Sharon M. Draper’s biography includes details as extraordinary as the characters she’s created. She’s been named the National Teacher of the Year, traveled the world, and written several award-winning, bestselling children’s books. Her newest novel, Out of My Dreams (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2024), is the third title in the series she kicked off with the middle-grade [...]

Given the number of bestseller and award lists James Ponti’s books have been featured on, it might seem like he’s earned the chance to take a break. Instead, the creator of several enormously popular middle grade series—City Spies, Framed!, and Dead City—has added even more to his to-do list. Along with releasing book 5 of the City Spies series with Mission Manhattan (Aladdin) [...]

Torrey Maldonado’s fast-paced novels infuse young readers with a deep sense of recognition, generated both by Maldonado’s firsthand experiences as someone born and raised in Brooklyn’s Red Hook projects, and his nearly thirty years teaching in New York City public schools. His popular titles, including Hands (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023), What Lane? (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020), [...]