by Amanda Ramierez for Publishers Weekly Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera retells the Aztec myth of creation, casting Xolotl, the dog-headed god of lighting, death, and misfortune, as the hero in her middle grade work Xolo, illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson. When all life on Earth perishes and the immortal gods must throw themselves into a …
Congratulations to PNW authors Renée Watson and Idris Goodwin on their Walter Dean Meyers Honors from We Need Diverse Books! Announcing the 2026 Walter Dean Myers Awards and Honor Books The We Need Diverse Books Walter Awards Judging Committee has selected the Winners and Honorees for the eleventh annual Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding …
Liberty Bay Books welcomes readers to the second Poulsbo Kids’ Book Festival this Saturday, November 15, 2025. The event runs from 11:00am – 3:00pm and will be held at the North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo, WA. For more details, visit the festival link. Here’s a direct link for the list of authors. If you would …
The Bigfoot Kids’ Book Festival kicks off Friday October 10, 2025 at 5:30 at the Archer Hotel in Redmond, WA with a keynote by author, illustrator, and Caldecott Award winner Dan Santat. Free tickets are required and are available at the event link. The following day, Saturday October 11, the festival runs from 10:00- 4:00 …
Perhaps I shouldn’t admit this. But every time I write a book, it’s only at the very end that I find out what it was actually about. Somehow, I’m surprised every single time this happens. I write middle-grade narrative nonfiction, which may seem like it’s straightforward. My books all stem from questions I have or …
Seattle author Mark Holtzen interviewed Kristi Wientge; the two are long-time critique partners and long-distance friends. Best Friends, Bikinis, and Other Summer Catastrophes is available at bookstores around the country as of May 17, 2022. Mark Holtzen (MH): You have a new middle grade children’s book. What first inspired this story idea? What caused …
“Okay, but after that I know what could happen!” It’s a constant refrain I hear from children I’ve visited in multi-purpose rooms and classrooms across the country once I tease them about my plans for the final book of my Hello There… trilogy. Some kids refuse to acknowledge that “trilogy” means “three,” and they’re quick …
Elana K. Arnold was a National Book Award finalist for her novel, What Girls Are Made Of. She is the author of numerous novels for Middle Grade and Young Adult readers, including A Boy Called Bat and Infandous. Her latest novel is Damsel, which may best be described as a fantasy novel for the #MeToo era. …
