Place the winning bid in the PEN America Character Naming Auction and not only will you see your name in a future book, along with a signed copy, but you’ll support PEN America’s Author Safety Program, a program designed to protect writers facing harassment, threats, and intimidation both online and in person.

The auction ends on May 15, 2026 @ 5:00 PM ET, so go here to get your bid(s) in now. And learn more about the work PEN America does on behalf of readers and writers around the world.

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Two books in the new Scholastic series: Magic Gems, by Payal Doshi

Journey Through the Waterfall (Magic Gems #1)

Lily the Water Gem helps her family take care of otters who splash around near the lake. When one of the baby otters is injured, Lily rushes to help. It soon becomes clear that the otter needs a special medicine made from flowers that grow beyond a powerful waterfall. The Gem who goes on the mission to collect the flowers must be brave, strong, and fast—because time is running out. Lily volunteers to make the journey. She’ll do anything to save one of her beloved otters!

Lost in the Crystal Caves (Magic Gems #2)

Rio, an Earth Gem, is eager to earn his first gemstone in order to do more for his animal neighbors. One afternoon, a fox bounds up to Rio, clearly in distress. Another fox is lost inside the nearby Crystal Caves! Without waiting for his fellow Gems, Rio heads into the caves. Once inside, finding a lost fox proves trickier than Rio thought it would be. He’s worried he might get lost himself!

Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa

A Graphic Novel by Kara Bodegón-Hikino

After losing her father in an attack by the evil Tikbalang, Mage and her best friend, Squalo, set off an important quest far from home to honor her father’s last wish—find the Bakunawa, the guardian of the sea.

But Mage and Squalo don’t know where to find the Bakunawa. And the evil Tikbalang was only one underling of Ventrolio, the nightmare maker, who is hunting Mage at any cost. Mage and Squalo’s journey takes them all over Mundo, facing monsters and possessed minions of Ventrolio until they hear news of an angry bakunawa that would rather destroy ships and summon storms than help sailors. Why would Mage’s father send them to someone so dangerous? Can Mage and Squalo uncover the truth before the Bakunawa unleashes her wrath and plunges all of Mundo into chaos?

My Name Is Harriet Mansoor (Not Hairy Man Suit!)

The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy

The Second Life of Snap

Karen Latchana Kenney is a children’s author and editor who loves creating all kinds of STEM books and classroom content. Find her at https://www.karenlatchanakenney.com/.

The post May 2026 New Releases! appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

All About the Book!

Anna-Jane couldn’t wait for camp. But when the outside world goes dark, she and her friends soon realize they’re in for the adventure of their lives this summer—and maybe even beyond.

Captured in Anna-Jane’s diary, discover the poignant journey of a young girl’s fight to survive in the face of the unknown.

Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer released April 28, 2026, from Random House Books for Young Readers. The book has earned a starred review from School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews called it “an intense and riveting read.” It is also a Junior Library Guild selection.

Interview with Paige Classey

Welcome, Paige! Thank you so much for being a guest on the Mixed-up Files!

Thanks so much for having me, Sydney!

Inspiration

It is my pleasure! I absolutely loved Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer! What a beautifully written, compelling survival story—I found it impossible to put down. It is sure to be a huge hit among young readers. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind it?

I am so honored! This novel grew from a convergence of both childhood and adult experiences. I spent many summers at YMCA camps throughout Connecticut; those summers remain so vivid and nearly magical in my mind. The onset of the pandemic caused me to start toying with the question of what might happen to a group of children and teens left to their own devices at camp. Finally, the censorship efforts we’ve seen sweeping the nation sparked the layer regarding the necessity of the arts.

Craft

You do such a great job maintaining the element of mystery in the story about what exactly is going on outside the camp. The thread pulled strongly all the way to the very end. Was it difficult to craft this novel? What was your biggest challenge in writing it?

Pacing was my greatest challenge. Anna-Jane’s story runs for a lengthy time period, and I wanted to make sure that the sense of danger and suspense never flagged. My agent, Rebecca Rodd, and my editor, Elizabeth Stranahan, made a number of extremely helpful suggestions to maintain the tension throughout.

Point of View

You describe the experience of going through a frightening time of separation from family and so many unknowns with grace, care, and sensitivity. I loved the way the story was written in verse in Anna-Jane’s journal. How did you decide the format?

From the very beginning, Anna-Jane’s voice came to me in verse, in first person, and in present tense. In a way, she decided the format!

Characters

I enjoyed your other characters a lot too. Do you have a favorite secondary character? Who and why?

I love the other campers and counselors for all different reasons. I love Amaya’s sense of loyalty, Pooja’s genuine kindness, and Morgan’s passion for science. Bryce is the camp romance I wanted at that age and didn’t have! But my answer has to be Jojo. She is the kind of tough I’ve always wanted to be.

Takeaways

The story moves so quickly, yet contains wonderful layering and thematic elements regarding peer relationships that will be so relatable to kids everywhere. What do you hope readers take away from this book?

I hope readers walk away feeling empowered. Children can make and have been making a difference in their homes, communities, and the world at large. You don’t need to wait until you’re an adult to start making positive changes.

I also hope the story plants or reinforces an appreciation for the arts. Music, art, literature, theater, film . . . these pursuits are so essential to the human spirit. “Grow work,” as Anna-Jane’s teacher would call it.

Research

This story is one that will stay with me for a long time, and it gave me so much to think about. Can you describe the research that went into crafting this novel?

I don’t want to give away any spoilers here, so I’m going to tread lightly! I needed to research different reasons a community or region might shut down, how daily life would be disrupted, how government agencies and others might respond, and so forth.

Writing Process

Will you tell us a little about your writing process? Are you a plotter or pantser? Where and when do you prefer to write?

Can I go with “middle-of-the-roader”? I definitely do not plot out an entire novel chapter by chapter beforehand. But as I write, I keep a list of plot points and ideas I want to return to. I keep this list at the end of my document, then erase points as I address them in the story. It’s in my nature to make lists and check off as I go, and I feel like my writing process mirrors that tendency.

I find my best ideas come when I’m taking long walks. Walking gives my mind the space to roam, and I usually end my walk with a new idea or two for my work in progress.

As a mom of two small children and a full-time school librarian, I write whenever I can find pockets of time (generally when my children are asleep!). I usually write at home, but sometimes at local coffee shops or libraries. I recently won an Artist Fellowship grant from Connecticut’s Office of the Arts, which made it possible for me to attend a writing retreat at the Highlights Foundation (now called Boyds Mills) in PA.

Influences

What are some current books that have influenced you as a kid-lit writer?

I noticed my students flocking to novels-in-verse by Jason Reynolds, Elizabeth Acevedo, Rajani LaRocca, and Megan E. Freeman, so I read them too, along with Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson. In a sense, I never put them back down.

Advice

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Write what you care about. And read, read, read. I know this is “typical” advice, but it is truly the best way to learn more about style, the market, your target audience, and more. My work as a librarian has fed my writing, and vice versa.

I also recommend sharing your writing with others who will give you serious and constructive feedback. I saw an ad in my local paper and entered Connecticut’s Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children’s Literature in 2020. Throughout that process, my friend and mentor (author Doe Boyle) recommended joining a writers’ group through SCBWI. That community has provided so much support and has been instrumental in elevating my writing.

Upcoming Projects

Can you give us some insights into what you’ll be working on next?

I’m currently editing my YA thriller-in-verse, SURVIVING THE MADISONS, forthcoming from Delacorte in summer 2027. The story follows a toxic trio determined to right perceived wrongs at their high school . . . until the line between right and wrong blurs, leaving them to face dire consequences.

I’m also fascinated by the mixed-media format I’m seeing in books like A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER by Holly Jackson and GAME CHANGER by Tommy Greenwald, and I’d love to craft a story that uses mixed-media in a meaningful way in the future.

And for the lightning round:

Coffee or tea?

Coffee! I wish I liked tea—it seems so refined! But if I’m being true to myself, I’m a latte girl.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. I like to sleep.

Favorite place to travel:

I love traveling to places I’ve never been before, but Newport, Rhode Island, is a forever favorite. I also spent a college summer in Florence that remains alive in my memory.

Favorite dessert:

Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Superpower:

I am intrigued by the idea of time travel, but worry too much about the potential consequences! So I’m going to go with teleportation.

Favorite music:

Wow, how do people answer this?! Everything from Led Zeppelin to the Gilmore Girls soundtrack. We also play a lot of Disney music in our house. Lately, I can’t stop listening to Chappell Roan.

Favorite book from childhood:

Again, how can I answer this? I loved Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes when I was very small. As I grew older, I devoured the Harry Potter series, the American Girl series, the Dear America series, and R. L. Stine’s Fear Street novels—can you tell I grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s?

Thanks again, Paige! It was so much fun to learn about you, your writing journey, and your amazing novel! Learn more about Paige on her website and follow her on Instagram.

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Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today, we’re interviewing Annette Whipple, author of Ribbit! The Truth About Frogs. The book investigates some of the more than 7,000 frogs around the world and invites readers to take an active interest in their preservation.

The Truth About the Writing Process

By Ann McCallum Staats

Ann: There’s a great mix of facts, incredible photography, and just-for-fun jokes and asides (which are TOAD-ally awesome to quote you!) in this book. Can you share how this all came together?

Annette: Ribbit! The Truth About Frogs is part of The Truth About series with Reycraft Books. I had already written about owls, dogs, and spiders—and I was ready to write about an animal familiar to me that I still didn’t know a lot about. (My favorite topics to write about are the ones I’m already curious about!) I suggested to my editor the next book be about frogs, and the whole team was on board!

Ann: I was fascinated by all the information packed into Ribbit!—who knew that over a 100 new species of frogs are discovered each year, for example? I’m curious; what is your research process like?

Annette: It absolutely amazes me that for the past twenty years (and probably longer) more than a hundred NEW species of amphibians have been found every year—and most of those are frogs! In the first two months of 2026, seven new kinds of frogs have been identified. I think that’s incredible.

Before I begin my official research for The Truth About books, I read general articles online for the topic. At this point, I really just want a good understanding. I’m not taking notes yet. After a bit of general information-gathering, I brainstorm a bit using a topic web (also called the bubble method or mind-mapping) to come up with different ideas I may want to research.

From there I plan my research. For topics like these animal books where I know many of the ideas I’ll research (diet, habitat, reproduction…), I use a spiral notebook as my research notebook. That’s where I take notes! I create a table of contents and number the pages. I also use it to keep track of my sources. For some of my books I use multiple 3-ring binders as well as folders in my file cabinet. I also save articles I’ve read online—either printed or saved as a digital PDF file.

My sources begin with scientific books, online journals, and research articles. (During the information-gathering phase, I’m not fussy about my sources. Once I’m taking notes, I must choose my sources very carefully.) I contact experts I can interview—and often meet. Often university professors are happy to share their knowledge with me—or point me in the right direction to another expert. Sometimes I consult with an expert online and meet with a different expert in person to get as much feedback and information as possible.

When I met with my frog expert, I heard wood frogs quack and the very loud (nearly painful) calls of spring peepers! If we had met a month or two later, we would have found different frog species in the same area.

I wrote an article about using a topic web here. https://www.annettewhipple.com/2021/07/how-to-brainstorm-nonfiction-writing.html

I wrote an article about my research notebooks here. https://www.annettewhipple.com/2021/09/how-to-set-up-research-notebook.html

Ann: What did you especially enjoy about writing this book? What was challenging for you?

Annette: I loved researching and learning so much more about frogs, because really my knowledge was fairly limited until then. My own knowledge was also my biggest challenge because I had so much to learn!

Ann: I’m impressed by the design and format of the book. Sections start with a question like “How do frogs eat?” followed by text, stunning photos, and an illustrated aside. How much of the design of the book did you participate in?

Annette: When I pitched the first book in the series, Whooo Knew? The Truth About Owls, I stated that I wanted the book to be photo illustrated in addition to art sidebars where I add humor. With that pattern established early on, there weren’t many surprises with Ribbit! The Truth About Frogs. Other than an occasional suggestion to include a photograph of a certain frog species, my design support was minimal.

Ann: You’ve written a lot of books! What is your writing routine like and how do you stay motivated?

Annette: Yes! By the end of this year I will have written more than 40 books. (The longest was 50,000 words. The shortest 250 words.) I don’t write every day, but I do write most days! When I have a hard time staying focused, I set aside a day to just focus on my writing process. So on those days, I don’t want to answer email, fold laundry, or post on social media. On Writing Days, I hunker down and just write!

Ann: What’s your origin story? How did you become a children’s book author?

I began blogging to share my child’s progress overcoming a speech disorder called apraxia. Before long, I realized I wanted to write more, so I took some writing classes and had a few published articles. A few years later I was reading The Chronicles of Narnia with my kids. We had a companion guide called Roar! to go with it. That’s when I realized I wanted to write a book like that: A book about a book—for kids. Soon I was working on The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide and attending writing conferences.

Ann: What’s next for you? What do your fans (me included!) have to look forward to next?

This year I have a few more state books in the Who HQ series that will release including Where Is Missouri?, Where Is Minnesota?, and Where Is Wisconsin? I’m also working on a proposal for a historic nonfiction book—but I don’t have a contract yet!

Maybe I’ll have more news to share soon! I think facts are fun, so that’s my big focus. You can keep up with me with my monthly newsletter at https://substack.com/@annettewhipple. I also use social media! On Facebook and Instagram, find me @AnnetteWhippleBooks. At Twitter/X and BluSky, I’m @AnnetteWhipple. My website is full of articles for curious teachers, families, and writers. https://www.annettewhipple.com/

Ann McCallum Staats is a former teacher and award-winning author. Her latest books are Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants illustrated by Zoë Ingram and A Quilt of Stars, co-written with astronaut Karen Nyberg and illustrated by Alida Massari. Ann loves to follow her curiosity and share what she finds with others. Find out more at www.annmccallumbooks.com

The post STEM Tuesday– Amphibians– Author Interview with Annette Whipple appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Revolutionary War Texts

Each of the books below can stand alone or you might consider forming text sets around the books, their themes, their topics, etc. Many of these books already have teaching guides that accompany them for immediate use in the classroom as you finish off the year or as a great back-to-school reading in the fall.

Award-winning Author Avi presents this story of treason, revenge, and thrilling real historical events. His website contains teaching resources, reading group guides, and much more. What’s interesting about this particular story is that it contains a British perspective concerning their occupation in the United States.

Almost five years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution hung in the balance. In late May 1781, General Cornwallis invaded City Point, VA, and quartered his army there. As 16-year-old Susanna Bolling served the British general and his officers dinner, she overheard their plans to capture General Lafayette and crush the American rebellion once and for all. Under the cover of darkness, she snuck out of her house through a secret underground tunnel and canoed downriver. Then she grabbed a neighbor’s horse and rode ten miles to warn Lafayette.  But would she make it back home by sunrise without detection?

Make sure you check out the author’s website to see other Revolutionary War books she has written!

This engaging book provides a chance for young readers to learn about the death-defying attempts of black Americans to gain the inalienable rights promised in the Declaration of Independence. By stepping into the shoes of thirteen men and women—stand-ins for the fifth of the population left out of most textbooks—readers can appreciate how the American Revolution rattled the chains of slavery and expanded the boundaries of freedom beyond the Founding Fathers’ intentions.

There is a wonderful teacher’s guide that accompanies this book on the author’s website. 

Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth behind the Revolutionary War with beloved educator/author Kate Messner. The fun mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels make this perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.

You might already be a fan of the History Smashers series and this one is no different. There are so many misconceptions about what really happened in 1776, and the endless facts in this book really helps clarify what really happened. Kate Messner has also been known to be available for author visits, both in-person and virtually.

What are your plans to celebration the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution? Leave your ideas in the comments below!

The post From the Classroom – Revolutionary War Reads appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Daphne Benedis-Grab has thrilled audiences with her Secrets and Lies series, and she’s back with a fourth installment: I KNOW YOU STARTED IT. With a crackling mystery and captivating characters, the book is a firestorm of suspense and intrigue. Daphne was kind enough to join the blog to talk about her writing process, her inspirations, and the power of words. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

From the very first chapter, I felt like I was in such good hands when it came to the central mystery of the book. How important is that opening line or that chapter to you when you’re writing? 

That is a really good question. I put a lot of thought into where we’re starting – what’s going to be that inciting incident that kicks things off. So we start at a place where there’s room to get to know the characters. But we’re in it. We are not wasting a second. We are not leading up to it. It’s there. It’s starting. 

The reader is right there from that beginning point –  you are part of it. I think particularly in a mystery or a thriller, you’re getting on a ride and it’s going fast. 

How important is it for you as the writer to know the ending of the book as you’re starting that opening? 

For me (and I know everybody writes differently) it’s essential. 

I need to know where I’m going. I always write from an outline, and hammering out an outline is one of the hardest parts of writing for me  – because I can come up with a lot of really fun inciting incidents and ideas, but does it have legs to sustain interest? 

Is there going to be room for a twist or two in there? And is it going to stick the landing? Is it going to be something that I can see an ending all the way through that is going to be extremely satisfying for readers? 

And if I can’t, if I don’t know what the ending is – I don’t know where I’m going with it.

So, everything needs to lead to that twist – and then to the final reveal. 

This book is told through multiple perspectives, and you did an incredible job getting into the psyche of each of those characters. Did you always plan to tell this story that way? 

Yes, so all of the Secrets and Lies books have three to four narrators, and I am inspired by the books that I have read with multiple characters. I used to do just one character narrating – either 1st or 3rd person. But when I read a couple of really well-narrated books with a number of different narrators, I understood this keeps the reader guessing – because none of us know what the full story is, right? 

In any given situation, everyone is going to have a different perspective, and that’s going to be based on who we are and how we perceive things and how our brains work and our experiences in the world.

And so, to tell a story in a book really well, I feel like you need those multiple characters who are going to give this different perspective and this different take on the bigger situation.

The reader then has a fuller picture than they otherwise might if it’s just that one person. 

Do you have an exercise or anything you do to get into that mindset more fully when you’re moving from character to character? 

That’s a really fun question. So one thing is that when I make the outline, I’m very conscious of who’s narrating what. And sometimes I’ll come to something and I’ll be like –  wait a minute – another person discovered this, and then I have to restructure things. But by the time I’m sitting down and writing, it’s organic who I’m going to be going to next. 

And if it doesn’t feel right, then that’s not the problem. That’s telling me that this probably isn’t the character to narrate this.

Another thing is that when I write – because I have the outline – I’m never sitting down to write a book. I’m sitting down to write a scene. And when I know what that scene is and who that narrator is, it makes it a lot easier to dive in.

That said, if I’m sitting and I’ve come to a chapter break and I’m moving into the next one, I definitely need a break. I need to do a little reset, where I dive into the next character so it’s their voice. 

I love how you break the book into the five stages of the fire, from kindling through incineration. Is that how you structure the outline too? Or does that come along later in the process? 

100%, yes. And I love devices like that. I love a book written in letters or written with texts or there’s a little something at the top of the chapter that gives you some insights to something else. That’s one of my favorite things. And all of these books, I’ve tried to have something like that. 

I looked up the stages of a fire, and I was like – oh, this is perfect. Many moons ago, I read Robert McKee’s books, and now each act has to get built in intensity – and that’s perfect for a fire, right?

Absolutely! Through all of the twists and the turns of the book (which there are many, and they’re wonderful and surprising!), there are important ideas that come through as well. Seeing people as they truly are, standing up for one another and oneself, and being aware of online bullying. 

Did those themes start from the beginning, or did they find you as you’re writing the story? 

That’s a really interesting question. They tend to find me as I’m writing.

But I’m very aware of the things that are important to me to lift up when I write. Part of that comes from parenting children and from being a school librarian. And the things that I see – [that] my students grapple with, and in the fears that they have and how scary it is to speak up – and how lonely you feel when you’re bullied and how that’s part of it. 

A theme that I come to again and again in my writing, but also my life is that – evil grows in darkness, right? It’s hidden when it’s secret, when we hold it, and there isn’t the light of many people seeing it.

That’s when it grows. 

How do we shine that light? How do we bring it into those same corners and lift things up?

Another thing that’s always really important to me is understanding that everybody has a story and that we might present in a certain way. And you don’t understand where someone’s coming from you.
You don’t know them. You can think that you do. You can judge on a few features. 

But everybody has a story and everyone has a perspective. And we’re missing out in life if we’re not getting a little bit more of that. 

There’s a line at the end of the book where Liam says, “Words can be dangerous.” How do you feel about that line as an author and a librarian and someone who’s concerned about young people? 

Of course, the first place my brain goes to is social media, right? Where words live forever. Where you always have a digital footprint. Where the things that you can say without thought can cause such incredible damage to another person – to a situation where you can get pushed to do something that you just would never do if you stop to think. 

I think words have power in that way, but words also have the most important and the most beautiful power because they can express us and they can express our stories.

And when you have language to name your feelings and name what you’re thinking and name who you are – that’s how you exist and own space in the world.

That’s so beautiful and important. Thank you!

Daphne Benedis-Grab is the award winning author of the Secrets and Lies Novels, companion middle grade books that include I Know Your Secret, I Know You’re Lying and I Will Find You, as well as the young adult book The Girl in the Wall. Her middle grade book The Angel Tree was made into a Hallmark Original movie. She earned her MFA from The New School and is the librarian at Warder Elementary School in Arvada, Colorado. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband, two college student kiddos and cats Mishka and Blue.

More at daphnebg.com

The post Author Interview: Daphne Benedis-Grab (I KNOW YOU STARTED IT) appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Whether at home or during dedicated time in class, reading aloud to students demonstrates that reading is not merely a difficult task required for testing. It transforms book discussions into opportunities for students to open up about complex topics and signals the true importance of literacy. “Never underestimate the power of a well chosen read-aloud. Even students who swear they don’t like books can be drawn in by a great story,” says Kinla Nelson, a Georgia-based educator with twenty-five years of classroom teaching under her belt.

Photo by Horia Varlan

Thirteen fabulous reasons why you should read aloud to your older students:

1. Unlock higher-level thinking.

 Students can often listen and comprehend at a higher level than they can read independently.

2. Let students escape into the story.

They can experience the magic of the narrative without the struggle of decoding text.

3. Bridge spoken and written language.

Read-alouds connect oral fluency with literacy skills.

4. Model fluent reading.

Show students how a reader’s voice gives meaning to words, demonstrating how punctuation, sentence structure, pauses, and inflection shape understanding.

5. Demonstrate expressive reading.

Bring characters’ emotional states to life through tone and pacing.

6. Build active listening skills.

Students learn to concentrate on both the sounds words make and their meanings simultaneously.

7. Grow vocabulary and correct pronunciation.

Hearing words in context reinforces proper usage and articulation.

8. Improve working memory.

As students make connections between different parts of the story, they flex their memory and retention muscles.

9. Boost comprehension.

Especially for struggling readers, listening allows them to focus on the story rather than getting bogged down by reading mechanics.

10. Build classroom community.

Shared experiences level the playing field between students of all reading levels. Listeners can ask questions and feel fully part of the story, just like any other reader.

11. Create memorable experiences.

A well-told story leaves a lasting impression on the listener. And this experience is something the whole class can share.

12. Decrease stress.

Numerous studies highlight the social and therapeutic benefits for both the listener and the reader. Through the phenomenon of “Narrative Transportation,” listeners can momentarily forget their surroundings.

13. Increase joy.

As Jim Trelease noted, “Every time we read aloud to a child, we send a ‘pleasure message’ to their brain.” This reaction is triggered by feelings of happiness and self-worth when someone takes the time to invest in our enjoyment.

Why Read-Alouds Are More Important Than Ever:

• Attention is fragmenting. In an age where digital media pulls focus, read-alouds recenter collective attention, prompting students to pause, listen, and engage deeply with language.
• Equity gaps are widening. Frequent adult read-alouds boost vocabulary for historically underserved learners and, when structured inclusively, help close those gaps.
• Standards demand higher-order thinking. Interactive read-alouds naturally embed inquiry, inference, and synthesis, aligning with Common Core and Next Generation Science expectations.
• Teacher workload is growing. Measurable gains can be achieved in just a few minutes without adding to grading loads.

Find an engaging, vocabulary-rich novel (bonus points for STEM ties!) and start your read-aloud program today.

Let us know in the comments below which books you’ve found particularly great for read-alouds for older students!

The post Read-Alouds for Middle Grades: An Rx for Reading Success in Today’s Fast-Paced World appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Hello! Welcome back to STEM Tuesday’s Writing Tips and Resources. I’m Stephanie.

Did you know that axolotls are amphibians? I hadn’t really thought about it before, but it’s true; they’re salamanders. And actually, they’re strange ones, since they don’t fully grow up, but instead stay in their “tadpole” stage, keeping their gills and living underwater completely. Very rarely, they can spontaneously morph into terrestrial animals. When this happens, their gills recede and they depend on their lungs to breathe.

Anyway, happy poetry month! If you’ve read last week’s post, you’re familiar with poems about frogs, like the informative ones found in Amphibian Acrobats. Today I’m excited to share two writerly resources with surprisingly relevant titles. The first, by a Utah poet and professor, is Real Toads, Imaginary Gardens: On Reading and Writing Poetry Forensically (2024). Its title references American poet Marianne Moore, who said that a poem is “an imaginary garden with real toads in them.” Elaborating on that, Rekdal states that a poem is “an artificial structure, yes, but one in which something genuine can live” (5). That definition sings—and croaks, and ribbits—for me. More on frog calls to come. We’ve got one long exercise today. Let’s hop to it.

Part 1 | Gathering Raw Materials

Rekdal writes that, “When it comes to reading or writing poetry, we have to balance between the forensic and the creative, between staying within the bounds of definition and fact and moving into the realm of the interpretive” (35).

Thus, the first step is to gather interesting details for your imaginary garden: nickel-sized glass frogs, perhaps. You’re free to depart from the theme of amphibians, but if you like a good challenge, start there. Think “forensically,” gathering precise words as rhetorical evidence. Imaginary gardens are curated… this is your flowery language, your favorite nature facts rearranged into poetic phrasings. With every additional noun, you’re populating the garden, constructing the banks of the pond. Give yourself at least 15 minutes to brainstorm.

After assembling a motley group of characters, setting details, and imagery, it’s time to begin considering interpretation. How will you make meaning(s) of these things? Rekdal offers this insight, “If anything, poems offer me patterns of expectation and then disregard them in ways I find either delightful, annoying, instructive, or baffling” (3). How can you invite readers to feel those emotions? What might your metaphorical toad be—your something real? Aside from lyrical language, what’s the second layer to the poem? How can you take it from not-story to story? Let’s let those thoughts percolate while we try the next part.

Part 2 | Finding and Shaping Story

The second writerly resource for today is A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Sanders. This book addresses structure through several guided readings of Russian short stories. He writes, “We’re always asking, of a work we’re reading (even if it’s one of our own): ‘Is it story yet?’ That’s the moment we’re seeking as we write. We’re revising and revising until we write the text up, so to speak, and it produces that ‘now it’s a story’ feeling” (50). But what is a story? He answers, “We could understand a story as simply a series of…expectation/resolution moments” (12). Isn’t that interesting? That’s also what Paisley Rekdal said about pattern, expectation, surprise. A story, or in our case, poem, has a call-and-response structure. What must come first? What details are essential? What will change? How does the poem end? How can the beginning enhance the end?

Choose an existing poem. If you’re feeling stuck, here are some suggestions: “[rain frog thorn bug bat tent], “Naming the Heartbeats,” or “Amphibians.” Before you’re tempted to read the poem in its entirety, cover up the last 2-6 lines. Read the first portion, then ask yourself these questions. What energy has the poem built up? How do you expect it to end? What ending feels so obvious that it would be disappointing? Now read the rest of the poem. What helps the poem land with a satisfying feeling?

Using your materials from part one, construct a poem that “responds alertly to itself” (Saunders, 29), that makes energy and then uses it (35), “advanc[ing] the story in a non-trivial way” (42). This is much easier said than done, but as Saunders teaches, “That’s really all a story is: a limited set of elements that we read against one another” (48). Tend your imaginary garden. Hide some toads. Find your voice, whether that frog-song is a cro-qui or a different onomatopoeia altogether. (They make lots of different calls!)

Remember that your poem, though it may turn toward a surprising resolution, doesn’t need to answer questions or conclude anything. Its power is the shared journey between writer and reader: sensing and thinking together. Poems can never avoid being situated, being about something, whether or not the author intends it. But as Paisley Rekdal wrote, “If we can all agree on the exact meaning of a poem, doesn’t that suggest the poem itself may be too narrow, even lifeless?” (Kidlit poems are the exception, in which we routinely opt for clarity and conclusions. But write this one for yourself! Poetry-joy is contagious.)

For themed writing prompts geared toward kids, check out Amazing Amphibians from our book list, specifically pages 49 (“Write a Slimy Story”) and 85 (“Write an Amphibian Haiku”). And of course, I’d love it if you clicked over to visit me at StephanieWritesForKids.com for more writerly tips and book recommendations.

Happy writing,

Stephanie

Stephanie Jackson is a mother of four kiddos ages 5-14. Her kidlit work has been published in Cricket magazine, Dirigible Balloon, and elsewhere. She holds an English creative writing degree and writes from her book-glutted home in northern Utah.

The post STEM Tuesday– Amphibians– Writing Tips & Resources appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

‘em coming with his new book, Jurassic Jeff: Phone Home (Jurassic Jeff Book 3). Royden has written and published a variety of children’s books and other comics, and his first series RUST was called “one of the best all-ages stories to be crafted in the past decade”. Jurassic Jeff is Royden’s first comedy series, and I got a chance to ask him a few questions about the latest installment:

Chris: The Jurassic Jeff books are so fun (and definitely a big hit with my kids!). Did you know this was going to be a series when you got started with the first story?

Royden: I did! I pitched a series initially and was always planning to tell multiple stories around these fun characters. It was my first attempt at episodic storytelling, so it was a bit of a challenge.

Chris: And episodic storytelling definitely provides more opportunity for character development. Like in this book, where we learn a little more about Jeff’s home planet and history. You manage to avoid the dreaded “info dump”, but was that hard to do?

Royden: Somehow it wasn’t. Sometimes I don’t think I’m very good at world-building. I’ve always been really afraid of the world-building hole that writers can fall into, so I avoid it like the plague. Unfortunately that often leaves me not knowing a lot about the world I’m writing about so I have to stop and consider the context.

Chris: That makes sense. And speaking of context,  I enjoyed all the vintage sci-fi movie references in this one. Do you make these books with grown-ups in mind, too?

Royden: First and foremost, I’m always writing for myself. It has to make me laugh first, and then I consider my audience. So for some of the deep sci-fi references I consulted my son, who was 11 at the time that I wrote this volume. He knew a couple of the references but not all of them, and he thought the scenes were funny in their own context, so I just went for it.

Chris: Nice! And your books always have a lot of physical action, too. Is there a different approach to writing and illustrating when you want scenes to have a lot of movement?

Royden: There is! The writing involves thumbnailing the whole book more than it does writing all the

text. Every page has to flow into the next, and the jokes have to keep popping. I don’t want Jurassic Jeff to just be talking heads—I want it to have a lot of energy.

Chris: You poke some fun at AI in your book, and the last time we talked, I asked you about the role of AI in writing and illustrating. Has your opinion evolved at all in the last year or so?

Royden: Oh, it’s evolving daily, I think. I’ve done a lot of experimentation with AI in my art this year, and I’ll admit that a lot of it has been really fun. It creates amazing new ways to look at your creation. HOWEVER, I have yet to use AI in my books or writing. It simply doesn’t apply yet. I use it AROUND my characters and IP, but I don’t use it to make anything yet. I bet that will change in a year, but who knows? Story is the goal. Whatever tool helps me tell the stories I want to tell, I will use it.

Chris: That makes sense and sounds like a grounded approach. In your author bio, you mention doing video calls with art classes, which sounds really cool! Have you had opportunities to engage with the middle-grade audience as a result of the Jurassic Jeff series?

Royden: Oh yes, I’ve had many visits with schools and students over the last few years. It’s been a blast, and I hope there are more to come this year. (There are! I already know!)

Chris: Very cool! Okay, Royden, since you’re a repeat guest on the blog, you get the super bonus lightning round questions:

Music or silence while working?

R: Music. A thousand times over.

Best late-night snack?

R: Life cereal

Favorite location to visit?

R: Ucluelet, BC on Vancouver Island

Hardest part of a book to write?

R: That first blank page. Standing at the bottom of a mountain you intend to climb. That first step of so many.

Best writing advice you’ve ever gotten?

R: Don’t copy anyone. You have your own unique voice—use it.

Thanks again to Royden for taking some time to chat with us! You can find Jurassic Jeff: Phone Home everywhere on April 21, 2026.

See you soon, friends!

The post Author Interview: Royden Lepp (JURASSIC JEFF) appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

All about the book:

When thirteen-year-old Junius Leak—expert on waterbodies and creator of the encyclopedic Amazing Waterbodies of the World—steps foot on Uncle Spot’s rickety dock on Lake Peigneur, the truth assails him: he may love waterbodies, but that doesn’t mean they love him back. The latest in a long line of Junius Leaks, he’s the first to be doomed to ten days of awkwardness and boredom on a houseboat with a relative he doesn’t know while his parents “work on” their marriage. Delcambre, Louisiana, where Junius was born, is awash with unwelcome surprises.

He determines to learn why his mom left town when he was a baby—and to conquer his fear of water at the same time. But the lake has other plans for him, plans tied to a hundred-year-old family feud and a swashbuckling mystery. When disaster strikes, Junius must dive deep within to emerge an unlikely hero.

Alternating viewpoints spin the perceptions of a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) — and the wry voice of a lake with a long memory—into an inventive tale of sunken treasure and buried secrets anchored by a breathtaking true event.

The Background of Junius Leak:

JH: The title alone is wonderfully dramatic. Can you tell us about the real-life events that inspired Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom?

AW: It was a Thursday, November 20th, 1980. Texaco had set up a 130-foot-tall drilling derrick on a 15-foot-tall platform in the middle of Lake Peigneur, a 1200-acre shallow freshwater lake in southern Louisiana. Texaco was exploring for the oil that gathers in pockets around the massive salt dome beneath the lake. When the derrick’s 14-inch drill bit accidentally pierced a massive salt mine that had been excavated beneath the lake, water began to drain into the mine, eventually opening up into a vortex, a quarter-mile wide, effectively draining the lake’s 3.5 billion gallons of water like a big bathtub. The ever-widening sinkhole, created a 150-foot waterfall made up of water from the Delcambre Canal that had begun to flow in reverse, filling the lake back in with salt-water from the Gulf of Mexico, nine miles away. Within four hours the hole had devoured a tugboat, eleven large salt barges, two working derricks, and about 58 acres of a beautiful botanical garden located near the lake’s shore. Amazingly, after another 48 hours, Lake Peigneur filled back in, transforming from a 10-foot deep freshwater lake into a salt-water lake with a 250-foot-deep crater in the middle of it. Even with 55 miners working beneath the lake that day, not a single human life was lost.

JH: That disaster served as inspiration for this story in your graphic novel, The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur illustrated by Jose Pimienta (You can find the interview with Allan and Jose here). How did you go about creating the fictional character of Junius Leak to explore this world?

AW:  The historical fiction story, Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom, grew out of the same research I was doing for my graphic nonfiction account, The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur. You might say that the two books were like paternal twins, developing separately while sharing the same womb. I began to see so many metaphors (swirling, spiraling, loss, sudden rejuvenation, etc.) emerging from the historical facts that a fictional story jumped out at me unbidden. I was already keen to try my hand at middle-grade fiction, so twelve-year-old Junius Leak sprung out of me. I had been exploring the world of Lake Peigneur as an adult for so long, it made sense to create my own 12-year-old doppelganger, Junius Leak to experience that world with me.

JH: You wrote in your author’s note that there is a lot of Allan Wolf in Junius. To which parts of Junius do you most relate?

AW:  As a child I was profoundly lonely and, even when I started making friends, I found these relationships to be exhausting and awkward. I now know that I suffered from some pretty debilitating anxiety, but back then no one knew what anxiety was. Back in 60’s and 70’s it was usually just called cowardice. And that’s how I always felt, like a coward pretending to be a normal person. I had escapes that helped me feel at ease: athletics, reading, skateboarding, and (especially) writing on my bedroom walls. Junius shares a lot of my own quirks, and he uses a lot of my own coping mechanisms.

JH: Did Junius surprise you at any point while you were writing the book?

AW:  Yes. I think any really good character (when given enough freedom) will surprise the author. With Junius I had to write a good bit to arrive at that spot in which he took on an intrinsically motivated life of his own. Picture a grown-up helping a kid to ride a bike. The grown-up runs alongside, one hand on the handlebars, one hand on the child’s back. The kid has a nervous but determined look on his face. Gradually the adult lets go and steps away, leaving the kid to zoom off all alone, usually shouting out, “I’m doing it!”

That’s pretty much the relationship between author and character. The author can create the bicycle, and the street, and even the character. But there comes a point in any character’s development when that character begins to make his or her own choices. I was most surprised at how Junius Leak, the character, had sort of a snarky sarcastic streak about him. As a kid who is arguably “on the spectrum,” he has trouble interpreting and projecting social cues. And yet he seems to understand sarcasm which requires a pretty sophisticated sense of one’s self in the world.  And that was perhaps the greatest surprise of all. When all is said and done, Junius Leak has an intrinsic sense of himself, something that I struggled with as a kid.

JH: If you could drop yourself into one scene from the book, which would you choose—and why?

AW:  There is a climactic scene toward the end of the story when something pretty miraculous comes springing up from the depths of the lake. That’s the scene I’d choose, and maybe a few other moments toward the end. I can’t say specifics without spoilers, but I can say that I love scenes when some long-forgotten detail comes back to fill in the last missing piece of a puzzle. Or the missing piece might have been there under your nose all the time. Point is, you’ve been taking this detail (an event or a character maybe) for granted; you’ve dismissed it as only a bit actor. I love these moments because they fill in the gaps emotionally. I love it when the puzzle pieces fall together. I find the emerging sense of order to be very soothing.

Writing for Middle Grade Readers

JH: What drew you to write for middle-grade readers?

AW:  Of all my novels, this is the first directed specifically at middle-grade readers. My books are typically marketed for YA and teens. So Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom, is “my take” on a middle-grade novel. The story unfolds more slowly, perhaps, than a typical middle grade plot. That’s just how I write right now. It’s something that serves me. I’m working out something stylistically. Hopefully with each progressive book, I will get better and better at it. As a professional writer of books for youth, I was drawn to middle grade because I’d never written one, and because middle grade seems the most steadfast place to be right now, in the constantly changing world of publishing.

JH: Middle-grade books often balance humor, adventure, and emotional depth. How did you approach that balance while writing this story?

AW:  When it comes to telling a story, my motto is “You can’t have ha, ha without a little ah ha!.” There’s nothing wrong with a good therapeutic chuckle. I love laughter, as long as it helps to further the story. But the most enduring humor has humanity at its core. So, I’d rather go for the kind of laugh that makes you cry, if that makes sense. Of course, you have to keep readers (young and old) moving forward in a plot-driven direction, but it is those emotional interjections that resonate in readers’ imaginations long after reading the final page.

JH: Were there any books that you loved growing up that influenced your storytelling?

AW:  A few picture books that have stuck with me: Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel; Ferdinand the Bull; Harry the Dirty Dog. Chapter books: Winnie the Pooh; Dr. Doolittle, Charlotte’s Web, James and the Giant Peach. And later, the novels of Paul Zindel. Much of my voice, though, comes from later exposure to Karen Hesse, Eloise Greenfield, Karla Kuskin, and especially Paul Fleischman. My own book, Junius Leak, has been compared to Holes by Luis Sacar, and I can see why. That book had a profound impact on me.

Writing Craft

JH: Did this book begin with a character, a plot idea, or your irresistible title?

AW:  As often as not, my book ideas begin with a startling and memorable image. Maybe because I was raised on movies and comic books. The image of the lake’s face swirling like a bathtub, and drawing in trees, boats, houses, and shoreline; that’s what I started with. Or the image of a solitary chimney sticking up out of the water in the middle of a lake; that’s what I start with. Then I might develop plot and character with that main controlling image in mind.

As for the book’s title, I worked with an actor named Junius Leek back in the 1990’s and vowed then to someday use his name as a character in a book. This watery book turned out to be the moment. As for the spiraling part of the title: again, that was inspired by image, and the overambitious vortex of doom is more of an ohmage to melodramatics of youth. It also sounds a bit “piratey,” so winner-winner-chicken-dinner. I do admit, that once I settled on the title, the book began to really take shape. A good title can do that . . . just make everything gel.

JH: Were there any scenes that were especially fun—or especially difficult—to write?

AW:  There is a scene in which Junius reunites with his mother and they have a chat. Originally, I left this scene out. In fact, Junius’ mom never even appeared in the book in real-time. But my editor, Katie Cunningham, thought the mother needed a scene near the end of the story. When I sat down to write it, only then did I realize why I hadn’t written it in the first place. I was dreading where I had to go as a writer. I had to essentially sit down with my own mother (who had recently passed away). That was hard. But worth it.

Jo: How long did it take from the first spark of the idea to the finished manuscript?

AW:  The spark came in 2007 when I first saw the lone chimney rising up out of Lake Peigneur. It was in 2019 when I sold the idea as a two-book deal to Elizabeth Bicknell at Candlewick Press. I researched documents and did in-person interviews for years. The initial writing itself took perhaps two years. I’m always working on more than one thing at a time. So, its often hard to tell what hours are spent on what book.

Jo: What was the biggest revision you made to the story during the editing process?

AW:  Not sure if this is really the “biggest” revision, but it was certainly a memorable edit.  I had named the town sheriff in my book after a real-life sheriff who had played a minor role in the Texaco-Lake Peigneur disaster. My idea was to use his name as a sort of ohmage. Much later I found out this particular sheriff had been a divisive person both personally and professionally. Rather than play into the controversy, I changed the sheriff’s name to Connor Murphy—the name of a little kid who lived down the street from me in Asheville, NC.

JH: What advice would you give to writers trying to write humor for middle-grade readers?

AW:  I would re-read my comments about humor above. Humor without humanity is hollow. Also, I would avoid making a joke at someone’s expense. It is mean and petty. If someone deserves to be put in their place, allow it to happen in the plot without your main protagonist simply acting out of a need for revenge. And of course, you should read a lot, lot, lot of funny books. I recommend Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos.

What’s Next

JH: What projects are you currently working on?

AW:  I have a collection of Christmas poems in the works from Candlewick Press. And I’m writing a memoir (on spec) about how I began writing on my bedroom walls, as a 13 year old . . . fifty years ago!

————

Lightning Round!

Favorite place to write:
My desk.

Plotter or pantser?
I pants within a plot.

 If you were not a writer, what might you do for a living?
Mortician. Drummer in a rock band.

Coffee, tea, or some other beverage while writing:
Mostly coffee.

Your favorite writing snacks:

Cheez-its and goldfish.

Favorite fictional hero:

Underdog.

Favorite fictional villain:

Boss Hogg.

Jo: Thanks for chatting with us Allan!

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