From the Mixed-Up Files…

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Christiane M. Andrews, author of the new middle-grade novel, Spindlefish and Stars, which debuts tomorrow (09/22/2020) and has already received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. Take a look, and don’t forget to click on the Rafflecopter for a chance to win a copy (U.S. only).   ABOUT THE BOOK Clothilde has lived her whole life in the shadows with her (sometimes) thieving and (always) ailing father. But when he fails to meet her one morning, sending her instead...

From the Mixed-Up Files … of Middle-Grade Authors is excited to announce that starting October 21, we’re launching a new series: WE NEED DIVERSE MG Check out our series logo — designed by one of our newest contributors, Aixa Perez-Prado. Isn’t it amazing? We Need Diverse MG will publish posts once a month and will be dedicated to celebrating, exploring issues, and promoting diversity in middle-grade books. We hope you will make our newest series appointment reading, and as always, we encourage you to reach out to us with questions, ideas, and comments: msfishby@fromthemixedupfiles.com    ...

I’ve got a big roster of diverse titles with contemporary and realistic settings this month, so my reviews are going to be correspondingly short so I can fit them all in. I’ve organized these with the youngest books first moving toward YA titles that are still appropriate for MG readers....

Earlier this year, I read a bunch of books about astronauts. For this month’s theme, I read about astronomical things. (Things related to astronomy, not enormous things – although many astronomical things are astronomical. But I digress…) The books I read were: Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the...

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Christiane M. Andrews, author of the new middle-grade novel, Spindlefish and Stars, which debuts tomorrow (09/22/2020) and has already received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. Take a look, and don’t forget to click...

Hello Mixed-Up Filers! We are in for a real treat today! Recently, I got a chance to speak to this week’s guest, who starred in two of my favorite shows growing up. I watched Family Affair and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters religiously, and I also really loved the movie,...

September always means back-to-school time for my family, and that’s something very different this year across the country. Many kids are learning remotely–and books can be a great way to supplement their virtual schooldays. Books can even help students do the hands-on science experiments or art projects they’re missing from...

Growing Food and Writing Fiction This spring my wife and I decided to stop talking about growing vegetables and actually grow some vegetables. We made this decision without doing much research about the actual business of growing vegetables, and that was mostly thanks to me. Any time my wife opened...