As winter turns the corner into spring, I’m well into my Skype visits for the year. Connecting with classrooms is one of my very favorite things, and I’m grateful to everyone who reaches out. You can check out my recently updated Skype map here. Hopefully I can fill in more of these states and countries in 2019!
It’s been a busy year for me (revising the new book, EVERY MISSING PIECE coming May 2020) and for THYME, which has had the good fortune of visiting Illinois, Iowa, Arkansas, and Missouri state lists. It’s been so much fun connecting with classrooms as they explore Thyme’s story. Thank you to all the educators who work so hard to share books with children.
If you’re looking for more great reads, THYME popped up on this Wiki page recently, which appears to be a pretty great resource for finding reads in different categories of interest. Click here to check it out! 
As 2016 draws to a close, I have a lot to be thankful for. At the beginning of the year, I started an accomplishment jar. This is where I’ve captured a lot of the special moments from this year, so I can revisit them in the future. I’m grateful for every single one.
Thank you to the amazing educators who shared THYME’s story. You are wonderful and necessary and your work matters SO much.
Thank you to the dozens of classrooms I have visited via Skype across the country.
Thank you to the schools who kindly hosted me and the kids who asked such great questions. There is nothing like speaking to a room full of eager book nerds.
Thank you to the festival and #nErDcamp organizers who work so tirelessly to bring books and authors to their communities.
  
Thank you to the readers. My heart swells three sizes with every note.
Thank you to the libraries. You are essential.
Thank you to the independent book stores. You are the heartbeat of our communities.
Thank you to my writing family. You were the friends I needed before I knew that I needed you.
Thank you to the brave authors who continue to stand for what is good and true in this world. I am proud to stand with you.
Thank you to everyone who supported me this year. Writing is a team sport, and I couldn’t have done it without you. I wish you all the best in 2017!
This year I tried something new for Halloween. Well, technically these somethings were old to me, but new to everyone who took them home: TRICK OR TREAT BOOKS!
I’m a huge candy fan, so yes, there was still candy to go with the books, but as I handed the candy out, I told the kids that if they saw a book they liked, they could take it!
Some of my favorite reactions:
- The 3yo Supergirl who promptly handed her candy basket to her dad, sat on my front steps, and started reading Elmo’s Christmas.
- The girl with cat whiskers who squealed when she grabbed The Seventh Wish.
- The boy who slyly nabbed a book with a bunny on the cover and stuffed it into his bucket after his friends left.
- The teens who didn’t take books, but surprised me by telling me what they were reading: Rick Riordan, Harry Potter, and The Color Purple, among others.
On the subject of talking books, Counting Thyme is on a podcast! The Power of Story is a great new book podcast by Caitlin Lore. Be sure to check out all of her episodes!
Over the summer I had a conversation with some of my favorite educators on Twitter about contemporary middle grade stories that pair well with Counting Thyme. I’m a huge fan of many of the books they suggested, so I’m sharing them here today. If you or your students loved THYME, your next favorite read could be one of these great books!
Rules by Cynthia Lord
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart
Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper
So B It by Sarah Weeks
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
The Distance to Home by Jenn Bishop
The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Thanks to my wonderful Twitter peeps for helping me put this list together (shout-out to the #bookjourney crew)! I love read-alikes, which give us such a great opportunity to make connections across characters and stories. Feel free to share your faves and recommendations in the comments below. And if you’ve read THYME, don’t miss the reader participation campaign that launched this week!
Read on!
🙂
Mel
This summer offered up a surprise for me. I experienced the joy of seeing Counting Thyme on summer reading lists around the country–something I hadn’t really anticipated in the way that all authors fail to anticipate their books’ lives beyond the manuscript phase. It’s been a truly incredible thing, and I was fortunate to write about the experience on The Booklist Reader, which you can read here.
Wow! The last couple of months have been a doozy. I’m not sure what I expected to happen after Counting Thyme left the nest, but I think this is one of those situations that you can’t really be prepared for no matter what you do in advance.
There are moments in life that stand out in that regard: living on your own for the first time (you mean I have to FEED myself???), getting your first pet (you mean other people go OUT after work???), and having your first child (still trying to figure out that parenting bit!!!).
The publication of a book shares the same free-falling, exhilarating and also frightening feeling of these other milestones in life, but with one key difference:
READERS.
Yes, people coo over your dog/cat/baby photos (as required), but there’s something unique about putting a story into the world, I think because you get to share it part and parcel with other people. The story becomes an experience for readers, and in that way it belongs to them. When we read stories, we discover each other. We find common ground. And hopefully, we grow, so that we can figure out some of this other stuff going on in our lives.
Thank you to everyone who has been in touch by email, snail mail, social media and in real life. I’m astounded by the wonderful images and notes you’ve shared with me, so today I’m sharing them, with my deepest thanks. 🙂
Wow, y’all! This past week (or two) has been an amazing experience. After meeting so many enthusiastic young readers and hearing from so many incredible educators, I am filled with a great love for the bookish people of the world. I had so many incredible first time experiences, from attending the LA Times Festival of Books to author visits with over 400 students, and I learned so much.
I learned that book festivals are AMAZING events full of passionate readers!
I learned that Rebecca Stead and Leila Howland are both WONDERFUL humans.
I learned that everything is better with friends and family (and wine)!
I learned that cakes can look like books and taste AMAZING, too!
I learned that there are Good Cookies everywhere!
I learned that students are the most wonderful audience you will ever have.
I learned that I can answer book questions ALL DAY.
I learned that my local bookstore really IS the best place in the world.
I learned that launch parties are as much of a whirlwind as a wedding reception.
I learned that books come in cookie form, too!
I learned that I *can* sign names without miss-spelling them, even while people talk!  And even though this first stretch of parties and book events is over, I’ve learned that the journey for Counting Thyme is just beginning. I love all of the pictures, letters, and messages I’m receiving. Keep them coming! Soon, I’ll share an opportunity for young readers to celebrate the theme from Counting Thyme of valuing what every individual brings to the world.
Thank you ALL for taking this ride with me! I can’t wait to see where we go next.
Yay! I’m so excited that the book trailer for Counting Thyme is live! Please visit Mr. Schu’s wonderful blog for the big reveal and enjoy!!!
 A picture from the set.
One of the most amazing parts of this author journey is connection. This week, I’ve been lucky to connect with fabulous students across the country via Skype for Word Read Aloud Day 2016, and I am also honored to share an early preview of Counting Thyme with Momcology! Momcology is a nonprofit organization that focuses on connecting parents for pediatric cancer caregiver support and information sharing. What a wonderful thing, made possible by the amazing folks at Penguin. My heart is full.
I’m thrilled to share that I’m participating in Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s #MGAuthorsLoveTeachers Giveaway! If you’re not familiar with it, in short Lynda is awesome and has taken the lead on a massive book giveaway to show our appreciation to teachers and librarians and the essential work they do with young readers. Make sure you pop over to Lynda’s blog for your chance to win an INCREDIBLE list of signed middle grade books–including so many of my favorite authors!
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