Book Trailer: Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Jean Claude

Book Trailer: Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Jean Claude

By Carmen Oliver
for Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Cynsations

In 2012, I was working on a nonfiction picture book project about white and black spirit bears in Canada and the boy Simon Jackson who was trying to save them from extinction.

At the same time, my daughter was in fifth grade and was given the awesome task of being a reading buddy to an incoming kindergartner.

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Guest Interview: Kate Hosford & Cynthia Levinson: Children’s Authors & Circus Fans (Part II)

Guest Interview: Kate Hosford & Cynthia Levinson: Children’s Authors & Circus Fans (Part II)

By Kate Hosford

Cynthia Levinson’s book Watch Out for Flying Kids! How Two Circuses, Two Countries, and Nine Kids Confront Conflict and Build Community (Peachtree, 2015) is an in-depth look at the world of social circus —a movement that brings kids from different cultures together to perform.

Cynthia follows the story lines of nine kids in two circuses: Circus Harmony in St.

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Cover Reveal: Heather’s Crush Catastrophe (Confidentially Yours, Book 3) by Jo Whittemore

Cover Reveal: Heather’s Crush Catastrophe (Confidentially Yours, Book 3) by Jo Whittemore

By Cynthia Leitich Smith

Check out the newly announced cover art for Heather’s Crush Catastrophe (Confidentially Yours, Book 3) by Jo Whittemore (HarperCollins, 2016)!

To celebrate, you can enter to win one of two signed ARCs of Brooke’s Not-So-Perfect Plan (Confidentially Yours, Book 1) and Vanessa’s Fashion Face-Off (Confidentially Yours,

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New Voice: Laura Woollett on Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and The Greatest Show On Earth

New Voice: Laura Woollett on Big Top Burning: The True Story of an Arsonist, a Missing Girl, and The Greatest Show On Earth

By Cynthia Leitich Smith

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.

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Guest Post & Giveaway: Anne Bustard on Musicality: Composing with Repetitions

Guest Post & Giveaway: Anne Bustard on Musicality: Composing with Repetitions

By Anne Bustard

Every writer wants her work to sing.

Writing that sings is exquisitely crafted. It lifts its voice in praise of language. Its story is pitch perfect. It invites readers to sing along and has the power to linger in a reader’s consciousness long after the last note.

Like a composer creating a musical score,

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Guest Post: Joy Preble on Being a Mid-Career, Mid-List Author

Guest Post: Joy Preble on Being a Mid-Career, Mid-List Author

By Joy Preble

I took pause for a moment when my lovely friend and mentor, Cyn Leitich Smith, asked me to write about what it’s like to be at this stage in my career.

“You know,” she said. “You’ve got a foothold but you’re not a new voice or (yet) a grand dame.”

The truth is that she nailed it exactly.

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Giveaway: Feral Pride Releases: All Tantalize-Feral Universe Novels Now Available

Giveaway: Feral Pride Releases: All Tantalize-Feral Universe Novels Now Available

By Cynthia Leitich Smith

Today’s release of Feral Pride means all of my TantalizeFeral universe novels are available from Candlewick Press.

While all the books can stand alone, there’s likely best appreciated in concert.

This finale unites protagonists of the two series and brings back a number of other fan-fave characters.

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