Author Visits & STEM Giveaway!
Author Visits & STEM Giveaway!
Lots of ideas for STEM creations, author visits, and a 3-book giveaway.
Welcome!
First up—welcome to many new subscribers!
You might have subscribed to this newsletter a LONG time ago, and maybe I didn’t realize the form wasn’t working and you never actually got added… OOPS. Or, you may have been referred over here by Tui Sutherland who is an amazing author and friend who just started up her own newsletter that everybody should sign up for! Or maybe you just found me through the usual channels—welcome to all of you!
The big news you may have missed along the way is that I just released the first book, AVA LIN, BEST FRIEND!, in my funny, illustrated, early chapter book series, with Book Two, ONE OF A KIND, available for preorder now! Ava Lin is creative and optimistic, loves animals, and gets confused navigating some social rules—but she always manages to wriggle out of her mishaps! I’m loving all of the positive reviews the book is getting:
Author Visits
I have new author visit info! This past spring, I had fun making this teaser video about my visits (thanks to filmmaker Patricio Trejo Lerdo), so you can get a little peek:
If you’re looking for authors to visit your school in Spring 2025, I’m taking bookings now! I’m also excited to announce that I’ll be working with Allyson Hickey at Booked Authors for my school visits this year. If you’re interested in booking a visit, you can reach out to allyson@bookedauthors.com | allyson@bookedauthors.com.
STEM Activities
I was recently on a panel at the Carly and Adam STEM Teacher’s Summit, as my STEM books and activities continue to grow! I wanted to share the video introduction that I recorded for the conference here, looking at LAYLA AND THE BOTS, INVENT-A-PET, and ALPHABOT.
Here’s a downloadable flyer that looks specifically at my STEM books and activities:
Of course, you can find these and more activities for all of my books on my website!
More STEM with Friendbots & 3DUX
In a fun collaboration, 3DUX has created a free learning resource that invites kids to build their own cardboard fort for Blink and Block! 3DUX is a cardboard building kit, with pre-cut parts and fasteners, so there are no tools needed. With teacher guides and identified curriculum standards, this is a great reading & building activity for classrooms!
Litapalooza Fun
I had a fantastic time at LITapalooza and KidLITapalooza! I wanted to give a huge shout-out to the organizers, including Anderson’s Bookshop, Steph McHugh, and Lorie Barber, and to my publishers for their amazing support. If you have a chance to go next year, they’ve already started planning and I highly recommend it. There were 60+ amazing authors and illustrators and it’s all books and educators and kids in the most supportive conversations and workshops.
STEM Book Bundle Giveaway!
This month, I’m giving away a bundle of STEM books, including signed copies of LAYLA AND THE BOTS: HAPPY PAWS, BLINK AND BLOCK BUILD A FORT, and ALPHABOT! Like or comment on this post for a chance to win. (U.S. shipping addresses only (?).
That’s it!
I hope you’re enjoying the last weeks of summer and reading something fun! A few of my favorites from my summer reading:
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune — I’m almost done reading this one now and I’m loving the characters and the voice in this magical and mysterious story.
The Unteachables by Gordon Korman — My 5th grader recommended this one to me, and it’s a great story about a class of “unteachable” students, full of heart and humor.
Anzu and the Realm of Darkness by Mai K. Nyugen — This is a beautiful and fantastic graphic novel about being true to oneself, filled with compelling characters inspired by Japanese spirits.
Happy August and happy reading!
STEM and more STEM! I’m not sure that there can be enough of books like these, Vicky! I think if I’d had some of these titles when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have been so afraid of the math and sciences. Am thankful my grandkids have them.
Loving the newsletter! This school year I am looking forward to incorporating more STEM activities with my library lessons. Books to go along with the activities would be amazing! Side note: I recently acquired the Best Buddies series and my students absolutely love it!