Middle Grade Novels

Today, I’m sharing my interview with debut verse novelist Meg Eden. Her middle grade novel, GOOD DIFFERENT, is out from Scholastic in April. The interview is up at the Diverse Verse blog.

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Thursday, 10 November 2022

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone. I haven’t been able to join the party in a while. We have been dealing with some health issues since the summer — including our first experience with Covid. Now that everyone is on the mend, I’m glad to be back with an author highlight. Today, I’m featuring a middle grade […]

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Thursday, 6 January 2022

Happy first Poetry Friday of 2022! Today, I’m featuring my favorite middle grade book of 2021 — the brilliant (and hilarious, and sad) climate emergency satire, ONE SMALL HOP by Madelyn Rosenberg. Here is an abbreviated description of the story from Goodreads: Perfect for fans of Carl Hiaasen’s classic Hoot, this humorous adventure story set in […]

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Happy Poetry Friday, everyone! Today, I have an interview with one of my favorite people in the children’s literature community, author Tricia Springstubb. Thanks to Tricia for giving away a copy of her middle grade novel The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe. Leave a comment and I will draw a winner (U.S. only, please) before […]

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Thursday, 3 June 2021

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone! I am super excited to welcome my friend, verse novelist Chris Baron to speak with us today. Chris is the author of the verse novel ALL OF ME. His follow up middle grade book, THE MAGICAL IMPERFECT, come out on June 15. Chris is very generously giving away *not only* a […]

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Thursday, 6 May 2021

It’s Poetry Friday! I have been featuring Asian American authors on my blog as part of the annual #AuthorsTakeAction initiative. In each post, I’ll share a recommended middle grade or YA novel by an Asian American author and a read-alongside poem. Before we get to today’s featured book, though–a quick announcement. This month, on May 18-19, author and poet […]

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It’s Poetry Friday! For the next few weeks, I will be featuring Asian American authors on my blog as part of the annual #AuthorsTakeAction initiative. In each post, I’ll share a recommended middle grade or YA novel by an Asian American author and a read-alongside poem. Before we get to today’s featured book, though–a quick announcement. This Sunday, […]

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Thursday, 15 April 2021

Happy National Poetry Month, everyone. According to Poets.Org, it’s the 25th anniversary! For the next few weeks, I will be featuring Asian American authors on my blog as part of the annual #AuthorsTakeAction initiative. In each post, I’ll share a recommended middle grade or YA novel by an Asian American author and a read-alongside poem. […]

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Friday, 30 October 2020

Hi, poets and poetry lovers! We have two big events coming up in the next few days. Tomorrow is Halloween. (Check out this Baltimore Sun article about how Halloween was celebrated during the 1918 flu pandemic.) And, of course, Tuesday is Election Day. After the 2016 presidential election, I signed up for election judge training. […]

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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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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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