When JJ Fleming contacted our blog, I jumped at the chance to interview the experienced author about his first book for children, a lightly spooky, loveably quirky, suspenseful middle grade mystery set in the Florida Keys.
Category: Book Reviews – Middle Grade
MG Book Review: The Peach Thief by Linda Joan Smith
THE PEACH THIEF by Linda Joan Smith (2025) is a middle grade Historical Fiction novel set in 1850s Lancashire, England. I’m grateful to Candlewick Press
Interview with Tracy Wolff, author of THE AFTERMYTH … with a special edition hardcover giveaway!
Happy Book Birthday to THE AFTERMYTH, a delightfully fresh take on the dark mythological academia trope by bestselling author Tracy Wolff.
Growing the Creepy: How Aaron Reynolds’s Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales! Grows With Young Readers
A look at how Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown grow their beloved Creepy picture books into early chapter books — and why spooky stories work year-round for young readers.
Recent Reads Roundup
There have been so many great books released this past year, I had to squeeze in one more multi-book post highlighting some of my favorites.
Writing Across Genres & Empowering Indie Authors: Author-Publisher Donna L. Martin
I met children’s author and indie publisher Donna L. Martin through a #BookHero school library book drive I coordinate every March with fellow kidlit authors
Interview with Nonfiction Kidlit Author Amy Cherrix…plus a TRIPLE giveaway!
Guest Post by Janet Daniels I met Amy Cherrix at Simmons University in 2008, when we began our master’s programs through the Center for the
I’m over the moon for OVER the MOON by the immensely talented Natalie Lloyd
OVER the MOON is Natalie Lloyd’s third sparkling middle grade novel, published in 2019 by Scholastic Press. How I missed it until now, I seriously don’t know. But now that I’ve discovered this wonderful book, I want to shout from the moon just how much I adore it.
INTERVIEW WITH #JEWISH #KIDLIT AUTHOR MARCELLA PIXLEY ABOUT MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL-IN-VERSE NESHAMA, PLUS A DOUBLE CRITIQUE AND AMA GIVEAWAY
By Danna Zeiger Novels-in-verse hold a special place in my heart. As an emotional person, and one who loves poetry and playing with words, verse
Climbing Onward with Junko Tabei…and Leveled Nonfiction!
I’m a nerdy but lovable nonfiction writer. More lovable than nerdy, ok? As such, I’m constantly on the lookout for a mind-blowing, heart-hugging real-life story,
How to “Stay in your lane” – and Still Write the Novel You Want
Guest Post by Naomi Milliner After my first middle grade novel, Super Jake & the King of Chaos, debuted in 2019, I was asked
Bibsy Cross Might Be Too Much for Some, But She’s Everything to Me!
This past November, something kind of amazing and once-in-a-blue-moon happened. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) had its annual conference in my home
Interview with Rajani LaRocca, celebrated author of SONA and the GOLDEN BEASTS
Rajani pours her heart and incredible talent into each new story for children she writes: it’s no wonder she has garnered so many well-deserved awards!
Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall Are Back At It…With STELLA & MARIGOLD!
One of the great highlights of my summer, besides attending a fantastic writing retreat in the green mountains of Vermont, was receiving an advanced reader copy of Stella & Marigold from Chronicle Books (thank you from the bottom of my book-loving heart, Chronicle). It’s the first book in a brand-new early reader series for children 6-9 years old, by the magical author-illustrator duo Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall.
WRITERS' RUMPUS 