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The most exciting part of the ALA Annual Conference was celebrating the Newbery Awards!On June 25, I got to attend the #Newbery100 Celebration �� which, as you might guess, commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Newbery Award, the oldest children’s book award in the world! We learned about the history of the award and took a look at all the books that have been honored in this way in over the past one hundred years. And then came a very special Author/Fan Face-Off hosted by Steve Sheinkin and Stacey Rattner and featuring authors facing off against librarians regarding their own books!That night, I went to an intimate Newbery celebration dinner with my fellow 2022 Newbery authors, Donna Barba Higuera, Andrea Wang, Kyle Lukoff, and Darcie Little Badger, our editors, and our Newbery Committee members. We had a beautiful evening with delicious food, toasts by all the authors, and plenty of happy tears!Then, on June 26 we got dressed to the nines for the Newbery Awards! First, my family, agent, and I went to a HarperCollins cocktail party. And then came the Newbery Caldecott Dinner and Award Ceremony, a beautiful, star-studded affair in which everyone received their awards. The speeches by Jason Chin (Caldecott Medal winner), Donna Barba Higuera (Newbery Medal winner), and Grace Lin (Children’s Literature Legacy Award winner) were heartfelt and inspiring. And it was mind-blowing to hear my name called and to go up to receive a Newbery Honor for RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE!When I was a little girl, I always looked for the books with the shiny stickers on them. How stunned am I that now my book �� a book of my heart �� now has one? It’s almost too wonderful to believe!

From June 24-27, 2022 I went to Washington, DC to attend my first ever ALA Annual Conference, the first held in person since the pandemic started! I was so grateful to see so many friends, hang out with my publishers, meet amazing librarians, and sign books. And it was the thrill of a lifetime to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Newbery Award, and to receive a Newbery Honor for RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE! I got to sign copies of I’LL GO AND COME BACK, THE SECRET CODE INSIDE YOU, WHERE THREE OCEANS MEET, and of course, RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE! It was a thrilling week, and a joy to attend, especially since my family was also able to come!

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I’m out of my mind THRILLED that I get to write FOUR more books with QuillTreeBooks / HarperCollins!! I’ve got two more middle grade and two young adult (eek!) novels coming from 2024-2027!! My forthcoming books include a fantasy (THE SOUND OF MAGIC), a contemporary (NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH), a mystery (MYSTERY PARTY), and a rom-com (CHEMISTRY LESSONS)! I’m so fortunate to be able to write such a wide variety of books!

I was honored and thrilled to attend the at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC on June 23! After a wonderful panel featuring Honorees Kekla Magoon, Eden Royce, and Natasha Donovan, Grace Lin introduced the winners in the Young Readers and Teen categories, presented the awards, and introduced speakers Angelline Bouley . . . and me! Great news: I made it through my speech! You can see the whole awards ceremony, including my speech, below. Huge congratulations to the all the honorees and winners!

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I was honored and thrilled to attend the at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC on June 23! After a wonderful panel featuring Honorees Kekla Magoon, Eden Royce, and Natasha Donovan, Grace Lin introduced the winners in the Young Readers and Teen categories, presented the awards, and introduced speakers Angelline Bouley . . . and me! Great news: I made it through my speech! You can see the whole awards ceremony, including my speech, below. Huge congratulations to the all the honorees and winners!

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I’m absolutely delighted to share the cover of my forthcoming novel in verse, MIRROR TO MIRROR, coming in March 2023 from Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins! MIRROR TO MIRROR is about musical identical twins, anxiety, misunderstanding, forgiveness, and a bond that is stronger than fear. I can’t wait for you to read it!

, and check out the cover reveal trailer below �� turn your audio on!

I’m thrilled to announce that I have another picture book coming with Candlewick Press in 2024!! Mauntie is about a little girl who loves her favorite auntie…and finds it really hard to share her. This story featuring family, food, and riddles will be illustrated by amazing Nadia Alam!! I can’t wait to share it with the world!

Priya loves everything about her Mauntie �� her special auntie who plays games, makes snacks, and tells riddles. But when Priya’s older cousin comes over and captures Mauntie’s attention, Priya feels left out. In this story about family and growing up, Priya learns the answer to the biggest riddle of all.

I had such a fantastic time as a faculty member at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency’s Big Sur on Cape Cod conference! I got to spend time with friends and run two fabulous critique groups full of talented writers as well as enjoy the glorious Falmouth beach and sun!

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I am thrilled beyond belief that RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE has won the 2022 Crystal Kite Award from New England SCBWI! I’ve been a member SCBWI since 2013, and the New England chapter is my home, where I have made so many creative friends! To have this book of my heart chosen by my peers for this honor is such a dream come true! New England SCBWI produces so many incredible books each year, and I am blown away!!

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I was honored to be a faculty member at the SCBWI Florida Conference 2022! The theme was “Reunited, and It Feels So Good!�� It certainly felt fantastic to hang out with writers, illustrators, and fellow faculty members, including:

Teaching a Novel Intensive with agent Saritza Hernandez and editor Eileen RobinsonGiving my first in-person Keynote EVER on “Writing the Story Only You Can Write”Being on a “creatives�� panel with Dan Santat, Jennifer Swanson, Bruce Coville, and Pat Zietlow MillerGiving a workshop on Writing the Verse NovelListening to inspiring keynotes from Pat Zietlow Miller, Jennifer Swanson, Dan Santat, and Bruce CovilleDressing up for the ��70’s themed dance party!