From The Mixed Up Files

Welcome to October’s STEM Tuesday author interview! This is where you get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to research and write a STEM book. This week we’re chatting with Penny Parker Klostermann, author of several books including The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army, illustrated by Anne Lambelet.   Andi Diehn: I had no idea that spider silk was used for scopes! How did you come across this fact? How did it lead to a full book? Penny Parker Klostermann: For years I visited a website named Wonderopolis (ed note:...

“Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” That’s the theme of this year’s Banned Books Week. A joint effort by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Banned Books Week Coalition, this annual week of focus provides the opportunity to make a bold, collective statement about the freedom to read.    This year’s campaign features three separate illustrations that highlight the importance of libraries. According to the ALA, award-winning illustrators Hyesu Lee, Loveis Wise, and Mikey Burton created artwork that “embraces joy and creativity as acts of resilience, reminding our communities that a handful of people running organized censorship...

Sometimes you wonder if anyone else has the same struggles as you or if you’re alone. You’re not alone! There are wonderful books that can help kids learn about themselves and what they’re going through. October is ADHD Awareness Month. In honor of the awareness, today’s blog post lists books...

Welcome to October’s STEM Tuesday author interview! This is where you get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to research and write a STEM book. This week we’re chatting with Penny Parker Klostermann, author of several books including The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army, illustrated...

Interview with Linda Williams Jackson for All the World’s a Stage: A Young Reader’s Guide to Shakespeare’s Characters   In today’s Author Spotlight, Jo Hackl chats with Linda Williams Jackson, a born and raised Mississippi Delta author of award-winning middle grade novels centered around some of Mississippi’s most important historical...

Kids love fiction and nonfiction books, and among younger readers, studies often show that they prefer nonfiction books! Elementary school teachers know that certain nonfiction series fly off the shelves in younger grades: Who Would Win? or the Who Was? series. But at all grades should share, promote, and encourage nonfiction reading. Read Aloud...

Get cozy this fall and cuddle up with one of these amazing new books. October 6th The Creeps By Tahlor Mejia Front Desk meets Stephen King! In this perfectly frightening middle grade read, a twelve-year-old boy moves into a creepy motel where breaking the rules doesn’t just mean getting kicked...

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” This famous quote by Stephen King encapsulates an important truth for writers: We should always be reading, and the parenthetical in that quote tells us why. Reading gives us tools, and the only...