Laura’s Bookshelf
Thursday, 8 September 2016

Happy Poetry Friday! This Friday, I am visiting Durham, NC as a Very Special Person. It is Muffin Morning at my niece’s school. She has never had a Special Person attend Muffin Morning. Of course, I said, “I am there!” Do you think they have fancy badges? Muffins are already pretty fancy. I am also […]

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It’s the last Poetry Friday before school begins. Let’s have a serious talk, friends. Last year, I was sitting in my teen’s school auditorium for an awards ceremony. The event celebrated students who were academic achievers, as well as stand-outs in art, volunteerism, and other areas. My kid wasn’t being recognized. She was alone, unseen in […]

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Thursday, 18 August 2016

Happy Poetry Friday, writerly friends! It’s been a few weeks since my last blog post. Let’s catch up on news. First, I finished drafting my next middle grade novel (my excuse for not blogging). More info on that to come. Second, I have a few articles to share. Check out educator David Ruby’s post about how […]

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I’ve got a treat for history buffs on Laura’s Bookshelf today. Middle grade author Deborah Kalb is here to talk about her new novel, GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE MAGIC HAT. Here is the blurb from Goodreads: Adventure, history, and the drama of school life intertwine in this engrossing tale of a fifth-grade boy struggling to […]

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Happy Poetry Friday! The American Library Association is coming up next week. I’m looking forward to checking out fall trends in middle grade and, of course, what’s new in poetry. I’ve had a blast during my debut author year spending time with fellow middle grade novelists. Today, I’d like to introduce Poetry Friday readers to […]

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Every once in a while, I read a book and — the moment I’ve finish the last page — I know the novel’s perfect poem. That’s what happened with my good friend Kathy MacMillan’s YA fantasy SWORD AND VERSE. Kathy and I, along with debut authors Ava Jae and Janet Sumner Johnson, did a mini book-tour together in […]

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Wednesday, 13 April 2016

Over the past several months, I have grown as a reader. I’m not on literary tour of classic novels, or — finally — committing to reading every book I own. The books on my night-stand, in my purse, open as I drink my morning tea, have been 2016 debuts. Reading books by friends in my […]

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National Poetry Month is finally here! For the first time in several years, I am not doing an April blog project. I’ll be a little busy with my book launch. However, I am going to enjoy what the other Poetry Friday bloggers have to offer for our 20th anniversary NPM celebration. Jama Rattigan has a […]

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Happy Poetry Friday! I spent the past week doing a local book tour with three other debut authors. We had a blast. The other middle grade novelist in the group was Janet Sumner Johnson, author of THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB&J SOCIETY.     Janet is from Oregon, and she stayed with me […]

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It’s only three weeks until the launch of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE. Good thing I don’t have to wait alone. Three other debut middle grade authors are celebrating book birthdays on April 12, 2016. We’re calling ourselves #April12thMGShelf. Together, we are giving away a shelf-worth of new middle grade books, all four of our titles, […]

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Laura Shovan

Laura Shovan is the author of the award-winning middle grade novel, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary. Her second book, Takedown, is a Junior Library Guild and PJ Our Way selection. Look for A Place at the Table, co-written with Saadia Faruqi, in 2020. Laura is a poet-in-the-schools Maryland.

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