Hello, readers! I’m so pleased to report a few tidbits of happy news for me and my books.

Accolades
My newest middle-grade novel, The Great Hibernation, has just been named a best book of the year by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC). What a huge honor, and what excellent company it’s in, too.

The Great Hibernation has also been selected for this year’s Spirit of Texas Middle School Reading List! I can’t wait to get more involved with the libraries and schools in my (not-so-)new home state as young readers dive into the story. Happy reading, my fellow Texans.
Events
Speaking of Texas, I’ll be attending at the 2018 TXLA conference on April 3 and 4 in Dallas. You can catch me on the “What’s New With Texas Middle Grade & Young Adult Authors” panel (Tuesday, 4/3, 2:45pm) and at the Texas Author & Illustrator Speed Dating (4pm), and then I’ll be signing my Penguin Random House books at 11am on Wednesday, 4/4. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of librarians!

New additions
During the same crazy week late last year, my debut picture book deal was announced AND I had a baby. So to say that I’ve been keeping busy is kind of an understatement!

I hope that 2018 has been treating you well so far. My postings here are likely to be infrequent for a while, but you can always see what I’ve been cooking up on Instagram. And I strongly encourage you to check out #kidlitwomen on Twitter/Facebook this month, which is calling attention to the gender inequities in the world of children’s literature and working on solutions.