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Who’s ready for a great summer of writing? For those who don’t already know about Teachers Write, it’s a free summer writing camp that I offer for teachers and librarians (and anyone else who loves to write, too!). This summer’s camp runs from July 8-26. Each weekday, Monday through Thursday, we’ll be learning from mentor texts, talking about writing craft, and chatting with the authors of those mentor texts for some Q&A. You’ll get each day’s Teachers Write post via email if you sign up.

Teachers Write 2019 won’t begin for a while yet, but here are some things you can do now to get ready.

1. Click here and sign up to join us, if you haven’t already!
2. Get a notebook and a pen or pencil you love, if you prefer to do quick-writes by hand.  If not, get your laptop or tablet ready to go.
3. Order this summer’s mentor texts, or pick them up from your library, and start reading.

Here are our mentor texts for this summer. Please consider taking the list to your local independent bookstore if you have one. Indie booksellers support our communities in so many ways!

Week 1, we’ll be taking a close look at two amazing nonfiction picture books.

Week 2, we’ll look at two more picture books – both written in rhyme. You may have heard from other writers that rhyming picture books are among the toughest to write well. That’s true – but these two authors are masters of the craft and will have some great tips for us!

Week 3, we’ll be looking at what I think is one of the best middle grade novels published in 2018. This one is a master class in character development, dialogue, and so many other elements of craft.

We’ll have official Teachers Write posts Monday through Thursday each week. I’ve left Fridays open for other authors who would like to offer a mini-lesson or writing prompt on their own websites. If you’re an author who’d like to do that, just use the hashtag #TeachersWrite so our campers will be able to find your post on social media!

Teachers Write has always been free for participants – all I ask is that if you can, you support it by purchasing one or more of my books this summer. Or if you can’t do that, please request them at your local library.

If you work with readers in early elementary school or want to write picture books or easy readers, you might like one of these…

If you work with chapter book readers or want to explore series writing, you might want to choose one of my Ranger in Time historical adventures.

And if you work with older readers or want to write novels, maybe try one of these…

The countdown is on for our summer of writing and learning together! Spread the word, share the sign-up form, pick up your notebook, start reading, and I’ll see you in July!

Hello, teacher/librarian/writer friends! Here’s an update on Teachers Write, our free online summer writing camp for teachers & librarians. Many of you have reached out to ask about this summer, and I hope you’ll be excited about the news I’m sharing today! I’m a little late with this year’s information because I’ve been busy writing books. Like this one…

And this one…

But now those projects are put to bed, and it’s time to talk about summer camp, which will be just a little different this year. As most of you understand, coordinating an ongoing online project like this involves many hours of work. This has been a labor of love for me since Teachers Write began in 2012, but I’m at a point in my writing and personal life where I need to spend fewer hours online. I’m also mindful of the fact that this project has asked for many hours of free labor from our amazing guest authors, who are also busy writing books and doing other good, important work in the world.

Don’t worry, though – Teachers Write isn’t going away! This summer’s camp will just have a new format. Teachers Write 2019 will run for three weeks, from July 8-26. Instead of coordinating blog and social media posts, I’ll be sharing a daily newsletter, Monday through Thursday during those three weeks. Each week, we’ll focus on learning and practicing some element of writing craft by studying a mentor text or two. This summer, we’ll be learning from five amazing mentor texts – four picture books and one novel – and we’ll have a visit from the authors of our mentor texts each week for some Q&A. The list of books will be coming soon, so you’ll have time to purchase or request them at your library.

This summer, I’m leaving Fridays open for other posts that folks in the writing/publishing community would like to share with Teachers Write campers. So author friends… if you’d like to offer a mini-lesson or writing prompt on a summer Friday, just share it with the hashtag #TeachersWrite. I won’t be involved in these, but our teacher-librarian-writers will be able to search the hashtag for more inspiration & lessons on our summer Fridays and throughout the year.

Ready to sign up and write with us this summer? Just sign up for my email list here:: http://eepurl.com/grB4p1

And watch for our list of Summer 2019 mentor texts, coming next week!

Ever since the Ranger in Time historical adventure series launched in 2015, readers have been asking me to send Ranger to the Titanic. They’re getting their wish with book nine, which comes out January 29 from Scholastic.

It’s available for pre-order now, and copies ordered from The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid by January 28^th will be signed & personalized! To pre-order signed copies online, click here.  When you order, make a note in the comments field about how you’d like your book signed.  You may also pre-order by phone by calling The Bookstore Plus at 518-523-2950.

To celebrate Ranger’s ninth adventure, I’m holding three different contests – one for booksellers, one for teachers & librarians, and one for readers (with help from their adults). I hope you’ll participate and spread the word!

For Booksellers: The Ranger in Time Window Contest!

To enter: Create a Ranger in Time window display, or a display elsewhere in the store. Be creative (and if you’d like, feel free to feature other books that Ranger readers would love, too, along with the new book!)

Share your display on social media with the hashtag #RangerInTime and be sure to tag me (@KateMessner). The contest runs from now until February 22. Entries will be judged on the basis of enthusiasm and creativity. Winners will be selected by a panel of bookstore-loving authors and notified the following week.

First Prize: Bookstore Pizza Party with Really Excellent Chocolate for Dessert!

You’ll receive four large pizzas and a big salad from your favorite local pizza place, to be delivered on the day of your choice. You’ll also receive a big box of Lake Champlain Chocolates (with is pretty much the best chocolate ever), and you can either save that for the party or eat it as soon as it arrives. I know what I’d do…

Two runners-up will also receive that big box of Lake Champlain Chocolates (and should probably eat it right away.)

For Teachers & Librarians: Win a Class Set of RANGER IN TIME: DISASTER ON THE TITANIC!

To enter: Just share the contest graphic on social media! If you’d like, you can also include your students’ suggestions for where Ranger should go next! Include the hashtag #RangerInTime and be sure to tag @KateMessner. Deadline is January 29th at 11pm EST.

Bonus Entries: Pre-order a signed copy of RANGER IN TIME: DISASTER ON THE TITANIC for your classroom or library from The Bookstore Plus by January 28th, and you’ll receive 10 bonus entries for the contest, along with a pack of Ranger bookmarks to share with your readers (while supplies last).

To pre-order signed copies online, click here and make a note in the comments field about how you’d like your books signed (to “Ms. Porter’s 3^rd grade readers” or “To Orchard Elementary School”).  You may also pre-order by phone by calling The Bookstore Plus at 518-523-2950.

Grand Prize: A class set of RANGER IN TIME: DISASTER ON THE TITANIC (up to 30 copies)

Winners will be drawn at random from all entries and announced/contacted on February 1^st.

For Ranger in Time Readers: A Ranger in Time Art Contest!

To enter: Create a drawing or other piece of art inspired by your favorite Ranger in Time book! Have your parent, grandparent, or other caregiver, or your teacher or librarian share it on social media with the hashtag #RangerInTime and be sure to tag @katemessner. (For internet safety reasons, please use only your first name. I’ll contact the adult who posted for you if you win!) Or have that adult email it to me (katemessnerbooks at gmail  dot  com). A grand prize winner will be chosen by a panel of book-loving authors, and five more winners will be drawn at random from all entries.

Grand prize: A signed copy of RANGER IN TIME: DISASTER ON THE TITANIC, along with a $50 gift certificate to The Bookstore Plus so you can order even more books along with it!

Five more winners (drawn at random from all entries) will receive a signed copy of RANGER IN TIME: DISASTER ON THE TITANIC along with a pack of bookmarks to share with your friends!

Deadline: January 25, 2019 at 8pm EST – Winners will be contacted on January 28.

And finally, for everyone…

A great big THANK YOU so much for reading Ranger’s adventures and sharing them with the readers in your life. Ranger and I think you’re the greatest – even better than squirrels and bacon.

xo

~Kate

Hi there – and welcome to the World Read Aloud Day author Skype volunteer list for 2019!

If you’re new to this blog, I’m Kate Messner, and I write books like these:

Kate Messner Scholastic/Bloomsbury/Chronicle/Candlewick K-8 9-11am EST www.katemessner.com http://katemessner.com/contact-me/   Jarrett Lerner Simon & Schuster/Aladdin K-2 and 3-5 8 am to 8 pm EST www.jarrettlerner.com jarrett.lerner@gmail.com     Ann Braden Sky Pony Press 6-8 8:30am – 2:15pm EST www.annbradenbooks.com annbbraden@gmail.com     Mary Sullivan Houghton Mifflin K-2 9:00 to 4:00 cst marysullivan.com mary@marysullivan.com     Alyson Gerber Scholastic 6-8 9am-4pm EST AlysonGerber.com Alygerber@gmail.com     Saadia Faruqi Capstone K-2 9 am to 2 pm CST www.saadiafaruqi.com saadia@saadiafaruqi.com     Jesse Klausmeier Chronicle K-5 10:00a – 10:00p CST https://jesseklausmeier.com jmklausmeier@gmail.com     Stacy McAnulty Random House Children’s Books K-2, 3-5, 6-8 9am – 3pm (EST) www.stacymcanulty.com author.stacymcanulty@gmail.com     Miranda Paul Penguin Random House, Neal Porter Books, Lerner Publishing Group K-5 9 am – 2 pm Central Time Zone www.MirandaPaul.com www.mirandapaul.com/contact     Daphne Kalmar Feiwel and Friends, Macmillan 3-5 Any time (eastern standard time) www.daphne kalmar.com daphnekalmar@gmail.com     Robin Newman Creston Books and Sky Pony Press 6-8 10 am – 1 pm EST. www.robinnewmanbooks.com rnewman504@nyc.rr.com     Dee Garretson Macmillan, HarperCollins, Month9 6-8 8:00 – 3:00 Eastern time deegarretson.com deegarretson@gmail.com     Rebecca Donnelly Capstone 3-6 9:30-2:00 EST https://rebeccadonnellywrites.com https://rebeccadonnellywrites.com/contact/

Carmella Van Vleet Holiday House, Charlesbridge, Nomad Press K-2 & 3-5 9:00 am – 3:00 pm EST www.CarmellaVanVleet.com www.CarmellaVanVleet@yahoo.com     Erin Teagan American Girl and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 3-5, 6-8 8am – 5pm EST www.erinteagan.com teaganek@hotmail.com     Ginger Johnson Bloomsbury 3-5, 6-8 12-3 EST gingerjohnsonbooks.com Ginger@gingerjohnsonbooks.com   Larissa Theule Lender, Bloomsbury, Abrams K-2 9:30-2:00 West Coast larissatheule.com ltheule@gmail.com   Rebecca Rupp Candlewick; Random House K-2, 3-5, 6-8 8 AM – 3 PM EST www.rebeccaruppresources.com rebeccarupp@gmail.com   Lori Richmond Scholastic, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and more K-2 or 3-5 10-2 EST www.LoriDraws.com lori@loridraws.com   Jenna Grodzicki Clear Fork Publishing, Millbrook Press K-2, 3-5 9:30am – 2:00pm (EST) www.jennagrodzicki.com jennagrodz@live.com   Kevin Sylvester Scholastic, Simon and Schuster All 8am-10pm ET Kevinsylvesterbooks.com sylvesterartwork@gmail.com   Jodi Kendall HarperCollins Children’s Books 3-5 9-11am EST www.jodikendall.com http://www.jodikendall.com/connect/   Sarah Sullivan Candlewick Press K-2, 3-5, 6-8 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time www.sarahsullivanbooks.com sarahsull026@cox.net   Jennifer Swanson National Geographic Kids K-2, 3-5 Jan 30th 9am EST-2pm EST, or the week afterwards www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com jennifer@jenniferswansonbooks.com   Laurie Morrison Abrams (Amulet) 6-8 9:00am-12:00pm EST Lauriemorrisonwrites.com Lauriemorrisonwrites@gmail.com   Bethany Hegedus Atheneum/S&S Balzer+Bray/HC 3-5 Central bethanyhegedus.com bahegedus@gmail.com   Abby Cooper FSG/Macmillan 3-5, 6-8 12-4 PM Central www.AbbyCooperAuthor.com AbbyRCooper@gmail.com   Constance Lombardo HarperCollins 3-5th grade 10 – 4 EST www.constancelombardo.com conlombardo@hotmail.com   Nancy Castaldo Houghton Mifflin, Nat Geo, Random House 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 9 am EST to 5 pm EST www.nancycastaldo.com nancycastaldo@nancycastaldo.com   Phil Bildner FSG, Chronicle, Candlewick 3-5, 6-8 8 AM – 11 AM www.philbildner.com PHIL@PHILBILDNER.COM   Dana Alison Levy Delacorte Press/PRH 3-5, 6-8 8:00 am-2:00 pm EST www.danaalisonlevy.com dana@danaalisonlevy.com   Beth Ferry Putnam, Scholastic, etc K-2, 3-5 9:30-2 p.m. EST www.bethferry.com cbferry@aol.com   Debbie Ridpath Ohi Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers K-5 1-3 pm EST http://DebbieOhi.com http://debbieohi.com/contact   Jenn Bishop Alfred A. Knopf / Penguin Random House 3-5, 6-8 10 AM – 5 PM EST http://www.jennbishop.com jenn@jennbishop.com   Nancy Churnin Albert Whitman & Company; Creston Books 3-5 CST nancychurnin.com nancychurnin@mac.com   Carole Estby Dagg Penguin/Nancy Paulsen 3-5 or 6th After 11 am Eastern (8 am western) I’m on west coast www.CaroleEstbyDagg.com carole_dagg@yahoo.com   Jody Jensen Shaffer Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan K-2 and 3-5 10am-2pm CST jodyjensenshaffer.com jodyjensenshaffer@gmail.com   Kristin L. Gray Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books 3-5 Morning, Central Time www.kristinlgray.com kristinlgray@gmail.com   Sarah Aronson Scholastic and Beach Lane Books 3-5: K-2 7:00am-6:00pm Central Time Http://www.saraharonson.com sarah.n.aronson@gmail.com   Laya Steinberg Barefoot Books; Dawn Publications; KarBen Books K-2 East coast time 9am-2pm www.layasteinberg.com lasword@rcn.com   Jennifer Roy Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 6-8 or 3-5 Any (I am EST) Jenniferroy.com jenniferrroyauthor@gmail.com   Kate Feiffer Simon & Schuster K-2 east coast flexible www.katefeiffer.com katefeiffer@gmail.com   Lynn Plourde Down East Books & Nancy Paulsen/Penguin Gr. K-3 (focus “Baby Bear’s NOT Hibernating” Gr. 4-6 (focus “Maxi’s Secrets”) 8:30 am-3 pm (Eastern Time zone) www.lynnplourde.com lynn@lynnplourde.com   Rosanne Parry Random House 3-5 and 6-8 9am to 3pm PST Oregon Www.rosanneparry.com Rosanne@rosanneparry.com   Marcie Colleen Macmillan, HarperCollins, Scholastic K-2, 3-5, 6-8 9am PCT to 4pm PCT www.thisismarciecolleen.com marciecolleen@gmail.com   Cate Berry Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins K-2 8AM-2PM CST www.cateberry.com Cateberrywriter@gmail.com   Katey Howes Carolrhoda, Sterling, Ripple Grove Press K-2, 3-4 On the hour and half hour, 9-2 EST Www.kateyhowes.com Howes_kathryn@yahoo.com   Kathleen Benner Duble Delacorte 4-8 any time that day but 11-12 www.kathleenduble.com info@kathleenduble.com   Laurie Ann Thompson Simon Pulse, Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins Any and all 10am-4pm Pacific Http://LaurieThompson.com Laurie@lauriethompson.com   Annie Silvestro Doubleday, Sterling, HarperCollins K-2 9am – 2pm EST www.anniesilvestro.com anniesilvestro@gmail.com   Tricia Springstubb Candlewick; HarperCollins K-2, 3-5 during the school day, all time zones triciaspringstubb.com tricia.springstubb@gmail.com   Lindsey Leavitt Random House, Harper Collins K-2, 3-5, 6-8 9 am MST-2pm MST www.lindseyleavitt.com contact@lindseyleavitt.com   Kim Tomsic HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books and Chronicle Books 3-5 10-3 (MST) www.kimtomsic.com Ktomsic@gmail.com   Lindsay Leslie Page Street Kids K-2 8:30 a.m.- 2 p.m.CST www.lindsayleslie.com lindsaylleslie@hotmail.com   Laura Sassi Sterling Children’s Books and Zonderkidz K -2 and preschool 9 – 2pm EST www.laurasassitales.wordpress.com Contact through website “contact” tab   Amanda Hosch Capstone/ Capstone for Young Readers 3-5 9 am to 1 pm PT www.amandahosch.com amanda@amandahosch.com   Michele Weber Hurwitz Random House & Simon & Schuster 6-8 9 am to 3 pm central time micheleweberhurwitz.com micheleweberhurwitz@gmail.com   Melissa Gijsbers Stone Table Books Any Melbourne time (AEDST) – I think we are still on daylight savings then melissagijsbers.com melissagijsbers@gmail.com   laurenne sala harper collins & candlewick k-2 9-5 PSt laurennesalabooks.com salasala@gmail.com   Tamara Bundy Nancy Paulson/Penguin Grades 3- 8 10 a.m. EAstern – 4 p.m Tamarabundy.com Authortamarabundy@gmail.com   Ishta Mercurio Fitzhenry & Whiteside K-2 and 3-5 All Times EST: half hour slots all day from 9-4 www.ishtamercurio.com ishtamercurio@icloud.com   Carol Gordon Ekster Clavis Publishing, Pauline Books and Media k-2, 3-5 Eastern Standard time – after 12:00 noon www.carolgordonekster.com cekster@aol.com   Carter Higgins Chronicle Books K-2 6:00-8:00 PST, 10:00 – 12:00 PST www.carterhiggins.com carterhiggins@gmail.com   Erin Soderberg Downing Random House/Simon & Schuster/Bloomsbury K-2, 3-5, 6-8 9-3 CST www.erinsoderberg.com erin@erinsoderberg.com   Kate Narita Farrar Straus Giroux MacMillan K-2 Available after 3 EST www.katenarita.com katenarita227@gmail.com   Jeanette Bradley Roaring Brook K-2 9-3 Eastern Www.jeanettebradley.com Jeanette@jeanettebradley.com   Tina Cho Little Bee Books–Bonnier Publishers 6-8 OR 9-12 9-10am CST or EST/which in South Korea for me is late night Friday www.tinamcho.com tinamariecho@yahoo.com   Gail Nall Aladdin/Simon & Schuster 3-5 9 am-3 pm Eastern Gailnall.com Gailnallbooks@gailnall.com   Laura Gehl Albert Whitman (for most recent book) K-2 10:00-2:30 EST www.lauragehl.con laurameressa@gmail.com   Dianne White Beach Lane/S&S; HMH K-2 7am to 2 pm MST diannewrites.com dianne@diannewrites.com   Hannah Holt Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins K-2 9am-noon (Pacific Time) HannahHolt.com HannahHoltBooks@gmail.com   Monique Fields Macmillan K-2 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (central time zone) moniquefields.com moniquefields@mac.com   Laura Renauld Beaming Books K-2 9-3 EST www.laurarenauld.com laura@laurarenauld.com   Leslie Bulion Peachtree, Charlesbridge 3-5 EST 10am-8pm Www.Lesliebulion.com https://www.lesliebulion.com/contact   Kim Chaffee Page Street Kids K-2,3-5 9am – 11am, 12:30-2:30 Eastern Time www.KimChaffee.com Kimchaffee1007@gmail.com   Stephanie Ledyard Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press K-2 School day any time zone www.stephanieledyard.com stephanie.ledyard@gmail.com   Laura Murray GP Putnam’s Sons K-3 8:30- 2:45 EST www.LauraMurrayBooks.com LauraMurrayBooks@gmail.com   Kimberly Norman Sterling, Scholastic, Penguin/RH K-2, 3-5 10am-4pm eastern http://www.kimnormanbooks.com kimnorman@mac.com   Susan Ross Holiday House 3-5, 6-8 Flexible AuthorSusanRoss.com AuthorSusanRoss@gmail.com   Stel Pavlou HarperCollins 3-5, 6-8 11am-5pm EST Danielcoldstar.com Mail@danielcoldstar.com   Elly Swartz FSG, Scholastic 9-12 10-2 EST https://ellyswartz.com/ ellyswartz@outlook.com   Wendy McLeod MacKnight Greenwillow Books 9-12 8 to 3 EST WendyMcLeodMacKnight.com Wendymcleodmacknight@gmail.com   Karina Yan Glaser HMH 3-5 8am EST -1:30pm EST www.karinaglaser.com karinaglaser@gmail.com   Abigail Rayner NorthSouth Books K-2 9.30am-12.30pm EST https://www.abiraynerwrites.com/ website abi@abigailrayner.com   Lauren Magaziner HarperCollins 3-5 9 am to 6 pm EST www.laurenmagaziner.com lauren@laurenmagaziner.com   Janet Sumner Johnson Capstone Young Readers 3-5 9 AM – 2:00 PM MST Janetsumnerjohnson.com Pbjsociety@gmail.com   Alex Flinn HarperCollins 6-8, 9-12 Any www.alexflinn.com alixwrites@aol.com   Jennifer Hansen Rolli Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster K-2 9-3 EST jenniferhansenrolli.com jhansenrolli@gmail.com   Jennifer Camiccia Aladdin/S&S 3-5 and 6-8 10-2 PST Tuesday’s- Friday Jencamiccia.com Jencamiccia@gmail.com   Kathleen Burkinshaw Sky Pony Press 6-8,9-12 10am EST – 3pm EST www.kathleenburkinshaw.com klburkinshaw@gmail.com   Dana Middleton Feiwel & Friends 3-5th grades 7am-3pm PT Danamiddletonbooks.com Dana@danamiddletonbooks.com   Kayla Cagan Chronicle Books 8, 9-12 PST, CST, MST, EST Kaylacagan.com kayla.cagan@gmail.com   Kathy Ellen Davis Chronicle K-2 and 3-5 7a.m. to 1. p.m. PST Kathyellendavis.com Kathyellendaviswriter@gmail.com   Lisa Katzenberger Capstone K-2 9-3 Central www.lisakatzenberger.com Lisakatz17@gmail.com   Linda Vigen Phillips Eerdmans 6-8 and/or 9-12 Eastern/anytime www.lindavigenphillips.com linda.phillips4866@gmail.com   Dee Romito Aladdin/S&S and Little Bee Books K-2, 3-5, 6-8 (if only one, 3-5) 8:30-1:30 EST deeromito.com dee@deeromito.com   Lindsey Becker Little Brown 9-12 Any US literarylilycate.blogspot.com lindseybeckerbooks@gmail.com   Christina Farley Scholastic Press 3-5, 6-8 9am-2:30pm EST www.ChristinaFarley.com Christina@christinafarley.com     Christina Uss Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House 9-12 9 am – 2 pm EST www.christinauss.com christina@christinauss.com   Nina Crews Millbrook K-2 9:30 – 11:30am EST Www.ninacrews.com Letters@ninacrews.com   Jennifer Chambliss Bertman Macmillan 3-5 10:30-11:30 MST Http://JenniferChamblissBertman.com Jennifer.bertman@gmail.com   Samantha M Clark Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster 9-12 9-2 Central http://samanthamclark.com/ http://www.samanthamclark.com/contact/   Kim Ventrella Scholastic 9-12 7:00am-5pm CST https://kimventrella.com/ kimventrella@icloud.com   Ann Rose Entangled Teen 9-12 9am(CST) – 3pm(CST) www.amroseauthor.com amroseauthor@gmail.com   Josephine Cameron Macmillan, FSG (debut release April 2, 2019) 3-5 8:30am -12:00pm EST www.josephinecameron.com josie@josephinecameron.com   Mike Grosso Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Clarion Books) 3-5, 6-8 8am-3pm CST http://mikegrossoauthor.com me@mikegrossoauthor.com   Lee Gjertsen Malone Aladdin/S&S 3-5, 6-8 8am ET to 4pm ET Leegjertsenmalone@gmail.com LeeGjertsenMalone@gmail.com   Marcy Campbell Penguin/Dial K-2 9:30 to 2:30 eastern Www.marcycampbell.com marcycampbellbooks@gmail.com   Deborah Bruss Scholastic K-2 10 AM to 2:30 PM. EST Deborahbruss@mac.com Deborahbruss@mac.com   Jen Petro-Roy Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends 6-8 12:15-2:15 EST www.jenpetroroy.com https://www.jenpetroroy.com/contact   Sarah Albee Random House, HarperCollins, National Geographic 3-5, 6 – 8 9:30 am – 1 pm EST www.sarahalbeebooks.com albees@taftschool.org   Monica Tesler Simon & Schuster 3-5, 6-8 9-6 EST monicatesler.com monicatesler@gmail.com

Melissa Sarno Knopf Books for Young Readers 3-5 10:30am-12:30pm EST http://melissasarno.com melissa.sarno@gmail.com   Katy Farber Green Writers Press K-2, 3-5 EST Katyfarber.com Katyfarber@gmail.com   Emma Wunsch Abrams 3-5 Eastern Time 9:00 am -2:00 pm mirandaandmaude.com | emmawunsch.com emmalucy@gmail.com   Vivian Kirkfield Holiday House/Pomegranate/Creston/HMH/Little Bee Books K-2 10am to 11pm EST www.viviankirkfield.com viviankirkfield@gmail.com   Nanci Turner Steveson HarperCollins Children’s 3-5 6-8 Mountain Time 7:30am to 1:30pm www.nanciturnersteveson.com Ponywriter7@gmail.com   Jessie Oliveros Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers K-2, 3-5 Morning (9-12) central time zone Jessieoliveros.com Jessie@jessieoliveros.com   Margaret Greanias Running Press Kids K-3 9:45-11:15am margaretgreanias.com margaret.c.greanias@gmail.com   Beth Anderson Simon & Schuster K-2, 3-5, (a bit long for K) 9-4 MT https://bethandersonwriter.com beth@bethandersonwriter.com   Bonny Becker Knopf 3-5 10 am and 11am, Pacific Standard Time bonnybecker.com bjb@site7000.com

Julie Abery The Creative Company 3-5, 6-8 09.00 AM – 12.00 Am EDT littleredstoryshed.wordpress.com julieabery@hotmail.com   Rachel Noble Enchanted Lion 3 to 8 I live near Brisbane australia www.rachelnobleauthor.com Rachnoble@me.com   K. A. Reynolds HarperCollins 9-12 EST 10-2pm www.kareynoldsbooks.com poetesskristin@live.com   Anne Marie Pace Disney-Hyperion K-2 9-12 Eastern http://www.annemariepace.com annemarie@annemariepace.com   Augusta Scattergood Scholastic Press 9-12 10-3 EST https://www.augustascattergood.com/ gsgood2@gmail.com   Loree Griffin Burns Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Henry Holt, Millbrook Press K-12 9am until 4pm EST www.loreeburns.com loreegriffinburns@yahoo.com   Jennifer Elvgren Kar-Ben 3-5 Eastern 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. www.jenniferelvgren.com elvgren@embarqmail.com   Jessie Janowitz Sourcebooks 3-5, 6-8 10:30-1:30 EST Jessiejanowitz.com Jejanowirz@gmail.com   Patricia Valdez Random House / Knopf K-2 (3-4 as well) 10 am ET -12 pm ET; 1 pm ET – 3 pm ET patriciavaldezbooks.com pvaldez11@gmail.com   Stef Wade Capstone K-2, 3-5 9-10 am CST, 12-2:30 pm CST www.stefwade.com Stef@stefwade.com   Melissa Roske Charlesbridge 9-12 8am-4pm EST http://www.melissaroske.com melissa@melissaroske.com   Jenn Bailey Chronicle K-2 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST www.jennbailey.com jenn.c.bailey@gmail.com   Diane Magras Kathy Dawson Books/Penguin Young Readers 3-5 and 6-8 9am-12 EST www.dianemagras.com diane@dianemagras.com   Rob Vlock Simon & Schuster/Aladdin 3-5 9-5 Eastern time robvlock.com rob@robvlock.com   Yvonne Ventresca Sky Pony Press 9-12 12:30, 1, 1:30 EST YvonneVentresca.com yvonne@yvonneventresca.com   Amanda Rawson Hil Boyds Mills Press 3-5, 6-8 7 am – 12 pm PST Amandarawsonhill.com Amanda.rawson.hill@gmail.com   Mike Hays Writer’s Digest Books 6-8 or 9-12 9:00-3:00 (Central) www.mikehaysbooks.com coachhays@gmail.com   Elaine Vickers HarperCollins 3-5 10-1 and 2-5 pm MST elainevickers.com elainebvickers@hotmail.com   Deborah Freedman Viking K-8 TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Eastern https://www.deborahfreedman.net https://www.deborahfreedman.net/wrad2019   Gina Perry Tundra (Penguin Random House Canada), little bee books K-2 8:30am-2:30pm EST http://www.ginaperry.com ginacarey@comcast.net   Dianne K. Salerni HarperCollins 6-8 10 am to 4 pm EST http://diannesalerni.com/ dksalerni@gmail.com   Camille Andros Abrams, HMH/Clarion, Macmillan K-2, 3-5 9:00-2:00 EST www.camilleandros.com camdros@gmail.com   e.E. Charlton-Trujillo Candlewick Press 6-8, 9-12 9:00 – 1 p.m. Pacific www.bigdreamswrite.com atrisksummer@gmail.com   Shawn K Stout Philomel 3-5 10-3 ET Www.shawnkstout.com Shawn@shawnkstout.com   Amy Makechnie Simon and Schuster 6-8 EST – kindof depends on the day so please get in touch and I can work with a lot! amymakechnie.com amym@proctoracademy.org   Cynthia Levinson Peachtree, Simon & Schuster 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 9-12 and 1-3 CST cynthialevinson.com clevinson@austin.rr.com   Ariel Bernstein Simon & Schuster, Penguin/Random House K-2 9:30am-11:30am https://www.arielbernsteinbooks.com a3bernstein@gmail.com   Lauren Abbey Greenberg Running Press Kids 6-8 9am – 2pm EST Laurenabbeygreenberg.com Laurenabbeygreenberg@gmail.com   Corabel Shofner FSG 5,6,7,8,9 Flexible CorabelShofner.com Eventsforcorabel@gmail.com   Dawn Prochovnic Graphic Arts Books and Abdo Publishing Group K-2 and 3-5 9 am to Noon Pacific Time www.dawnprochovnic.com dawnp@smalltalklearning.com   Sarah Jane Marsh Disney-Hyperion 3-5, 6-8 8AM – 2PM PST www.sarahjanemarsh.com sarah@sarahjanemarsh.com   Mikela Prevost Viking/Penguin 3-5 9am-1:30pm MT www.mikelaprevost.com Mikela.prevost@gmail.com

Jonathan Rosen Sky Pony Press 3-5 or 6-8 10-1 EST Houseofrosen.com Houseofrosen@aol.com   Dev Petty Random House/Doubleday and LB & Co K-2 After 9am PST, before 2pm PST www.devpetty.com devpettybooks@gmail.com   Beth McMullen Aladdin/S&S 3-5, 6-8 9-2 PST www.bethmcmullenbooks.com beth@bethmcmullenbooks.com   Corabel Shofner FS&G 5,6,7,8 Flexible Corabelshofner.com Eventsforcorabel@gmail.com   Lisa Schmid North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press 9-12 PST www.lisalschmid.com lisa.schmid@sbcglobal.net   suzanne kaufman random house k-2 9-10 suzannekaufman.com suzanne_kaufman@hotmail.com   Irene Latham Penguin Random House 3-5 8 – 3 CST irene@irenelatham.com irene@irenelatham.com   Robin Yardi Lerner Publishing, Arbordale Publishing K-2, 3-5 6:00 AM Pacific – 2:30 PM Pacific https://robinyardi.com robinyardi (at) mac (dot) com   Chana Stiefel NatGeoKids, Feiwel & Friends, HMH All of the above Morning (Eastern) www.chanastiefel.com stiefelchana@gmail.com   Dusti Bowling Sterling Children’s Books 3-5, 6-8 9:00-3:00 MST www.dustibowling.com dustibowlingbooks@gmail.com   Gail D. Villanueva Scholastic Press 9-12 Morning EST if possible please www.gaildvillanueva.com gaildvillanueva@gmail.com   Fran Wilde Abrams 6-8 10am-4pm EST Franwilde.net fran.wilde@gmail.com   Lori Degman Sterling Publishing K-2 8:00am – 5:00pm CST Loridegman.com Lori@Loridegman.com   Jennie K. Brown Tantrum Books Imprint of Month9Books 3-5 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST www.jenniekbrown.com jenniekaybrown@gmail.com   Beth Vrabel Running Press 6-8 8 am to 3 pm cst Http://www.bethvrabel.com Bethannvrabel@gmail.com   Tina Powell Peanut Butter Press & BWL Publishing K-2 9 am to 3 pm ET www.tinapowell.com tina@tinapowell.com   Claudia Guadalupe Martinez Cinco Puntos Press, Charlesbridge, Lee and Low All 9-12 central www.claudiaguadalupemartinez.com cmartinez50@hotmail.com   Lindsay Moore Greenwillow Books K-3 9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM EST Lindsaykmoore.com lindsay.koza.moore@gmail.com   S. K. Ali Simon & Schuster K-2 8 am to 3 pm EST https://skalibooks.com skalibooks@gmail.com   Michelle Cusolito Charlesbridge K-2 and 3-5 9am EASTERN to 4pm EASTERN (with periodic breaks) http://www.michellecusolito.com/ bookings@michellecusolito.com   Sue Fliess Albert Whitman, Running Press Kids, Sky Pony Press K-3 9am – 2pm EST www.suefliess.com http://www.suefliess.com/contact   Sarah Grace Tuttle Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, The Creative Company K-2, 3-5 EST 11 AM – 3 PM www.sarahgracetuttle.com https://www.sarahgracetuttle.com/contact   J. Anderson Coats Harcourt Children’s, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Candlewick (forthcoming) 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 9:00 am – 3:00 pm PST jandersoncoats.com jandersoncoats@gmail.com   Christian McKay Heidicker Holt Macmillan and Simon & Schuster 9-12 Any! cmheidicker.com cmheidicker@gmail.com   Linda Joy Singleton Albert Whitman and Little Bee 3-5 (can do other ages) In Pacific Tie Zone – flexible on time Www.LindaJoySingleton.com Ljscheer@yahoo.com   Barbara Lowell Penguin Young Readers 6-8 CST any time during the school day in any time zone https://www.barbaralowell.com balowell22@aol.com   Krista Van Dolzer Putnam, Sourcebooks, Capstone, Bloomsbury 3-5, 6-8 10a-noon MT, 1p-3p MT www.kristavandolzer.blogspot.com kvandolzer@gmail.com   Danielle Davis Capstone 3-5 10am – 4pm PST http://www.danielledavisreadsandwrites.com danielledaviswrites@me.com   Elly MacKay Tundra, Running Press, HMH, Owlkids, Orca K-2 or 3-5 9-3 EST Ellymackay@gmail.com Ellymackay@gmail.com   Samantha Cotterill Little brown books, Simon and Schuster , Harper Collins K-2, 3-5, 6-8 Between 9:30-1pm EST Mummysam.com Samcott@hotmail.com   Sandy Stark-McGinnis Bloomsbury 9-12 Pacific Time–I am a teacher, so I only could a talk during my lunch (12:00-12:45). sandystarkmcginnis.com starksandy@hotmail.com   Lori Goldstein Razorbill 9-12 EST www.lorigoldsteinbooks.com lori@lorigoldsteinbooks.com   Jane Kurtz Beach Lane k-2 8-12 Pacific www.janekurtz.com jane@janekurtz.com   Lauren Eldridge Little Brown; Viking K-2; 3-5 8:15am-2pm CST LaurenEldridge.com Laurenleldridge@gmail.com   Rebecca J. Gomez Penguin, S&S K-2 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Central) Rebeccajgomez.com Rebgowriter@gmail.com   Veronica Bartles Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins) K-2, 3-5 7am-3pm eastern time http://VBartles.com vbartleswrites@vbartles.com   Buffy Silverman Lerner Publications K-2 or 3-5 10:30-12:00, T-Th www.buffysilverman.com buffy@buffysilverman.com   Elana K Arnold Harper Collins 3-5 8-9:30 am pacific time www.elanakarnold.com elana@elanakarnold.com   Fran Manushkin Capstone K-2 12:00 noon-2:00 EST www.franmanushkin.com franm@nyc.rr.com   Keely Hutton FSG Macmillan 7-12 EST 8AM-4PM Keelyhutton.com khutton1@rochester.rr.com   Sarah Darer Littman Scholastic, S & S 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 EST 8am-12pm 1pm-6pm http://sarahdarerlittman.com sarahdarerlittman@gmail.com   Angela DiTerlizzi Simon and Schuster K-2 10:00am -1:00pm EST angeladiterlizzi.com angela@diterlizzi.com   Michael Salinger and Sara Holbrook Scholastic, Boyd’s Mills, Red Giant K-12 just give us a heads up 9am-12pm EST Outspokenlit.com salinger@ameritech.net   Cynthia Platt Amicus Ink K-2 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. ET cynthiaplattbooks.com cynthiaplatt@icloud.com   Jennifer Thermes Abrams Books for Young Readers K-2, 3-5 10am-3pm EST. *Please note, I will be unavailable for WRAD on Feb 1, but would love to skype with your class on Wednesday, Feb. 6th! www.jenniferthermes.com jennifer@jenniferthermes.com   Jeri Watts Candlewick K-2; 3-5 9-3 Eastern time zone Skype in the classroom watts.jh@lynchburg.edu   Terri Farley HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin, Simon &Schuster 9-12 Any (i am in Pacific) TerriFarley.com Farleyterri@aol.com   Hillary Homzie Charlesbridge, Simon & Schuster, Sky Pony k-2, 3-5, 6-8 Anytime from 7:30 a.m. PST through 2:00 p.m.PST www.hillaryhomzie.com hillary@hillaryhomzie.com   Patricia Bailey Albert Whitman and Company 3-5, 6-8 9:00-3:00 Pacific www.patriciabaileyauthor.com patriciabaileyauthor@gmail.com   Juana Martinez-Neal Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House Elementary 9am — 3pm MST juanamartinezneal.com me@juanamartinezneal.com   Elizabeth Bender Bloomsbury 9-12 10 -12 EST and 1-3 EST www.talesofedbaker.com edbakerbooks@gmail.com   Melanie Sumrow Yellow Jacket/little bee books 6-8 9:00am-11:00am CST www.melaniesumrow.com melanie@melaniesumrow.com   Christy Mihaly Holiday House (and Lerner) K-2 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern www.christymihaly.com christy@mihaly.org   Jean Alicia Elster Wayne State University Press 3-5, 6-8 9a – 2p Eastern jeanaliciaelster.com author@jeanaliciaelster.com   Susan Ross Holiday House 3-5, 6-8 Flexible AuthorSusanRoss.com AuthorSusanRoss@gmail.com   Rebecca E. Hirsch Lerner/Millbrook K-2, 3-5, 6-8 1 to 3:30 pm Eastern time www.rebeccahirsch.com rebeccahirsch@mac.com   Betsy Devany Henry Holt and Co. K-2 10 -5 EST www.betsydevany.com betsydevany@comcast.net   Mae Respicio Random House 3-5, 6-8 PST www.maerespicio.com mae@maerespicio.com   Jackie Yeager Amberjack Publishing 3-5 10:00am- 3:00pm EST www.swirlandspark.com jacquelineyeager5@gmail.com   Marie Miranda Cruz Starscape, Tom Doherty Associates 9-12 6-8 am PST Www.cruzwrites.com everlastingnora2018@gmail.com   Shauna LaVoy Reynolds Dial / Penguin K-2 and/or 3-5 I’m in central time and available between 9-11 AM, 12-2 PM, and 4-6 PM http://shaunalavoyreynolds.com shaunalreynolds@gmail.com   Christina Collins Sourcebooks Jabberwocky Ages 8 and up 10:00 am – 12:15 pm EST www.christinacollinsbooks.com christinacollinsbooks@gmail.com   Victoria piontek Scholastic 3-5 10:00 PST-2:00 PST victoriapiontek@gmail.com vpiontek@gmail.com   Brigit Young Macmillan (Roaring Brook) 9-12 9:30am – 1:00pm EST brigityoung.com brigityoungmg@gmail.com   Melissa Stoller Clear Fork Publishing K-2 and 3rd grade 9-4 EST www.MelissaStoller.com MLStoller@aol.com   Rebecca Caprara Carolrhoda Books/Lerner 3-5 & 6-8 9:30am-12:30pm EST https://www.rebeccacaprara.com Caprarabooks@gmail.com   Christina June Blink/HarperCollins 6-8 or 9-12 9-11:30 EST, 1-3:30 EST www.christinajune.com christinajuneya@gmail.com   Sue Lowell Gallion Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, Sleeping Bear Books K-2 9-11 and 1-3 Central Time Zone suegallion@gmail.com suegallion@gmail.com   JODI KENDALL HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS 3-5, 6-8 11-1PM EST WWW.JODIKENDALL.COM http://www.jodikendall.com/connect/   Kim Tomsic Chronicle and Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins K-2 or 3-5 or 6-8 Mountain Time http://kimtomsic.com/ ktomsic@gmail.com   A. B. Greenfield Holiday House 3-5 9:00-10:30 EST http://www.amybutlergreenfield.com amy@amybutlergreenfield.com   Merrill Wyatt JIMMY Patterson Publishing 3-7 Between 10:45 and 12:45 or after 3:30 EST Merrillwyatt.com Rimerllwyatt@gmail.com   Jennifer Kam Charlesbridge 6-8 or 9-12 8AM-1:30PM EST www.jenniferwolfkam.com Jrwkam@aol.com   Laura Shovan Random House Children’s Books 3-5 and 6-8 9-4 EST www.laurashovan.com laurashovan@gmail.com   Stephanie Robinson Random House/Delacorte Press 3-5 8:30-3:30 EST https://www.fairdaysfiles.com/ robinsonstef@yahoo.com   Diane Zahler HarperCollins, Capstone, Boyds Mills 3-5 12-3 EST www.dianezahler.com dlzahler@gmail.com   Wendy McLeod MacKnight Greenwillow Books 6-8 any time between 9 a.m. to 5 pm AST wendymcleodmacknight.com wendy@wendymcleodmacknight.com   Joy McCullough Dutton/Penguin Random House 9-12 any time after 8 am PST joymccullough.com joymariemc@gmail.com   Karuna Riazi Simon and Schuster/Salaam Reads 3-5, 6-8 9 AM – 1 PM, 2:30 PM – 8 PM (all EST) http://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Karuna-Riazi/2105807769 karunariazi@gmail.com   Brooks Benjamin Random House Children’s Books 3-5, 6-8 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (EST) www.brooksbenjamin.com cbrooks.benjamin@gmail.com   Jill Diamond Farrar, Straus & Giroux 3-5 9:30-3:00 PST www.jilldiamondbooks.com jilldiamond78@gmail.com   Kris Waldherr Scholadtic 6-8 9-11am Kriswaldherr.com artandwords@optonline.net   Karen Leggett Abouraya Lee & Low 3-5 Any school hours (I am in Eastern Time Zone) handsaroundthelibrary.com Karen@handsaroundthelibrary.com   Mark Maciejewski Simon & Schuster 3-6 8-3 pacific MarkMaciejewski.com magicjetski@yahoo.com   Mike Mullin Tanglewood Press 9-12 9 – 3 EST mikemullinauthor.com mike@mikemullinauthor.com   Monica Carnesi Nancy Paulsen Books K-2 9:00 am – 4:00 pm EST www.monicacarnesi.com monicacarnesi@mac.com   Molly Idle Little Brown K-5 9am-1pm AZ time www.idleillustration.com molly@idleillustration.com   Bridget Hodder Macmillan 3-7 9:30-3:30 EST www.BridgetHodder.com http://www.bridgethodder.com/contact-bridget-hodder/   Rebecca Ansari Walden Pond Press (Harper) 9-12 8:30-3:30 CST RebeccaAnsari.com Rebeccaansariauthor@gmail.com   Jess Redman FSG/Macmillan 9-12 9-12 EST; 1-3 EST www.JessRedman.com JessRedmanWrites@gmail.com   Hallee Adelman Albert Whitman K-2 or 3-5 10-2pm est www.myquietship.com ; www.halleeadelman.com Hallee@adelmans.net   Shauna Holyoak Disney-Hyperion 9-12 noon to three EST https://shaunaholyoak.wordpress.com/ s.holyoak@yahoo.com   Anica Mrose Rissi S&S, Disney-Hyperion, and HarperTeen K-2, 3-5, and 9-12 (picture books, chapter books, and YA) 10am to 6pm, Eastern Time http://www.anicarissi.com anicamroserissi@gmail.com   Mara Rockliff Candlewick, HMH, Chronicle, etc. K-2, 3-5 9 am – 3 pm ET mararockliff.com mararockliff@mararockliff.com   Augusta Scattergood Scholastic Press 9-12 10-3 EST https://www.augustascattergood.com/ gsgood2@gmail.com   Sarah McGuire Carolrhoda 6-8 anytime after 1pm EST sarahmcguirebooks.com smcguire.author@gmail.com   Jonathan Rosen Sky Pony Press 9-12 EST 10-2 Houseofrosen.com Houseofrosen@aol.com   Judy Lindquist Florida Historical Society Press 9-12 Flexible Www.judylindquist.com Linkyjr59@gmail.con   Stefani Deoul Bywater Books 9-12 EST – Flexible stefanideoul.com author@stefanideoul.com   Shelly Becker Sterling Publishing Grades K-4 Midday (Eastern) Shellybeckerbooks.com shellybecker@gmail.com   Jenipher Lyn Crown / Penguin Random House branch middle grade / tween age Eastern, open availability. www.jenipherlyn.com Jenipherlyn@gmail.com   Melanie Conklin Penguin 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 9am EST to 2pm EST www.melanieconklin.com melanie@melanieconklin.com   Emma Otheguy Lee & Low Books, Bloomsbury, Knopf 3-5, 6-8 8am-6pm EST www.emmaotheguy.com https://app.youcanbook.me/#/editProfile?id=f935b5f2-e2ac-43ff-bccb-3da8ced4d04d&section=availability   Miriam Spitzer Franklin Skypony Press 3-5, 6-8 EST 1-3 PM www.miriamspitzerfranklin.com mspitzerfranklin@gmail.com   Angela Cerrito Holiday House 9-12 EST Noon – 4PM www.angelacerrito.com writerangela@outlook.com   Danette Haworth Bloomsbury Walker 3-5 10:00 am-2:00 pm EST www.danettehaworth.com dhaworthbooks@yahoo.com   Doreen Spicer-Dannelly Random House Books for Children 9-12 9 AM PST www.spicerackproductionsinc.com doreen@spicerackproductionsinc.com   Laurie Wallmark Sterling Publishing K-5 9-5 ET www.lauriewallmark.com www.lauriewallmark.com/contact.php   Jennifer Brown Bloomsbury (MG); Little, Brown (YA); Katherine Tegen (YA) Grades 5-12 9am-2pm CST www.JenniferBrownAuthor.com JenniferBrownYA@gmail.com   E.D. Baker Bloomsbury 6-8 & 8-12 10 am EST – 3pm EST www.talesofedbaker.com edbakerbooks@gmail.com   Jacob Sager Weinstein Random House/Clarion K-2 (for my picture book) and 6-8 (for my MG novels) 8AM-3PM EST jacobsagerweinstein.com jswwrites@yankeefog.com   Patricia Sutton Chicago Review Press 6-8 9-noon Central Time Www.patriciasutton.com Patriciakaysutton@gmail.com   David A. Kelly Random House Children’s Grades 2 – 4 10 am – 6 pm (eastern) www.davidakellybooks.com www.dakskype.com   Jodi Wheeler-Toppen National Geographic Kids; Charlesbridge K-2, 3-5, 6-8 10-2 EST http://OnceUponAScienceBook.com wheelertop@gmail.com   Mari Mancusi Disney Hyperion 3-5 8:30-3:00 CST www.marimancusi.com mari@marimancusi.com   Malayna Evans Month9Books MG (5-6_ 9a-2p CST www.malaynaevans.com malaynaevans22@gmail.com   Corey Ann Haydu HarperCollins 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 10 am EST- 4pm EST www.coreyannhaydu.com coreyannhaydu@gmail.com   Shannon Hitchcock Scholastic 9-12 10:00-2:00 EST shannonhitchcock.com ShannonH@ShannonHitchcock.com   Tracy Marchini Creative Editions K-2 9am – 5pm EST www.tracymarchini.com http://tracymarchini.com/contact-faqs/   Gail Hedrick Tumblehome Learning 6-8 8–12and 1-3 EST www.gailehedrick.com gailehedrick@yahoo.com   Susan Tan Roaring Brook 3-5 (But I also frequently skype with K-2, and would be happy to do that too!) All day EST www.susantanbooks.com susanshaumingtan@gmail.com   Holly Thompson Random House, Clarion, Henry Holt, Lee&Low K-12 I’m in Japan so between Tokyo time 6 am to 11 pm is fine! www.hatbooks.com hatbooks@gmail.com   Stacie Ramey Sourcebooks 9-12 after 1:00 PM EST www.stacieramey.com stacieramey@gmail.com   Maria Gianferrari HMH; Roaring Brook; Aladdin; Boyds Mills Press K-2; 3-5 10 – 12 EST 1-4 EST mariagianferrari.com contact form   Sheetal Sheth Bharat Babies K-2 9:30am- 2pm EST www.sheetalsheth.com sheetal@sheetalsheth.com   Anna Raff Candlewick K-2 9 AM to 3 PM EST www.annaraff.com anna@annaraff.com   Jody Feldman HarperCollins/Greenwillow 3-7 8:30 am – 4:30 pm CST www.jodyfeldman.com jody@jodyfeldman.com Sherry Howard Clear Fork K-2 11-4 eastern time zone www.sherryhowardwrites for kids.com sherryhoward0@icloud.com   Wendy Greenley Creative Editions K-2 9am-12 EST www.wendygreenley.com Wendy@wendygreenley.com   Jo Hackl Random House Children’s Books 9-12 8:00-9:00 eastern standard time www.johackl.com Jo@JoHackl.com   Claire Lordon little bee books/Sterling Children’s k-2 9:30am – 1pm PST www.clairelordon.com claire.lordon@gmail.com   Jennifer Blecher Greenwillow 6-8 9am-2pm EST www.jenniferblecher.com jenniferblecher@gmail.com   Anna Staniszewski Scholastic 9-12 1:30-4:30pm Est www.annastan.com annastan@gmail.com   Jackie Azúa Kramer North-South and Clavis K-2 10:00-2:00pm EST https://www.jackieazuakramer.com jkramer422@gmail.com   Linda Marshall Peter Pauper, Scholastic K-2 9:00 – 5:00 EST www.lindamarshall.com SheepRFarm@aol.com   Julie Segal Walters Simon and Schuster K-2, 3-5 9:00 – 3:00 ET www.juliesegalwalters.com Julie.segal.walters@gmail.com   Jody Feldman HarperCollins/Greenwillow 3-7 8:30 – 4:00 CST www.jodyfeldman.com jody@jodyfeldman.com   Darlene Beck Jacobson Creston 9-12 9-11AM EST 1-3PM EST http://www.darlenebeckjacobson.com djac2185@verizon.net   Denis Markell Delacorte Press 4-8 9am-4pm EST https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Denis+Markell dmarkell@aol.com   Jane Kelley Random House Children’s Books, Feiwel and Friends 3-5 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CTS http://janekelleybooks.com/Welcome.html janekelley@janekelleybooks.com   Megan Wagner Lloyd Knopf/Random House K-2 only 10 AM to 2 PM EST www.meganwagnerlloyd.com meg@meganwagnerlloyd.com   Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw Henry Holt / Christy Ottaviano Books K-2 MST 9:30am – 3:30pm http://dancingelephantstudio.com/visualart/ coloredsock@mac.com   Evelyn Bookless Marshall Cavendish 4-5 and 6-8 9am – noon www.evelynbookless.com evelynbookless@yahoo.co.uk   S.A. Larsen Leap Books & Ellysian Press 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 8:00 AM – 1:00 AM EST https://www.salarsenbooks.com/ sheri@salarsenbooks.com   Justin LaRocca Hansen Dial Books for Young Readers, Sky Pony Press K-2, 3-5 8am-3pm EST http://www.justinlaroccahansen.com j.larocca.hansen@gmail.com   April Jones Prince Scholastic, Macmillan, Houghton Mifflin, Penguin Random House, Abrams K-5 10-2 EST www.apriljonesprince.com april@apriljonesprince.com   Annette Bay Pimentel Nancy Paulsen Books, Charlesbridge, Amicus K-2, 3-5 Pacific Time Zone 5 AM-3 PM http://www.annettebaypimentel.com/ annettepimentel@gmail.com   Susan Lubner Running Press Kids/Hachette 9-12 9am – 3pm eastern Www.susanlubner.com Suelubner@gmail.com   Michell Schaub Charlesbridge k-2, 3-5 8-3 central time http://www.michelleschaub.com shellschaub@hotmail.com   Ella Schwartz Bloomsbury, National Geographic Kids 9-12 10:30-2:00 www.ellasbooks.com ella@ellaschwartz.net   Lisa Kahn Schnell Charlesbridge K-2, 3-5 8am-3pm EST, but other times may be possible lisakschnell.com lisakschnell@yahoo.com   Meera Sriram Penny Candy Books 6-8 9am-12 noon PST www.meerasriram.com meeratsriram@gmail.com   Maria Padian Knopf Young Readers; Algonquin YR ANY age group. I write YA but read everything! 9 A.M. – 3 P.M. www.mariapadian.com mpadian@comcast.net   Tom Hirschfeld Penguin Random House 6-8 1-4 ET www.itsuptoyoubooks.com tom@hirschfeld.nyc

Authors & Illustrators: If your schedule is full & you need to be crossed off the list, please leave a comment to let me know. If you’re an author or illustrator and you’d like to be added to the list, directions are here. Please note that this particular list is limited to traditionally published authors/illustrators (such as those listed here), only to limit its size and scope. I’m one person with limited time. However, if someone else would like to compile and share a list of self-published, specialty, magazine, and ebook author/illustrator volunteers, I think that would be absolutely great, and I’ll happily link to it here. Just let me know!

Happy reading, everyone!

“World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.”              ~from the LitWorld website

It’s release day for Ranger in Time: Hurricane Katrina Rescue!

Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training, arrives in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches and residents start to evacuate the city. Ranger meets Clare Porter, who is searching for her grandmother. Once Ranger helps Clare find Nana, he takes shelter with them at their home in the Lower Ninth Ward, and they wait for Clare’s father to return from the gas station. But there’s no sign of him as hours pass and the weather gets worse. The wind picks up and rain pours down. And when the levees break, floodwaters dangerously rise, and Clare and Nana are separated. Can Ranger help Clare navigate the flooded streets to safety and back to her family?

This is book eight in my Scholastic chapter book series about a time-traveling search and rescue dog, and its more recent setting made it one of the toughest to research and write. The first seven books in the series are set in the more distant past…

 

Most kids who enjoy the Ranger in Time series weren’t born yet when Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005, so this story is also “history” to these readers. But for those who lived through the storm and its aftermath in New Orleans, the memories are still raw. When I was researching this book, I spent my usual weeks in library, reading everything from first-person accounts to news reports and government documents. I watched hours of video, including Spike Lee’s powerful documentary When the Levees Broke. I spent time doing research in New Orleans, too.

It was December of 2016 when I visited, and the tourist areas of New Orleans were sparkling with holiday decorations. But parts of the Ninth Ward were another story. Some streets looked as if the hurricane might have happened in the past year or two, rather than more than a decade ago. And many people who live here still feel just as forgotten as they did when they were waiting for help in the days after the storm. Laura Paul with the relief and rebuilding organization lowernine.org drove me though the neighborhoods that were hardest hit in 2005. She pointed out the homes that her organization helped rebuild and the areas where the neighborhood seems to be coming back.

But there are still blocks where most every home is ruined. Porch steps that lead to nowhere. Streets littered with debris from work crews. Uncovered storm drains that don’t seem to get fixed, no matter how many calls people make to the city. And there is still so much frustration and anger. A sense of betrayal over how the people of this neighborhood were treated when they needed help.

There’s a wonderful little museum in this neighborhood called the Lower Ninth Ward Living Museum, and it chronicles the history of the neighborhood, from its role in the Civil Rights Movement through the devastating aftermath of Katrina. Photos tell the story of the storm and the days that followed.

One of the things I appreciated about this museum is that it pointed out examples of racist media coverage of the aftermath of the storm. Below is a pair of headlines about people taking supplies from grocery stores, described as either “looting” or “finding,” depending on the survivor’s skin color.

J.F. “Smitty” Smith, a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward, talked with me about his experiences in 2005 and read an early draft of this Ranger in Time manuscript. When we talked on the phone, he was incredibly helpful and pointed out some details about the storm and recovery. But mostly, he wanted to talk more about the lack of help in 2005, and how awful it was, waiting. Reading the manuscript had brought it back for him, and he was frustrated all over again. “You don’t understand,” Smitty told me. “That dog has got to get in there and SAVE more people.”

That conversation, more than any of the other research I’d done, helped me to understand how residents of the Lower Ninth Ward felt after Katrina. And it led me to revise the manuscript, again. I’m so grateful to Smitty for making time to talk with me.

There are still many residents of the Lower Ninth Ward who need help rebuilding homes that have been in their families for generations. I’ll be celebrating book release day by making a donation to lowernine.org. Will you join me?

If you donate $20 or more, I’ll enter you in a drawing for a 30-minute Ranger in Time Skype visit in the fall (date to be agreed upon in September). You can use it for your classroom, library, or book club – or give it away to a school you want to support. To enter the drawing, just make your donation, and then leave a comment below.

And of course, if you’d like to read RANGER IN TIME: HURRICANE KATRINA RESCUE, it’s available from your favorite bookseller today!

“This highly recommended tribute to the imagination is comprised of delightful pictures and three clever and entertaining stories.” –Booklist, starred review

There’s a beautiful new picture book in the world today, and it’s a perfect choice for kids with big imaginations. MABEL AND SAM AT HOME is written by my friend Linda Urban and published by Chronicle Kids. Here’s the official description…

At the new house, there were movers and shouting and boxes and blankets. There were many places a girl like Mabel and a boy like Sam could be tripped over or smooshed or trod upon. There was one safe place where they would not. And that is how Mabel became a Sea Captain. In this three-part picture book of moving house and imaginative play, Mabel and Sam sail the high seas of their new home; tour the intriguing museum of their living room; journey through outer space to the safety of their own beds; and discover how far afield—and how close to home—imagination can take them.

Linda and I are good friends who constantly talk writing – over lattes in Burlington, VT or chatting online. We thought it might be fun to invite everyone else into one of those conversations as we celebrate Linda’s new book. So get yourself a cup of coffee or tea or whatever you love, and listen in….

KATE:  Hi, Linda!  You already know this, but I’m SO excited about your new picture book MABEL AND SAM AT HOME releasing today, especially because I was there to hear some of your early noodling on this project. This is a picture book, but I think in those earlier days, you were thinking of it as more of an easy reader or transitional chapter book, right?

LINDA:  Right. You know  I have wanted to write an easy reader for a long time, but as soon as Mabel and Sam started talking it was pretty clear that their vocabulary would be too complicated for very beginning readers.  A transitional reader seemed more reasonable and I wrote five chapters about these two imaginative kids using play to get comfortable in their new environment. A few editors who saw it mentioned that the story had a very visual quality that suggested the possibility of a picture book interpretation, but it was Melissa Manlove at Chronicle who sorted out how that might actually work.  It was her idea to cut two of the stories and treat the other three as episodes/adventures in one expanded picture book.

You’ve worked with Melissa, I know.  She’s got amazing vision and can see a project in ways nobody else does.  I think you’re working on something for her now that might feel similar?

KATE: Yes! Melissa really does have an amazing gift when it comes to looking at a manuscript and imagining what it might be. We were having a very casual dinner in Montreal (Melissa was there for a conference) when she asked what I was working on and I told her, “Well…it’s kind of a mess right now, but I have this idea for a picture book about American presidents…” In ten minutes, she’d whipped out a pen, asked for an extra napkin, and sketched out how the project I was describing might look on the page. It’s fun knowing how she worked that same kind of magic with MABEL AND SAM AT HOME.

One of the other things I love about your new book is how you capture the dynamics between brother and sister and the real-kid language of imaginative play. How much of that came naturally, inspired by your own kids, and how much of it was the result of playing around with language as you revised?

LINDA:  When my kids were little they played in very much this style — sort of like little kid improv, riffing on each other’s ideas, picking up language from one another and rolling it around to see where it led.  

As a parent, I was terrible at it.  I could not engage in their play in the natural, free-form, open-ended way that they did.  I was fine to serve tea to or to string up blankets for safari tents, but I was not IN play in the way that they were.  I was always aware of how much time there was before I needed to make dinner or checking myself on the logic of space walking without an oxygen tank.  And they sensed it. I was audience or prop master, not player.

One of the great things about writing, for me, is that when I am writing well, I am experiencing the fictive world through the character, much like my kids do when they play.

For me, so much of that experiencing is in point of view as understood through dialogue.  I’d love to claim some sort of careful crafting here, but really, if I’m feeling IN the character, the dialogue is of that character, too.  

This is not to say that there wasn’t a lot of revision.  There was. And it tended to be of two different kinds. One sort is the analytical revision, the kind that comes with the conscious mind that recognizes a scene takes too long or that an action verb would be more powerful than using a verb/adverb combination.  The other sort is what Robert Olen Butler would call “redreaming” and feeling myself go back into that character world and expanding or rephrasing in a more improvisational way, just like kids do when they play.  Is it the same for you, Kate?

KATE: In many ways, yes – it’s always interesting to me how when you and I are teaching together at a workshop, I gravitate toward the big-picture revision things (like my beloved charts!) and you have such a gift for the fine tuning of words and sentences and language. And I know that your notebooks play a big role in your thinking process, too, whether it comes to brainstorming or revision. Can you talk a little about that – how writing about the manuscript but not in the manuscript is helpful? (And could we maybe see a page or two? Pretty please?)

LINDA:  I’ll see if I have a notebook page for Mabel and Sam around, but I can tell you that the notebook part of my thinking is most valuable to me because it is in the notebook and not typed up in the same sort of format that my manuscripts are.  

When I first started writing, it was all play.  While I dreamed of publication, I wasn’t writing with anything under contract or expecting that THIS would be the book that sold.  It was all loosey-goosey messing around and mostly just for me. Once I sold something, a little bit of that play slipped away. I started thinking that the writing needed to “count”, you know?

When I started writing by hand in a notebook, though, a lot of the play came back.  Of course what I was writing wasn’t for anyone else to see! It was in handwriting and messy and it looked and felt nothing like the sort of thing I’d submit to an editor.

I’m a big fan of Lynda Barry and I believe a lot of what she says about how the hand being in motion can sometimes let us access thoughts and memories and modes of play that typing doesn’t — at least, I believe that’s true for me. So I mess around a lot in my notebooks in order to experience things differently, to come at them from new angles, or to get outside of my own awareness.

I’ll go look for a notebook example now.  

I know you carry a notebook with you everywhere, too.  But I think you also have project notebooks, right? How are they different and when do you find you use them most?

KATE: I do!  It’s important to me to get away from the manuscript. It’s like I can’t talk about it while it’s right there in my face, so writing elsewhere helps a lot. But these scribblings are not as pretty, so I have a major notebook crush on yours. I especially love seeing how they help you move forward with a story.  

Hey – can we talk about the art in this book for a minute? Because as you know, I read this manuscript long before there was even an artist on board, and I truly cannot imagine it in the hands of anyone except Hadley now. It’s brilliant.

LINDA:  IT IS! Completely, beautifully, stunningly brilliant.  I love the way she characterized these two kids. I love the way she grows and broadens the color palette as the grow  more and more comfortable in their home. I love the way household objects take on metaphorical value and then return to themselves again.  

I think her work in Iridescence of Birds and Another Way to Climb a Tree is wonderful, but she has outdone herself here.

There’s such a growing sense of warmth and comfort as the book comes to a close, too.  I want to live in that room, with that family, under that moon.

KATE: Me too! And that’s a perfect note for us to end on for now, I think.

Linda, thanks for doing this with me, and congratulations to you and Hadley on such a magical adventure of a story!

Everybody else….you should go read it now. Seriously. Read it to a kid if you can. And then imagine an adventure of your own. 

We’re celebrating Women’s History month with 31 days of posts focused on improving the climate for social and gender equality in the children’s and teens’ literature community. Join in the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kidlitwomen or Twitter #kidlitwomen

 

I have never met an educator or children’s book creator who didn’t claim to support diversity in children’s literature. Surely, all of our kids deserve to see themselves in the stories we share. And most of us are rightly troubled when we look at statistics like these:

And yet…  Somehow, year after year, we see conference keynote lists and book festival lineups and conference panels that are made up entirely or almost entirely of men and/or white people, which only serves to reinforce the inequities. We see conference panels that promote “FIVE FUNNY MEN!” and “ADVENTURE BOOKS FOR BOYS,” all by white male authors. When girls and people of color see these lineups over and over again, it sends a persistent and insidious message.

Your voice doesn’t matter here.

This business of telling stories and making art is not for you.

Librarian Edi Campbell notes that when indigenous people and people of color are invited to speak, they’re often relegated to diversity panels. “Associations think that having panels on topics of social justice, equity, or diversity makes them look more inclusive. Rather, having these panels with IPOC, LGBT+ individuals or people with disabilities without including them on topics that address literary, scholarly, or professional topics perpetuates the colonization of youth literature,” Campbell says. “Have we ever seen Ellen Oh, Jacqueline Woodson, or Meg Medina afforded the honor (!) of speaking solely on their craft?” Campbell also notes that not enough work is done to make panels accessible. “People with disabilities are often excluded even from panels centered on marginalized people and adding insult to injury, they often are not afforded a way to access the information presented.”

Conference organizers should also think about the issues involved with inviting only one person of color to participate in an otherwise all-white panel. Tracey Baptiste, author of The Jumbies and Rise of the Jumbies, says that can be exhausting. “I have often been the only POC on a panel,” she says. “It’s uncomfortable, especially when someone says something insensitive or low-key racist, like ‘It’s easy to add diversity to your books, just change some of the kids’ names!’ Which is a real thing that was said when I was on a panel of me, and three white men. I’m put in the position of having to teach or correct publicly, or smile and deal with the insult of comments like that, and it’s mentally and emotionally exhausting.”

Most often, an unbalanced panel like this doesn’t happen because organizers are carefully planning to leave out women and people of color. It happens because they’re not planning carefully enough. Creating a great panel or festival lineup or book display takes thought. It requires one to read widely and make a point to learn about new authors and illustrators from all different backgrounds. Often, it requires asking for help.

Author-Educator Colby Sharp often asks for input in creating a more diverse lineup of speakers for NerdCamp MI. “I ask publishers to consider sending a diverse groups of creators to camp,” he says. “They are almost always willing to do this.”

I’ve found this to be the case in recent years, too, and have had great luck when I’ve approached publishers to request an author or illustrator for a panel. But sometimes, this can be tricky territory for educators to navigate. As a conference or panel organizer, you’re often asking publishers to sponsor an author or illustrator’s travel to your event. What happens when you’re trying to create a diverse group and you request a particular author, but the publisher offers up another white male author instead? It’s okay to say no thanks. In this situation, I usually say something like, “I so appreciate this offer. Author A was at the top of our wish-list for this event, but we’re planning to reach out to a few other people if you’re not able to send her. Thanks for considering – and I’ll circle back to you if it turns out that we have another opening for Author B.”

Sarah Mulhern Gross, a teacher & writer who also works on conference lineups says, “When dealing with publishers we are very clear about our focus on the authors/illustrators being representative of our student population. Sometimes we have to say it twice (and often in writing), but so far, so good.”

She brings up a great point. If we’re presenting content related to children’s books, shouldn’t we aim for a lineup of featured authors and illustrators that represents our kids?  Census data shows us that America is growing more diverse, and by 2020, half of the nation’s children will be non-white.  Just over half of our population is female, too. What does that mean for our conference lineups and panels?  If you’re committed to fairness and real representation, it means that you should aim for any group you put together to be at least half women and at least half people of color. And it’s important to think about other kinds of inclusion, too, relating to gender, orientation, religious & cultural backgrounds, and disability.

So here’s the challenge. Can we agree that we’d like to live in a world where all kids get to see themselves in books and see creators who look like them? If so, here’s what we can all do to move a step in that direction.

A CHALLENGE FOR EDUCATORS, CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS, AND PANEL MODERATORS

I reached out to author-educator Donalyn Miller, whose conference panels are among my favorites because they always feature diverse voices and views. She offered four tips for conference, book festival, and panel organizers:

1. Refuse to moderate groups that are all male or all white.
2. Read widely, so that you know lots of diverse authors, not just the same four.
3. Read the books your authors are promoting and look for connections between books beyond representation.
4. As moderator, ensure equity of voices among panelists, and don’t allow individuals to dominate the discussion (including you)

A CHALLENGE FOR AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS

1. Don’t participate in all-male or all-white events or panels. Encourage organizers to consider other kinds of diversity as well.
2. Let your publicists know that this is something you’ve committed to do. (They’ll be great about it – I promise. Publishers are interested in social justice, too.)
3. When you’re invited to an event, before you commit, ask who else is invited. Explain to the organizer that you’ve made a commitment to only participate in events and panels that feature a diverse group.
4. Offer to help. The pledge to only participate in events that also feature people of color is one that I made quietly several years ago. A number of times since then, I’ve been invited to be on panels that were originally planned as all-white. I explained to the organizers that I only participate in panels that also feature people from traditionally underrepresented groups, and I offered some suggestions. In one of those cases, I stepped back from a panel to make room for someone else, and in the others, the organizers were happy to add more voices. Most often, people want to do a better job with this. They just don’t always know where to start.

There are many dynamics at work, creating and sustaining the inequities we see in the world of children’s books. But there are also some things we can easily address. If no one moderates or participates in all-male/all-white panels, we’ll stop seeing them, and we’ll begin to see more festival and conference lineups that better reflect the amazing kids for whom we make books.

Give it some thought, okay? Later this month, Mike Jung will be coordinating a pledge for men of children’s literature who are committed to no longer participating in all-male panels or conference/festival lineups. And Laurel Snyder will be coordinating a pledge for those who promise not to participate in events & panels unless they include people of color. It’s important to note that this isn’t the only kind of diversity we need in children’s literature, and we have a long way to go to make sure that all of our kids are represented. But maybe this can be a start. I think it’s a conversation worth continuing.

The trick to writing a series of historical adventures with a time-traveling search and rescue dog is choosing topics that kids are excited to read about. Often, that means dealing with time periods that have been written about many times before but digging to find a story that hasn’t been told over and over.

The latest book in the Ranger in Time series, D-DAY: BATTLE ON THE BEACH, is set during World War II, at the Battle of Normandy. When I started reading and researching to find my way into this book, I discovered a story that I’d never heard before, even though I’d seen plenty of movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day.

It was the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only African American combat unit to come ashore on D-Day. These men were among the first ashore on Omaha Beach. Their mission was to raise car-sized balloons over the beach to keep German bombers from flying low enough to hit their targets. Those balloons helped to protect Allied troops as they came ashore after their overnight crossing of the English Channel, buying them time to make their way up the beach. One of my main characters in this new Ranger in Time book, Walt Burrell, is based on the men of the 320th. In order to tell his story, I needed to read the stories of the real men who served in that unit.

I read this article in the New York Times, which tells the story of how William Dabney, a member of the 320th who fought on Omaha Beach was finally able to return there to be honored in a ceremony. It was a far cry from the way Dabney and his fellow soldiers were ignored and discriminated against when they finished serving their country and came home to Jim Crow America.

I devoured Linda Hervieux’s book FORGOTTEN: THE UNTOLD STORY OF D-DAY’S BLACK HEROES AT HOME AND AT WAR. This work of nonfiction is written for adults, but selected excerpts would be great to share with students who are reading Ranger’s latest adventure in class.

When I talk with students about research, I always share with them how my work begins at the library, with paper books. Next, I read all that I can find about my topic online, and then comes my favorite part of the research process — field trips. I spent a week in France when I was working on RANGER IN TIME: D-DAY: BATTLE ON THE BEACH. I spent time at the incredible Shoah Memorial in Paris, which shares in painful detail the story of how Nazis and the French police who helped them rounded up Jewish people and sent them away to concentration camps. One of my characters is a boy named Leo, whose grandmother sent him away to live with a farmer in Normandy, hoping it would be safer than Paris. His story is based on the stories of so many children I read about at this memorial.

I spent a day at the incredible Caen Memorial Museum, which tells the story of World War II, starting with the early days when the Nazis turned neighbor against neighbor by targeting Jewish people for discrimination. The museum has artifacts, narratives, and documents about nearly every aspect of the war in France.

I also toured Omaha Beach, where Leo and Walt meet one another. This was where the Allied forces came ashore on June 6, 1944 to begin the battle that ultimately freed France from the Nazis. Standing beside the bunkers where German gunners waited for the Allied forces is an experience I’ll never forget.

I’m truly grateful to Claire LeSourde, who served as our expert guide as we walked through the landscapes where the battle took place. Here’s where the men of the 320th were most likely to have come ashore, she’d explain. Here’s where their balloons would have flown. See this hill behind the German pillbox? That’s what they would have climbed on their way to liberate the village of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.

Claire had offered to connect me with a man whose family lived in that village — the setting for the opening scene of D-Day: Battle on the Beach — at the time of the invasion.  Unfortunately, he was in the  hospital on the day we visited. But Claire asked around at the local farm stand and found a woman who said her mother-in-law might be open to talking about her experience. We waited, sipping cider samples while it was arranged, and then we were invited into a nearby farmhouse to meet Jeannette Legallois.

She’s quite shy, Jeannette’s daughter-in-law told us. She may not have much to say. But Jeannette invited my family to sit down at her kitchen table and proceeded to talk with us for well over an hour, with Claire translating.

Jeannette was fifteen years old when the Allies arrived to liberate her village. She remembered how excited everyone was, how the children chased the jeeps and the women brought cider out for the soldiers. But she remembered sadness, too. So many of her neighbors had been killed and hurt in the Allied bombing raids that came before D-Day. They couldn’t believe that it was finally over.

Jeannette told us stories of living in occupied France, too. She remembered how the Nazi soldiers arrived at her farm, demanding five liters of milk each day. Her brothers would stick their fingers in the milk “to put germs in it” before they delivered it. Food was rationed then, and Jeannette would sneak meat in her school bag to give to classmates whose families didn’t have as much. She remembers how her father listened to the BBC on his secret crystal radio in the basement. That was forbidden, so she’d wait outside, pretending to play in the garden but really keeping watch for German soldiers so she could warn him to hide it if they came near. Parts of Leo’s story in D-Day: Battle on the Beach are based on Jeannette’s real-life experiences in 1944.

My trip to Normandy wouldn’t have been complete without paying tribute to some of the real heroes of the 320th who gave their lives on Omaha Beach. We found the graves of Henry J. Harris, Brooks Stith, and James McLean at the American cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I returned home from this trip, I was overwhelmed with stories in the best possible way. I brainstormed and transcribed notes and looked over photographs and brainstormed some more. Many months later, I’m so exited to share this story with you. I hope you’ll share it with the young readers in your life who love dogs, history, and adventure.

Ranger in Time: D-Day: Battle on the Beach is out today! It’s available wherever you like to buy books. If you have a wonderful local independent bookstore, I bet you love them just as much as I love mine, and I hope you’ll buy it there.

Hi there – and welcome to the World Read Aloud Day author Skype volunteer list for 2017!

If you’re new to this blog, I’m Kate Messner, and I write books like these:

Kate Messner
Bloomsbury/Candlewick/Chronicle/Scholastic
Elementary & Middle School
9am-11am EST
www.katemessner.com
http://katemessner.com/contact-me/

 

Tricia Springstubb

Candlewick Press; HarperCollins Balzer & Bray

Younger and older elementary grades

9am -4pm EST

www.triciaspringstubb.com

tricia.springstubb@gmail.com

 

Julie Segal Walters
Simon and Schuster
Elementary
9:30-11:30 & 1:00-2:30 ET
http://www.juliesegalwalters.com
julie.segal.walters@gmail.com

 

Anne Marie Pace

Disney-Hyperion, Beach Lane Books, Scholastic, Henry Holt

Elementary (especially primary)

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST

http://www.annemariepace.com

annemarie@annemariepace.com

 

Jody Jensen Shaffer

Laura Godwin/Henry Holt Children’s Books

Elementary

10-3pm CST

jodyjensenshaffer.com

jodyjensenshaffer@gmail.com

 

Jarrett Lerner
Simon & Schuster/Aladdin
Elementary
7 am-10pm EST
http://www.jarrettlerner.com
Jarrett.Lerner@gmail.com

 

Monica Carnesi

Penguin Random House

Early Elementary

9 am – 4 pm EST

www.monicacarnesi.com

monicacarnesi@mac.com

 

Jodi Kendall

HarperCollins Children’s Books

Upper Elementary

8am-12noon EST

www.jodikendall.com/contact

 

Stacy McAnulty

Random House Books for Younger Readers and Henry Holt/Macmillan

Elementary School

9AM – 3PM EST

www.stacymcanulty.com

author.stacymcanulty@gmail.com

 

Nanci Turner Steveson
HarperCollins
Upper Elementary & Middle School
7:30am to 1:00pm Mountain Time
www.nanciturnersteveson.com
Auntiebook@gmail.com

 

Emma Otheguy

Lee & Low Books

Elementary

8am-4pm EST

www.emmaotheguy.com

emma.otheguy@gmail.com

 

Erin Teagan

American Girl/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Elementary & Middle School

8-5pm EST

www.erinteagan.com

teaganek@hotmail.com

 

Mary Sullivan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Elementary
10 am- 3pm CST
http://marysullivan.com/
mary@marysullivan.com

 

Madelyn Rosenberg
Scholastic/Albert Whitman/Holiday House
Elementary/Middle School
8:30 am- 2pm EST
http://madelynrosenberg.com
madelynruth@yahoo.com

 

Susan B. Katz

Scholastic/Random House/Barefoot

Lower Elementary

10-2 PST

www.susankatzbooks.com

Susan@connectingauthors.org

 

Lori Richmond
Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and more
Elementary
9:30 am – 2:00 pm EST
http://www.loridraws.com/
lori@loridraws.com

 

Deborah Freedman

Viking, Atheneum

Elementary

9 am — 4 pm EST

Please use this form: http://www.deborahfreedman.net/wrad

 

Abby Cooper

Sticks & Stones, Bubbles – FSG/Macmillan

Upper Elementary/Middle School

9 – 3 CST

www.AbbyCooperAuthor.com

AbbyRCooper@gmail.com

 

Caroline Starr Rose

Penguin Random House; Albert Whitman

elementary and middle school

10-2 MST

www.carolinestarrrose.com

carolinestarr@yahoo.com

 

Rebecca Rupp

Candlewick Press

Elementary/Middle

8 AM – 2 PM EST

rebeccarupp@gmail.com

 

Marianne Malone

Random House (and Yearling)

Middle Grade

9am-3pm Pacific Standard Time

www.mariannemalone.com

mariannemalonebooks@gmail.com

 

Mike Mullin

Tanglewood Press

High School

12-6 pm EST

mikemullinauthor.com

mike@mikemullinauthor.com

 

Camille Andros
Clarion/HMHKids
Elementary
8 am- 2pm EST
https://www.camilleandros.com

camdros@gmail.com

 

Dianne White

Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster

Younger Elementary

7 a.m. to 2 p.m. MST

http://www.diannewrites.com

dianne@diannewrites.com

 

Beth McMullen

Simon & Schuster

Middle Grade

9:00-3:00 PST

Beth@BethMcMullenBooks.com

www.bethmcmullenbooks.com

 

Caela Carter

Harper

Middle School or Upper Elementary

All day Eastern Standard Time

www.caelacarter.com

caela.carter@gmail.com

 

Dana Alison Levy

Delacorte Press/Random House

Upper Elementary/Middle School

8:30 am -3:00 pm EST

www.danaalisonlevy.com

dana@danaalisonlevy.com

 

Jennifer Swanson
National Geographic Kids 
2nd- 8th grade 
9:30 am- 1pm EST
http://jenniferswansonbooks.com/
Jennifer@JenniferSwansonBooks.com 

 

Carole Estby Dagg

Nancy Paulsen/Penguin Young Readers

Elementary

8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. Pacific Time

Home – Carole Estby Dagg

carole_dagg@yahoo.com

 

Donna Earnhardt

Flashlight Press

Elementary

8am – 3pm EST

https://wordwranglernc.wordpress.com/

Donnawearnhardt@gmail.com

 

Larissa Theule

Lerner, Abrams, and Bloomsbury

Elementary

9 am – 2 pm PST

ltheule@gmail.com

 

Kara LaReau

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Candlewick Press, and Abrams Kids

Elementary

9am to 2:30 pm EST

https://karalareau.com

https://karalareau.com/contact-info/

 

Carmella Van Vleet

Holiday House / Charlesbridge / Nomad Press

Elementary

9:00 am -2:30 pm EST

www.carmellavanvleet.com

carmellavanvleet@yahoo.com

 

Keely Hutton
Farrar, Straus, Giroux – Macmillan
Middle-High School
8 am- 2pm EST
www.keelyhutton.com

khutton1@rochester.rr.com

 

Jessica Petersen

The Innovation Press

Elementary

10 am – 2 pm PST

https://jessica-petersen.com/

jessica@jessica-petersen.com

 

Karen Romano Young
National Geographic Kids/Chronicle
8 am- 3pm EST

http://www.karenromanoyoung.com

wrenyoung@gmail.com

 

Sarah Sullivan

Candlewick Press

Elementary

8 am – 5 pm EST

www.sarahsullivanbooks.com

sarah@sarahsullivanbooks.com

 

Kerri Kokias

Knopf Books for Young Readers

Elementary

9am-2pm PST

https://www.kerrikokias.com

mail@kerrikokias.com

 

Loree Griffin Burns

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Holt, Lerner

Elementary, Middle

9am to 3:40pm EST

http://loreeburns.com/www.loreeburns.com

loreegriffinburns@yahoo.com

 

Gaia Cornwall

Candlewick Press
PreK-Elementary
9:30pm- 2:30pm EST
GaiaCornwall.com

g.cornwall@gmail.com

 

Jenna Grodzicki
Clear Fork Publishing
Elementary
9am- 3pm EST

www.jennagrodzicki.com

jennagrodz@live.com

 

Katey Howes

Ripple Grove Press, Sterling Children’s Books

Elementary

9am-2:30pm EST

www.kateyhowes.com

howes_kathryn@yahoo.com

 

Nancy Castaldo

Houghton Mifflin/Random House

Elementary/Middle School

9 am- 2 pm EST

nancycastaldo.com

nancycastaldo@nancycastaldo.com

 

Megan Wagner Lloyd

Knopf Books for Young Readers
Elementary
10 am- 2pm EST
http://meganwagnerlloyd.com
meg@meganwagnerlloyd.com

 

Jennifer Brown

Little, Brow/Katherine Tegen/Bloomsbury

Middle School or High School

9AM – 2PM CST

www.JenniferBrownAuthor.com

JenniferBrownYA@gmail.com

 

Christina Soontornvat

Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky Kids

Elementary

9am-2pm CT

www.soontornvat.com

csoontornvat@gmail.com

 

Maria Gianferrari

HMH; Roaring Brook Press; Aladdin; Boyds Mills Press; Putnam; Little Bee

Elementary

10:15-10:45 AM EST; 1:15-4:30 PM

http://mariagianferrari.com/

http://mariagianferrari.com/contact

 

Denis Markell

Delacorte Press
Middle
8 am- 3:30pm EST
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/534331.Denis_Markell
dmarkell@aol.com

 

Lisa Rose

Kar-Ben Publishing

Elementary

12-3:30 pm EST

www.LisaRoseWrites.com

LisaRoseWrites@gmail.com

 

Robin Yardi

Arbordale Publishing & Carolrhoda

Elementary

6 AM – 2 PM Pacific Standard Time

https://robinyardi.com/2017/10/17/world-read-aloud-day-2018/

robin@blueeggbooks.com

 

Jennifer Thermes
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Elementary
10am- 2pm EST
http://jenniferthermes.com
jennifer@jenniferthermes.com

 

Elana K. Arnold

Harper Collins/Walden Pond Press

Elementary

8am-2pm PST

www.elanakarnold@gmail.com

elanakarnold@gmail.com

 

Debbi Michiko Florence

Farrar Straus Giroux

Elementary (gr 1- 3)

10 am – 1 pm EST

http://debbimichikoflorence.com/

jasminetoguchibooks@gmail.com

 

Kelly Jensen

Algonquin Young Readers

Middle/High School

9 am – noon central time

kellybjensen.com

kellybjensen@gmail.com

 

Kerry O’Malley Cerra
Sky Pony Press
Upper elementary & middle school
8:30 am- 3 pm EST
http://kerryomalleycerra.com
kerryocerra@gmail.com

 

Laurie Wallmark

Sterling Children’s Books and Creston Books

Elementary

8am- – 8pm EST

www.lauriewallmark.com

laurie@lauriewallmark.com

 

Anica Mrose Rissi

Simon & Schuster BFYR / Disney-Hyperion

Younger Elementary: Grades K-4

10am to 6pm EST

anicarissi.com

anicamroserissi@gmail.com

 

Bree Barton

Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins*

High School

8 am- 5pm PST

www.breebarton.com

breebarton@gmail.com

 

A.M. Rose

Entangled Teen

Middle or High School

9am – 3:30pm CST

www.amroseauthor.com

annmrose@yahoo.com

 

Allison Singer

DK Publishing

Elementary

9am-5pm EST

https://www.amazon.com/Allison-Singer/e/B01FV1V4EI/

allison.singer@dk.com

 

Peter McCleery
HarperCollins Children Books
Elementary
12pm- 4pm EST
http://www.petermccleery.com/
peter.mccleery@gmail.com

 

Jody Feldman

HarperCollins/Greenwillow

Grades 3-7

8:00am – 4:00pm CST

http://jodyfeldman.com

jody@jodyfeldman.com

 

Miriam Busch

Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins

Elementary

10 am- 2pm CST

http://miriambuschauthor.com

http://miriambuschauthor.com/connect/

 

Rita Antoinette Borg

Horizon publishers/ Bloomsbury UK

Elementary

Rome time

http://ritaborg.us

rita@ritaborg.us

 

Jennifer Hansen Rolli
Penguin Random House 
Elementary
8 am- 2pm EST
https://www.jenniferhansenrolli.com/

jenhansen@earthlink.net

 

Margaret Dilloway

Disney-Hyperion

Elementary/Middle School

7:30 am- 2 pm PST

www.margaretdilloway.com

margaretdilloway@gmail.com

 

Kayla Cagan
Chronicle Books
High School
10am PST – 6pm PST
http://kaylacagan.com
hello@kaylacagan.com

 

Sarah Aronson

Scholastic Press
Elementary
8 am- 5pm Central
http://saraharonson.com
sarah.n.aronson@gmail.com

 

Jaime Questell
Entangled Teen
High School
8 am- 3pm CST

jaimequestell.com

Jquestellauthor@gmail.com

 

Sarah Brannen

Albert A. Whitman, Charlesbridge, Scholastic, etc.

Elementary

10 am – 3 pm EST

http://sarahbrannen.com

ssbrannen@verizon.net

 

Diane Magras

Kathy Dawson Books/Penguin Young Readers

Middle

11:00 am – 2:30 pm EST

https://www.dianemagras.com/

diane@dianemagras.com

 

Carter Higgins
Chronicle Books
Elementary
8:30 am- 10:30 am PST
www.designofthepicturebook.com
carterhiggins@gmail.com

 

Janet Sumner Johnson

Capstone Young Readers

Elementary

9 am- 2pm MST

http://janetsumnerjohnson.com

rjljohnson.janet@gmail.com

 

Beth Ain

Random House and Scholastic

Elementary

9 am- 2 pm EST

https://www.bethain.com/

Bethain@gmail.com

 

Sarah Albee

Random House/National Geographic Kids

Elementary/Middle School

9 am- 2pm EST

www.sarahalbeebooks.com

sarahalbee@taftschool.org

 

Steve Swinburne

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Elementary

8 am – 2 pm EST

http://steveswinburne.com

stephen.swinburne@gmail.com

 

Julia Lynn Rubin

Diversion Books

High School

11 AM – 2PM EST

http://julialynnrubin.com

writejulia@gmail.com

 

Mike Grosso

Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Upper Elementary, Middle School

8:00am-3:00pm CST

http://mikegrossoauthor.com
me@mikegrossoauthor.com

 

Rebecca Behrens
Simon & Schuster
Elementary, Middle
10 am – 3 pm EST
http://www.rebeccabehrens.com
http://rebeccabehrens.com/contact/

 

M. Romero

Delacorte Press / Penguin Random House

4th and 5th grade, Middle School

8 AM – 2 PM EST

http://rmomero.com

contact@rmromero.com

 

Brenda Rufener

HarperTeen of HarperCollins Publishers

High School

8 AM – 2 PM EST

https://www.brendarufener.com/

brenda.rufener@gmail.com

 

Laura Murray

GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Elementary

9 am-2pm EST

www.LauraMurrayBooks.com

LauraMurrayBooks@gmail.com

 

Ronni Arno
Simon & Schuster/Aladdin
Late Elementary/Early Middle
9am- 2pm EST
www.ronniarno.com
ronniarno@gmail.com

 

Brian Lies

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Elementary

9 AM – 2 PM EST

www.brianlies.com

blies@earthlink.net

 

Rebecca Caprara

Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing Group

Elementary & Middle School

9am-1pm EST

www.rebeccacaprara.com

rebecca.caprara@gmail.com

 

Michelle Cusolito

Charlesbridge

Elementary

9 am to 4pm EASTERN Time (With breaks for lunch etc).

http://www.michellecusolito.com/

Michelle@michellecusolito.com

 

Deborah Heiligman
Macmillan Childrens Books/ Two Lions/ National Geographic
Elementary, Middle School, High school
9 am to 3:00 p.m. EST
http://deborahheiligman.com/contact/

Deborah@DeborahHeiligman.com

 

Nancy Bo Flood

Charlesbridge and Highlights/BoydsMill Press- Wordsong

elementary  & middle school

www.nancyboflood.com

wflood@hotmail.com

 

Mara Rockliff

Candlewick Press

Elementary

9 am – 4 pm EST

mararockliff.com

mararockliff.com/img/email.bmp

 

Augusta Scattergood

Scholastic Press

Elementary and Middle School (Gr. 3-7)

9 AM-4 PM
http://www.augustascattergood.com/
gsgood2@gmail.com

 

Elly Swartz

Farrar Straus and Giroux – Finding Perfect

Scholastic – Smart Cookie

Upper elementary and middle school

10:30am-3pm EST

http://ellyswartz.com/

ellyswartz@outlook.com

 

Linsey Davis

Zondervan

Elementary

9am-3pm EST

www.linseytdavis.com

Linsey.davis@abc.com

 

Melissa Stoller

Clear Fork Publishing

Elementary

9 am-2 pm EST

www.MelissaStoller.com

MLStoller@aol.com

 

Carol Gordon Ekster

Clavis Books

Elementary (K-2)

Available 1:00 p.m.-3:00 EST

www.carolgordonekster.com

cekster@aol.com

 

Brooks Benjamin

Random House

Upper elementary or middle school

8 am – 5 pm (EST)

www.BrooksBenjamin.com

cbrooks.benjamin@gmail.com

 

Jenn Bishop

Alfred A. Knopf / Penguin Random House

Gr. 3-7 (Elementary & Middle)

Available 10-4 pm EDT

jennbishop.com

jenn@jennbishop.com

 

 

Trisha Speed Shaskan

Lerner/HarperCollins

Elementary School

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST

http://www.trishaspeedshaskan.com

trishaspeedshaskan@gmail.com

 

Deborah Schaumberg

HarperTeen

High School

8 am – 2 pm EST

www.deborahschaumberg.com
email@deborahschaumberg.com

 

Hannah Dias

Eifrig Publishing

Elementary

8am- 2pm CST

www.hannahcarmonadias.com

authorhcd@gmail.com

 

Lisa Gammon Olson
Eifrig Publishing
Elementary
9 am- 2pm CST
http://lwww.lisagammonolson.com
lisagammonolson@gmail.com

 

Lauren Magaziner

Penguin Books for Young Readers

Elementary

9 am – 6 pm EST

http://laurenmagaziner.com/

lauren@laurenmagaziner.com

 

Elaine Vickers
HarperChildrens
Elementary
9:30-10:30 am, 2-3 pm EST
http://elainevickers.com
elainebvickers@hotmail.com

 

Annie Silvestro

Doubleday Books for Young Readers, Sterling Children’s Books

Elementary

9am – 2pm EST

www.anniesilvestro.com

anniesilvestro@gmail.com

 

Robin Newman 

Creston Books

Elementary 

10 am – 1 pm EST

www.robinnewmanbooks.com 

rnewman504@nyc.rr.com

 

Hayley Barrett
Candlewick/Holiday House/S&S
Elementary

8 am-12pm EST
hayleybarrettwrites@gmail.com

 

Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum

HMH, Scholastic Press

Elementary (K-2)

9 am-11:30 am, EST

andriawarmflashrosenbaum.com

http://www.andriawarmflashrosenbaum.com/contact.htm

 

Lynn Plourde

Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin

Upper Elementary-Gr. 4-6

8 am – 3 pm EST

http://www.lynnplourde.com

lynn@lynnplourde.com

 

Marcie Colleen

HarperCollins/Macmillan

Elementary

10 – 4pm PCT

www.thisismarciecolleen.com

marciecolleen@gmail.com

 

Shannon Hitchcock

Scholastic

Grade Level 3-7

Hours: 11:00–3:00 EST

http://www.shannonhitchcock.com

http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/contact.html

 

Kathleen Burkinshaw

Sky Pony Press

Middle and High school

10am – 3:00pm EST

www.kathleenburkinshaw.com

klburkinshaw@gmail.com

 

Constance Lombardo

HarperCollins

Upper Elementary

10am – 3pm  EST

http://constancelombardo.com

conlombardo@hotmail.com

 

Jennifer Wolf Kam

Charlesbridge Publishing

Middle School/High School

8 AM- 3:00 PM, EST

http://www.jenniferwolfkam.com

jrwkam@aol.com

 

Erin Soderberg Downing
Random House, Simon & Schuster/Aladdin, Bloomsbury
Elementary/Middle School
10 am- 3pm CST
http://www.erinsoderberg.com
http://www.erindowning.com

erin@erinsoderberg.com

 

Patricia McMahon

Simon and Schuster/Boyds Mills Press/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Elementary

9-4 CST

patriciamcmahonbooks.com

patricia@patriciamcmahonbooks.com

 

Casey Lyall
Sterling Children’s Books
Elementary/Middle School
9 am- 4pm EST
https://www.caseylyall.com/

casey@caseylyall.com

 

Nisha Sharma

Crown Books for Young Readers

High School

8am-11am EST

www.nisha-sharma.com

contact@nisha-sharma.com

 

Leah Henderson
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster
Elementary and Middle School
9:30 am – 2 pm EST
leahhendersonbooks.com
reachme@leahhendersonbooks.com

 

Monica Tesler

Simon & Schuster

Elementary, Middle

9 am – 3 pm EST

monicatesler.com

monicatesler@gmail.com

 

Rebecca Petruck

ABRAMS/Amulet

Middle

8 am – 10p ET

http://www.rebeccapetruck.com

rebecca_petruck@yahoo.com

 

Donna Gephart
Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House
Upper Elementary & Middle School
8:30 am- 3:30pm EST
http://donnagephart.com
donnagephart@bellsouth.net

 

Miranda Paul

Knopf Children’s (Penguin Random House), Lerner, Macmillan Children’s
Elementary
9 am-1pm Central (+Willing to schedule early morn/late night for schools overseas)

www.mirandapaul.com
Mirandapaulbooks@gmail.com

 

Lita Judge
Dial/Roaring Brook/Atheneum
Elementary
12 – 3pm EST
http://litajudge.net

info@litajudge.com

 

Meg Fleming

Simon & Schuster and little bee books

Elementary 

9:00am- 2:00 PST

www.megfleming.net

meg@megfleming.net

 

Linda Vigen Phillips

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Middle and up

8 am – 2 pm EST

http://www.lindavigenphillips.com

linda.phillips4866@gmail.com

 

Chana Stiefel

Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)

Early Childhood & Elementary

8:30-10:30 AM EST

http://chanastiefel.com/

stiefelchana@gmail.com

 

Gina Perry
little bee books
Younger Elementary
9am-2pm EST
http://www.ginaperry.com
ginacarey@comcast.net

 

Lezlie Evans
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Albert Whitman, Disney-Hyperion
Younger Elementary K-3
9:00-5:00 pm EST
LezlieEvans.com
Lezlieevans@gmail.com

Sue Fliess

little bee books, Albert Whitman, Henry Holt

Elementary

9 am – 3 pm EST

www.suefliess.com

sue.fliess@gmail.com or http://www.suefliess.com/contact

 

Judy Dodge Cummings

Nomad Press

Grades 5-7

11-3 Central Time

http://judydodgecummings.com/

judydodgecummings@gmail.com

 

Hillary Homzie
MIX/Aladdin/Simon & Schuster; Swirl/Sky Pony Press
Elementary
8 am- 11:30 am PST
www.hillaryhomzie.com
hillary@hillaryhomzie.com

 

Susan Tan

Roaring Brook Press

Elementary

8am-4pm EST

www.susantanbooks.com

susanshaumingtan@gmail.com

 

Andrea Wang

Albert Whitman & Co.

Elementary, Grades K-3

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Mountain Time

http://andreaywang.com

andrea@andreaywang.com or contact page at http://andreaywang.com/contact/

 

Bridget Hodder

Macmillan/ Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Grades 4 – 8

1:00 – 5:00 EST

www.BridgetHodder.com

http://www.bridgethodder.com/contact-bridget-hodder/

 

Laura Shovan
Wendy Lamb Books/Random House
Elementary & Middle (3-8)
9-5 pm EST
www.laurashovan.com
laurashovan@gmail.com

 

E. Conran

Gosling Press, Goosebottom Books

Elementary (4-6)

8am-3pm PST

http://aeconran.com

aeconran@gmail.com

 

Shari Green

Pajama Press

upper elementary

9am – 12noon PST

http://www.sharigreen.com

sharigreenbooks@gmail.com

 

Jill Diamond
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Elementary
9:30 am – 2:30 pm PST
https://www.jilldiamondbooks.com/
jilldiamond78@gmail.com

 

Karina Yan Glaser

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers

Elementary and Middle

10am – 2pm EST

www.karinaglaser.com

http://www.karinaglaser.com/contact/

 

Dana Middleton

Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan

Elementary

9am-3pm PST

http://www.danamiddletonbooks.com/

dana@danamiddletonbooks.com

 

S.A. Larsen

Leap Books, LLC & Ellysian Press

Upper Elementary, Middle Grade, & High School)

9am – 2pm EST

https://www.salarsenbooks.com/

sheri@salarsenbooks.com

 

Sarah Cannon
Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan
Middle
9 am- 3pm EST
http://sarahcannonbooks.com
hellosarahcannon@gmail.com

 

Wendy BooydeGraaff

Ripple Grove Press

Elementary

10 am – 3pm EST

wendybooydegraaff.com

http://www.wendybooydegraaff.com/contact-form/

 

Shelly Becker

Sterling Publishing

Elementary

10am-3pm EST

http://shellybeckerbooks.com

Shellybecker@gmail.com

 

Darcey Rosenblatt

Henry Holt/MacMillian

Middle Grade

7am – 2pm PST

https://www.darceyr.com

darceyr@comcast.net

 

Cynthia Reeg

Jolly Fish Press/ North Star Editions

Elementary

10-2 EST

https://www.cynthiareeg.com

cynthiareeg@ymail.com

 

Matthew Swanson

Macmillan Children’s

Elementary

9:00am – 3:00pm EST

www.robbiandmatthew.com

matthew@robbiandmatthew.com

 

Jodi McKay

Albert Whitman & Co

Elementary

9:00-2:00 est

www.jodimckaybooks.com

Jodi@jodimckaybooks.com

 

Tricia Clasen

Sky Pony Press

Elementary (4-6th grade)

10-4 Central

http://www.triciaclasen.com

triciaclasen@gmail.com

 

Lee Gjertsen Malone

Aladdin/Simon & Schuster

4th through 8th grades

9am – 4pm EST

leegjertsenmalone.com

leegjertsenmalone@gmail.com

 

Courtney Pippin-Mathur

 

Katey Howes
Ripple Grove Press, Sterling Children’s Books, Carolrhoda
Younger Elementary
9am-3pm EST, 7:30-9pm EST
www.kateyhowes.com
Howes_kathryn@yahoo.com

 

 

Lindsay Currie
Simon & Schuster
Middle Grade
8 am- 2pm CST
www.lindsaycurrie.com

lindsayncurrie@gmail.com 

 

Stephanie Robinson
Delacorte Press
Middle Grade (upper elementary/early middle school
8:30 am – 3:15pm EST
https://www.fairdaysfiles.com/
robinsonstef@yahoo.com

 

Claire Lordon

Authors & Illustrators: If your schedule is full & you need to be crossed off the list, please email to let me know. If you’d like to be added to the list, directions are here. Please note that this particular list is limited to traditionally published authors/illustrators, only to limit its size and scope. I’m one person with limited time. However, if someone else would like to compile and share a list of self-published, magazine, and ebook author/illustrator volunteers, I think that would be absolutely great, and I’ll happily link to it here. Just let me know!

Happy reading, everyone!

“World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.”              ~from the LitWorld website