Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 75

Guest Post: Carol Coven Grannick on Does Expecting the Worst Make You a Pessimist? Confessions of a Learned Optimist

By Carol Coven Grannick
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

The endings of so many wonderful stories – our own and others’ – are different than what protagonists imagine they might be.

And our lives hand us some of the same twists and turns.

As writers and illustrators, there are times we must move through more than the usual vicissitudes.

Something may go terribly wrong and leave us feeling like doors are closing, possibilities are evaporating, and our creative work will forever...

Guest Post: Candice Ransom on Working Backwards & Amanda Panda Quits Kindergarten

By Candice Ransom
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

People always ask writers how they get their ideas. Ideas are everywhere—people should ask how does a book come about? 

Over my 36-year career as a writer of children’s books, I’ve written a dozen picture books.

Normally, an idea comes to me and over a period of months, I’ll write the text. If the manuscript is acquired, the editor finds an illustrator, who then gets busy on the art.

In the spring of 2015, Frances Gilber...

Author Interview: Clete Barrett Smith on Writing Challenging Stories & Mr. 60%

By Gayleen Rabakukkfor Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Today we welcome author Clete Barrett Smith, discussing his new novel, Mr. 60% (Penguin Random House, 2017). 

I heard Clete read the opening chapter several years ago for his graduate reading at Vermont College of Fine Arts. It gave me chills, and I'm so happy the book is now out in the world.

From the promotional copy:
Matt Nolan is the high school drug dealer, deadbeat, and soon-to-be dropout according to everyone at...

In Memory: Jan Andrews

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Author and storyteller Jan Andrews died Sept. 2, while Cynsations was on summer hiatus.

Obituary Note: Jan Andrews from Shelf Awareness. Peek: "British-born storyteller and children's author Jan Andrews, who immigrated to Canada in her 20s and 'wrote books for children of all ages, often inspired by the people and landscape of her adopted home,' died September 2, Quillblog reported. She was 75."

Jan Andrews, Canadian children’s autho...

In Memory: Robin Smith

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Teacher and picture book expert Robin Smith died in June while Cynsations was on summer hiatus.

Robin Smith (1959-2017) from The Horn Book. Peek: "A second-grade teacher at Ensworth School in Nashville for the last twenty-four years, she was a longtime Horn Book contributor and reviewer and a founding co-author of the Calling Caldecott blog. She also reviewed for BookPage and Kirkus."


Editorial: The Incomparable Robin Smith by Martha V. P...

Cynsational News

By Cynthia Leitich Smith & Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynsations

Author Interviews

Q&A with Tracey Baptiste by Sara Grochowski from Publishers Weekly. Peek: "I decided to make the setting a generalized Caribbean island because I wanted to have a lot of Trinidadian influences and wanted to embrace the islands as a whole. So anyone reading it from the Caribbean could read it as their native."

A Conversation with Cynthia and Sanford Levinson from Peachtree Publishers. Peek: "Wh...

New Voice: Ruth Freeman on One Good Thing About America

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Although Ruth Freeman has authored several picture books, she made her debut as a novelist earlier this year with One Good Thing About America (Holiday House, 2017). From the promotional copy:

Is it ever easy being new?

Anaïs was the best English student in her class in Africa. Now in Crazy America she feels she doesn’t know English at all. Nothing makes sense…chicken fingers? 
In letters, she writes to her grandmother back home about...

New Voice: LaTisha Redding on Calling the Water Drum

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

LaTisha Redding is the debut author of Calling the Water Drum, illustrated by Aaron Boyd (Lee & Low, 2016) From the promotional copy:
Henri and his parents leave their homeland, Haiti, after they receive an invitation from an uncle to come to New York City. 

Only able to afford a small, rickety boat, the family sets out in the middle of the night in search of a better life. Out at sea, Henri dreams of what life will be like “acro...

Author-Illustrator Video: Daniel W. Vandever on Fall In Line, Holden!

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

Check out this author-illustrator interview video with Daniel W. Vandever on Fall In Line, Holden! by Tyler Mitchell from Salina Bookshelf. From the promotional copy:

Fall in Line, Holden! follows Holden, a young Navajo boy, through his day at boarding school.

Although Holden is required to conform to a rigid schedule and strict standards of behavior, his internal life is led with imagination and wonder. 

Whether he is in art class, the comput...

New Voice: Bonnie Pipkin on Aftercare Instructions

By Gayleen Rabakukk
For Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Bonnie Pipkin is the debut author of Aftercare Instructions (Flatiron Books, 2017). From the promotional copy:

“Troubled.” That’s seventeen-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.

As Gen...