Kathie: Hi Sylvia, and thank you for taking some time to chat with me today. Before we get started, thank you SO much for writing this book. As the mom of a kid with a milk allergy, I’ve been waiting for a book like this one that addresses the feelings and experiences that a child with food allergies can face, and you’ve done such a great job capturing them. Can you please give us a brief synopsis? Thank you, Kathie. Coping with food allergies is difficult, especially with milk, because, whoa, ice cream is a whole food group for kids. But I believe that what feels like a terrible restriction ..read more

Anne: Hello, Mr. Schu! For years you’ve tirelessly supported libraries and all things reading-related, and now it’s great to see your own MG debut on the shelf. Louder than Hunger just came out from Candlewick. Would you please tell readers a bit about the story? John Schu: Thank you to MG Book Village for supporting libraries and librarians! Thank you for supporting readers! Louder Than Hunger tells Jake’s story. Jake volunteers at Tinley Terrace, a nursing home near his house. He loves books. He loves musicals and movies. He avoids people his own age. He avoids mirrors and food. There’s a v ..read more

Kathie: Hi Mónica! Thanks for taking time today to talk with me about your upcoming middle-grade debut novel, Sing It LIke Celia, which comes out April 2nd from Penguin Random House. I thoroughly enjoyed reading an early copy, and I look forward to learning more about it. Can you give us a brief synopsis of it, please? Mónica: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me, Kathie! Sing it Like Celia is about a twelve-year-old girl named Salvadora Sanchez (Salva for short) whose life is turned upside down one day when her mother disappears without explanation. She winds up living with ..read more

*The editors of this anthology are Chris Baron, Joshua Levy, and Naomi Milliner Kathie: Hi Chris, Josh and Naomi! Thanks for joining me today and chatting about your upcoming anthology, ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories, which comes out on March 26th from Amulet Books. How did the three of you collaborate to bring the idea for this book to life? Chris/Josh/Naomi: First, thanks so much for having us! We’re so happy to be chatting with you, and so excited for the anthology! The three of us first became friends in advance of our 2019 debut year and have been talking stori ..read more

Kathie: Welcome to MG Book Village, Nedda! It’s so nice to have a chance to get to know you. Please tell our readers a bit about yourself. Nedda: Thank you for having me on the blog, Kathie. I am an Egyptian American author who grew up in Queens, NY. Even though I live in L.A. now, once a Queens girl, always a Queens girl. I didn’t pursue writing until later in life. Before that, I enjoyed a fulfilling career in teaching. Kathie: DAUGHTERS OF THE LAMP is your debut middle-grade novel, coming out on February 20th from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. Can you share the inspiration fo ..read more

Kathie: Hi, James. Welcome to MG Book Village! We are big fans of your City Spies series around here, so I asked Laurie, one of our team members, to come up with some questions for our interview today. Let’s start by having you tell us a little bit about Mission Manhattan, the 5th book in the series. James: The book starts off in Venice, Italy where the team has been sent to help protect a teenaged climate activist from Brazil named Beatriz. Since Rio is also from Brazil, he becomes the point of connection between her and the team. This book is his chance to finally take the lead. The ensuing ..read more

Anne: Welcome to MG Book Village, Cathy! Your newest MG novel—Lost Kites and Other Treasures—comes out from Abrams tomorrow, February 6. Would you please give readers a brief summary of what the story is all about? Cathy: Sure! It’s about twelve-year-old Franny who lives with her grandmother and hides how much she thinks about her troubled mom who left years ago. When Nana has an accident and Franny’s uncle arrives to help out around the house, long-guarded family secrets come to light, and Franny has to come to terms with discoveries she makes about her mother—and herself. Anne: Thank you. I ..read more

Anne: Hello, Hena! Welcome back to MG Book Village! Your newest MG novel, Drawing Deena, will hit shelves next week, so let’s tell readers a bit about it. Would you start with a super-brief summary of the story? Hena: Thanks for having me back! Drawing Deena follows Deena, a young artist who is trying to find her own style, her role in her family, and her place in the social media landscape, all while dealing with her attention-seeking cousin and confronting her undiagnosed anxiety. Anne: Thank you. You show Deena feeling anxious, then having a panic attack and needing help from a counselor ..read more

Kathie: Welcome to MG Book Village, Kevin and Basil! I am so glad I have the chance to talk to you about your upcoming book, NIGHT OF THE LIVING ZED, which comes out on January 16th. Please tell our readers a bit about it. Basil and Kevin: This is an escape room, mystery, ghost story, maybe love story… with laughs and thrills. Zed and Gabe are challenged to spend three nights in a haunted house, built a century ago by a mysterious opera set designer and costumier.  There’s a reward for anyone who can make it to midnight on Halloween – but no one has ever been able to do it. Zed, who love ..read more

Anne: Hello, Carole and Jeffery! For years I’ve enjoyed your many books for young readers, and today I’m honored for this opportunity to interview you about your latest release. KIN is a powerful book! Carole, would you please give readers a brief summary of what it’s all about? Carole: KIN: Rooted in Hope is a verse novel inspired by our family’s history in enslavement and after emancipation. Multi-voiced poems and dramatic scratchboard illustrations conjure the voices, vistas and visages of our ancestors and reclaim their lost narratives. KIN affirms that family lineage, lore ..read more