Throwback Thursday: Melissa de la Cruz’s Path to Publication & Writing Page-Turners

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.

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Throwback Thursday: Bethany Hegedus on Embracing Your Strengths, Between Us Baxters & Truth with a Capital T

Congratulations to Bethany Hegedus on the upcoming publication of You, Me, We: A Celebration of Peace and Community, co-written with Arun Gandhi, illustrated by Andrés Landazábal (Candlewick Press, June 2023). From the promotional copy:

Peace is you. Peace is me.
Peace is the great big We of community.

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Throwback Thursday: Martine Leavitt on Writing & My Book of Life by Angel

Congratulations to Martine Leavitt on the publication of her newest novel, Buffalo Flats (Margaret Ferguson Books, 2023). From the promotional copy:

Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Leavitt has traveled by covered wagon from Utah to the Northwest Territories of Canada, where her father and brothers are now homesteading and establishing a new community with other Latter-Day Saints.

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Throwback Thursday: Cynthia Leitich Smith on Writing (Sort Of) Timeless Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Congratulations to Cynthia Leitich Smith on Harvest House, out Tuesday from Candlewick! To date, the book has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Connection. From the promotional copy:

Deftly leading readers to the literary crossroads of contemporary realism and haunting mystery, Cynthia Leitich Smith revisits the world of her American Indian Youth Literature Award winner Hearts Unbroken (Candlewick,

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Throwback Thursday: Author Christina Soontornvat on the Downs (and Eventual Ups) of Making It Past that Debut Year

Congratulations to Christina Soontornvat on the publication of Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test, illustrated by Kevin Hong (Scholastic, March 2023). From the promotional copy:

Young Plum is shocked to discover that she’s been accepted to the Guardian Academy on Lotus Island, an elite school where kids learn how to transform into Guardians,

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Throwback Thursday: Don Tate’s Journey to Becoming an Artist

Congratulations to illustrator Don Tate and author Sherri Duskey Rinker on the publication of Roto and Roy: To the Rescue! (Little Brown, March 21, 2023).

From the promotional copy: When a flash flood threatens a nearby town, helicopter Roto and pilot Roy soar to the rescue! Quick—a truck needs to be hoisted to safety!

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Throwback Thursday: Jane Sutton on Revisiting a Theme

Congratulations to Jane Sutton on Gracie Brings Back Bubbe’s Smile, illustrated by Debby Rahmalia (Albert Whitman, 2022). Kirkus Reviews called the book “A tender reminder that family and culture can buoy us after loss.”

Take a look back at Jane’s first Cynsations guest post from 2010.

Guest Post: Jane Sutton on Revisiting a Theme

By Jane Sutton

My friend Fay called after reading my latest picture book.

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Throwback Thursday: Michaela Goade Shares Her Illustration Process

Congratulations to Michaela Goade (Tlingit) on Berry Song (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2022)! It’s the first book Michaela has authored as well as illustrated, and it received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, and School Library Journal.

Take a look back at Michaela’s 2020 Cynsations interview discussing the creation of her Caldecott-award winning We Are Water Protectors,

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