Sun, a sporty boy, reconnects with his artistic side in this gorgeous, joyful celebration of creativity that offers an expanded and appealing model for boyhood.Sun loves everything about playing soccer: the cheers, the competition, the winning. But he feels as though something is missing. When he sees his younger brother spread out on the floor, creating a wondrous piece of art, he remembers how much he loves to make things. He goes to the beach to think, and it’s there that a magical encounter with a fox helps him reconnect with a long-forgotten source of happiness.Simple words and stunning illustrations pair to show us there is more than one way to be a boy…and remind us of the deep satisfaction of creativity."[An] immensely appealing fantasy...expressed in an explosion of collage-style montages. A visual treat for the young imagination." – Kirkus Reviews"Simply magical...a fitting follow-up from author-illustrator Oliver does not disappoint. Simple text pairs perfectly with vibrant and colorful illustrations to tell the story of Sun, a boy who excels at soccer but also loves to create, and reminds us that there is more than one way to be a boy. A terrific storytime read-aloud or a one-on-one selection for a child struggling to find his or her bliss." – School Library JournalTo buy, please click here, or visit your local indie bookstore, or online vendors: Amazon, Indie Bound or Barnes + Noble.

A life on the prairie is not all its cracked up to be for one girl whose mom takes her love of the Little House series just a bit too far in this middle-grade novel about belonging from the author of A Patron Saint for Junior Bridesmaids.Charlotte’s mom has just moved the family across the country to live in Walnut Grove, “childhood home of pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder.” Mom’s idea is that the spirit of Laura Ingalls will help her write a bestselling book. But Charlotte knows better: Walnut Grove is just another town where Mom can avoid responsibility. And this place is worse than everywhere else the family has lived―it’s freezing in the winter, it’s small with nothing to do, and the people talk about Laura Ingalls all the time. Charlotte’s convinced her family will not be able to make a life on the prairie―until the spirit of Laura Ingalls starts getting to her, too.Praise for Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life:"This sharp and quirky story winningly portrays a girl who, in finding herself, finds family, friends, and a place to belong." ―School Library Journal"The family and friendship dynamics play out believably and compellingly, and the Laura Ingalls connection will draw in fans and enrich the reading experience. Between adroitly interwoven American history and the engaging relationship drama, there is plenty of material here for group discussion and personal contemplation." ―BCCBFor more information and to buy, click here.CONGRATULATIONS, SHELLEY!

New York City Brick by Brick is the ultimate exploration of the architecture and history of New York City through the creative medium of LEGO. Expert builder Jonathan Lopes presents iconic structures of his own design, including the Flatiron Building, the Woolworth Building, the Manhattan Bridge, Grand Central Terminal, Junior’s Diner, brownstones, fire houses, and much more! Each model has been beautifully photographed with full-scale views and close-up details, as well as brief instructional breakouts. Lopes’s masterful constructions will inspire builders of all ages.Jonathan Lopes is an artist who works within the medium of LEGO bricks. He has done commissions—large and small—for private groups, nonprofit organizations, galleries, book publishers, authors, and retail shops as well as for Toys “R” Us and the LEGO Group itself.To see book interiors and more, click here. To buy, visit your local indie like Community Bookstore, or one of these vendors: Indie Bound, Barnes + Noble, or Amazon.CONGRATULATIONS, JONATHAN!

I'm so happy to share that Marcie Colleen's picture book text, SURVIVOR TREE, has sold at auction to Deirdre Jones at Little, Brown!SURVIVOR TREE tells the true story of the Callery pear tree that stood at the base of the World Trade Center for 30 years and was almost destroyed, only to be pulled from the rubble, coaxed back to life, and eventually replanted as part of the 9/11 memorial.We're over the moon that Aaron Becker's art will bring this story to life. In Marcie's words, "Books heal. I hope SURVIVOR TREE helps those who need it, like writing it did for me."You'll find it in bookstores in the summer of 2021 -- congratulations to Marcie and everyone involved!

The agents of Upstart Crow Literary are hosting an #AskUpstart session next Tuesday, April 9th from 1:00-2:00 pm EST. This is an opportunity to ask us any publishing or book related questions – we’re here to help! In preparation for that, here’s some information about the session.Who’s participating?Danielle Chiotti, Susan Hawk, Alex Penfold, and Michael Stearns. For more information about each of us, please click the ABOUT link for our bios.What do you represent?Children’s books of all kinds—young adult, middle grade, picture books, as well as graphic novels, and non-fiction for children and teens. In addition we also rep select cookbooks, adult fiction, and nonfiction. Again, more details and specifics in the About link.Are all four of you open to submissions right now? Danielle Chiotti and Susan Hawk are open. If you’d like to submit a query to one of us, please click the SUBMISSION link and check our feeds this week, as we’ll be tweeting our current wishlists. Alex and Michael are currently closed.When you say #AskUpstart, what kind of questions do you mean? Any and all questions are welcome! Here are some examples:

• Can I send you a book that’s incomplete?
• Are you interested in books about [fill in the blank: Sports? Science Fiction? Mysteries? Etc]
• How do I know that my manuscript is ready for submission?
• Everyone says I need to find a writers group, but I’m not sure. What are the benefits?
• Do advances come in one lump sum, or are they split up?
• What recently published book did you love?
• What are you currently reading?
• What’s the best April Fool’s Day joke you’ve ever made?

As you can see, anything pertaining to writing, querying, working with an agent, or publishing is welcome. (And for the curious, answers to those last three: Lovely War by Julie Berry, about to start Mister Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and my best is yet to come!).Any more advice?

• Be sure not to tweet your question until 1 pm EST on the nose, as we won’t be checking before that time.
• Don’t hit send on your tweet until you’ve added the hashtag #AskUpstart. We’ll be searching for tweets with that tag, and may not see others.
• Please don't tweet your question to a particular agent. If you include the hashtag, we’ll all see it, and one or more of us will reply.

That’s all, folks! We hope to see you next Wednesday, but even if you can’t make it, we’re planning more #askUpstart sessions for later this year. For updates, please follow the hashtag #AskUpstart on Twitter.

I am looking for three Readers, to help me review middle grade and young adult manuscripts.Publishing experience isn’t necessary; I’m looking for keen, thoughtful readers, who love YA and MG fiction and whose personal taste isn’t wildly different than mine. Especially important is knowledge of recent award-winners and New York Times bestsellers. Readers will have a firsthand view into an agent’s work and decision-making process. Past readers have been writers for children, children’s librarians, elementary school teachers, MFA students. All of them have been passionate about books for children and teens.

Here are some details:

• Readers review and report on one manuscript every week.
• I ask for a minimum six-month commitment, though many readers have stayed on longer.
• Communication is largely via email, though I also plan periodic Q&A sessions with readers (via gchat/skype or another video chat format), so readers can live anywhere/in any time zone.
• Q&A sessions cover a variety of industry topics, as well as books we’ve been reading – both for work and ourselves – as well as any other questions about the publishing process I can answer.

I especially welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds.To see if our tastes are a match, have a look at my client list here: http://susanhawk.blogspot.com/p/my-clients.html. In addition, here are some writers and books I particularly enjoy (but don’t represent). If you see your favorites on this list, I encourage you to apply!Writers:MT AndersonHolly BlackJulie BerryAbby HanlonFrances HardingePolly HorvathGary SchmidtLaini TaylorRita Williams-GarciaNovels & Series:Laurie Halse Anderson’s Seeds of America seriesChime and Folk Keeper by Franny BillingsleyWhat I Saw and How I Lied by Judy BlundelThe War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker BradleyA Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle CooperThe Knife of Never Letting Go series by Patrick NessFangirl by Rainbow RowellWhen You Reach Me by Rebecca SteadThe Spectacular Now by Tim TharpTo apply, send an email to kidsintern@gmail.com with the following information:

• Why you’d like the position.
• A bit of information about yourself, including any relevant experience you have. (Attach a resume if you’d like to, though it’s not necessary.)
• List the last 10 books you’ve read in YA/MG, and a one or two line note about what you liked, or didn’t, about each book.
• Your 10 all-time favorites in either YA/MG, and a one or two line note about why each is a favorite.

Usually, I receive quite a few applicants and the application period will close fairly quickly; watch this space and twitter (@susanhawk) for more announcements.

Thank you!Susan

I’m delighted to announce that Upstart Crow Literary will be hosting an #AskUpstart session next Wednesday, Nov 7th from Noon-1:00 pm EST. In preparation for that, here’s some helpful information about the session.Who’s participating?Danielle Chiotti, Susan Hawk, Alex Penfold, and Michael Stearns. For more information about each of us, please click the ABOUT link for our bios.What do you represent?Children’s books of all kinds—young adult, middle grade, picture books, as well as graphic novels, and non-fiction for children and teens. In addition we also rep select cookbooks, adult fiction, and nonfiction. Again, more details and specifics in the About link.Are all four of you open to submissions right now? Danielle Chiotti and Susan Hawk are open. If you’d like to submit a query to one of us, please click the SUBMISSION link and check our feeds this week, as we’ll be tweeting our current wishlists! Alex and Michael are currently closed.When you say #AskUpstart, what kind of questions do you mean? Any and all questions are welcome! Here are some examples:

• Can I send you a book that’s incomplete?
• Are you interested in books about [fill in the blank: Fantasy? History? Cheese? A fantastical history of cheese?]
• How do I know that my manuscript is ready for submission?
• Everyone says I need to find a writers group, but I’m not sure. What are the benefits?
• Do advances come in one lump sum, or are they split up?
• Candy corn is really just the worst, right?
• If you see [fill the blank] in your Halloween candy stash, it's been a good year.
• What's your all-time best Halloween costume?

As you can see, anything pertaining to writing, querying, working with an agent, or publishing is welcome. As is anything about Halloween, for obvious reasons. (And for the curious, answers to those last three: YES; Almond Joy; with 7 friends, a clothes-line).Any more advice? A couple pro-tips:

• Be sure not to tweet your question until noon on the nose, as we won’t be checking before that time.
• Don’t hit send on your tweet until you’ve added the hashtag #AskUpstart. We’ll be searching for tweets with that tag, and may not see others.
• Please don't tweet your question to a particular agent. If you include the hashtag, we’ll all see it, and one or more of us will reply.

That’s all, folks! We hope to see you next Wednesday, but even if you can’t make it, we’re planning more #askUpstart sessions for early next year. For updates, please follow the hashtag #AskUpstart on Twitter.

A big congratulations to Marcie Colleen for the publication of PENGUINAUT! This is Marcie's second published picture book and we're so happy to see it out in the world. GO, PENGUINAUT, GO!

Orville lives at the zoo, surrounded by animal pals who go on exciting adventures. A hang gliding rhino! A deep-sea diving giraffe! Orville struggles to keep up, until one day he concocts an adventure all his own: build a spaceship and fly to the moon all by himself. Can one tiny penguin get there alone?Penguinaut is perfect for every child who's said, "I can do it myself!" and comes to find that the rewards are much richer when shared with friends. Marcie Colleen's playful text and Emma Yarlett's charming, whimsical illustrations are sure to delight both children and their parents.PENGUINAUT! is widely available at bookstores and libraries. Congratulations to Marcie!

Hello and welcome to the world, BE BOLD, BABY by Alison Oliver! I'm so excited that these two marvelous board books -- BE BOLD, BABY: OPRAH and BE BOLD, BABY: MICHELLE OBAMA -- are finally out in the world!Be CuriousBe ConfidentBe EmpatheticBe ActiveBe PassionateBE YOU!Be Bold, Baby is the board book series that introduces little ones to the inspiring heroines of our time!The series begins with a celebration of Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey’s most motivational and powerful moments. Quotes from the former First Lady and media mogul accompany a distillation of their most important qualities, while vibrant illustrations by Alison Oliver, author of Moon, and illustrator of the BabyLit series, bring them to life!Each book ends with a mirror, so that young readers know that they too can BE BOLD!

Here's something wonderful: there are now eight BABY LOVES books out in the world! Today, we celebrate the publication of GREEN ENERGY and STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING!

Big, brainy science for the littlest listeners.Accurate enough to satisfy an expert, yet simple enough for baby, this clever board book explores the climate of our planet and the need to protect it for all babies. Beautiful, visually stimulating illustrations complement age-appropriate language to encourage baby's sense of wonder. Parents and caregivers may learn a thing or two as well!These books are widely available at bookstores and libraries. Congratulations to Ruth Spiro!