Behind the Books: When I Became a Writer

One of the questions people frequently ask me is when I became a writer. My answer usually surprises them. Taking a rest with my dad. I wrote my first piece of nonfiction when I was around 4 years old. It consisted of one word, five letters. Missy—my childhood nickname. The truth is that we are […]

Behind the Books: Starting with a Question

Here’s the question I left off with last week: How do we give students the tools and opportunities they need to become passionate nonfiction writers? I think the key is to make the process as authentic as possible. And that means looking at the process behind passionately written professional writing. While every professional writer has […]

Why I Love nErDcamp

Back in 2012, I wrote a book about the Titanic for the National Geographic Readers series. A few months later, Mary Ann Cappiello, Erika Thulin Dawes, and Grace Enriquez, three professors of language & literacy at Lesley University asked me to do an interview for their great blog The Classroom Bookshelf. But they didn’t want […]

My Favorite Conference

AASL is my favorite conference. Hands down. So I was delighted to travel to Columbus last week for the festivities. On Saturday morning, I participated in a panel about books that highlight the work of changemakers along with Laurie Thompson (moderator extraordinaire), Shana Corey, Loree Griffin Burns, and Don Tate. I had a great time […]

Behind the Books: Wise Words from a Writing Teacher

When Cathy Mere, a first grade teacher I really respect from Ohio, posted this on twitter:   I decided to pop over to the Two Writing Teachers blog to take a peek. Wow, was I blown away by the post. I immediately tweeted Deb Frazier, the teacher who had written the post. (Like Cathy, Deb […]

Behind the Books: I’m Gobsmacked

I never pass up an occasion to use “gobsmacked.” It’s one of my favorite words. And it perfectly describes how I feel today, right at this very moment. I’ve written 184 books. I’ve also written about 30 manuscripts that will probably never be published. They lead quiet lives in the middle drawer of a file […]

Behind the Books: The Biggest Thrill

I write books and put them out in the world. People buy them—adult people, not the kids I’m trying to reach. So I often wonder are kids actually reading them?  Are they enjoying them?   Sometimes it’s hard to tell. But not today. Today I have proof. Pictures like this give me the biggest thrill. […]

Behind the Books: Off to a Good Start

Every time I launch a new book into the world, I cross my fingers and hope for the best. I know I’ve done everything I can to make the book the best it can be. But I also know from experience that readers and reviewers don’t always “get” a book. Luckily, people seem to be […]

Behind the Books: Who Is this Woman?

This is Julie Ham, one of my editors at Charlesbridge. She sent me this photo so that I could admire the lovely, feathery headband that she wore to her company’s spring launch meeting in honor of my upcoming title FEATHERS (illustrated by the uber-talented Sarah Brannen). Julie inherited FEATHERS when the book’s original editor left […]

Behind the Books: The Writer’s Life

I’m a writer. Once upon a time, that meant I sat at my desk and wrote all day, every day. I loved what I did, but sometimes I felt a bit disconnected from the rest of the world, especially my young readers. In the last few years, thing have changed. A lot. Most children’s authors […]