Ever wondered what it's like to win both a Newbery AND a Caldecott award?

Author/illustrator and delightful human, Grace Lin, is with us today and she shares all the behind-the-scenes award info you've been looking for, plus:

• Why it's important that books serve as both windows and mirrors.
• Why books get banned.
• How a better solution beyond cultivating lists of diverse books might be to integrate diversity and inclusion into the curriculum at large: math, science, English, health, etc. and what that looks like.
• How many of our favorite childhood books are a little like that one out-of-touch relative we all have.
• The advantages of growing with a small publisher.
• Winning both a Newbery Award and Caldecott Award.
• The pros and cons of how books are labeled for the market.
• How she chooses her illustration styles.

And more! You don't want to miss this episode.

You can find Grace at her website, on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube!

Support indie bookstores and this podcast (affiliate links) by clicking on these links to purchase Grace's books through Bookshop.org.

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon
Ling and Ting: Not Exactly The Same!
A Big Mooncake For Little Star
When The Sea Turned To Silver
The Year Of The Dog
Starry River of the Sky

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty

Please leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts!

What's it like to write, publish, and promote a book a year?

Here to tell us today is middle-grade author Mae Respicio, author of the award-winning The House That Lou Built, Any Day with You, How to Win a Slime War, and more!

Mae shares her thoughts on:

• How our twelve-year-old selves greatly influence who we become as adults.
• Using a science project board in your outlining process.
• Research in the writing process.
• Setting realistic writing goals.
• Her incredible writing journey.
• Seeing yourself in books.
• Playing the long game.
• And, of course, the best recipes for making SLIME!

You can connect with Mae at her website!
Or on Twitter!

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty

All links to books are on Bookshop.org, and support indie bookstores and give a small percentage to support this podcast at no charge to you!

If you haven’t read The Verdigris Pawn, by Alysa Wishingrad, you’ll want to after listening to this interview!

"Time distorts all truths." The Verdigris Pawn

In both her book and this podcast, Alysa Wishingrad addresses this central theme—balancing our knowledge by searching for and understanding various perspectives on history. She graciously shares her knowledge about the writing and publishing process, and offers inside info on the creation of her debut middle grade novel, The Verdigris Pawn.

Author bio:

Alysa Wishingrad once had a whole different career working in theater, tv, and film, but nothing could be better or more exciting than writing stories and crafting worlds for middle-grade readers. 8-12 year-olds are truly some of the smartest, most open, and inquisitive people around, and Alysa is dedicated to helping them hold onto that magic as they grow up.

When she's not writing she's probably out walking her two very demanding rescue dogs, who came all the way from Alexandria, Egypt to share their shedding fur and love. Or she might be trying to figure out what to make for dinner - again! - for her family. But, if she's very lucky, she's out at the theater getting lost in a wonderful story.

Her debut, THE VERDIGRIS PAWN, was published by Harper Collins in July of 2021.

Some of her writing influences mentioned in the podcast are:
Francis Hardinge (The Lie Tree), Charles Dickens, Anne Ursu, Brian Selsnick (The Marvels, The Invention of Hugo Cabret), and Franny Billingsly.

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty
Clubhouse: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites
Or Join MGBookParty on Clubhouse here.

"When you meet people, you don't hate them anymore."

This quote from Hilary during this interview expresses so much about her humanity, her love, and her wisdom. Her historical WWI and WWII novels, The Skylarks' War, and Swallow's Flight are exquisite novels that delve into the life of people who lived these wars. Specifically, Swallow's Flight does a gorgeous job of presenting compelling characters who lived on both sides of World War II, and following the family from Skylark's War into the next generation of children is a gift. We learn so much from HIlary in this interview, and we just didn't want the conversation to end. On a personal note, Hilary McKay is one of the two authors who I credit with my decision to write middle grade. Her Casson Family series is real, heartfelt, hilarious, and just a beautiful emotional experience.

Hilary McKay is the award-winning author of The Time of Green Magic (which received five starred reviews), The Skylark’s War (which was a Boston Globe Best Book, and received three starred reviews), Binny Bewitched (which was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and received two starred reviews), Binny in Secret (which received three starred reviews), Binny for Short (which received four starred reviews), and six novels about the Casson family: Saffy’s Angel, Indigo’s Star, Permanent Rose, Caddy Ever After, Forever Rose, and Caddy’s World. She is also the author of Wishing for Tomorrow, the sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess, and The Swallows’ Flight--releasing in the US on October 19th. Hilary lives with her family in Derbyshire, England. Visit her at HilaryMcKay.co.uk.

You can connect with Hilary and follow her books at the following links:
Hilary's Website
Twitter: @hilary_mckay

Purchase Books by Hilary McKay
Saffy's Angel
Indigo's Star
Binny Bewitched
The Skylark's War
The Swallow's Flight

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty
Clubhouse: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites
Or Join MGBookParty on Clubhouse here.

Disclaimer - Book links on this page are affiliate links through Bookshop.org. By ordering through our links, you are supporting independent bookstores, and also this podcast, through no additional cost to you.

Please consider purchasing titles by ALL MGBookParty Featured Authors here to help support this podcast.

Newbery Honor winning middle grade author Rajani LaRocca and her Super Agent Brent Taylor have collaborated to share Rajani's prolific collection of picture books and middle grade novels with the world, and in this interview, they share what that collaboration has looked like, what they looked for in an agent / client relationship, and inspire us with their joy over children's fiction. This was recorded BEFORE Rajani won the Newbery for Red, White, and Whole, so listen for talk of pre-award buzz...

Brent Taylor
After years of interning in trade book publishing, Brent Taylor joined Triada US in 2014 to assist Uwe Stender while building his own list of fiction and non-fiction for readers aged 0-18. He was promoted to associate agent in November 2015, to agent in April 2017, and to senior agent in October 2020. In 2019, Brent was named a Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch Honoree. Brent describes his reading tastes as upmarket: He’s passionate about books for young readers that are extremely well-written, robust with emotion, and appeal to a wide, commercial audience.

Rajani LaRocca

Newbery Honoree Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning novels and picture books. She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, math, science, and just about everywhere she looks. To connect with Rajani and learn more about her and her books visit her at www.Rajani.LaRocca.com or @rajanilarocca on Twitter, Instagram, and Clubhouse.

Purchase books by Rajani LaRocca:
Midsummer's Mayhem
Much Ado About Baseball
Red, White, and Whole

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty
Clubhouse: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites
Or Join MGBookParty on Clubhouse here.

Disclaimer - Book links on this page are affiliate links through Bookshop.org. By ordering through our links, you are supporting independent bookstores, and also this podcast, through no additional cost to you.
Please consider purchasing titles by ALL MGBookParty Featured Authors here to help support this podcast.

We had way too much fun interviewing Samantha Gentry editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. We got so much insight into the editorial process, acquisitions, publication, editor phone calls, and so much more!

Samantha Gentry is an editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Her primary focus is commercial nonfiction across all categories, and fiction picture books, and middle grade. She has a particular interest in pop culture tie-ins, and platform driven stories in nonfiction. She is especially on the lookout for voice-driven middle grade with unforgettable characters, a friendship story at its core, interesting family dynamics, and a touch of magical realism. She loves to see character-driven stories with a touch of humor and quirk, but she's also a sucker for charming tales that feel like an instant classic.

You can learn more about Samantha Gentry at #MSWL
Or connect with her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty
Clubhouse: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites
Or Join MGBookParty on Clubhouse here.

Disclaimer - Book links on this page are affiliate links through Bookshop.org. By ordering through our links, you are supporting independent bookstores, and also this podcast, through no additional cost to you.

Please consider purchasing titles by ALL MGBookParty Featured Authors here to help support this podcast.

We had SO much fun interviewing Paige Terlip, literary agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency! Paige shares her joy at working with this fantastic agency. She gives tips for querying, shares her Manuscript Wish List, talks about dream clients, and her role as a career agent.

Paige has worked at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency since 2017, an agency consistently ranked #1 in juvenile sales by Publishers Marketplace. First as an Assistant for Executive Agent Laura Rennert, then as an Assistant Agent, and now as an Associate Agent.

Prior to joining ABLA, she worked at Candlewick Press and Charlesbridge Publishing. She has also worked in a variety of jobs outside of publishing, from communications and marketing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to scooping horse poop at a ranch in the Rockies. She has an MA in Children’s Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons University. If she is not reading, you’ll find her practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, rewatching the Great British Baking Show, or hiking with her pup.

Though Paige is currently closed to queries (1/28/22), I'm sure she'll be open again soon, and You can go here to check if she's available to query, or reach out to any of her colleagues at Andrea Brown Literary Agency!

As always, please feel free to connect with Heather and Cheryl in the following places:
www.CherylCaldwellAuthor.com
www.HeatherClarkBooks.com
www.MGBookParty.com
Order LEMON DROP FALLS by Heather Clark here.
Twitter: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites, @MGBookParty
Instagram: @SaltyQuills, @HeatherClarkBooks, @MGBookParty
Clubhouse: @CherylCaldwell, @HClarkWrites
Or Join MGBookParty on Clubhouse here.

Disclaimer - Book links on this page are affiliate links through Bookshop.org. By ordering through our links, you are supporting independent bookstores, and also this podcast, through no additional cost to you.

Please consider purchasing titles by ALL MGBookParty Featured Authors here to help support this podcast.

We are so pleased to join two wonderful school librarians, and members of the @FReadomFighters—Nancy Jo Lambert and Becky Calzada for an interview about censorship, #FReadom, and access to books for children. Along with Carolyn Foote and other librarian colleagues, these women launched the #FReadom hashtag which has trended nationally to the tune of 13,000 tweets!

Their goal: Shine a light on the positive impact that books make as we ensure they are accessible from many diverse viewpoints. These educators inspired us, striving to unite everyone behind the common goal of connecting children with books as we foster their learning and growth. This movement grew in the wake of a daunting number of book challenges and book bannings nationwide in recent months.

Consult the following resources mentioned in this podcast for concrete action items, and monthly challenges to help you get involved in protecting freedom of information and helping people work in harmony with our school libraries to provide the best possible reading experience for students.

1. Find out about the #FReadom movement in this news article. And more here. And here.
2. Find out what you can do to help at the @fReadomfighters Campaigns and Actions page.
3. Find out more about the credentials and expertise of school librarians in these social media posts.
4. Find out more about helpful responses and frequently asked questions on the FreadomFighters website.
5. Follow the @FReadomFighters on Twitter.


Becky Calzada

Becky Calzada is a District Library Coordinator in Leander ISD which is located NW of Austin. She is a Director-at-Large for AASL, an advisory member for The Center for the Future of Libraries Advisory Group, on the Legislative Committee for TxLA, and Past Chair for the TxASL. Becky can be followed on Twitter @becalzada.


Nancy Jo Lambert

Nancy Jo Lambert is a Google Certified Trainer and HS teacher-librarian in Frisco, TX at Reedy High School. She is a presenter advocating for libraries by telling the story of the learning happening in her library. She holds positions in TLA, TCEA, ALA, AASL, and TASL. She was named TCEA Library Media Specialist of the Year the American Association of School Librarians Social Media Superstar Curriculum Champion in 2019. She co-founded #TeachPride, EduPrideAlliance. She is also a #FReadom organizer. She is known for sharing her professional work on Twitter @NancyJoLambert and nancyjolambert.com and her library website reedylibrary.com.

We'll close with a a moving, important quote shared by Nancy Jo Lambert during the interview.

In the words of Rudine Sims Bishop, “Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. And when there are enough books available that can act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what make us all human.”