Blog

Here are all my latest posts. Check ’em out!


A School Canceled My Virtual Author Visit Because of A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE

A school canceled my virtual author visit because they didn’t want their fourth graders to know about my middle grade ...
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When Bully Parents Cancel An Author Visit

I had a school visit cancelled this week. No, not because of the novel coronavirus. The school would not allow ...
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A High Five For Dad,
A High Five For Glenn Burke

My dad will never read my new middle grade novel, A High Five for Glenn Burke. Even if he does, ...
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A High Five For Andrew Clements

Thank you, Andrew Clements. Like thousands of other classroom teachers over the past twenty plus years, I shared the novel ...
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Make This Year the Year of the Author Visit

Every student deserves to experience an author visit. It doesn’t matter if they attend a rural Title I school in ...
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Dav Pilkey, A Real-Life Superhero

This is a full-circle story, twenty years in the making. Back in 1997, I was teaching sixth grade in the ...
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My Author Website — Skytemple Runs the Show!

As a children's book author, I'm really a small business owner. The idea that an author gets to spend hours ...
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My Husband, a Picture Book, and the Future President

On Thursday, July 28, my husband, Kevin and I were having an ordinary old-married-couple evening, the kind of evening you ...
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Rookie of the Year, A #BookJourney Adventure, Part I

Last November, I traveled to Minneapolis for the NCTE annual conference in Minneapolis. It was one of the best conferences I ...
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The Teacher and the Rock Star

For those of you that know me, you know Wonder by RJ Palacio is one of my favorite middle grade ...
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Talking TWO NAOMIS With Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Audrey Vernick

Earlier this spring, I was able to get my hands on an uncorrected proof of TWO NAOMIS, the middle grade ...
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Talking SUPER HERO HIGH with KidLit Super Hero, Lisa Yee

Last year, when I first heard about Lisa Yee's new Super Hero High series, I could barely control my excitement ...
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Cover Reveal — Tournament of Champions!

Six weeks from today, ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, the next book in my Rip and Red middle grade series, hits ...
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Rookie of the Year, A #BookJourney Adventure, Part II

Here’s Part II of the conversation with the #BookJourney Crew… But if you missed Rookie of the Year, A #BookJourney Adventure ...
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Make a WISH — A Conversation with Author Barbara O’Connor

Later this summer, Barbara O'Connor's much anticipated new middle grade novel WISH hits shelves. Safe to say, you will not be ...
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Rookie of the Year — The Inspiration for a Storyline

In Rookie of the Year, the second book in my Rip and Red series, the new girl in class, Takara ...
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A Book Comes to Life: First Grade Dropout

When we lived in Brooklyn, whenever we saw our friends, it was usually only for a quick bite or a ...
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The Boy from the Book Trailer Needs Our Help

If you've seen the book trailer for my middle grade novel, A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME, you know who Reece is. Well, ...
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The Dedication: A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME Blog Post

A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME is for Erin. Erin is Erin Murphy. Erin's my agent. In the acknowledgments, I wrote: The words -- ...
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Book Talking A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME

If you're looking to introduce my middle grade novel, A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME, to your students, I've created an under-two ...
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NCTE 2015

Boo-yah!! Hootie-Hooooo!! This week, I'll be at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I ...
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The Value of the High School Author Visit

Last week, I went back to high school. When I visit schools these days, more often than not, I'm visiting ...
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Celebrating Cornelius!

On Friday, I received a pretty awesome piece of snail mail -- the certificate designating MARVELOUS CORNELIUS a Junior Library ...
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Yet Another Reason Why Author Visits Matter

This is Kaylee. She's holding her new writer's notebook. During all my school visit presentations, I always hold up my ...
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A Modern Day Folktale: MARVELOUS CORNELIUS Blog Post

MARVELOUS CORNELIUS is a modern day folktale. If you teach folktales in your classroom or library, please consider using this ...
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The Importance of Mentor Texts: A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME Blog Post

I believe in mentor texts. They are an invaluable teaching tool and an invaluable learning tool. When I visit schools, ...
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The Character of Mr. Acevedo: A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME Blog Post

“I want to see more of you in this book.” That’s what my editor Wes said to me when we ...
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A Dog Story with a Happily Ever After Ending

Several weeks back, we placed a difficult post on social media about our rescue dog Cleveland, who we had adopted ...
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Working with Lowernine.org — A HURRICANE KATRINA 10th ANNIVERSARY Blog Post

Next week marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Next week, I'll be back in New Orleans for the first ...
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The Start of A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME!

Today is a circle-the-calendar day, one of those days where you put multiple stars across the top of your journal ...
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