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New MG Releases: January 2022

By on January 1, 2022   /   Articles, Book Lists, New Releases  

WE MADE IT!! This past year was a tough one for many, but 2022 is wide open for hopeful days ahead and, of course, more books to keep us laughing and feeling, take us into the minds of different characters, and transport us to fascinating places and times. And there are plenty of new books launching just in January. Here are a few to check out in the first month of this new year.

 

The Unforgettable Logan Foster, #1, by Shawn Peters

Packed with superheroes, supervillains, and epic showdowns between good and evil, The Unforgettable Logan Foster from debut author Shawn Peter shows that sometimes being a hero is just about being yourself. Logan Foster has pretty much given up on the idea of ever being adopted. It could have something to with his awkward manner, his photographic memory, or his affection for reciting curious facts, but whatever the cause, Logan and his “PP’s” (prospective parents) have never clicked. Then everything changes when Gil and Margie arrive. Although they aren’t exactly perfect themselves–Gil has the punniestsense of humor and Margie’s cooking would have anyone running for the hills–they genuinely seem to care.

But it doesn’t take Logan long to notice some very odd things about them. They are out at all hours, they never seem to eat, and there’s a part of the house that is protected by some pretty elaborate security. No matter what Logan could have imagined, nothing prepared him for the truth: His PP’s are actually superheroes, and they’re being hunted down by dastardly forces. Logan’s found himself caught in the middle in a massive battle and the very fate of the world may hang in the balance. Will Logan be able to find a way to save the day and his new family?

 

Tiger Honor, by Yoon Ha Lee

Sebin, a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang Clan, wants nothing more than to join the Thousand World Space Forces and, like their Uncle Hwan, captain a battle cruiser someday. But when Sebin’s acceptance letter finally arrives, it’s accompanied by the shocking news that Hwan has been declared a traitor. Apparently, the captain abandoned his duty to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Sebin hopes to help clear their hero’s name and restore honour to the clan.

Nothing goes according to plan, however. As soon as Sebin arrives for orientation, they are met by a special investigator named Yi and his assistant, a girl named Min. Yi informs Sebin that they must immediately report to the ship Haetae and await further instructions. Sebin finds this highly unusual, but soon all protocol is forgotten when there’s an explosion on the ship, the crew is knocked out, and the communication system goes down. It’s up to Sebin, three other cadets, and Yi and Min to determine who is sabotaging the battlecruiser. When Sebin is suddenly accused of collaborating with the enemy, the cadet realizes that Min is the most dangerous foe of all…

 

Northwind, by Gary Paulsen

This stunning novel from the survival story master, set along a rugged coastline centuries ago, does for the ocean what Hatchet does for the woods, as it relates the story of a young person’s battle to stay alive against the odds, where the high seas meet a coastal wilderness.

When a deadly plague reaches the small fish camp where he lives, an orphan named Leif is forced to take to the water in a cedar canoe. He flees northward, following a wild, fjord-riven shore, navigating from one danger to the next, unsure of his destination. But the deeper into his journey he paddles, the closer he comes to his truest self as he connects to “the heartbeat of the ocean . . . the pulse of the sea.”

With hints of Nordic mythology and an irresistible narrative pull, Northwind is Gary Paulsen at his captivating, adventuresome best.

 

 

Snow Leopards and Other Wild Cats, by Mary Pope Osbourne and Jenny Laird

Track the facts about snow leopards and other amazing wild cats in this nonfiction companion to the bestselling Magic Tree House series!

When Jack and Annie came back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #36: Sunlight on the Snow Leopard, they had lots of questions. Where do snow leopards live? Why are they endangered? Which wild cat has the longest fangs? How do lions hunt? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts about snow leopards and wild cats from all over the world.

Filled with up-to-date information, photographs, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures.

 

 

Physics for Curious Kids: An Illustrated Introduction to Energy, Matter, Forces, and Our Universe!, by Laura Baker

Young readers can discover the wonders of physics with this inspirational and accessible book, brought to life by full-color illustrations.

This vibrant jacketed hardback is packed with clear, colorful, and engaging explanations of the world of physics, including matter and motion, space and time, energy and forces. Supporting STEM learning, this book is an ideal supplement to school education as it covers many core topics in an entertaining and easy-to-understand way.

Big new concepts pop off the page thanks to colorful diagrams and an engaging, energetic text. Kids will relish sharing them with friends and family!

 

Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler, by Ibi Zoboi

From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler, author of Parable of the Sower and Kindred.

Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death.

 

 

 

Overground Railroad (The Young Adult Adaptation): The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, by Candacy Taylor

A young reader’s edition of Candacy Taylor’s acclaimed book about the history of the Green Book, the guide for Black travelers

Overground Railroad chronicles the history of the Green Book, which was published from 1936 to 1966 and was the “Black travel guide to America.” For years, it was dangerous for African Americans to travel in the United States. Because of segregation, Black travelers couldn’t eat, sleep, or even get gas at most white-owned businesses.

The Green Book listed hotels, restaurants, department stores, gas stations, recreational destinations, and other businesses that were safe for Black travelers. It was a resourceful and innovative solution to a horrific problem. It took courage to be listed in the Green Book, and the stories from those who took a stand against racial segregation are recorded and celebrated.

This young reader’s edition of Candacy Taylor’s critically acclaimed adult book Overground Railroad includes her own photographs of Green Book sites, as well as archival photographs and interviews with people who owned and used these facilities. The book also includes an author’s note, endnotes, bibliography, timeline, and index.

On the Move: Home Is Where You Find It, by Michael Rosen

In a masterful new collaboration, personal poems and poignant art illuminate the experience of refugees and immigrants everywhere.

That’s why
it can happen again.
It does happen again.
It has happened again.

Some of Michael Rosen’s relatives were lost before he was born, in the Holocaust. First, he wondered about them. And he wrote poems. Next, he searched for their stories. And he wrote poems. Then he found their stories. And he wrote poems. Now, in a companion book to The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II, Michael Rosen has brought together forty-nine of his most powerful poems, exploring the themes of migration and displacement through the lens of his childhood in the shadow of World War II, the lives of his relatives during that war, and migration, refugees, and displacement today and tomorrow, here, there, and everywhere. Throughout, atmospheric watercolors from master illustrator Quentin Blake evoke the hardship, exhaustion, isolation, and companionship of being on the move. At once intimate and universal, On the Move probes the power of art to adapt, bear witness, and heal.

 

Martin Luther King: The Peaceful Warrior, by Ed Clayton

Follow the inspiring life of Martin Luther King Jr. in a moving, vital, and informative book by an author and an illustrator with close ties to Dr. King’s family.

Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life to helping people, first as a Baptist minister and scholar and later as the foremost leader in the African-American civil rights movement. An organizer of the Montgomery bus boycott and cofounder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. As a result of his actions, the United States Congress passed the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. This book’s powerful story and important message, originally published in 1964, remain as relevant today as they were more than fifty years ago. With a new foreword by the author’s widow, Xernona Clayton, the text has been reviewed and updated for a new generation and features striking new illustrations by Donald Bermudez.

 

Ain’t Burned All the Bright, by Jason Reynolds

Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds.

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.

And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.

 

Happy New Year to all our MUF blog readers–wishing you a reading-filled 2022!

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Agent Spotlight: Ameerah Holliday of Serendipity Literary Agency

By on December 31, 2021   /   Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight  

For our final post of 2021, I’m delighted to introduce readers to Agent Ameerah Holliday from Serendipity Literary Agency.

Ameerah is a dancer and self-proclaimed poetess from San Diego, California. She received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from San Diego State University and is a former editorial assistant intern for Poetry International. She currently serves as editorial director for the San Diego Poetry Annual and editor for Kids! San Diego Poetry Annual.

Here’s more about Serendipity, Ameerah, and what she’s looking for in the way of submissions.

Dorian: Welcome, Ameerah, to The Mixed-Up Files! Can you tell us a little bit about Serendipity Literary Agency and your role there?

Ameerah: Thanks so much for having me! Serendipity is a Black-owned literary agency with over 21 years in the industry. We represent everything from illustrators and board books up through adult nonfiction. Our president and lead agent Regina Brooks, is a phenomenon! She’s an author, an engineer, Vice President of the board of AALA (Association of American Literary Agents) . . . basically, she’s someone you want to know! Our team is very collaborative. We are constantly working together to make sure our clients receive our very best.

 

Dorian: Sounds fabulous! How have your experiences in dance and poetry influenced you and your desire to work in the publishing industry?

Ameerah: I love being involved in the arts! I’m the youngest in a large family and that tended to make me a pretty quiet kid, so I had to find new ways of expressing myself. Both dance and poetry helped me do that. One of the best things being a dancer taught me was how to take rejection and keep going. So often in performing you’re auditioning for a million things: companies, roles, solos, and so being told “no” just becomes a part of the game. The same thing can be said about publishing. Whether you’re querying or trying to sell a project you learn to just take the feedback and keep going. In working in publishing, one of my motivators has always been to look for stories or writers that may feel unseen and give them the spotlight. I’ve been a part of many ensembles in the past so I know how important everyone in the scene can be.

 

Dorian: Great insights! What middle-grade books inspired you as you were growing up?

Ameerah: My friends in school were really big readers, and it took me a while to warm up to books. Every now and then a teacher or a friend would recommend something to me and it would convince me that maybe they were on to something when it came to reading. My Granny gave me a copy of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume the moment I started middle school, which immediately taught me that I could learn through fiction. I read The Cheetah Girls by Deborah Gregory right before the movie came out, and I was obsessed! However, if I had to choose one that really sparked an interest in what books could do, it would probably be Holes by Louis Sachar. I read it for class one year, and I distinctly remember every day being extremely thirsty by the time I put it down. It was my first real experience of having a story really pull me into the experience of someone different from me.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorian: What are some of your favorite middle-grade books now?

Ameerah: There are so many amazing books out or getting ready to come out! I never tire of going to the library to pick things up. The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera was such an amazing take on sci-fi/fantasy with elements of culture and storytelling that I loved. Love Double Dutch by Doren Spicer-Dannelly had me regretting the fact that I never learned to double dutch growing up. Fast Pitch by Nic Stone is great. I love a story about kids taking charge and shaking the table. Also, JD and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard because who doesn’t love a young entrepreneur!

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorian: What genres, subjects, or themes would you be thrilled to receive?

Ameerah: I’m always open to taking a look at a story regardless of the genre. I am typically drawn in by intersectional and diverse experience or slice of life narratives. I’d love to see stories that highlight the trans and nonbinary experiences without being stemmed in trauma. In general, I love a good friendship story —  stories where a group of friends lean on each other to take on their worlds. I’m also a huge fan of the new Baby Sitters Club series on Netflix, diverse experiences of friends, and growing pains. I’d also love to see more about the awkward phase that comes with being a preteen, losing friends, changing schools, or simply that time of struggling to embrace the discomfort.

 

Dorian: Do you have any hobbies or special interests that you’d love to read about?

Ameerah: I’m always open to seeing stories that involve performing arts of any kind. I’m also big on community and cultural pride so, anything that gives you that feeling of a peek into someone’s life in their neighborhood or family.

 

Dorian: What changes do you think 2022 will bring in the way of children’s books?

Ameerah: What I love about the publishing community is that there is such a strong desire to expand our world and our understanding of who we are. Diversity comes in a range of topics now, and so many of them involve the celebration of being different. I think the children’s book space is a place where all of these ideas are still growing and evolving. I imagine 2022 will bring more BIPOC kids at the center of fantasy, neurodiversity in the experiences of characters (and authors), and joy, which we can always use more of.

 

Dorian: What tips do you have for writers ready to query an agent?

Ameerah: Make sure that your manuscript is the best it can be before you start to send it out. If that means taking a step back from it or calling on your friends and cousins for second reads then that’s okay. There’s never a rush when it comes to making sure you’re as confident as you can be in your work. Also, these things take time. If an agent doesn’t get back to you right away, it doesn’t automatically mean they aren’t interested. Publishing can be a waiting game sometimes so try to stay positive. You’ve got this!

 

Dorian: Great advice! Lastly, how can people follow you on social media and/or query you?

Ameerah: Our submissions portals are available through our website SerendipityLit.com. All of our agents are phenomenal but if you’re interested in submitting to someone specific just mention them in your query letter and it’s sure to get to the right person. You can follow us on all platforms @SerendipityLit.

Thanks so much for chatting with us, Ameerah. Wishing you lots of joy and good books in 2022!

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Reading and Writing Resolutions for 2022

By on December 29, 2021   /   Articles  

The new year is almost here, and it’s time for us at The Mixed-Up Files to share our reading and writing resolutions with you. We hope some of our aspirations will inspire you to make your own such resolutions. And we’d love to read about your hopes and dreams in the comments section so you can inspire us as well.

Here’s to a Happy New Year filled with joy and good reading!!

 

Andrea Pyros is the author of Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas and My Year of Epic Rock

Writing Resolution: “I am in the middle of writing two books. I’d like to finish first drafts of both in the next six months, which feels (I hope!) realistic and doable.”

Reading Resolution: “I feel guilty when I put a book aside instead of finishing it. I’m going to cut myself a break and stop if a book isn’t grabbing me after giving it a shot. Sometimes you’re the wrong reader at a particular moment, and that’s okay! It’s no fault of the book or the author, and there’s no shame in my saying, ‘Not right now’ if I can’t seem to finish something.”

 

Melissa Roske is the author of Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge, 2017) and the short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish,” which will appear in the forthcoming Jewish middle-grade anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories (Albert Whitman & Company, 4/19/22).

Writing Resolution: “In 2022, I vow to write every day, even if it’s just for ten minutes. The pandemic made sticking to a regular writing routine extremely challenging, but—to quote Gene Autry (and Aerosmith)—it’s time to get back in the saddle!”

 

 

Donna Galanti is the author of two middle grade series—Unicorn Island and Joshua and The Lightning Road.

Writing Resolution: “Since moving myself to a new area, my son to Hawaii, and my dad to assisted living this year—I completely lost my writing routine and motivation. My goal in 2022 is to find inspiration and order again. I want to create and follow through on a daily routine of writing that involves meditation, free writing, and crafting a new story close to my heart that involves autoimmune disorders. Also, as an added bonus, it would be a boost to complete two unfinished manuscripts.” 😊

Reading Resolution: “To read during the day—not just that fifteen minutes before I fall asleep! This mean setting aside focused, daily reading time to dive into more heartfelt, contemporary middle grade.”

 

Samantha M. Clark is the author of The Boy, The Boat, and The Beast, Arrow (Simon & Schuster) and American Horse Tales: Hollywood  (Penguin)

“2021 was a very busy year for me, and I didn’t have much time to stop and smell the roses. I want to make that time in 2022, to focus better, to relax better, and to read more. Reading more should always be a priority.”

 

 

 

Patricia Bailey is the author of The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan.

“My reading and writing resolution for 2022 is the same—to be more playful.”

 

 

 

 

Mindy Alyse Weiss writes middle grade novels and picture books with humor, heart, and hope.

“My writing resolution is to write and/or revise something every day.”

 

Julie K. Rubini is the author of critically acclaimed biographies and recently served as the editor of Virginia Hamilton: Five Novels, published by the Library of America.

Writing Resolution: “I want to continue to be open to whatever opportunities the universe provides for my next writing projects. I’m hopeful that includes the sale of my latest proposal about an inspirational woman!”

 

 

 

Heather Murphy Capps’s debut novel, Indigo and Ida (Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab), will publish in spring of 2023. Capps is an upper MG author of color and is dedicated to supporting and creating equity in education and publishing.

Writing Resolution: “I am thrilled to be able to say for the first time that my resolution for 2022 is to complete edits on my debut novel by early spring, plus finish drafting my newest novel.”

Reading Resolution: “I have a TBR pile on my bedside table that is always threatening to topple from its sheer height. My resolution is to make a dent in that before buying new books. It’s very hard to resist the lure of the bookstore because so many fabulous books come out every year!”

 


Sue Cowing is a poet and author of middle-grade fiction.

Writing Resolution: “To go to the page every day with deeper attention and joy.”

Reading Resolution: “My resolution is to be clear about what I really want to read and write, not what I should.”

 

 

 

Dorian Cirrone writes fiction and poetry for all ages. Her most recent novel is The First Last Day (S&S/Aladdin).

Writing resolution: “I’m almost finished with the book I vowed to finish last year. It’s been fighting me to be longer and more complex, so this year, it’s on!”

Reading resolution: “Keep reading widely but not beat myself up if I don’t want to read a particular genre.”

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