{DISCOVERING DYSCALCULIA interview}

It was my absolute delight to be able to do this interview with Laura Jackson, author, parent, and all around calm and understanding human being. I absolutely love to get a chance to talk to people about how they’ve managed their disabilities and advocated for their loved ones, and how Laura did it for her daughter’s was to write a book and start a newsletter and do her darnedest to demystify the situation and educate adults and kids alike. I have so much respect for the work and love she put in for her daughter.

You should check out Discovering Dyscalculia. I’m so glad to be able to recommend it as a resource.

{story chat: angie thomas & books of wonder}

A breezy, sunny weekend, good books and avid readers! Looking forward to hanging out in the North Bay this Saturday night!

And, then Sunday afternoon, I’ll be virtually jetting to New York to talk with even more great book people!

I hope you can join me one place or the other – you can definitely still reserve your spot on Crowdcast with Books of Wonder, so if you can, do! If not, there will be recordings and photographs posted from both events, and I’ll tell you all about them later.

Until then…

{pf: Henri on the internet}

Happy Poetry Friday! I’m at Laura’s today, being interviewed about my latest middle grade book – wherein I have the students participate in Poetry Friday.

Poetry Friday is kind of a funny thing for me – because I never was quite sure how I got involved. I did a little bit of posting, and enjoyed writing the odd haiku, but when an actual published picture book poet approached me about being part of a poetry group, I was… shocked, to say the least. And it’s happened twice now! Do I yet consider myself a poet… Not…really? Even though I just wrote a novel that has original poetry of mine (in the voice of my middle grade character) all the way through it. Maybe it’s just that I don’t want to narrow anything down. I’m a writer. I’ll always be a writer. Sometimes, I just write poetry.

To that end, here’s a semi dansa:

So, How Are You…? and Other Question Pitfalls

We say “Good” and mean “Well…”
Polite insists on “fine:”
(If heartsick, give no sign
It’s in poor taste to dwell,
We say.) Good and mean? Well…
While no one’s all sunshine
It just seems asinine
To beam while we’re in hell.
We say “Good” and mean, “Well…”
Are we to “fibs” resigned,
So no one says we whine?
On this point I REBEL —
Say good, and mean it. Well?


Hope you’re happy and you know it this weekend. Or else if you’re grumpy, you don’t tell people you’re doing fine. Poetry Friday today is Marcie Atkins’ blog, where she is ironically featuring one of Laura’s books today too. Happy Weekend.

{wednesday book giveaway #2}

It’s Time!

While Henri Weldon is indeed a female main character, I can promise the grandsons of my concerned friend that a.) there are boys in this book, and b.) reading about people not boys will not hurt. Reading a good book can introduce you to a whole new world.

Today’s giveaway goes out to all of those who have been changed by reading. What’s something you discovered or experienced through reading when you were young? Anyone who answers here or on any social media gets their name tossed into a hat and a chance to win an ARC.

Good luck!

{wednesday book giveaway #1}

It’s Time!

Meet Henri: “…a complex character who is not singularly defined by her personal challenges,” according to Publishers’ Weekly.

Tonight’s giveaway goes out to teachers, especially those who work with poetry and math. If you consider yourself a school teacher in any way, shape, or form (P.E. and music count too) you may reply to this post on my website, on Twitter, or on Instagram to be considered eligible for today’s Advanced Reader’s Copy giveaway. I’ll be pulling from my little hat tomorrow morning, and will contact the winner each week.

Good luck!

ETA: Congratulations MAKEBA, winner of the first copy of the book. Three more giveaways to go!

{waiting wednesdays: book birthday countdown…!}

HAPPY DECEMBER!

It’s hard to believe that in just one month, Henri Weldon will be out in the world! This is a book that I feel so good about… that I sat down and read it cover to cover last weekend in one sitting. (No joke; you can do that with your own books sometimes because it takes a while for them to come to publication, and you can actually kind of forget what they’re about. It’s a little weird to laugh at your own jokes, though… which I did. Anyway.) If you’d like a sneak peak copy of the book, stay tuned Wednesdays this month for a giveaway. I’ll be giving away an ARC each week, and we’ll also be talking about middle grade math, sisters, frenemies and school survival strategies. It’ll be fun!

Genuinely nice things people are saying about Figure It Out, Henri Weldon:

“Skillfully realized, this is an affirming and inspiring tale for readers who are only ever told what they can’t accomplish. Uplifting and amusing, this book will leave readers with valuable lessons.” – Kirkus Reviews

“An involving middle-grade narrative with a very likable protagonist.” – Booklist

“…a complex character who is not singularly defined by her personal challenges. In this hopeful, well-paced volume, Davis (Partly Cloudy) centers accommodation, community, and understanding.” – Publishers’ Weekly

“Davis successfully drives home the importance of finding one’s own path and accepting the journeys of others.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

{pinned post: new book cover! coming 1/17-23}

The HarperCollins Children’s Books winter catalog goes live next weekend, so ahead of the rush, I get to show off my next cover! Brittany Jackson is the artist, and Kathy Lam is the designer, and I feel like together they’ve created a cover that’s just — *chef’s kiss* — perfect.

I think I like best the sense of uncertainty in Henri’s eyes. So much of what she wants – to conquer math, to make friends, to get her sister to see her as something other than a total nuisance – seems out of reach. What does it take to make things happen like you want them to? Like everyone else, she’s got to figure it out…

I can’t wait for you to enjoy this book.

{odds & ends}

Happy Friday, friends!

Poetry Peeps who need some “overheard” snippets for the January poetry challenge next week can find scuttlebutt from either coast, hat tip to Sara Holmes for the DC stuff.


Librarian and social justice change-maker Edie Campbell interviewed me this week on her blog on being “included” in the incredibly long list of banned and challenged books in the state of Texas. As many others have, Edie noted the number of marginalized authors included in this list, and has invited each of us to speak on the topic. Don’t miss her interviews so far with Adib Khorram, with whom I had the privilege of serving on the NSK Neustadt Prize jury in 2020, and the inimitable Nikki Grimes, and stay tuned for more.


Meanwhile, the Newbery is turning 100 this year, and everyone has an opinion. If you just want to watch the show, tune in Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, at 8 a.m. CT.


We’ve suddenly had the fog clear here, so looking forward to some nice hikes this weekend in clement weather. I wish the same for you. Happy Weekend.