Twenty-five years ago today, my first novel, NOTES FROM A LIAR AND HER DOG, was published. When I got the idea for the book, I woke up in the middle of the night and began writing in the voice of the main character, Ant. She would not let me sleep. buff.ly/6FzECyt

Today is National Rescue Dog Day! 🐶 One reason @kaaauthor.bsky.social and I wrote the Dogtown books was to talk about all the wonderful pets in shelters. Do you have a rescue pet? Tell us their name! (Love to see a picture too!) 🐾❤️

Doggone thrilled by the news that DOGTOWN is the Intermediate Winner of the 2025-2026 California Young Reader Medal! ⭐ Thank you to every student, teacher, and librarian who read, recommended, and voted. @kaaauthor.bsky.social and I are honored and grateful! #BookSky @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

I'm thrilled to announce that I AM A GOOD DOG, my book with @kaaauthor.bsky.social, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! ⭐ Thank you, Junior Library Guild. It's an honor to be recognized by some of my favorite people: Librarians. Out 9/22! buff.ly/KDRa8en @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

May is #AANHPIHeritageMonth. Thanks to the @mackidssl.bsky.social team for creating this great page of teacher resources, book recommendations, Asian-owned bookstores, and more. buff.ly/I1W7BoA

May is National Foster Care Month. Thank you to Adriane at the Richmond Public Library for recommending my book, THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN, as a title to check out this month. 💙 See the full list here! buff.ly/Fgn0BJy

“Some people's brilliance is in their head. A surgeon's brilliance is in her hands. But there are people who have brilliant hearts. They shine right through them.” 🌳💚 From my #mglit novel, IF A TREE FALLS AT LUNCH PERIOD. #BookSky

My brother, Grey, was my inspiration for both Moose in the #TalesFromAlcatraz series and Hank in THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN... and today is his birthday! Happy birthday, big brother! 🎂

Happy #TeacherAppreciationWeek! ❤️ My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Rosenthal, encouraged my writing. I’m not sure I would have become an author without Mrs. Rosenthal, Miss Brockie, and Mrs. Gangsei. Teachers are my heroes.

When kids ask me for writing tips I always say this: First: Be kind to yourself. Don't trash talk your ideas. Encourage yourself, and more and more ideas will come. And you'll have a lot more fun. Second: Read as much as you can. You're absorbing how stories work without even knowing it. #BookSky

Did you know? The orphanage and experiment that are part of my protagonist, Lucy's, backstory in ORPHAN ELEVEN are based on real life. 🎪🐘 I loved writing a story full of inner strength and friendship for this character who is so special to me. #BookSky

Thank you to Gennifer Choldenko for celebrating #SchoolLibraryMonth with us! “I looked forward to the day my class got to visit our school library...It never occurred to me that the books on display were for everyone. I thought they were just for me.” buff.ly/Td2reat #AASLslm

The epigraph of my novel THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN means so much to me: "To every kid who carries adult responsibilities on eleven-year-old shoulders. You are not alone." Thank you to everyone who has helped this book find kids who need to read it. 💙 #BookSky

“Fifth grade is not for amateurs. You have to watch yourself. Kids notice stuff. What books you read. What sports you follow. What devices you own. And how nerdy you are.” From my #mglit novel, ONE-THIRD NERD. Fun fact: I based the family's German Shepherd, Cupcake, on my own dog. 💙 #BookSky

"A cozy mystery told by a charming narrator." The audiobook of THE ETIQUETTE OF VOLES by @karenbmccoy.bsky.social has just come out! It will be a treat to listen to this story, which I was delighted to blurb.

Incredibly honored that THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN is now on twenty states' librarians and children's choice award lists! ⭐ This truly means the world to me. Thank you, young readers. And thank you to the librarians who put books into their hands. #BookSky #mglit

I'm thrilled to share that THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN has been nominated for the 2026-2027 Sunshine State Young Reader Awards. ☀️ Wishing you very happy reading, Florida students! Thank you to the SSYRA Committee for this honor. #BookSky #mglit

What a blast it was to go to Tulsa, Oklahoma to accept the Sequoyah Children's Choice Award for DOGTOWN. ⭐ I got to meet so many Oklahoma kids who voted for DOGTOWN. I also met Sequoyah winners Katherine Marsh (THE LOST WORLD) and Betty Tang (PARACHUTE KIDS). Get these books immediately! #BookSky

Thanks to @mackidssl.bsky.social for sharing a list of books for #AutismAcceptanceMonth. Representation matters. My sister Gina had autism and is one reason why I believe in the importance of portraying neuroatypical characters in my books. buff.ly/XZLezrL

I want to wish a very happy #NationalPetDay to my dog, Shea. She is the best company on scenic walks, and not a bad cowriter either. Today, I am also thinking of all the wonderful pets in shelters. Thank you to everyone who fosters, adopts, or volunteers. I hope your day is full of love! 🐾

On this #NationalSiblingsDay, I want to acknowledge my sister, Gina. Gina had autism, and she is one reason why I believe strongly in portraying neuroatypical characters in my books. She partly inspired Natalie, a character with autism in my #TalesFromAlcatraz series. ❤️ #BookSky

"Dogs are miracles that shed." —Newbery Medalist @kaaauthor.bsky.social mrschureads.blogspot.com/2026/04/i-am...

Last year, a camp for foster kids reached out to say they were using THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN to help the counselors understand what it feels like to be a foster kid. Authors live for stuff like this. 💙 #BookSky

A very big congratulations to Lisa Fipps for winning the Michigan Library Association's 2025 YouPer Award for AND THEN, BOOM! ⭐ I just love that book. buff.ly/WnGNqsS

April is #AutismAcceptanceMonth. Did you know my #TalesFromAlcatraz character, Natalie, was partly inspired by my sister? Gina had autism and is one reason why I strongly believe in the importance of portraying neuroatypical characters in my books. Here is a picture of Gina with my brother Grey.

Happy 22nd birthday to AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS! 👕🗝️ The book is now in its 48th printing, and I am still just as proud and excited when I hear from new readers. Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, and loved this book. #BookSky @penguinkids.bsky.social

What a joy to learn that THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN is a 2026-2027 South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee. Thank you for this honor, SC School Librarians. 💙 buff.ly/1A3JzfQ

I have some exciting news to share soon. I can't talk about it yet, but it's been so rewarding to work on, and I can't wait to tell you about it.

Thank you to the @tomesociety for naming THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN to your list of 2026-2027 Tome Society Book Award winners! ⭐ I'm honored to be included.

Representing neuroatypical characters in my books has always been important to me, in part because my big sister Gina had autism. On this World Down Syndrome Day, would you share your favorite book that features a character with Down syndrome?

THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN was selected as one of the Top Ten titles for the Michigan Library Association's 2025 YouPer (Young Person) Award! Thank you, youth librarians of Michigan. This means so much to me. buff.ly/WnGNqsS #BookSky

Last month I spoke at Children’s Book Project in South San Francisco. This nonprofit is set up like a bookstore, and underprivileged students get to visit and take home 5 books each. Because of @mackidsbooks.bsky.social's generosity, each of these kids went home with their own copy of DOGTOWN. 💙

In case you missed it: THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN is now out in paperback! I'm thrilled that Hank and Boo's story is finding new readers. Thank you to everyone who has read and shared this book. 💙 buff.ly/jQn3djf @randomhousekids.bsky.social #BookSky

I love virtual classroom visits, and I'm booking now! These visits are always such a fun time, full of new ideas and great questions. Learn more and see a list of possible presentations here! buff.ly/4QDXBoJ

I love virtual classroom visits, and I'm booking now! These visits are always such a fun time, full of new ideas and great questions. Learn more and see a list of possible presentations here! buff.ly/udHr6La

Educators! Are you reading one of my books in your classroom this year? 🏀🐶🎪 Check out the Librarian and Teacher Resources page on my website. It includes discussion guides for many of my books, including THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN. buff.ly/OXMxpy1 #Booksky

“Life is amazing, isn't it? You can't ever tell what will happen. Nobody knows until they go ahead and play the game.” #AlCaponeDoesMyShirts #BookSky

Celebrate Women's History Month with a great book! Thanks to @mackidssl.bsky.social for sharing this resource, which includes reading recommendations and teacher's guides. buff.ly/BlZdhzG @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #BookSky

Today, THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN is out in paperback! I'm so excited for Hank's story to find new readers. Thank you to everyone who has shared this book with a kid who needs it. buff.ly/NEdyV9h @randomhousekids.bsky.social #BookSky

I'm honored that THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN has been nominated for the 2027 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award! I'm especially touched that the book was nominated by the students of Illinois, then chosen for the list by teachers and librarians. Thank you. 💙 buff.ly/bOUBAdt

Write the books you wish you could have read when you were a kid.

I take my book research very seriously, and one of the high points of my career was researching my 2020 release, ORPHAN ELEVEN. 🎪🐘 I traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand to visit four of the most respected elephant sanctuaries. It was the best trip of my life. @randomhousekids.bsky.social #BookSky

This Friday, February 27, is the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2026 National Day of Reading! Learn more about this annual event to celebrate and advocate for the rights of transgender and nonbinary youth. buff.ly/0SuHXbD #BookSky @uabookbans.bsky.social

"I want to be one of those brave mice you read about in books." Writing the Dogtown series with my friend @kaaauthor.bsky.social has been a highlight of my career. I can't wait to tell you more about the third book!

This is one of the best letters I have ever received. Thank you to the librarian who shared THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN with her students. What a powerful reminder of why I write.

THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN is coming out in paperback on March 3, 2026! Teachers, librarians, parents, booksellers: Thank you for sharing Hank's story with a kid who needs it. buff.ly/NEdyV9h @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Happy Valentine's Day! 💝 If you're indulging in a treat today, you may enjoy trying Willy One Arm's amazing brownies. Remember: Nobody can make brownies better than Willy One Arm. Nobody. Here's the recipe on my website! buff.ly/BZsdQgV #TalesFromAlcatraz #Booksky

Dear teachers, are you reading THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN with your class? This Educators’ Guide may be helpful! It's free on my website. Thank you for sharing my books with your readers. buff.ly/j7TP1N6 @randomhousekids.bsky.social #Booksky #mglit

“My goal in speaking is to get kids’ brains firing with new ideas. I want them raising their hands. I want them asking questions.” I'd love to connect with your readers through a virtual school visit! I’m proud to be represented by @theauthorvillage.bsky.social. buff.ly/eXeGFgU

“None of us gets long on this lush and lovely planet. Don’t relinquish any of your precious life to whoever it is who has hurt you.” 🎪🐘✨ @randomhousekids.bsky.social #Booksky #mglit