ready to add to your wish list. And just a reminder - before you scramble for a pen and paper. You can find every book mentioned here AND a picture of the available covers AND a link to pre-order them right through the Books Between Podcast link at AlltheWonders.com.  I’ve got your back, I know you’re busy, so it’s all right there for you.  And I’ve come to really love pre-ordering - it helps out favorite authors and it’s like a little gift to your future self. Two quick things to mention before I start. One - this is just a sampling of all the incredible books coming out this year. I’ll add some links to some great resources in the shownotes where you can find more complete listings of titles to browse through and discover some gems: http://www.readbrightly.com/middle-grade-books-2018/ https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/98185.Middle_Grade_Novels_of_2018 https://mgbookvillage.org/2018releasedates/ https://electriceighteens.com/ And second - publication dates do change, so while I’ve mentioned the book release month - things sometimes change. All right - let’s get to it! Coming in January… Let’s start with the some sequels because there are some AWESOME sequels coming our way to give us something to look forward to during this dreary month…. Linda William’s Jackson’s follow-up to Midnight Without a Moon - A Sky Full of Stars is out this January as Rose struggles with the way to face the rising racial tensions in her community. Ooooo - and the new Fenway & Hattie is out this January!!!  I just can’t get enough of that little dog!  This third one is called Up to New Tricks so definitely snag that one for your Fenway fans - and for you, too! And Gordon Korman’s Supergifted is also set for a January release - this is the sequel to Ungifted - a great book about a boy named Donovan who is mistakenly transfering into a gifted program and has to figure out how to pass as brilliant.  This follow up is about his new friend, Noah. We are also getting another Terrible Two book in January - Terrible Two Go Wild! And a new Spy on History book - Victor Dowd and the World War II Ghost Army! Ah!  And we a get a new HiLo book this January! It’s called Waking the Monsters! (As my husband said - yeah, that sounds like what I do every weekday.) Our 8 year old is SUPER psyched about this new book! - so keep ‘em coming Judd Winick! Okay - and it’s not really a sequel BUT - there is just released a GRAPHIC NOVEL version of the first The Wings of Fire book - ahhhh!!!  It’s illustrated by Mike Holmes and my students are going to FREAK when I tell them  tomorrow. Some other January releases that are looking fabulous are…. Betty Before X  - an historical fiction novel set in the 40s about 11-year-old Betty Shabazz - future civil rights leader.  This one is written by her daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz with Renee Watson Winterhouse by debut author Ben Guterson - this is an urban fantasy mystery set in a magical hotel containing a huge library with secrets to discover. We are also getting the first middle grade book by picture book author Angela Dominguez called Stella Diaz Has Something to Say! Another novel that looks REALLY interesting is called TBH, This is SO Awkward by Lisa Greenwald and it’s told entirely in texts.  So I definitely need to check that one out. And my friend Emily Montjoy has been raving about Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard so I’m looking forward to my turn with that one. Also - Leslie Connor, the author of the critically-acclaimed All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, has a new novel out in January called The Truth as Told By Mason Butte - so definitely check that one out. Natalie Lloyd also has a new novel coming out this January! So if you liked A Snicker of Magic or The Key to Extraordinary, look for The Problim Children - which is described as a mix between Lemony Snicket and the Addams Family... Annnd - the new Elly Swartz novel - Smart Cookie!!  I had a chance to read an ARC of this one with my daughters and oh I can’t wait for it to be out in the world! On to February … One that I’ve had a chance to read ahead of time is Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein by Jennifer Roy and Ali Fadhil.  I’ll talk more about this book later when I have time to really go into depth, but for now I’ll just say - preorder it. A great historical fiction about an Iraqi boy during the first Gulf War. Then we have The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta - a fantasy about a New Jersey girl discovering that she may, in fact, be an Indian princess. The 11:11 Wish by Kim Tomsic looks really fun. It’s about a dorky math nerd who vows to reinvent herself at her new school. And when she makes a wish as the clock strikes 11:11, she gets granted a magical object that might help her. Shannon Hitchcock, author of Ruby Lee & Me has a new novel coming out in February - this one is call One True Way. Another one to look out for in February is Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Her Granddaughters. With all the buzz about Wrinkle in Time with the new movie coming out, this book looks really great. Aaand - we get a new John David Anderson novel in February!! This one (Granted) is so different from Ms. Bixby or Posted, but I just loved it! It’s a fantasy novel about a fierce fairy named Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets who runs into some trouble as she attempts to grant her first wish. In March, there are so books I am really looking forward to! My principal won’t mind if a take a month-long reading sabbatical, right? Like Vanessa is the debut novel by author Tami Charles - it’s set in 1983 and is about a young girl inspired by seeing Vanessa Williams get crowned Miss America and is encouraged by her teacher to enter a beauty pageant. Lauren Magaziner has a new book out in March called Wizardmatch that looks like a fun fantasy. And The Science of Breakable Things by debut author Tae Keller looks really good - a book about a scientifically minded girl competing in an egg-drop contest AND using those skills to try to help her mom deal with her struggles. In March we also get Colby Sharp’s Creativity Project! An “awesometastic” collection of short stories developed from the author’s prompts to each other. It is a fantastic read and such a clever idea!  Definitely one that teachers will want on hand to spark your writers’ imaginations. The Train of Lost Things  by Ammi Joan-Paquette is another favorite of my #BookVoyage friend Emily Montjoy - who has amazing taste by the way. (Definitely go follow her on Twitter @mrsmontjoyreads ! ) So I’m looking forward to a chance to read this one as well. Oh! And the next Dan Gemeinhart novel comes out in March!! It is called Good Dog and I can’t read the synopsis to you or I’ll start crying but it sounds simply wonderful. Of course it is - it’s Dan Gemeinhart! March lets us reconnect with some favorite characters with a great bunch of sequels coming out. We get a new Emily Windsnap book, Emily Windsnap and the Falls of Forgotten Island. And a new Star Scouts graphic novel - League of Lasers   The third Narwhal and Jelly book (Peanut Butter and Jelly) come out.   The 78-Story Treehouse as well as a new Dory Fantasmagory book called Head in the Clouds along with a new Stick Dog Stick Dog Crashes a Party.   We also get Elana Arnold’s follow up to A Boy Called Bat - Bat and the Waiting Game   And - probably the book that I have been waiting and waiting for. DYING to read with my daughters - is The Wild Robot Escapes - the sequel to Peter Brown’s incredible The Wild Robot!  So - mark your calendars for March 13th, pre-order this one, AND - if you haven’t yet read the first one…. well, what’s the matter with you? Get on that! In April we have lots to look forward to including sequels, like: The next Moon Base Alpha book called Waste of Space, Janet Tashjian’s My Life As a YouTuber , and Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl will be out. And Adrienne’s Kress’ second Explorers book - The Reckless Rescue!   And the third book in Jason Reynold’s incredible Track series will be out! It’s called Sunny and follows “the chillest dude on the Defenders team”, but one with a troubled life at home that hides behind that sunny smile. And, the debut by Laurie Morrison and Cordelia Jenson, called Every Shiny Thing looks really really good…. I’m also looking forward to the new Jewell Parker Rhodes novel called Ghost Boys. It’s about a young boy who is killed by the police when they mistake his toy gun for the real thing. And as a ghost, he witnesses how that event unfolds in his neighborhood and meets other ghosts like Emmett Till. Oh that gives me chills just thinking about it! And - we get a new Kwame Alexander novel this year!  It is called Rebound - the much-awaiting prequel to his Newbery-winning The Crossover. This one about Josh and Jordan’s father, Chuck Bell. On to the awesome May releases to watch for: Terri Libenson’s new graphic novel - Positively Izzy looks great- it’s the companion to Invisible Emmie. And the The Cobalt Prince, the second 5 Worlds graphic novel will be out. Another May release that I am so so excited about is Most Valuable Players - the next Phil Bildner Rip & Red book. There are three books coming in May that have been getting a lot buzz lately - one is called Bob - written by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. I can’t wait to see the awesomeness THAT collaboration brings! The second one is Aisha Saeed’s middle-grade debut, Amal Unbound, which is about a Pakistani girl forced into working as an indentured servant to pay off her family’s debts. Friends who have read this one are saying it is  incredible. And then I keep hearing about Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Let me just read you a bit from the description and tell me this doesn’t sound AMAZING! Okay, “Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1-She lives in a motel, not a big house. Number 2- Her parents hide immigrants. Number 3-She wants to be a writer.” In June we have some really cool books coming our way: Kate Messner’s new novel Breakout - based on some details from the real-life (and close to home for me) breakout of two prisoners in New York and how the community reacts to that situation. I can’t WAIT for this one!!   Also - Kate Beasley (of Gertie’s Leap to Greatness) and Dan Santat (of a million books you love, most recently the picture book After the Fall) are teaming up for a book called Lions & Liars - about a boy named Frederick who is sent to a disciplinary camp for troublesome boys. That one looks phenomenal!   And Laura Shovan’s new book Takedown is coming this June!  Can’t wait to read this novel about a girl who wants to join the wrestling team. I keep hearing people raving about it on Twitter. And Barbara Dee has a new novel coming out in June called Everything I Know About You.   We also get to read Wendy McLeod MacKnight’s new middle grade novel The Frame-up! I had a chance to read this one this past fall and it is phenomenal. It’s about a young artist who goes to live with his father for the summer and attends an art-camp at the museum where his father is the director. And he soon discovers that the paintings are alive! Truly - after reading this book, I’ll never look at another painting the same way again.  It’s so so good!   And thankfully I have July and August off from school, so I can catch up AND snag some summer release books such as…. Cindy Baldwin’s debut  - Where the Watermelons Grow And my daughter will be thrilled to know there will be a new Dog Man this summer called Lord of the Fleas!   Oh! And Denis Markell, author of Click Here to Start has a new novel coming this summer called The Game Masters of Garden Place. Also this summer is a cool book called Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya. Let me read you a blurb: “Marcus Vega is six feet tall, 180 pounds, and the owner of a premature mustache. When you look like this and you're only in the eighth grade, you're both a threat and a target.” And the rest of the description is so good - definitely check this one out. This August we also get a new Jess Keating book! This one is called Cute as an Axolotl: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals So after August, specific publication dates get a little harder to come by. BUT - a few things have popped up. Like.. A new Last Kids on Earth book called The Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond   The new Nameless City graphic novel called The Divided Earth   The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden!! A new Beatrice Zinker book! And I can’t wait for Jarrett Krosoczka's graphic novel memoir coming out called Hey, Kiddo.   Also - I saw, I think... a Sarah Weeks has a sequel to So B. It coming out called Soof? That is definitely on my radar!   And the big news in my class this week - the 8th Amulet book!!!!!! Woohoo!!!  Oh my gosh - my students cheered when I told them that Kazu Kibuishi announced this on Twitter last week!  It is called Supernova and has a beautiful cover so go check that out and make all your middle grade readers happy by pre-ordering it now. So so much to look forward to this year! And of course - I’ll keep you posted about all the amazing books headed our way so we can stay up to date. And definitely make sure you check out the show notes and check out those links so you can dive deeper and discover awesome new books that you are looking forward to reading this year. Main Topic - A Conversation with Jarrett Lerner This week I am so excited to welcome to the show Jarrett Lerner - author of the fantastic middle grade novel EngiNerds. We chat about his plans for the sequel, the power of the perfect metaphor, and Project Runway! Take a listen….. Interview Outline: Enginerds Enginerds has been getting all kinds of love lately - congratulations!! I saw Colby Sharp used Enginerds as his example in his 5 ways to support authors you love video. For those who aren’t (yet!) familiar with Enginerds, can you tell what this story is about? What was your thought process like when deciding what your robots would look like and act like? Enginerds is in a long and glorious line of children’s books and movies and TV shows featuring robots. What are some of your favorites? We are getting a book two, right?! Other Middle Grade Projects So I saw on Twitter last month that you have teamed up with Analiese Avery (@_AJAvery) to launch @MG_BookBot. How did that get started and what are your plans?   And I am so excited about your new middle grade focused website -  MG Book Village!  Aside from the twitter hashtags, what are you hoping to include on the site? Tell me about your KidLit Mentorship Project…. Project Runway Your Writing Life What is your writing process like? What are you working on now? Your Reading Life One of the things I talk about a lot with other educators is the power of that one person to really influence a child’s reading life - either in a really positive way or sometimes in a negative way. Was there someone in your life who impacted you as a reader? What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? Thank You!   Links: Jarrett’s Website - https://jarrettlerner.com Jarrett on Twitter and Instagram Books & Authors We Chatted About: Jasmine Toguchi Series Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus The First Rule of Punk Kurt Vonnegut Baby-Sitters Club Sweet Valley High Judy Blume Beatrice Zinker Upside Down Thinker Clementine Ramona Jerry Spinelli The Game Masters of Garden Place Oddity Other Topics We Chatted About: MG Book Village Website #MGBookathon Electric 18 Debut Group Project Runway The Kentaro Dead Cat Scene Tim Gunn’s Golden Rules Melissa Roske’s Interview with Jarrett Lerner Closing Alright, that’s it for today! If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher. Or even better - tell a friend about us! Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!

Today's show we have Meredith Karazin and Kelly Yang from LearnLab. LearnLab /光合空间 is an educational entrepreneur community, bringing together the best in education and business to help entrepreneurs transform learning for all. Our vision is that educational innovation—such as new modes of learning, adaptive curriculum, teaching tools that are smart and nimble, training for teachers, online courses, and so on— allows all learners to reach their full potential and dreams. Our flagship program is an accelerator, a four-month program that will provide early-stage educational entrepreneurs with educational partnerships, mentorship, talent, and funding to help accelerate their success. LearnLab also creates and supports a broader community through educational and entrepreneurial events and learning experiences. Episode Content:I'll start with you Meredith, Telling us about Learn Lab and what you guys exactly do?Meredith, So you are essentially an accelerator, what kind of companies you accept to the program? and what stage? Any special criterion?Kelly, education in China is perceived as not being creative and based on repetition & memorization more than on analysis and understanding deeply the material.Do you see any change in that approach ?How do you cope with that when bringing new solutions to schools? Would they even listen?Meredith, I was advising an edtech company before in China, they had major difficulties moving forward because the adoption of technology in schools in China is really slow. How do you cope with that in learn lab?Meredith, Tell us about your most exciting startups so far, and your biggest success.didn’t we talk about this already? Mike: both, do you still see untouched areas in Ed tech that startups can still search for opportunities of growth in China?let me spin it differentlyAny conflicts or sensitive issues that you face from the government?From reading your bios You both live and breath education. What would be your best advice for young startups going to this field? And do you think China is best place for that to start? Be honest :)What’s the best way to get in touch and perhaps apply to the program?Episode Mentions:New Oriental www.learnlabchina.comEmail: apply@learnlabchina.comLearn Lab's wechat official account ghkj2015Meredith Karazin on LinkedinKelly Yang on LinkedinCross Border Summit: April 16, 2016 in Shenzhen, ChinaDownload and SubscribeDownload this episode: right click on this link and choose "save as"Subscribe to China Business Cast on iTunesOr check out the full list on subscription options Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)