How to use this Page

Display Comments Add a Comment

A few weeks ago we had our biannual Library Preview. We introduced our Fall/Winter 2011 list to local librarians, reviewers, and educators. As usual, our School and Library Marketing Director/Guru wore amazing shoes for the occasion:

Our super secret guest star was author/illustrator Sujean Rim, creator of Birdie's Big Girl Shoes and the upcoming Birdie's Big Girl Dress. She talked about working in fashion, yet always harboring a love of children's books:

So, since we were talking about Fall/Winter 2011, I thought I'd give you all a sneak peek at the books I've edited on that list. Except as I started writing this, I realized that I had given an earlier sneak peek back in October here. Although, back then we didn't have all of the titles or covers finalized yet. Well, many of the covers are still in progress now (particularly for the YA titles, for some reason), but I thought I'd go ahead and post the covers we do have below. And since I described the books in more detail then, I'll be brief here.

Picture books:

YOU WILL BE MY FRIEND! by Peter Brown (Sept. 2011)
This is a companion book to Children Make Terrible Pets. In this adventure, Lucy the Bear decides that she's going to make a new friend. Of course, this doesn't turn out to be as easy as she thinks it's going to be.

The House Baba Built: An artist's childhood in China by Ed Young, as told to Libby Koponon (Oct. 2011)
This book has been a labor of love for everyone involved--we've been working on it for over two years, and in a sense, Ed has been writing it for his whole life, although in earnest since he became

Display Comments Add a Comment

I'm deep into the frantic juggling phase of my Fall/Winter 2011 list. Final drafts of novels are due into copyediting next week, picture books are supposed to be in the mechanical stage now and aren't, etc. etc. For a few months now I've been, juggling juggling juggling. As I said on Twitter, "Edit, revise, repeat. Edit, revise, repeat."

So, here's a sneak peak of what I'm working on now. Three of the books are still untitled, which tells you how much of a sneak peak this is...

Picture books:
The House Baba Built: an artist's childhood in Shanghai by Ed Young
This is an illustrated memoir of Ed's childhood growing up in Shanghai during WWII. His father decided to build a house to keep his family safe, and over the years they took in additional families to help keep them safe, too. This book is a beautiful testament to how times of great hardship and difficulty can also be times of great creativity, and how a child can remain happy during those times. Ed and I have been working with my brilliant fellow BRG, Libby Koponen to help shape the text. It's been a very, very long process, but a rewarding one, and it's going to pay off--it's a beautiful, fascinating look into wartime China from a child's point of view. It's a deeply personal book for Ed.

Untitled picture book by Peter Brown
Peter is working on a follow-up to Children Make Terrible Pets, featuring Lucy the Bear. It isn't exactly a sequel, but more a companion. In this book, Lucy decides that she wants to find a best friend, goes about it the wrong way, and hilarity ensues, of course.

Middle Grade:
Dumpling Days by Grace Lin
Grace is hard at work at the revision right now! This is a follow-up to Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat. Pacy and her family go to Taiwan on vacation for a month in the summer to celebrate Pacy's grandmother's 60th birthday. And yes, there are plenty of mouth-watering descriptions of food.

Young Adult:
Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
This is Matthew's sophomore YA effort, and although it's much different from his first, Sorta Like a Rock Star, it's just as beautifully written, and yes, it made me cry. This is a novel about a boy named Finley, the only white player on his high school basketball team. His coach asks him to take a new kid under his wing, Russ, whose parents have been tragically murdered. The problem is, because of his trauma, Russ calls himself Boy 21 and claims to be from outer space...

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
A Romeo-and-Juliet-esque story in which an angel and a devil (of sorts) fall in love. That oversimplifies the book, though--it's so much more rich and layered, unique, unforgettable, and absolutely gorgeous. The novel opens in Prague (very cool) and we meet a lovely and mysterious art student named Karou who has bright blue hair (which just may grow out of her roots that color), a strange (to say the least) family, and the ability to wish things into reality. We signed Laini up to three books (this book, a sequel, and another stand alone) in a huge auction, and I couldn't be more thrilled and honored to be working with her. Plus, she loves revising!
 
Untitled DJ book by Love Maia
We're still brainstorming titles, but I think we're close to pinning one down. This is a debut novel about a sixteen-year-old named Marley who dreams of being a professional DJ. I've called this novel Save t

2 Comments on What I'm working on now, last added: 10/11/2010

Display Comments

Meghan said, on 10/11/2010 7:48:00 PM

Wow, you're busy.

karenhealey said, on 10/11/2010 9:16:00 PM

That is a super fantastic trailer!

Add a Comment