Category: Uncategorized

Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Literary Agent Victoria Arms Wells

Victoria Wells Arms started in publishing as an editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, and then at Putnam. Then one day she spotted an ad in Publishers Weekly for an editorial director at Bloomsbury, so she applied and soon was setting up Bloomsbury USA’s children’s division. Starting with three people (and a dog), Bloomsbury grew quickly, […]

Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Public Relations Expert Rebecca Grose

Rebecca Grose has been a freelance publicist since she started her own literary p.r. firm, SoCal Public Relations in San Diego in 2003. Prior to that, Rebecca worked in New York at several major publishing houses—Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, HarperCollins Children’s Books, DK Publishing—and with many distinguished authors including Alice Walker, Patricia and Fredrick […]

Middle Grade Ninja: 7 Questions For: Literary Agent Stephanie Fretwell-Hill

Stephanie Fretwell-Hill started her publishing career in 2004 at Walker Books Ltd. in London, where she sold foreign language rights. Working in a design-led company with legendary artists such as Helen Oxenbury and Lucy Cousins sparked her love of illustration, while her sales role gave her an international perspective on children’s publishing. In 2011, Stephanie […]

Middle Grade Ninja: An Afterword for BANNEKER BONES AND THE GIANT ROBOT BEES Part Three: Let’s Talk About Bees (and economics)

This is the final part of a three-part afterword for Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees. If you read the first two parts, surely you’ve read the book by now, but if you haven’t (why not? It’s so much better than these blog posts), beware of casual spoilers ahead. In the first part of […]

Middle Grade Ninja: Book Review: THE CITY OF EMBER by Jeanne Duprau

First Paragraph(s): When the city of Ember was just built and not yet inhabited, the chief builder and the assistant builder, both of them weary, sat down to speak of the future.  “They must not leave the city for at least two hundred years,” said the chief builder. “Or perhaps two hundred and twenty.”  “Is that […]

Middle Grade Ninja: Book of the Week: HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL by Donna Gephart

How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart is very enjoyable and very funny. But I should warn you, it’s also a little sad in places, so you’ll be alternately laughing and sniffling. That’s the best sort of story and you’re going to have a good time. Here’s the lowdown: Eleven-year-old David Greenberg idolizes Jon […]

Middle Grade Ninja: Book of the Week: MELVIN BEEDERMAN SUPERHERO: BROTHERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING UNDERPANTS by Greg Trine

“Holy awesome middle grade novel!” said the middle grade ninja. Holy awesome middle grade novel, indeed. This opening will make more sense to you after you’ve read your first Melvin Beederman Superhero novel, Esteemed Reader, as it is my imitation of a gag Greg Trine repeats often to great comic effect. And you should read one or […]