Hello friends,

I’m delighted that Blue Skies is featured in the Middle Grade Kids Summer Reads on the Lone Star Literary Life blog. Check out all of the titles for ages 8-12.

With gratitude,

Anne

Hello friends,

Earlier this week I posted some of my favorite Middle Grade reads by Black authors. Today, I’d like to share some picture books by Black authors and or illustrators that I love.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford illus. by Kadir Nelson

Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illus. by Vashti Harrison

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illlus by Orge Mora

You Matter by Christian Robinson

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate

Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, illus. by Bryan Collier

Lullaby for a Black Mother by Langston Hughes, illus. by Sean Qualls

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, illus. by Eric Velasquez

It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw by Don Tate, illus. by R. Gregory Christie

The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali, illus. by Hatem Aly

Alvin Ailey by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illus. by Brian Pinkney

Saturday by Oge Mora

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by Rafael Lopez

The Undefeated by Kwane Alexander, illus. by Kadir Nelsn

A Place to Land by Barry Wittenstein,  illus. by Jerry Pinkney

Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barto, illus. by Don Tate

A Ride to Remember: A Civil Rights Story  by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan, illus. by Floyd Cooper

With thanks,

Anne

Hello friends,

Many thanks to fifth-grade teacher Colby Sharp, who recorded his booktalk about Blue Skies. You can access it HERE. I’ve also included it in the Links section of the Blue Skies page on my website.

With deep gratitude,

Anne

Hello friends,

Black lives matter. Books by Black authors matter. Here are a dozen middle grade books I know and love:

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia, followed by P.S. Be Eleven, and Gone Crazy in Alabama

The Great Green Heist by Varian Johnson, followed by To Catch a Cheat, and The Parker Inheritance

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, 1963  by Christopher Paul Curtis

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

With gratitude,

Anne

Hello friends,

Happy news! Blue Skies is a Parents’ Choice Recommended Book Award Winner for 2020! I’m honored and overjoyed to be in the company of other books I know and love. Here’s the link to the list:

Parents’ Choice Book Award Winners Spring 2020

With deep gratitude,

Anne

Hello friends,

Here’s a link to my latest guest blog post on Middle-Grade Mojo, where I answer three questions about Blue Skies.

“. . . miracles happen, but they may not look like we expect. And expressions of gratitude, no matter how small, can be significant.”

With thanks,

Anne

Hello, friends,

I’m super excited about sharing Blue Skies with everyone on Facebook Live/SimonKids on Thursday, March 28th at 2PM EST. I’ll be reading, snacking, and leading viewers in a simple art activity. Hope to see you there!

With gratitude,

Anne

Hello, friends,

RAD! is now available everywhere! The illustrator, Daniel Wiseman and I, hope you’ll love reading our book about a fraidy cat, who with the help of his siblings, overcomes his fear of trying something new.

With gratitude,

Anne

Hello, Friends!

Our Tech Check for the Everywhere Book Fest panel is complete. Linda Sue Park, Gail Carson Levine, and I can’t wait to see you!

Please join us next Friday, May 1, at 1:00 EST for “Putting the STORY in history: a historical fiction panel.”

Here’s the link: https://everywherebookfest.com/

If your schedule won’t allow you to join us in real-time, know that our discussion will be added to YouTube.

With gratitude,

Anne

Hello friends,

I joined Pinterest earlier this year and have had a blast pinning resources for all of my books and favorite topics, like literacy and writing. Please drop by anytime to see what’s new as I’ll continue to add pins over time.

Here’s an example of a pin I made for RAD!

With gratitude,

Anne