A Mixed-Up Sighting in Minneapolis
Two of our members, Elissa Cruz (that’s me) and Kurtis Scaletta, are venturing out of the virtual world and will be speaking in person at Kidlit Con this Saturday, October 23, 2010 in Minneapolis, MN....
View ArticleNewbery Award Winners!
Here at “From the Mixed-Up Files . . . of Middle-grade Authors”, we’d be very remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the award excitement and buzz going on in children’s literature this month! For years, I’ve...
View ArticleGeeks, Girls and Secret Identities Giveaway! – An Interview with Author (and...
Mike Jung is a funny, funny man with a ukelele. ‘A ukelele?’ You ask. Yes, a ukelele, trust me, he’s like the John Mayer of ukelele playing. Or maybe the Jason Mraz. Whatever, he’s really good is my...
View ArticleCommunity-Building at KidLitCon 2012
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to tell you about a beautiful fall day last week when kidlit bloggers came from all around the country to talk about their favorite subject: children’s...
View ArticleTrends in Nonfiction
Back in November, I was lucky enough to attend the Falling Leaves Master Retreat for nonfiction writers. It was FABULOUS! Located at a YMCA camp nestled in the mountains of the Adirondacks and...
View ArticleMeet Kaylan Adair– middle-grade editor extraordinaire!
Today we welcome Candlewick editor Kaylan Adair to From The Mixed-Up Files. Kaylan has edited a number of outstanding middle-grade novels including Down Sand Mountain by Steve Watkins, Small As An...
View ArticleAn interview with independent editor Harold Underdown – and a giveaway!
So just what is happening with the publishing industry these days? Amazon seems to be growing in influence. The major trade publishers are discussing a merger. Some small presses are closing while...
View ArticleHi-Lo Books for Middle Graders
Hi-Lo… what? Is this some type of game? No, we are not talking about basketball scores. We are talking about High interest books written at a Lower reading level. And with more of these titles...
View ArticleNovember New Releases
As you search for a way to unwind from the excitement of Trick-or-Treating last night, pull up a piece of carpet or plop in a comfy chair with a new book. These new releases are a great way to take the...
View ArticleOut of print? It doesn’t have to stay that way!
Dear Book Lovers, Please meet Anny Rusk, who along with John Campbell and Greg Luther are working to make out-of-print books a thing of the past. I found out about Anny at an SCBWI-Illinois event, and...
View ArticleVisions of Gold and Silver
The milk and cookies are waiting by the fireplaces, stockings are hung, candles are lit in windows the world over and you know what that means? The book award fairies are on their way to spread holiday...
View ArticleCountdown to ALA Newbery Winners!
Many schools and libraries put together Mock Newbery Award book clubs, rallying their students to read the books that are getting “winner buzz” each year and then putting together discussion groups to...
View ArticleTake the Polar Plunge! (into reading and writing)
Happy 2014! It’s that time of year. Who’s up for a Polar Plunge? You know, the thing where crazy — I mean awesome people decide to jump into the frigid ocean or lake on in the month of January to…...
View ArticleWhy It’s Okay to Judge
With the ALA Youth Media award announcements just a little under a week away, I can’t help reflect over my own experiences this past year as a part of the Asian-Pacific American...
View ArticleBeing Small is Good: A Conversation with a Small Press
We talk a lot about middle-grade books here at From the Mixed-Up Files. But most of the books we highlight come from the big, national publishers in New York City. I’ve been curious to learn more about...
View ArticleDiversity in Children’s Literature: The Search for the Missing Characters...
A recent study conducted by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin discovered something shocking. Of 3,200 children’s books released in 2013, a mere 223 were by authors...
View ArticleThe Nonfiction Family Tree
A few weeks ago, I attended the New England SCBWI conference in beautiful Springfield, MA. I had the pleasure of sitting in on a workshop given by Melissa Stewart and Sarah Albee on Nonfiction. It was...
View ArticleBook Expo America – Photo Essay & Musings
I just got home from my first ever BEA (Book Expo America) bookseller convention held at the Javits Center in New York City. It’s been nearly 10 years since I visited New York and, though I came very...
View ArticleA Tour of Our Website/Blog
A little-known fact: in college, my scholarship required me to give campus tours to anyone who called the school and wanted to take a look around. I had to memorize a map of the campus as well as...
View ArticleNovember New Releases
Starting to feel the chill in the air? Curl up in a chair with a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa… and one of these great new books. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney … Continue...
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