Laura A. Woollett is the first-time author of Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and The Greatest Show On Earth (Chicago Review Press, 2015). From the promtional copy:
Big Top Burning investigates the 1944 Hartford circus fire and invites readers to take part in a critical evaluation of the evidence
The fire broke out at 2:40 p.m.
See facebook page, excerpt & educator guide.
By Amy Axelrod & David Axelrod
When we began, we knew that we wanted to write a novel about a down-and-out magician during World War I.
We knew the setting would be New York City and that this washed-up magician,
By Erin Hagar & Joanna Gorham
Julia Child: An Extraordinary Life in Words and Pictures is by Erin Hagar and illustrated by Joanna Gorham (Duopress, 2015). From the promotional copy:
Julia Child knew how to have fun, and she also knew how to whip up a delightful meal.
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In 1984, Dana Walrath journeyed to Palu, in Western Armenia (now part of Turkey), where she saw the mill and farmlands that once belonged to her maternal ancestors, who were forced to flee the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
Her family story became the basis of her acclaimed novel in verse Like Water on Stone (Delacorte,
Continue Reading Guest Interview: Dana Walrath on Like Water on Stone »
Original White House Invitation Emily Received in Wheels of Change.
The idea for Wheels of Change (Creston, 2014) came about through the discovery of two things while researching my family tree.
One was the fact that my paternal great-grandfather was a carriage maker in Washington D.C.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Darlene Beck Jacobson on Wheels of Change »
By Dana Walrath
My first novel, Like Water on Stone, just came out (Delacorte, Nov. 2014). Of course, I’m smiling. The cover and interior of the book are beautifully produced. I’ve poured my soul into it.
“What’s it about?” people ask me.
When I tell them, “It’s the story of three siblings who survive the Armenian genocide of 1915 with the help of the guardian spirit of an eagle,” I’ve learned that I better get my smile under control.
Continue Reading Guest Post & Giveaway: Dana Walrath on Writing from the Marrow »
By Karen Rock
From the promotional copy of Creed by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie (Flux, 2014):
Three of us went in.
Three of us came out.
None even a shadow of who they once were.
When their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere,
Continue Reading New Voices Interview: Trisha Leaver & Lindsay Currie on Creed »
By Janet Nolan
I admit it.
I have a favorite sandwich. It’s peanut butter and jelly.
Loved it when I was a kid, and I still do.
So, when I first started thinking about writing a picture book that examined where our food comes from, I didn’t have to look any further than the ingredients in my favorite sandwich: peanut butter,
From the promotional copy of Born To Be Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents by Lita Judge (Roaring Brook, 2014):
What do grizzly bear cubs eat? Where do baby raccoons sleep? And how does a baby otter learn to swim?
Every baby mammal,
The seed of The White House is Burning: August 24, 1814 (Charlesbridge, 2014) was planted on 9/11.
Sometime during that day, as we all tried to get a handle on what had happened, a TV reporter compared the terrorist attacks with other national tragedies like Pearl Harbor.
