By Sharon Giltrow Well, here I am wrapping up another year, which was jammed packed with so many fantastic and funny books. Here are the books I featured in 2022 and their wise takeaways…
Now for a sad wrap up. This will be my last blogpost for The Children’s Book Academy. With three books coming out next year and many more books to write I have decided to focus more on my own writing. Thank you to Mira and the crew at The Children’s Book Academy for giving me the fabulous opportunity. I have enjoyed every minute of it and I can’t wait to see who takes over from me 😊. All the best in your writing and illustrating careers. I will be cheering you from the sidelines. BIO:
Sharon Giltrow grew up in South Australia, the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, two children and a tiny dog. Sharon is a children’s author who writes humorous and heartfelt picture books. As well as speculative, adventure filled middle grade books. Since 2020 Sharon has built a collection of literary work including BEDTIME, DADDY! GET READY, MAMA! with EK Books and the soon to be released early middle grade series, THE UTILITY BELT. Sharon is represented by Fiona Johnson of Beyond Words Literary Agency CONNECT:
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by Bryan Patrick Avery Well, another year is coming to a close. Soon, we’ll all start making resolutions, setting goals, and looking for new ways to better ourselves. I’d like to suggest a way to challenge yourself in the coming year: commit to reading more. We all know how important it is for writers to read. We also know that we don’t always have the time to read as much as we’d like to. (My TBR pile keeps getting bigger.) So, this year, let’s take a different approach to reading. Here’s how it works: Instead of counting books read, or measuring the height of your TBR pile, simply commit to reading for 30 minutes a day. 30 minutes a day is 3 ½ hours per week. 3 ½ hours per week is 182 hours per year. That’s a lot of reading! Finding time to read is a luxury many can’t afford. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do the 30 minutes all at once. Maybe try reading for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 more before bed. Or break it up into even smaller chunks. Block the time off on your calendar if that helps. Once you get started, you may find it easier to continue. So give it a try. If you can’t get the 30 minutes in every day, don’t worry. Try again the next day. The key thing is to keep reading. Looking for a book to read? Below are a few of my new favorites. Add them to your TBR pile and get to reading! Nigel and the Moon – Antwan Eady and Gracey Zhang (PB) Knight Owl – Christopher Denise (PB) A Seed in the Sun – Aida Salazar (MG) Amari and the Great Game – B.B. Alston (MG) Spy School The Graphic Novel – Stuart Gibbs and Anjan Sarkar (GN) Well, that’s all for this month (and this year). Happy writing and have a magical month. ![]() Bryan Patrick Avery is an award-winning poet and author of more than a dozen books for children. His middle grade collective biography, BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE, illustrated by Nikita Leanne, was released in 2022. Bryan is also the author of the middle-grade story, “The Magic Day Mystery”, which appears in SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES, THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH, illustrated by Jerome White, and the early chapter book series, MR. GRIZLEY’S CLASS, illustrated by Arief Putra. Bryan lives in northern California with his family. by Melissa Stoller December brings the winter holiday season for many faith traditions. I celebrate the eight nights of Hanukkah, and at this time of year, I find myself immersing in holiday foods, family parties, and lots of decorating. I am thankful to be able to enjoy the holiday lights with family and friends and I hope to spark some story ideas when we are all together. Here are a few ways you can gather inspiration this holiday season:
I hope these brainstorming exercises spark some story ideas or revisions – let me know in the comments. Cheers to creativity and to a joyous and peaceful holiday season! MELISSA’S BIO: Melissa Stoller writes to bring connection, joy, and a bit of magic to her readers. She is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island, and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush; Ready, Set, GOrilla!; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written with Callie Lovvorn and Shirin Rahman). Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story Judge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, a Book Meshuggenahs member, a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Advisory Council member, and a past school and synagogue Trustee. She also interviews authors and offers resources on her blog. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and Central Park walks. Melissa is represented by Jonathan Rosen at The Seymour Agency. www.MelissaStoller.com |
We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our awesome bloggers!!
Here's our lineup: 1st Mondays begin with awesome Aussie debut author and former student Amanda Lieber who will be focusing on Aussie kidlit. 2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books. 3rd Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info. 4th Mondays will be a mystery for right now. And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break Archives
September 2023
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