Yesterday, January 30th, was Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. I didn’t know much about Fred Korematsu’s story before reading this brand new book, Fred Korematsu Speaks Up, written by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi, and illustrated by Yutaka Houlette. I’m so thankful, now, that I do. Heyday Books Middle-grade Hardcover, 112 pages ISBN: 978–159714–368–4 Price: $18.00 The book
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, here is one of my favorite quotes of his: Please communicate. Talk and listen. Read and write. Think and feel. Which leads us to another great MLK quote: Never stop learning, folks.
Did you know I am currently offering free 10-minute virtual Q&A session via Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, etc. to anyone who is using one of my books in a classroom, library, or youth group? To book an online visit today, please visit https://laurieannthompson.youcanbook.me/. Longer virtual presentations are also available, at a rate of $150 for up to an hour. For
Schools across the country are observing Inclusive Schools Week this week. According to the Inclusive Schools Network: Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., which is held each year during the first full week in December. Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools
I thought some of you might be interested in reading an update from one of the co-founders of StudentRND, which was one of the organizations profiled in Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something that Matters. StudentRND is now the force behind CodeDay, which is “a nationwide event where student programmers, artists, musicians, actors, and everyone else can get together
Many of us who write books for children, recommend books for children, and teach children to read books have been wondering lately what more we can do to move the world forward to have more inclusivity, compassion, and empathy. We’ve been wondering if our efforts really make a difference. We may have been tempted to pull back, to retreat, to
Have you seen the new original series that Starbucks is putting out, called Upstanders? It’s really cool! According to their webpage: Upstanders is an original collection of short stories, films and podcasts sharing the experiences of Upstanders – ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities. Produced by Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the Upstanders series
Squee!! In case you missed it yesterday, Mia Wenjen over at the awesome book blog Pragmatic Mom hosted my next book, Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive!, for a cover reveal AND a sneak peek at some of what’s inside! Here’s a tiny look at the cover… But, be sure to check out her whole fun post for a bigger version, plus an exclusive sneak
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed SURVIVING MIDDLE SCHOOL by Luke Reynolds. As you may recall, I LOVED it! Today, Luke was nice enough to let me interview him so I could get a few of my questions answered (and let you get to know him a bit better, as well!). If you haven’t read my review yet, please
The Washington Center for the Book announced the Washington State Book Award finalists for 2016, and I’m honored to say that Emmanuel’s Dream is among the three finalists for the Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award in the Picture Book category! The Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library announces the Washington State Book Awards finalists in eight categories for outstanding