From The Mixed Up Files

WNDMG Wednesday Guest Post by Jorrel Brinkely We Need DIverse MG is delighted to host a new author this week.  Jorrel reached out to WNDMG a few months ago with an idea for connecting his work as an author and school psychologist to the importance of diverse representation in middle-grade fiction, and we were excited to be able to feature a fresh voice on this always-timely topic. Thanks for your post, Jorrel! My Journey, by Jorrel Brinkley Hey everyone! I’m so excited to write a blog post this month for “From the Mixed-Up Files… of...

Kidlit Unites Against Book Banning More than 13,000 MG and YA authors and illustrators have signed a letter condemning the current wave of book banning. The letter, written by Newbery Honor author Christina Soontornvat,  calls on Congress, state leaders, and school boards to act now to protect students and their right to access a diverse selection of books. “This current wave of book suppression follows hard-won gains made by authors whose voices have long been underrepresented in publishing.” (From Soontornvat letter) Demonstrating the resonance of this message with children’s book creators, most of the thousands of signatures on this letter...

It’s summertime and the reading is easy. Take a look at just a few of the middle-grade books coming out this month:   Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriela Epstein (illustrator) Can five overlooked kids make one big difference? There’s George: the brain. Sara: the loner. Dayara: the tough...

What is ecosystem recovery? The Society for Ecological Restoration defines it as “the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.” This fascinating work is happening all over the globe. Many amazing books have been written to help students grasp the enormity and...

Today, I’m delighted to introduce Rob Sanders and his latest book to Mixed-Up Files readers. While known mostly as a picture book writer, Rob ventured into middle grade with his new verse novel, Blood Brothers, which releases this week. Before we get on with the interview, here’s a bit about...

For those of you starting to compile ideas for the new school year, here’s a storytelling project that promotes creativity, engages interest, and can be readily differentiated. Early fall is a great time for a storytelling activity for middle graders in your ELA classes, library or author workshop, or homeschool...

In today’s Author Spotlight, Melissa Roske chats with author Will Taylor about his latest middle-grade novel, The Language of Seabirds (Scholastic, July 19) as well as his inspiration behind writing it. (Spoiler alert: It’s the book of his heart.) Plus there’s a chance to win one of THREE copies of Will’s book–plus...

I’ve been a long-time fan of the YouTube videos with James McGowan, Jessica Faust, and other agents at Bookends Literary Agency and am thrilled to be interviewing James about his career as an agent and a writer. But before we move on to the interview, here’s a brief bio about...