Dear readers, thank you for all the love you've shown for THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN and the Dogtown series this year. Your messages, reviews, and comments mean so much to me. Especially when I hear that you've shared the books with kids who need them. Happy holidays. 💙

Today is Jólabókaflóðið, or "Christmas Book Flood" — the Icelandic tradition of gifting books to friends and family, then enjoying an evening of reading with chocolate or hot cocoa. That sounds like the perfect holiday tradition to me! 📚🍫 #Jolabokaflod #Booksky

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! ⭐ Wishing you a warm and bright holiday season with your family and friends.

Writing the Dogtown trilogy with my friend @kaaauthor.bsky.social has been a highpoint of my career. Who knew it would be so much fun to collaborate? @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #Booksky #mglit

Holiday gatherings call for a good dessert or two. Do you remember Natalie's favorite lemon cake from AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS? I share a recipe for it on my website! 🍋 I hope you love it as much as Natalie does. buff.ly/srLOm0z

What book are you most looking forward to reading right now? I just finished SISTERS IN THE WIND by Angeline Boulley. And I’m about to reread FAR FROM THE TREE by Andrew Solomon.

#WritingTip: Make your story a little better than it was the day before. There are times when the page in front of me is a mess. What to do? Make one thing better than it was the day before. And day by day, week by week, the story comes to life.

"Of course Fastball knows my name. The convicts know my sister's favorite cake (lemon) and my father's favorite book (Leaves of Grass). Last year Dad forgot mom's birthday, and a convict reminded him. The prison yard knows everything." 🗝️⚾️

Teacher friends, are you planning author visits for next year? I'd absolutely love to meet your class for a virtual visit. Here's my speaking page, which includes a list of possible presentations, contact info, and more. I can't wait to talk with your readers. buff.ly/y387AEF

I think books make the best gifts. And my favorite place to buy books is at indie bookstores. 🎁 Which bookstores will you buy books from this holiday season?

Just realized I need to dump 50 pages of the novel I'm working on. It's hard to kill your darlings. Even so, the book has become more agile without them. Maybe it's like the diet my dog has been on. She hates it so much. But now she jumps on the bed effortlessly.

This time last year, I was learning that THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN was being included on annual "Best Books" lists, from Kirkus Reviews to local school libraries. It meant the world to me. Thank you to everyone who has shared this book, especially with kids who need it.

I'm so thankful for the support I've received from indie bookstores over the years. On this #SmallBusinessSaturday, let's shower our bookstores with love. It's a great day to shop for the holidays or treat yourself. You always deserve a book, right?

I was so excited when THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN was chosen as Bee's Bookshelf Book of the Month for November! 🐝 I loved recording this video about the book, my relationship to words, and one word that I wish for all of you! buff.ly/SJurTyE @rhcbschoollibrary.bsky.social

Educators, if you're using one of my books in school this year, I hope you'll check out this page full of discussion guides, resources, and activities for many of my books! 📚💫 buff.ly/U1pCJyr #mglit

Thank you to Naomi Chamblin, the lovely owner of Napa Bookmine, and Michelle Cardozo, the new librarian at Blue Oak for hosting me. A day spent with kids is the best kind of day.

I'm thrilled that THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN is Bee's Bookshelf Book of the Month for November! 🐝 You can enter this giveaway for a chance to win a copy of the book. Good luck, and happy reading! buff.ly/yxdmkJ8 @rhcbschoollibrary.bsky.social

I don't think there's any better way to recharge your writing batteries than collaboration. 💙 It's been such a joy to write three Dogtown books with my friend @choldenko.bsky.social. We can't wait to share more about book three soon. @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #mglit

I want to thank Brein Lopez, manager of @childrensbookworld.bsky.social. Brein was on the Judy Lopez committee, which awarded the 2025 Medal to Hank Hooperman. I even launched my first book at CBW in 1997! (Brein was not there then, but still.) Thank you, Brein—an unsung hero of the book world!

Love to see the Dutch translation of DOGTOWN! 🐶 @kaaauthor.bsky.social @mackidsbooks.bsky.social Thank you to read.y on Instagram for the photo.

I loved researching the #TalesFromAlcatraz books. Here's a fun fact: After prohibition was repealed, Al Capone lobbied to get expiration dates placed on milk cartons. He had a whole fleet of trucks and needed a Unique Selling Proposition for his new product! 🥛🗝️

Here's a bit of hope. We have received an offer to publish DOGTOWN in the Ukraine. Makes me cry every time I think about it. @mackidsbooks.bsky.social @kaaauthor.bsky.social

"I love my mom and she loves me. But everything she does gets me in trouble. What happens when you love someone like that?" Thank you to everyone who has shared Hank and Boo's with a kid who needs it.

My dad worked at Walt Disney Studios his entire career. His whole life, he dreamed of having his book published. After he died, my brother was determined to make Dad’s dream come true. 38 years after his death, Dad's book was published. buff.ly/YU1v8lD

"Your heart is a muscle. It grows stronger the more you use it." 🐶💙 #Dogtown @kaaauthor @MacKidsBooks #mglit

#WritingTip: Say yes, and... If you encourage your muse, she will hand you more ideas. If you belittle and disparage your own ideas, your muse will go on strike. So say yes, and...

Nothing compares to letters from kids who connected with Hank's story. Thank you for reading, L, and thank you so much for writing to me.

“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/U8xKPrW

Thank you so much to Yeawon Kim, the translator of the Korean edition of THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN. Here is a photo she sent me of the book in Kyobo Bookstore. I love it.

A big thank you to @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social for featuring THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN in your "Recommended Reads"! buff.ly/uTqokiA #mglit

I had a wonderful time at @childrensbookworld.bsky.social last weekend! Parker and Josiah, thank you so much for interviewing me. I loved talking with you! And thank you to Gail Kim for presenting me with the Judy Lopez Memorial Award for THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN. I am verklempt.

When I was fourteen, I had a poster-size picture of a horse's muzzle on my wall. I guess I haven't changed much.

How adorable is the Japanese translation of Dogtown? 🐶 I love it! Illustrations by Setsusa Chiaki. Thank you to the publisher, kaiseisha_pr on Instagram, for the photos. @kaaauthor.bsky.social @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #mglit

It's #IndigenousPeoplesDay! One way to celebrate and educate ourselves is with a new book by an Indigenous author, from an Indigenous-owned bookstore. Here is a helpful directory of bookstores from @libro.fm:

Tomorrow, I can't wait to meet you at @childrensbookworld.bsky.social in Los Angeles! I'll talk about THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN and the Dogtown series I write with @kaaauthor.bsky.social, answer your questions, and sign books. See you there! buff.ly/tKkGrzz #mglit

Teachers and parents, if you shop on Amazon, you can find the hardcover editions of my #Dogtown books with @choldenko.bsky.social on sale for a very limited time. ❤️🐶 Check out the deal here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTVHCM8... @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

In 2024, @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social documented 821 attempts to censor materials and services at libraries, schools, and universities. 2,452 unique titles were challenged or banned. Here are the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024: buff.ly/6IwQV2V #BannedBooksWeek

I had a wonderful time with @kaaauthor.bsky.social at Kepler's Books last month, celebrating her fabulous #mglit book, POCKET BEAR! It was also the anniversary of book 2 in our Dogtown series, MOUSE AND HIS DOG, which is now out in paperback. Thanks to everyone who joined us. I loved meeting you.

Today kicks off #BannedBooksWeek 2025! This year's theme is: “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” Check out @uabookbans.bsky.social for resources and guides to defending books from censorship! Here's to supporting the freedom to read this week and every day. buff.ly/px8tVpv

Next weekend, I'll be at @childrensbookworld.bsky.social in Los Angeles! I'll talk about THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN and the Dogtown series I write with @kaaauthor.bsky.social, answer your questions, and sign books. Would love to see you there! buff.ly/tKkGrzz #mglit

This Saturday, October 4, I'm honored to appear in a virtual event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Judy Lopez Memorial Award alongside all of the 2025 winning authors, Ali Terese, Ann Clare LeZotte, and Aida Salazar! 🌟 Register free now to join us: buff.ly/Kh2gz6f

I can't wait to visit @childrensbookworld.bsky.social in Los Angeles to talk about THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN! I would love to see you there, readers. buff.ly/tKkGrzz #mglit

What a joy to sit down with two fellow 2025 Judy Lopez Award winners, Ali Terese (Free Period) and Aida Salazar (Ultraviolet) for a wonderful discussion moderated by Brein Lopez of Children’s Book World! It's an honor to be on this list with so many of my all-time favorites. #JudyLopezAward2025

I am honored that THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN has been awarded the Northern California Book Award for Middle Grade, alongside THE WRONG WAY HOME by @kloshaughnessy.bsky.social. Thank you to the Northern California Book Reviewers Association, and congratulations to each finalist and awardee!

I LOVE this quote. "If we didn't have libraries, many people thirsty for knowledge would dehydrate." - Megan Jo, age 12

Today at 5:00pm PT, join me and the one and only @kaaauthor.bsky.social at Kepler's Books to celebrate her beautiful new #mglit novel, POCKET BEAR! ⭐ Today is also the anniversary of Book 2 in our Dogtown series. 🥳 Can't wait to see you! buff.ly/n9EQCbP @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

If you plan to read THE TENTH MISTAKE OF HANK HOOPERMAN with your class, this Educators’ Guide may be helpful! It's free on my website. Teachers and librarians, thank you so much for sharing my books with your readers. buff.ly/54oxcpc @randomhousekids.bsky.social

Next week, I can't wait to join my friend @kaaauthor.bsky.social on her book tour to celebrate her new #mglit novel, POCKET BEAR! ⭐ Join us 9/17 at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park. It's also the anniversary of Book 2 in our Dogtown series! Would love to see you there. buff.ly/n9EQCbP

Every dog deserves a forever home. Even the 'unadoptables.' ❤️🐶💕 Art by Wallace West from DOGTOWN and MOUSE & HIS DOG ✏️ @kaaauthor.bsky.social @choldenko.bsky.social #MouseandhisDog #MouseandhisDogBook #KatherineApplegate #GenniferCholdenko

Happy pub day to POCKET BEAR by my dear friend, @kaaauthor.bsky.social! ⭐ I'm delighted to join her 9/17 at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park. Not only will we celebrate POCKET BEAR, but it's also the anniversary of Book 2 in our Dogtown series. I'd love to see you! buff.ly/n9EQCbP