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How to Find a Great Agent

By on February 28, 2025   /   Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight  

Me and my amazing agent, Joyce Sweeney.

I’m so grateful for my incredible agent, and hope this post will help you connect with an amazing agent, too. But please keep in mind that not having an agent is better than a bad agent. Research agents before submitting (there are some horrible schmagents out there who could hurt your career vs. helping it). Writer Beware gives great tips for avoiding bad agents.

Ways to Research Agents

  • We have Agent/Editor Spotlights that give insight on them (and sometimes include a giveaway or private pitch party).
  • QueryTracker is an amazing tool! The free version is great, but it’s worth paying a small annual amount in order to have extra tools that make it even easier to research and stalk (um, I mean keep up with) agent response times. Tip: Sign up for their free newsletter so you receive e-mail notifications of new agents or changes for existing agents.
  • Literary Rambles has great interviews, and you can look up agents by MG and other categories.
  • Publishers Marketplace is a fantastic resource for seeing sales similar to what you write, and you can see who both the agent and editor are.
  • If you read a book that has similarities to your style or topics (but not too similar) you can look for an agent’s name in the acknowledgements.
  • Conferences and workshops are a great way to learn from agents—and get an idea of what it might be like to work with them. Some great places to take them are SCBWI, Highlights Foundation, and The Writing Barn.

 

WAIT! Don’t Send Queries Yet

Before you start querying, make sure you’re 100% ready. You only have one chance to make a first impression.

  • Read, read, read, then read even more recent books in your genre (and it’s great to read other genres as well).
  • Write, revise, get feedback…repeat, repeat, repeat! So many writers query too early (I was guilty of that early on, too).
  • Find at least one awesome critique group with others who also write middle-grade novels. I personally find it helpful to run middle grade novels through a group a few chapters at a time. Once the entire MG is as strong as I can get it, critique swaps for the full manuscript are a huge help.
  • When your manuscript as polished as possible, consider getting a professional critique. Feedback from successful authors can be really helpful. I also loved getting critiques from agents (and now that I’m agented, I seek out editor critiques before submitting, if possible). Where can you get paid agent critiques? Here are a few places that come to mind: SCBWI events often offer them for an additional price, The Manuscript Academy, and Inked Voices offers workshops with peer and agent feedback.

 

Don’t Forget to Polish Your Query

After spending tons of time making a novel shine, some writers quick draft a query and send, send, send. NO! Please don’t do that. Take the time to write, revise, then get feedback on your query and make sure it’s polished before sending to agents. That’s your first impression—make sure it’s a great one. Also, it’s good to only send 5 – 10 queries at a time to see how well they do. Plus, you might receive feedback you’d like to use before sending the next round of queries.

  • Study book blurbs to see what makes you want to dive into a book (or put it down and run away).
  • Read these amazing query tips at Kidlit 411. This site is full of great advice. How to write a query, submission errors to avoid, comps, queries that worked, etc. Tip: Check out the rest of the Kidlit 411 website, too. There’s a whole section on middle grade novels…and so much more.
  • You can also check out amazing queries in the PBParty Showcase. They’re for picture books, but you can still see what makes a query professional. The 2025 showcase won’t be available on my website until March 10, but here’s a link to the 2024 showcase, which still has most of the queries up (thanks amazing finalists for allowing others to learn from your incredible entries). Tip: Look at the impact the inspiration and connection to the story both have. Many writers forget to include a bit of that in a query–and it can make a huge difference! For the contest, I created a separate area for it, but as you look through great query examples here and other places, consider how those connections make you feel. Then tap into yours and make sure it shines through your query.

 

I’m sending tons of good luck vibes and fairy dust your way, and hope you’ll have an amazing agent soon!

Do you have agent tips and resources to share?

 

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February 27 is International Polar Bear Day

By on February 27, 2025   /   Articles  

February 27 is International Polar Bear Day. What better way to celebrate these majestic animals than reading a story in which they feature as main characters. Below is a list of books, some realistic, some more whimsical, to enjoy during the cold winter when you might wish you had a fur coat as warm as these remarkable bears.

 

International Polar Bear Day Finding Bear by Hannah Gold. 352 pp.

April Wood has returned home from her adventure on Bear Island. But even though it’s been a whole year, she can’t stop thinking about Bear.

When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she’s convinced it’s her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and icy glaciers.

But along the way, she discovers much more than she bargained for—a tiny polar bear cub, desperately in need of her help. In freezing temperatures, April must navigate the dangerous Arctic terrain and face her deepest fears if she’s to save him.

International Polar Bear DayThe Great White Bear by James DuBern. 198 pp.

There are three reasons Lance should up and run from what his dad calls a ‘character-building’ excursion to Fort Lagrave. First, winter in Hudson Bay is colder than his father’s goodbyes. Second, the owner of the snowbound fortress is a mustachioed madman. And third, a polar bear circles the estate with its nose in the air and blood on its muzzle. But Lance doesn’t know any of that, yet.

On the bus, he has more immediate problems. The hockey boys push him around like a puck, and the girls in the back row stare right through him. Little do they all know that to survive this ordeal, the ragtag group of teenagers must pull together as a team.

Lance stares out the window. The snow gets heavier and the sky gets darker. His father’s voice rings in his ears and the bus driver has his own, spine-chilling words of wisdom.

“You know what they say about bears? If it’s brown, lay down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, good night.”

Lance closes his eyes and shivers. It’s only a five night trip. He’s got this..

How to Catch a Polar Bear by Stacy DeKeyser. 272 pp. International Polar Bear Day

It’s 1948, and twelve-year-old Nick is ready for the best summer ever. He’s going to hang out with his best pal, Ace, and maybe with Penny too—she is a girl, but she has a great throwing arm. Then things get wild when a polar bear escapes from Milwaukee’s city zoo and appears right on his block. They’re all going to have to keep their eyes open now.

But Nick’s grand plans start to crumble when Ace gets a paper route and Penny decides to share it with him. Now they’re never around. Nick himself is working at his Uncle Spiro’s frozen custard shop, but at least he gets free all-you-can-eat dessert.

When Uncle Spiro opens a custard stand at the zoo, Nick volunteers to help—if that polar bear escapes again, he’ll have a front row seat! But their competitor, Happy Harold, opens a stand of his own right outside the zoo. Now Nick is scrambling to keep their customers, especially because Happy keeps playing dirty tricks. When Penny discovers that someone may have let the polar bear out on purpose, Nick suspects that Happy might be involved. With mysteries to solve and a whole zoo-full of monkey business, it looks like Nick’s summer won’t be so boring after all!

Journey of the Pale Bear by Susan Fletcher. 304 pp. International Polar Bear Day

The polar bear is a royal bear, a gift from the King of Norway to the King of England. The first time Arthur encounters the bear, she terrifies him. Yet, strangely, she doesn’t harm him—though she has attacked anyone else who comes near. So Arthur finds himself taking care of a polar bear on a ship to England.

Tasked with feeding and cleaning up after the bear, Arthur’s fears slowly lessen as he begins to feel a connection to this bear, who like him, has been cut off from her family. But the journey holds many dangers, and Arthur knows his own freedom—perhaps even his life—depends on keeping the bear from harm. When pirates attack, Arthur must make a choice—does he do everything he can to save himself, or does he help the bear to find freedom?

Based on the real story of a polar bear that lived in the Tower of London, this timeless adventure story thoughtfully looks at the themes of freedom, captivity, and the bond between a boy and a bear.

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold. 288 pp. International Polar Bear Day

There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost.

But one night, April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon. A polar bear who shouldn’t be there—who is hungry, lonely and a long way from home.

This fierce celebration of friendship includes full-page black-and-white illustrations throughout, as well as information about the real Bear Island and the plight of the polar bears.

Middle School: Winter Blunderland by James Patterson and Brian Sitts. 256 pp. International Polar Bear Day

Things heat up at Hills Village Middle School when Rafe gets an invitation from Dr. Daria Deerwin to join a research study on polar bears. How many times in life do you get a chance to come face‑to‑face with a real polar bear in the wild? Rafe is ready to find out!

Alaska is pinkie‑freezing, hair‑freezing, snot‑freezing cold, but Rafe might be headed for a meltdown. He’s spending every waking moment with Penelope, who he definitely has a crush on, and a polar bear Dr. Deerwin is tracking goes missing … with poachers on the tundra. It’s up to Rafe, Penelope, and their new friends to save the day. Will Rafe survive his coolest, most (frost)biting adventure yet?

The Polar Bear and the Dragon: Perilous Passage by Debbie Watson. 284 pp. International Polar Bear Day

The ambush was a miserable failure. The explosion should have trapped the alliance inside the portal, but all escaped except Whitney and Edward. Now the teens are lost in a perilous passage somewhere between Yagdi and Earth.

Something or someone is blocking their attempts to communicate with family and friends … and their powers have disappeared. The so-called wizard who appears out of nowhere offers to guide Whitney and Edward to safety. The teens are wise to question his motives, because the wizard’s timely arrival is no coincidence.

Following him will be risky, but they’re lost, and the odd little wizard seems to know his way around. The distraught alliance led by a polar bear named Traveler has vowed to bring Whitney and Edward home. Once again their Dream Jumper solves the problem of communication. But how can they reach their “chosen ones” when the portal has been destroyed?

The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club by Alex Bell. 336 pp. International Polar Bear Day

Stella Starflake Pearl knows, without a doubt, that she was born to be an adventurer. It’s too bad girls are forbidden from becoming explorers.

But Stella’s father has never been one to play by the rules.

Leaving behind her pet polar bear, Gruff, and beloved unicorn, Magic, Stella and Felix set off on an expedition to the snowy Icelands. There, Stella plans to prove herself as a junior explorer, worthy of membership in the Polar Bear Explorers’ Club. So when Stella and three other junior explorers are separated from the rest of their expedition, she has the perfect opportunity. Can they explore the frozen wilderness and live to tell the tale?

Polar Peril by Margaret Pollock. 154 pp. International Polar Bear Day

Twelve-year-old Nikki and her cousin, Charlie-Chum, attend the Mohawk Strawberry Festival. While there, a seer gives Nikki a magic carved polar bear, named Followme, who guides her as she learns how to talk with animals and fly. Followme tells Nikki that the Creator has an assignment for her: to fly to the Arctic to save the polar bears, whose world is melting from global warming. A life-changing journey begins!

The journey is hair-raising as Charlie-Chum, clutching Nikki, nearly falls out of the air, and the two kids land amongst hundreds of starving polar bears. But they develop allies as they head into brown bear territory, for a brave new experiment in polar bear survival. Eventually, there is a gigantic clash between the chief of the brown bears and the mightiest polar bear. This fight will determine whether the experiment succeeds or fails.

The Quest of the Cubs by Kathryn Lasky. 240 pp. International Polar Bear Day

For generations, the noble polar bears have ruled the Northern Kingdoms. But now, their society is on the brink of collapse. A group of power-hungry bears has seized control, and darkness is creeping across the snow.

Cubs First and Second don’t know any of this. Although they’re twins, they couldn’t be more different. First loves imagining stories, while his daring sister, Second, wants to live them.

When their mother is taken prisoner, the cubs’ world falls apart. They know they have to rescue her, but how can two cubs who’ve barely learned to hunt survive a treacherous journey across the ice? Their only chance is to learn to trust each other and — even more important — trust themselves. But survival is only the beginning. And soon, these two unlikely heroes find themselves at the heart of a battle unlike anything Ga’Hoole has ever seen.

The Snow Bear by Holly Webb. 192 pp. International Polar Bear Day

As the snow begins to fall, Grandad helps Sara build an igloo in the garden, and Sara sculpts a small polar bear to watch over it. And what better way to spend a snowy night than sleeping under the stars?

But when Sara awakes in the middle of the night, she finds the igloo is no longer in the garden but lost in a world of ice … and her snow bear has transformed into a real live polar bear cub. As Sara and the cub set out on an enchanted journey through the wilderness, will they ever find their way home?

The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el. 272 pp. International Polar Bear Day

An inquisitive polar bear named Duane befriends an array of animals as he discovers where he belongs in this charming classic-in-the making.

In the Very, Very Far North, past the Cold, Cold Ocean and just below the hill that looks like a baby whale, you’ll find Duane and his friends.

Duane is a sweet and curious young bear who makes friends with everyone he meets—whether they’re bossy, like Major Puff the puffin, or a bit vain, like Handsome the musk ox, or very, very shy, like Boo the caribou. For these arctic friends, every day is a new adventure!

Included on the bookshelf are nonfiction middle-grade books to explore fun facts about polar bears. Plus, check here and here to learn about the environment polar bears live in.

International Polar Bear Day

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Judging Book Awards

By on February 26, 2025   /   Articles  

I have always wondered how one gets chosen to judge book awards and which books are chosen for different book awards. From the time I was a child, I would see the shiny award circles on books or the list of the author’s acolades when learning about a book and I would ask myself, what made this book so special and who was it that decided this? While I am far from a Newberry judge, I did have the exciting opportunity this last year to join a panel of judges to decide the finalists for books in the Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category of the Cybils Awards.

What are the Cybils?

Cybils Logo

Children’s and Young Adult Book Lovers’ Literary Awards

 

 

 

The Cybils Awards started out with a group of bloggers in 2005 who wanted to recognize books that portray diversity, inclusion, and appropriate representation for kids and teens. The ‘b’ in Cybils originally stood for bloggers. But we all know that the internet is ever changing and since 2005 we saw an explosion of popularity with social media. While there are still many popular blogs out there, the greater number of book reviewers online do not have blogs. They are just people with a social media account reading books and sharing their love for these books with their followers. Thus the ‘b’ changed from bloggers to book lovers. Consider the Cybils awards as something given by your friends. Those people that you trust to give you great book recommendations for your kids also get together and discuss the best books published in the last year to give out this award to outstanding books that we think you and your kids are absolutely going to love!

Who gets to nominate books for Cybils?

You do! Everyone and anyone can nominate a book. And Cybils has categories for every age and interest! Each individual who gets on to nominate can choose one book for each category to nominate. I’ve seen nominations from other book reviewers, like myself (yes, I nominated my favorite books). I’ve seen authors nominate books that they love. And most importantly, the average person, teacher, librarian, reader of any sort, can go to Cybils and nominate the books that they love! Sometime around the middle of September nominations open. This nomination period is only open for a couple of weeks so you’ll want to be sure to get on during that period. After general nominations close, there is a period where authors and publishers can also submit their own works for consideration if another reader did not do so during the general nominations. The criteria for which books can be nominated are pretty simple. It must be a book written in English (bilingual included), written in the last year (this is from Oct 16 of the previous year to Oct 15 of the current year), published in the U.S. or Canada, and be widely available. Independently published books can be submitted; they just need to meet the criteria. If you have more than 1 book that you loved then you can get your friends and family to nominate those books that you want to be sure to see included. The Cybils want to see anyone who loves books have the opportunity to see those favorite books submitted for consideration.

How are judges chosen?

Each category has 7 or 9 judges. It must always be an odd number to avoid ties when choosing finalists. These judges are your trusted book reviewers on social media, your online friends. People whose faces you have likely seen online sharing a love of children’s books. So when you wonder, well who gets to choose from the hundreds of books published each year those that are the cream of the crop to receive the award, you now have an answer for at least one of these awards. You can go and look up these judges, click on their social media accounts, and hear from them on a regular basis. There is sometimes some turnover in judges so each year the Cybils chairs put out a call for judges. There are two rounds of judges. Round 1 reads as many books as possible from their category to determine approximately seven finalists. Round 2 judges read those seven books and get to work together to judge the winners of the awards. Judges are expected to post regularly, at least twice a month, on their own social about children’s books. Chairs look for judges that not only share summaries about books, but also their postive and negative thoughts about these books. So if you love children’s literature and have a platform where you share about this love for kidslit, then you could apply to be a judge. If you don’t yet have a social media account where you do this, start one today. It really isn’t hard. Pick one platfrom to focus on at first, whether it be Instagram or YouTube or something else, then start posting about the books you love most and why. If you hope to be a judge I encourage you to reach out before the summer so that you can be involved in the summer discussions of books that may be nominated.

What criteria do judges use to determine if books become finalists?

High literary merit and kid appeal. One of the founders refers to books they like to see on Cybils as, “organic chicken nuggets, good for you but still tasty.” So while some book awards are only focused on the literary merit, those very important brussel sprouts with the critical healthy ingredients that all books should have to be considered, and other book awards just want to see kids loving the flavor of the gummy bears, Cybils awards books that are both delicious to consume yet also include those important nutrients for good growth and health. Cybils strives to spotlight books for marginalized/underserved communities. They seek positive representation in books for kids and teens. While they are always looking for diverse books, they aren’t just looking for something that meets a checkbox character who is just there as a side character for a bit of representation. I love how Verna Myers put it, “diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” Cybils is very open with what they use to determine which books get chosen. You can view their criteria online, including their lists of goals and guidelines for inclusitivity.

Healthy food that is also delicious

It is not just a popularity contest.

My experience as a judge.

I saw a call for judges on a Facebook group that I’m in. I was immediately excited about it. Me? The average person? I could be a judge? I don’t have some vast social media following, I wondered if I would be selected. But the application was not extensive so I filled it out and before too long I heard back. Sure enough, it was that easy. I initially requested to be on the panel judging realistic fiction for middle grade. Judges have the option to connect throughout the summer to discuss books that they think may show up as nominations. We would also discuss any other books that we were reading. It was during this time that my panel chair noticed that I also read a lot of middle grade speculative fiction and asked if I would be willing to switch to judging that category as they had a need for more judges there. Now, fantasy is my jam, but I had requested realistic fiction because not only do I enjoy reading it and was trying to read more outside my favorite genre. I also wondered if I might be too biased in judging books in my preferred category. But as mentioned before Cybils has extensive guidelines for how they judge books so I was able to take confidence that I would be able to judge each book fairly. I switched categories and studied up and learned more about how Cybils worked by reading all of their material and talking with other judges, including interviewing the upcoming Cybils chair on my podcast.

Cybils has a wonderful site exclusively for the judges where we can view the nominated books (anyone can also view nominated books as they are nominated on the Cybils main website as well), keep track of our readings, link our own reviews for those books, and create a shortlist of our preferred books to become finalists. Initially we try to read as many books as possible from the list of nominations in our category, including reviewing any nominated that we had read earlier in the year. Let me tell you that was a LOT of reading! Of course I read tons of middle grade books throughout the year because I have my YouTube channel where I recommend books for adults to share with the kids in their lives. I generally try to read at least five advance reader copies of books in different middle grade genres. And I’m also always reading books to prepare for podcast interviews with children’s book authors and other themed videos I create. But! This was a whole new level of reading! 102 books were nominated for consideration in the speculative fiction category for middle grade. 102 books to read in just 3 short months! While I wasn’t able to read all 102 books, I did read a lot of them.

Cybils requires that each nominted book be read by at least 2 judges. Many are read by 4-7 judges. As judges we were constantly adding and removing books from our own working shortlists. As November drew to a close our panel chair requested we begin shortening our shortlist to only 7 books. This was difficult and some of us may have included 10 books on our shorlist. Shhh. Throughout the process we were constanly discussing which books we were reading and why we were or were not including them on our shortlist. In December it was time for all seven of us judges to meet over Zoom and finalize which books would be the official seven finalists in our category. There was one book that was immediatly on this list. While I won’t share which book this was, I will share that it was easy to put on the list because it was the only book that every judge shortlisted and were absolutely sure we wanted to include. Then the hard work began. Which other six books would we include? There was extensive conversation about each book from each of our shortlists. We debated reasons each book merited a spot as a finalist and, truly, so many more than six books could have been given that honor. But in this situation we were only able to pass seven finalists to the next round of judges. Once we determined our seven books each of us seven judges wrote a blurb for one of these books. You can view these Cybils reviewer created blurbs of the finalitsts yourself on the Cybils site. I loved my involvement with Cybils and look forward to participating again. I encourage every reader of children’s books to watch for the call for nominations to come out this September so that you can be a part of choosing the best books in children’s literature.

What books were winners this year?

Board Book Who Laid These Eggs?Board Books – Who Laid These Eggs?: A Lift-the-Flap Book (An Animal Traces Book)

by Gehl, Laura, illustrated by Lora, Loris
Published: Harry N Abrams

 

 

I am a Masterpiece book cover Fiction Picture Books – I am a Masterpiece!

by Mia Armstrong; Illustrated by Alexandra Thompson
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

My Antartica book coverElementary Non-Fiction – My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More

by G. Neri, illustrated by Corban Wilkin
Publisher: Candlewick Press

 

The Misfits book coverElementary/Middle Grade Fiction – A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits)

by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

 

 

Pearl Graphic Novel CoverElementary/Middle Grade Graphic Novel – Pearl: A Graphic Novel

by Sherri L. Smith, illustrated by Christine Norrie
Publisher: GRAPHIX

 

 

Impossible Creatures CoverElementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction – Impossible Creatures

by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

 

 

Why We Need Vaccines CoverMiddle Grade Non-Fiction – Why We Need Vaccines: How Humans Beat Infectious Diseases

by: Rowena Rae and Paige Stampatori
Publisher: Orca Books

 

 

American Wings CoverHigh School Non-Fiction – American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky

by: Smith, Sherri L. and Wein, Elizabeth
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

 

 

Black Girl You Are Atlas CoverPoetry Collections – Black Girl You Are Atlas

by: Renée Watson,  illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Publisher: Kokila

 

 

Kareem Between book coverPoetry Novel in Verse – Kareem Between

by: Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

 

 

Everything We Never Had book coverYoung Adult Fiction – Everything We Never Had

by: Randy Ribay
Publisher: Kokila

 

 

Brownstone book coverYoung Adult Graphic Novel – Brownstone

by: Samuel Teer, illustrated by Mar Julia
Publisher: Versify

 

 

Hearts Still Beating book coverYoung Adult Speculative Fiction – Hearts Still Beating

by: Brooke Archer
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

 

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