A Place at the Table

Starting a Conversation With Elders Who Moved Here From Another Country Excerpted from We Need Diverse Books, May, 2020 By Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan This summer, our middle-grade novel A Place at the Table, will be out in time for the back to school season. It is the story of two girls who meet in […]

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Happy Poetry Friday, friends and readers. Next Tuesday, August 11, Saadia Faruqi and I celebrate the launch of our co-authored middle grade novel, A PLACE AT THE TABLE. During one of our *many* conversations about the book (before, during, and after we wrote it), Saadia and I discussed a poem called “My Best Friend Is […]

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Friday, 24 July 2020

I missed National Doughnut Day this year. It’s celebrated on the first Friday in June. Doughnuts are not my favorite sweet (that honor goes to the lowly cookie), but they play a significant role in two of my middle grade books. In TAKEDOWN, Mickey’s family tradition is to go out for donuts when she or […]

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Tuesday, 21 July 2020

The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary An award-winning, big-hearted time capsule of one class’s poems during a transformative school year.  “Entertaining . . . Shovan skillfully employs different poetic forms and styles…Characters… will inspire readers as they find the courage to save their school and make their voices heard, both as a united front […]

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Welcome, readers and eaters. While there was only room to print one recipe in the back of A Place at the Table, my co-author Saadia Faruqi and I didn’t want to disappoint potential chefs. Scroll down to find three printable recipe cards featuring foods from the book. (Cards designed by Mary Zadroga of Steel Toe […]

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Thursday, 14 November 2019

Happy POEtry Friday, everyone. I’m excited that so many of you are coming to Baltimore next week for the National Council of Teacher of English conference. Lucky me — I get to host Poetry Friday friends Kat Apel and Irene Latham for a few days! To put everyone in a Charm City mood, I am […]

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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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