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 …
Xiran Jay Zhao’s Young Adult novel, Iron Widow, won a 2022 PNBA Award. Now their first middle grade novel is on bookshelves, and it’s an action- and history-filled romp! Enjoy this introduction video from the author.
Kevin Emerson’s newest middle grade novel, Drifters, is a mystery/sci-fi about a 13-year-old girl searching for her missing friend on the Washington coast. While a tale with multiple timelines and universes, Drifters is also a simple story about holding onto friendship. It is also a love letter to the PNW coast. RK: What was your …
The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams is at the top of my bucket list of great bookstores. In this magical shop people from different times walk in the door to find the book they need and be nourished by the magic of the shop. Flowers bloom, messages appear on the chalkboard, and everyone feels loved …
A Scottish castle, birdwatching and finding one’s flock are at the center of the charming middle-grade novel Across the Pond by Joy McCullough (Blood Water Paint; A Field Guide to Getting Lost; Champ and Major: First Dogs). When Callie’s parents inherit a Scottish castle, she’s thrilled at the prospect of a fresh start. But Callie’s hopes of …
On the livestreaming event celebrating the 2021 Pacific Northwest Book Award Winners, an audience member asked the authors for book recommendations. Here are some of the books that came up, some literally pulled from stacks near the authors for show and tell: Entangled Life (recommended by Silvia Morena-Garcia) The Gilded Ones (recommended by Kim Johnson. …
This wonderful new middle grade novel is something of a hybrid. It is autobiographical fiction. Or, rather, it is the creative way that the author tells his own story. And Nayeri’s work is compelling and compassionate. Written with great heart and humor— and with a genuine flair for the art of storytelling— Everything Sad Is …
In Black Brother, Black Brother, Rhodes looks at colorism, prejudice in schooling systems against people of color, and whitewashing in history all in a brilliant sports narrative. After being falsely accused of disrupting class at his private school and then arrested for being angry that no one would listen to him, Donte is encouraged to …
Seattle kids’ author Mark Holtzen interviewed Seattle kids’ author Kim Baker about her upcoming middle grade novel, The Water Bears. Where did the idea for The Water Bears come from? What was the original grain of sand that led to this pearl? (If you have better ideas for jokes or puns in questions, I’m all …
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Oregon Book Awards. The Oregon Book Awards honor the state’s finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, graphic literature, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers. Oregon Literary Fellowships provide financial support to Oregon’s emerging and established writers and publishers. ELOISE JARVIS …
