Schools across the country are observing Inclusive Schools Week this week. According to the Inclusive Schools Network: Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., which is held each year during the first full week in December. Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has Read More ...

The post Celebrate Inclusive Schools Week! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

I thought some of you might be interested in reading an update from one of the co-founders of StudentRND, which was one of the organizations profiled in Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something that Matters. StudentRND is now the force behind CodeDay, which is “a nationwide event where student programmers, artists, musicians, actors, and Read More ...

The post Be a Changemaker update: StudentRND was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Many of us who write books for children, recommend books for children, and teach children to read books have been wondering lately what more we can do to move the world forward to have more inclusivity, compassion, and empathy. We’ve been wondering if our efforts really make a difference. We may have been tempted to Read More ...

The post Books can open doors to inclusivity was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Have you seen the new original series that Starbucks is putting out, called Upstanders? It’s really cool! According to their webpage: Upstanders is an original collection of short stories, films and podcasts sharing the experiences of Upstanders – ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities. Produced by Howard Schultz and Read More ...

The post Check out the Starbucks Upstanders series was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Squee!! In case you missed it yesterday, Mia Wenjen over at the awesome book blog Pragmatic Mom hosted my next book, Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive!, for a cover reveal AND a sneak peek at some of what’s inside! Here’s a tiny look at the cover… But, be sure to check out her whole fun post for a Read More ...

The post Introducing… TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: IT’S ALIVE! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed SURVIVING MIDDLE SCHOOL by Luke Reynolds. As you may recall, I LOVED it! Today, Luke was nice enough to let me interview him so I could get a few of my questions answered (and let you get to know him a bit better, as well!). If you haven’t Read More ...

The post Interview: Luke Reynolds on SURVIVING MIDDLE SCHOOL was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

The Washington Center for the Book announced the Washington State Book Award finalists for 2016, and I’m honored to say that Emmanuel’s Dream is among the three finalists for the Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award in the Picture Book category! The Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library announces the Washington State Book Awards finalists Read More ...

The post Emmanuel’s Dream a WA State Book Award Finalist! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Surviving Middle School: Navigating the Halls, Riding the Social Roller Coaster, and Unmasking the Real You by Luke Reynolds Aladdin/Beyond Words (July 5, 2016) Ages 10-14 192 pages Here’s what the publisher has to say:  In this hilarious guide full of honest, real-life experiences, veteran teacher Luke Reynolds skillfully and humorously shows kids how to not Read More ...

The post Review: SURVIVING MIDDLE SCHOOL was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

It may have been announced more than six months ago, but the ALA Schneider Family Book Award wasn’t actually presented until the end of June, at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando. I finally have some photos to share from this wonderful event honoring Emmanuel’s Dream, along with three other wonderful books by fabulous authors. Read More ...

The post ALA Schneider Family Book Award… and photos! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

A few months ago I announced that My Dog Is the Best would be translated and sold in Japanese. A few days ago, there was a package on my doorstep. I opened it to find these: S U R P R I S E !  =D This is the first foreign edition I’ve seen of Read More ...

The post My Dog Is the Best… in Japanese! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

ModernGhana.com reports “Para Cyclist Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah To Ride For Peaceful Elections In Ghana.” Emmanuel is preparing once again to circle Ghana, as he did in Emmanuel’s Dream, but this time it will be a peace tour to promote a peaceful general election. At a press conference, he pointed out that disabled people are among society’s most Read More ...

The post Emmanuel prepares for another ride in Ghana! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

I’m tickled to share some good news about MY DOG IS THE BEST with you today:   First, it was listed in the CCBC Choices 2016 by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center!   Second, it was also awarded a 2015 Blue Ribbon from The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB)!   Third, I worked with Curious City Read More ...

The post Good news for MY DOG IS THE BEST! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

I recently wrapped up what I think will be my last in-person school visits of the 2015-2016 school year, and promotion activities for the three books that are out is starting to die down. This seems like a good time to pause and reflect on my goals and progress, especially since I was too busy at Read More ...

The post Goals: looking back and pushing forward was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

There’s been a bunch of exciting news regarding Emmanuel’s Dream lately, and I wanted to share it all with you… First, it was recently selected as a Notable Book in the Children’s Africana Book Awards! One of my all-time favorite picture books—One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul—was similarly recognized, which makes this honor even more special.   Read More ...

The post Wonderful news for Emmanuel’s Dream! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Today, I’m thrilled to be participating in another blog tour for Deborah Hopkinson! This time, the award-winning master of historical fiction for children takes readers back to nineteenth-century New York City in her new middle-grade novel: A BANDIT’S TALE: THE MUDDLED MISADVENTURES OF A PICKPOCKET (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers | on sale Read More ...

The post Review: A Bandit’s Tale by Deborah Hopkinson was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

This is old news at this point, but I’ve been so busy that I’m just now FINALLY getting around to posting it here. So, just in case you’ve been too busy to keep up with the news in the children’s literature industry, Emmanuel’s Dream has won the Schneider Family Book Award from the American Library Association! The purpose of this special award is to “honor an author or illustrator for the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences,” so I’m extremely Continue reading →

The post An ALA Schneider Family Award for Emmanuel’s Dream was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Deborah Hopkinson is the author of nearly 50 fantastic books for young readers. I have blogged previously about several of these books, including her most recent nonfiction work, Courage & Defiance, which was named a NCTE Orbis Pictus recommended book and Sydney Taylor award notable book. Her newest middle grade novel, A Bandit’s Tale, The Muddled Misadventures of a Pickpocket, a Junior Library Guild selection, will be released this April. And today we’re celebrating the recent release of Beatrix Potter and the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Continue reading →

The post Deborah Hopkinson guest post about Beatrix Potter! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Be a Changemaker was recently awarded two more prestigious awards: First, it was recognized last month with a Moonbeam Award! These awards were created “to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading.”  You can see the full list of winners here. Be a Changemaker was selected as a Gold Award winner in the Mind-Body-Spirit/Self-Esteem category. They even sent a gorgeous (and seriously heavy) medal to wear around my neck! And, just today I found out it Continue reading →

The post Two more awards for Be a Changemaker! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

I LOVE this book trailer for My Dog Is the Best! Not just because it’s adorable (it is), or because it’s my first book trailer (yep), but because so many special people helped make it a reality. First, check it out: Isn’t that CUTE? Of course, huge thanks to Paul Schmid for providing the art. My sweet husband recorded the audio (with my awesome sister-in-law’s help) of my darling niece “reading” the book: She’s too young to read just yet, so she memorized the whole thing! Continue reading →

The post Book trailer video for My Dog Is the Best was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

I’m thrilled to announce that Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah has been selected to receive a 2015 Eureka! Honor Book Award from the California Reading Association. The California Reading Association has established this award to celebrate and honor nonfiction children’s books. The Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award will assist teachers, librarians, and parents in identifying outstanding nonfiction books for their students and children. And, it means a shiny new sticker for the cover! Emmanuel’s Dream is in some excellent company, too! Click here Continue reading →

The post Eureka! Nonfiction Honor Award for Emmanuel’s Dream was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of participating in the Texas Book Festival in Austin, TX. It was a huge event, with over 300 participating authors and spread out over the capitol area of downtown. I had the honor of reading Emmanuel’s Dream with illustrator Sean Qualls to a huge crowd in the Children’s Read Me a Story tent.   First, Sean and I were introduced by the most adorable (and well-rehearsed) class of kindergarteners. They’d each memorized a line of our bios and had them printed Continue reading →

The post Texas Book Festival 2015 was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get to participate in another fantastic radio interview to talk about Be a Changemaker, and it was a blast! I really felt like the host and I just “clicked” and were on the same wavelength. I wish we weren’t on opposite coasts, because I think we’d have a great time hanging out together. Please check it out here. Enjoy!

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The days are (finally) getting cooler and damper here in the Pacific Northwest and most of the kids are back in school, so it seems like a good time to reflect on the summer. I typically don’t get to do much writing-related work over the summer, since the kids are home from school and the sun is shining, but this summer was filled with fun and exciting author events! First, I got to participate in a huge author panel at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, IL. Continue reading →

The post Summer 2015 roundup was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

As you can probably tell by my books Be a Changemaker and Emmanuel’s Dream, I love writing about heroes and changemakers. It should be no surprise, then, that I love reading about them, too. My favorite kinds of stories are those about ordinary people who acted with extraordinary strength, conviction, and courage, and the book I just finished reading is full of people doing just that. In Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs and Survivors in World War II Denmark by Deborah Hopkinson (Scholastic Press, August Continue reading →

The post Nonfiction Monday: Courage & Defiance blog tour and interview was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.

A record 300 authors will be appearing at the 2015 Texas Book Festival, Oct. 17 and 18, and I’ll be one of them! This is exciting for many reasons: 1) I get to talk about EMMANUEL’S DREAM! 2) I get to meet the illustrator of Emmanuel’s Dream, Sean Qualls, for the first time ever! 3) Many of my favorite authors and author friends will be there. 4) I love Austin. 5) I love readers. I can’t wait! Many thanks to the folks at Blue Slip Continue reading →

The post Texas Book Festival 2015 authors announced! was written by Laurie Ann Thompson for Laurie Ann Thompson.