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After the American Revolution George Washington astounded the eyes of nations when he resigned his commission. Many people expected the successful general to take up the mantle of King. Instead of taking advantage of the situation and stepping into power, he stepped down. It wasn't until six years later that American's asked him to assume the presidency.  Find author Barbara Carroll Roberts https://barbaracarrollroberts.com/ https://www.instagram.com/authorbarbaracroberts/ When George Washington Bowed to the New Nation by Barbara Carroll Roberts and illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert https://www.amazon.com/When-George-Washington-Bowed-Nation/dp/1568464614/ Barbara Carroll Roberts is an award-winning children’s author whose debut middle-grade novel, Nikki on the Line, was a finalist for two state children’s book awards and made numerous best-of-the-year lists. Her second novel, The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter, is a Junior Library Guild selection and received two starred reviews. Her nonfiction picture book, A Rose Named Peace: How Francis Meilland Created A Flower Of Hope For A World At War, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection and a Texas Topaz Nonfiction Gem. Barbara has had many careers: farm worker, video producer, freelance writer, mom. All of which she draws on in her work writing for children. Chapters 00:00 Meet nonfiction children’s book author Barbara Carroll Roberts 05:30 What is the book, When George Washington Bowed to the New Nation about? 09:30 How Barbara decided to write this book about George Washington? 16:00 Barbara Carroll Robert’s writing career 23:31 Putting George Washington’s story into a picture book for the 250 anniversary of America and working with illustrator Anne Yvonne Gilbert 27:51 What is next for author Barbara Carroll Roberts 30:28 What should you read next if you loved When George Washington Bowed to the New Nation? 31:57 Barbara’s book recommendation

Middle grade author McCall Hoyle has always loved dogs. They provided comfort to her as a child and now as an adult. Her books told from a dog's point of view bring young and old readers joy through these incredible stories about dogs and their humans. In this episode BookHuddle host Karen Reeder and McCall discuss her newest book, Nando.  Find McCall Hoyle https://mccallhoyle.com/ https://www.facebook.com/mccallhoyleauthor https://www.instagram.com/mccallhoylebooks/ Nando by McCall Hoyle https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639935231/ Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author McCall Hoyle 05:30 What is Nando by McCall Hoyle about? 09:15 What does McCall feel is the big theme in her book Nando? 12:08 Author McCall’s relationship with dogs as a child 15:12 Going from writing YA books to writing middle grade animal perspective books 18:02 How does McCall channel writing from a dogs point of view, her inner dog? 21:07 Crying while reading dog books versus feeling like a dog book gives you a warm hug at the end 28:19 Keeping true to the different animal personalities when having character overlap in the Best Friend Dog Tales 31:55 Author school visits and kid responses to McCall Hoyle’s books 34:31 What is next for author McCall Hoyle 36:43 McCall’s book recommendation and what to read if readers have loved McCall Hoyle’s books?

New York Times bestselling author of Dragonborn is back with sequel, The Twilight Child. Struan Murray joins Karen Reeder to discuss his sixth book and how he developed his characters, keeping the importance of their growing anger in mind. It turns out children can learn so much about their own emotions from the way that dragons deal with their emotions.  Find middle grade author Struan Murray https://www.struanmurray.com/ https://www.instagram.com/struan_c_murray/ https://x.com/Struan_Murray Dragonborn The Twilight Child by Struan Murray https://www.amazon.com/Dragonborn-Twilight-Child-Struan-Murray/dp/B0GHX7YYBV/ Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade fantasy author Struan Murray 03:12 What is Dragonborn and The Twilight Child by Struan Murray about? 06:37 All the angry characters in Twilight Child and how Struan developed the characters with themes of anger 11:20 Dragons are supposed to get angry and fight - how to live peaceably with those you disagree with and live alongside 16:15 How does Struan talk to kids about how anger can be a good thing? Controlling our anger makes us brave and strong and gives us focus if we don’t let anger will eat us up and control us.  20:23 How the choice to become a children’s book author surprised Struan 21:34 More books by middle grade author Struan Murray 23:28 The power of names and identity with Dragons 29:39 What is next for author Struan Murray and the Dragonborn books? 31:36 Struan’s book recommendations 32:34 What to read next if you loved Dragonborn

RJ Palacio (the author of Wonder) and Brett Helquist (the illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events) come together as a powerhouse team to create a brilliant new Halloween picture book, THE HAUNTED PLAYGROUND. Hear all about how they created this story, what their reactions were to each other's words, scenes, images, and why it is important for people of all ages to take time to have fun. Find author RJ Palacio https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/128308/r-j-palacio/ Find illustrator Brett Helquist https://bretthelquistillustration.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bhelquist/ The Haunted Playground written by R.J. Palacio and illustrated by Brett Helquist https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Playground-R-J-Palacio/dp/B0FX7Z7F2N/ Chapters 00:00 Meet author RJ Palacio and illustrator Brett Helquist 04:09 What is the Haunted Playground about? 05:17 What inspired The Haunted Playground? 06:03 How did R J Palacio and Brett Helquist end up working on a picture book together? 07:05 What was the process of creating the illustrations for Brett for The Haunted Playground? 09:32 RJ Palacio’s reactions to the art in The Haunted Playground? 12:47 Brett’s response to RJ reacting to the art 15:37 A scene that jumped out to Brett for how he would create it 16:21 An image that RJ and Brett were happiest about? 18:29 Why is it important for adults to take time to have fun like they did as a kid? 20:02 Is it important for kids to see adults having fun? 25:04 Has a relationship ever surprised you? 31:37 What do you do when you need a break? 34:30 What do you hope kids take away from The Haunted Playground? 35:50 Brett and RJ’s book recommendations 37:55 What is next for RJ Palacio and Brett Helquist?

Robin Easter's own life experiences influenced the creation of their graphic novel about a new kid at a new middle school. In today's episode Robin and I discuss friendships, community and being true to yourself. Find author Robin Easter https://www.instagram.com/vellichorvictim/?hl=en Middle School Monsters by Robin Easter https://www.amazon.com/Middle-School-Monsters-Graphic-Novel/dp/0316580252/ Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade graphic novel author Robin Easter 03:16 What is Middle School Monsters by Robin Easter about 04:15 What inspired Middle School Monsters? 06:24 Why is it important to have graphic novels 07:10 Robin’s process for creating a graphic novel 09:29 Robin’s medium of choice to create the graphic novel art 10:10 Friendships in middle school 13:23 What has helped Robin be true to themself? 14:30 The theme of community in Middle Grade Monsters 16:28 Was Robin the new kid at school as a youth? 17:35 Upstaged by Robin Easter 19:40 Can we expect more middle grade graphic novels from Robin? 20:20 What led Robin to become an author? 22:30 Robin’s use of color in creating graphic novels 25:11 Robin’s book recommendations

Rigby is given a second chance when she is pulled into her favorite fantasy novel, but can she help the villian discover his second chance as well? Author Jessie Latimer and I discuss her debut novel, Again Behold the Stars, and all about second chances, redemption, taking charge of your own destiny, world building, what draws you into a story, and how you can affect others for good. Find author Jessie Latimer https://www.jessielatimerbooks.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jessielatimerbooks/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591213322414 https://www.tiktok.com/@jessielatimerbooks?_t=ZT-8zkpR5JuDaI&_r=1 Again Behold the Stars by Jessie Latimer https://www.amazon.com/Again-Behold-Stars-Jessie-Latimer/dp/1964726735/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Jessie Latimer spent her childhood searching for portals to magical worlds like Hogwarts, Narnia, and Camp Half Blood. She never found one, but writing fantasy worlds of her own turned out to be the next best thing. After earning her MFA, she settled down in the foothills of Georgia. When she’s not writing whimsical stories with unusual narrators, you can find her hanging out with her husband and son, murdering innocent house plants, and rereading her favorite books eighty-seven times instead of making progress on her TBR. She is the author of Again Behold the Stars (Quill and Flame, 2026). Chapters 00:00 Meet YA fantasy author Jessie Latimer 03:54 What is Again Behold the Stars About? 07:16 What is a book that pulled Jessie into the story? 08:29 Jessie on World Building 12:10 The toils of writing for Jessie 14:42 Being in charge of your own destiny 19:25 People can always change 20:44 How has Jessie seen the stories themes evolve and how have they affected her? 26:40 How do you affect someone else when going through your own intensities 29:48 A personal question for author Jessie Latimer and putting little parts of yourself into your books 33:08 Jessie’s book recommendation 34:40 What to read next if you loved Again Behold the Stars 36:40 What is next for author Jessie Latimer

This interview was very personal for me, so I, of course, got emotional. Sue Lloyd-Davies and I discuss her beautiful, heart-rending, fun, entertaining, and uplifting book Pinkie's Turnabout. This episode is for all of those kids whose lives are affected by the unique changing lifestyles with aging loved ones. If you have ever had a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia, then you can relate. If you have not, this episode is still for you because you may not realize that you have a child in your life who does or will experience life with a loved one struggling with such a disease. Also, it's just such a fun book! I mean a talking cat and wise granny? Go read it! Find middle grade author Sue Lloyd-Davies  https://www.suelloyddavies.com/ https://www.instagram.com/suelloyddaviesauthor/ https://www.facebook.com/slloyddavies/ Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Sue Lloyd Davies 05:14 What is Pinkie’s Turnabout about? 06:38 What inspired Sue to write Pinkie’s Turnabout? 11:00 Use the book for conversations 15:12 The snarky talking cat 17:02 The benefits of pets (and for aging individuals) 20:43 How to start conversations with kids about aging family members (with Alzheimer’s and dementia) 26:35 Empathy for all people 28:19 How to go forward when we made a mistake? The importance of the apology. 33:58 Acceptance when you can’t change someone’s life for them 36:34 The benefits of developing relationships with older family members 39:35 What’s next for author Sue Lloyd Davies 42:32 Sue’s book recommendations

Sometimes you find magic in unexpected places. Celesta's books all have some light fantasy to them, but are all based on some things in our real world that just seem magical. In Celesta's newest release, Reach, a boy is struggling with blended family relationships when he meets a tree that can talk and a friend with synesthesia. Celesta Rimington's middle grade books are inspired by her childhood living in nearly every region of the United States, where she discovered that all places have whispers of magic, people to love, and weather worth describing. She holds a degree in social psychology and resides in Utah, where she can often be found in the boxing gym, singing show tunes around the house, or exploring mountain forests with her family and her Yorkie, Winston. Find author Celesta Rimington https://www.celestarimington.com/ https://www.instagram.com/celesta_rimington/?hl=en http://facebook.com/celestarimingtonofficial https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@celestarimingtonauthor⁩   Chapters 00:00 Meet author Celesta Rimington 05:32 What is Reach by Celesta Rimington about? 06:58 Why did Celesta write about a blended family? 11:59 How Celesta went about researching for writing Reach 14:00 Why Celesta wanted light magic in her books 18:44 Synesthesia in Celesta’s book and how Synesthesia works 23:40 Developing friendships in Reach 27:08 Celesta’s book recommendations 30:25 What to read next if you loved Reach by Celesta Rimington 32:07 What’s next for author Celesta Rimington

Do you have a pet that you love so much that you think they would make the best friend if only they were human? I mean, no one understands you the way your pet does, right? What if your dog became human? YA author AJ Symon explores this fantastic possibility in his book, Golden Boy.  Find author A.J. Symon  https://ajsymon.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ajsymonwriter Golden Boy by AJ Symon https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Boy-J-Symon/dp/1665985526/ Chapters 00:00 Meet YA author A.J. Symon 03:41 What is Golden Boy by AJ Symon about? 08:00 A golden retriever attitude in life. We should all live like a dog. 12:50 Hudson wasn’t normal and he inspired people - don’t worry about what people think of you 15:32 A book about transformation in more ways than one 17:30 Science that takes place in the book. Dog aging project 21:00 Communication skills we can learn from a dog 22:44 AJ’s strong characters 25:32 A screenwriter becomes a fiction novel writer 27:18 What is next for author A.J. Symon 27:47 AJ’s book recommendation and what to read next if you loved The Golden Boy

Author Megan E. Freeman is widely known for her popular middle grade books Alone and Away. The Secret to Belonging is Megan's debut young adult novel in verse about a girl from a hard home life who finds an escape as a foreign exchange student in Norway. Listen in to hear Megan share how her own life experiences inspired this story and what you can do with many of the themes within the pages. Find author Megan E. Freeman https://www.meganefreeman.com/ https://www.instagram.com/megan_e_freeman_writer/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/meganefreemanwrites?ref=aymt_homepage_panel# The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman  https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Belonging-Megan-Freeman/dp/1665988401/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag= As an award-winning poet and educator, Megan E. Freeman brings her signature lyricism and deep empathy to a new and urgent YA story. The Secret to Belonging lays bare what it’s like to grow up in the shadow of a sibling’s addiction and in the cracks of a fractured family with unflinching candor and lyrical precision. Told in second person, the reader never learns the name of the narrator, instead seeing and feeling every moment as if they are in her shoes. The result is a deeply poetic reading experience, one that lingers long after the final page. Readers will also be swept off their feet by the romance between the protagonist and the Norwegian boy she falls head over heels for as she experiences the thrill of being truly noticed, possibly for the first time in her life. Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade and young adult author Megan E Freeman 04:56 What is The Secret to Belonging about? 06:56 Megan’s experience with poetry 07:56 How some of The Secret to Belonging is inspired by some of Megan’s own experience. 09:20 Telling a story in 2nd person without saying the main character’s name 10:53 Megan speaking on the ‘secret’ to feeling a part of group 14:05 How to help kids find joy when they are dealt a bad situation in life 16:46 The importance of making our own legacy and traditions 18:54 Food has a culture all its own 20:48 Weaving theme and analogy in The Secret to Belonging 23:40 How to help youth find the beauty in the world? The planet is more marvelous than you imagined. 26:22 Possessions - our relationship with stuff 29:18 What is next for author Megan E Freeman 31:19 Megan’s book recommendations 35:06 What to read next if you loved The Secret to Belonging by Megan E Freeman

For Micah Johnson his creation of Aku is a symbol for limitless dreams. In this episode we get to discuss how Micah went from retired baseball player to artist and children's book author. Micah uses his art and writing to inspire kids to achieve their dreams.  Find author Micah Johnson  https://aku.world/ https://www.instagram.com/akudreams/ https://www.instagram.com/micah_johnson3/ https://www.micahdreams.com/ Aku: Journey to Ibra by Micah Johnson https://www.amazon.com/Aku-Journey-Ibra-Micah-Johnson/dp/059381178X/ Aku: Battle for Pyra by Micah Johnson https://www.amazon.com/Aku-Battle-Pyra-Micah-Johnson/dp/0593811828/ Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author and retired major league baseball player Micah Johnson 03:16 The journey that led a baseball player to create Aku Journey to Ibra 05:50 What is Aku about? 10:32 What was hardest for Micah to work at to achieve as a dream? 11:45 Working on the dialogue 12:46 What Micah says to kids at school visits? 15:03 How can adults use the book Aku to help kids? 17:10 Family relationships 19:18 Micah’s book recommendation 21:50 What is next for Micah Johnson as an author?

Do you ever go looking for a book that will feel like reading it is like getting a hug? Then The Magic of Someday Soon is the book for you. In this episode Michelle Lee discusses her light magical book set in a small town, finding unexpected friends, how she has experienced magical moments in her own life, how art can effect us, loss/grief and more.  Find author Michelle Lee https://www.michelleleewritesmagic.com/home https://www.instagram.com/michelleleewritesmagic/ https://www.facebook.com/Michelleleewritesmagic/ The Magic of Someday Soon by Michelle Lee https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Someday-Soon-Michelle-Lee/dp/0374390932/ Between the Lighthouse and You by Michelle Lee https://www.amazon.com/Between-Lighthouse-You-Michelle-Lee/dp/1250854040/ Before freefalling into writing children's literature full-time, Michelle Lee was a college English professor for 13 years; earned her doctorate in English Lit and MA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas; was an editor for various literary publications; and has been published across genres, from academic study guides to flash fiction to poetry. She's published two middle-grade novels with FSG / Macmillan: Between the Lighthouse and You (hard cover 2022; paperback March 2026) and The Magic of Someday Soon (March 2026). She is represented by Full Circle Literary and lives with her husband and daughter in Florida.  Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Michelle Lee 03:35 What is The Magic of Someday Soon about? 05:30 What is the light of someday soon? 08:38 When has Michelle felt that kind of magic in her own life? 10:00 Art shines a light on what’s deep in our hearts. 12:14 Art can bring something once lost back to found? 17:24 Does Michelle have a relationship with tea? Like in her book 20:42 The world tells us its secrets when you decide to see and hear them. 27:46 What caused Michelle to write about loss and grief 32:24 What is next for author Michelle Lee? 33:56 Michelle’s book recommendation and what to read next if you have loved The Magic of Someday Soon and Between the Lighthouse and You by Michelle Lee

Casting April by Wendy Lu is partly based on Wendy's own youth experiences with theatre and living with a tracheostomy tube. While April is partly based on Wendy as a youth, April has a lot of her own experiences as well. We get to hear all about parts of the story that were very much a part of Wendy's own life as well as other important moments like the unexpected friends April encounters and surprising layers to a teacher who could have been the villian for April.  Find middle grade author Wendy Lu https://www.wendyluwrites.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wendyluwrites/ https://www.amazon.com/Casting-April-Wendy-Lu/dp/B0FRDMD3MZ/ Wendy Lu is a journalist, a children’s book author, and a global speaker on disability representation in the media. She is a deputy editor at The New York Times and has covered disability, politics and culture for the last 10 years. Her work has appeared in HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Refinery29 and more. Wendy is the author of “Casting April,” a middle-grade novel from Penguin Random House about a girl who is determined to land the starring role in her school's play — except nobody believes she can do it because of her disability. "Casting April" was selected for the Indie Next List and the Indies Introduce List in 2026. She lives in New York with her husband, Andrew, and their turtle, Little Cloud. Casting April by Wendy Lu Twelve-year-old April is a talented performer who is determined to land the starring role in the school play, but no one believes she can do it because of her tracheostomy tube. A heartwarming story of friendship, identity, and the importance of chasing your dreams. Sixth grader April Xue lives and breathes all things Broadway. When she builds up the courage to audition for the lead role in the school play, she thinks she’s knocked it out of the park—until she finds out that she’s been assigned to the stage crew. April is devastated—it seems like the curtain is closing on her dream of being an actor.  A day later, April overhears that the theater director, Ms. Rooney,  decided not to cast her because she’s disabled. With the help of her best friend, a sneaky student reporter, and her spirited castmates, April learns to confront her own insecurities as a performer and proves to everyone (including Ms. Rooney) that she deserves a fair shot—all in time for opening night. Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Wendy Lu 03:01 What is Casting April by Wendy Lu about? 05:18 How is Casting April personal for Wendy? Was theatre something Wendy did as a youth? 08:50 Developing a middle school theatre story with disability representation 12:34 Finding friends in unexpected places 13:50 Parent relationships and the importance of kids letting their parents know what they need 16:43 Are any of Wendy’s other characters in Casting April based on real people from her life? 20:18 How to appropriately talk to someone about their trach tube? 24:14 What surprised Wendy when writing Casting April 26:59 If Wendy could get a message to her teenage self what would she tell her? 28:50 What else would Wendy like for readers to take away from Casting April 30:13 What is next for author Wendy Lu? 31:09 Wendy’s book recommendation 33:01 What to read next if you loved Casting April?

LIberty Biscuit and Little Pearl by Melanie Sue Bowles  Find author Melanie Sue Bowles Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Melanie Sue Bowles 03:50 What is Liberty Biscuit about? 07:53 How did Melanie create the story? 10:27 A happy/strong family that has weaknesses 13:05 A mixed race family in a story 15:40 How did Melanie end up with rescue horses on her farm? 16:55 Real horses and donkeys Liberty Biscuit is based on Around 19:30 ish How Liberty Biscuit teaches us empathy 21:35 What is next for author Melanie Sue Bowles 25:46 Melanie’s book recommendation

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with reading? Or a magical moment in a story that stuck with you forever? In this episode I talk with author Jessica Khoury about creating her newest book, Monster and Apprentice, how the story developed, how she discovered its themes, and all of the magical moments that go along with a writer's journey.  Jessica Khoury is the author of many books for teens and young readers. Her stories have been translated into over a dozen languages and have been finalists for awards like the South Carolina Junior Book Award, the Ignyte Award, the Maine Student Book Award, the Oklahoma Sequoyah Masterlist, the Amelia Bloomer Project, and many more. Her bestselling middle grade debut The Mystwick School of Musicraft was named one of the Best Audiobooks of 2019 by Audible and is one of the Top 20 Most Listened-To children's books of all time. Jess comes from a family of immigrants and currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina with her husband and daughters. She spends free time hiking in the mountains, playing video games, and sketching new characters for new stories. Her stories draw inspiration from the world around her, her own childhood, and her Scottish and Syrian-Palestinian heritage. Find author Jessica Khoury https://www.jessicakhoury.com/ https://www.instagram.com/authorjess/ https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicakhoury https://www.pinterest.com/jesskhoury/ https://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/ Monster and Apprentice by Jessica Khoury https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Apprentice-Jessica-Khoury/dp/1665990112/ Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Jessica Khoury 05:08 What is Monster and Apprentice by Jessica Khoury about? 10:04 On world building 13:15 How Jessica came up with the idea for Monster and Apprentice 15:43 When writing fantasy do authors plan themes in to their books? 20:10 When Jessica had a brilliant writer moment when she was struck with inspiration that was perfect for her book 22:11 A moment that a child loved in one of Jessica’s books 23:47 What was the moment that Jessica knew that she was an author? 26:16 What was the moment that led Jessica to being published? 28:46 Does Jessica illustrate her own books? 29:45 What is next for author Jessica Khoury 35:10 Jessica’s book recommendation 37:03 What to read next if you have loved reading Monster and Apprentice