Spotlight image: Debut author Anna Sortino
Happy Deaf Awareness Month! I’m Kerry O’Malley Cerra, and I’m here with Anna Sortino to help you celebrate September with books representing d/Deaf and hard of hearing experiences. We’re calling this Five in Five (x2).
Continue Reading Guest Interview: Five in Five with Authors Kerry O’Malley Cerra & Anna Sortino »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: I’m From by Gary R. Gray Jr., illustrated by Oge Mora (Balzer + Bray, 2023).
Author/Illustrator Insights
What Kate DiCamillo Understands About Children by Casey Cep from The New Yorker.
Congratulations to Melissa de la Cruz on The (Super Secret) Octagon Valley Society (Disney Hyperion, Sept. 5, 2023), the first book in a new middle grade series. From the promotional copy:
You only get in if you’re Extraordinary….
After passing an intense exam, Edwin Edgefield becomes one of the lucky few to attend an exclusive weekend at the mysterious high-tech institute of the uber-famous-ultrabazillionaire-genius-recluse Onasander Octagon.
By AJ Eversole
I am thrilled to have award winning author Jen Ferguson (Métis/White) today on Cynsations! We’ve hosted her previously to speak about her debut, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet (Heartdrum, 2022). The book went on to win many awards including the 2022 Governor General’s Literacy Award,
Continue Reading Author Interview: Jen Ferguson on Sophomore Books & Shaping Characters »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Thank you to everyone who joined us over the 2022-2023 academic year!
We dearly appreciate the authors, illustrators, gatekeepers, and industry professionals who shared their insights and inspirations.
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Hello, Mister Blue by Daria Peoples (Greenwillow Books, 2023).
Author/Illustrator Insights
By AJ Eversole
I’m excited to share an interview with picture book author-illustrator, S.D. Nelson. He is the author of many picture books featuring his Native heritage, his newest release, Grandma’s Tipi (Abrams, 2023) released in early May.
What is at the heart of your new non-fiction picture book Grandma’s Tipi: A Present-Day Lakota Story?
I’m thrilled to welcome Kidlit Caravan members, Carrie Tillotson, Harshita Jerath, and Rebecca Gardyn Levington to Cynsations today!
Why did you write this picture book?
Carrie: The short answer is that my editor asked me to! The long answer is a bit more involved.
I’m thrilled to welcome Srividhya Venkat to Cynsations today!
What do you love most about the creative life/being an author? Why?
I consider my creative life to be a privilege and I’m grateful that I get to do this every day. I like that I can decide what projects to work on and do them at my own pace (with the exception of contracted projects).
Thirteen and In Between
The year I was 13, I grew from five-foot-seven to five-ten and three quarters. One day, a seventh grader gazed up at me and snapped, “Move, you big palooka.” You could say that moment I felt pretty small.
That year I also ran our school carnival.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Lyn Fairchild Hawks Advocates for Thirteen-Year-Old YA Protagonists »