The good thing about being totally jet-lagged is that I was up in plenty of time to prep for my 7:00am virtual school visit this morning. Plenty = 5 hours 😂😅

We need a sump pump installed ASAP. Ask me how I know. (No, don’t. I’m busy using the shop vac. Again.) 😭🌊

Can't wait!

I had so much fun at the Grand Lake Area Lit Fest yesterday! Great to see friends old and new! 🥰📚

KENDE! KENDE! KENDE! gets a warm welcome from @andreaywang.bsky.social picturebookbuilders.com/2024/11/kend...

What a pleasure to be on a panel talking “Beyond the Mean Girl Narrative” with Andrea Wang, Malia Maunakea, Jessica Speer, and Michelle Schaub at #CCIRA! @maliamaunakea.bsky.social @andreaywang.bsky.social @schaubwrites.bsky.social @scbwirockymtn.bsky.social #kidlit

Only a few more days to bid on fab items for the @kidlitforla.bsky.social fundraiser. There's something for everyone--readers (rare and signed books); writers (critiques or AMAs w/ agents/editors/authors); art lovers (original art); and more! #auction www.32auctions.com/kidlitforlosangeles

Joined @originalsp.in and @angryasianman.bsky.social on #TheyCallUsBruce yesterday to explore the good, the bad, and the WTF of the discourse around birthright citizenship in the U.S., alongside author Ava Chin. theycallusbruce.libsyn.com/they-call-us...

Outstanding speakers at #ccira25: Dr. Katie Kelly, @whitneylarocca.bsky.social, @learningleech.bsky.social, Gretchen Schroeder, @plthomasedd.bsky.social, @ctovani.bsky.social, @andreaywang.bsky.social + many more. February 6-8, 2025. Register today at ccira.org - Come join us in Denver!

Happy book hauliday to all! 📚🥰❤️

#oomslibrary first book talk of the day! Check out these titles Booksky friends! All are absolutely amazing and engaging! ❤️❤️ @lisayee.bsky.social @andreaywang.bsky.social @georgejreije.bsky.social @carmellavanvleet.bsky.social

"I love multilingual books, and KENDE! KENDE! KENDE! has more languages than most. The main text is in French and English, with Lolie and her family’s dialogue in Lingala" @andreaywang.bsky.social 🤗📚 #PictureBookBuilders review + resources: picturebookbuilders.com/2024/11/kend... #kidlit #edusky

Okay, I’m finally back on here after a long hiatus. Thanks to everyone who followed me and I hope to get caught up soon!

Just finished reading this gem of a book. A group of kids who think they are all the same because of a shared culture learn they all have their own unique experiences that should be respected. Seems like a message the adults of the world could use right about now.

It's SUMMER AT SQUEE's book birthday! I'm so excited to share this MG with readers! Get ready for summer camp hijinks & heartfelt convos with Phoenny & her Squad! Huge thanks to Joanna Cárdenas, Kokila Books, PRH, and @agentemurph.bsky.social for believing in this book. Launch event info below! 🎉

Hooray! LULI AND THE LANGUAGE OF TEA by me and @yumhyewon has been nominated for the California Young Reader Medal! This nomination means a lot to me because young readers help recommend their favorite books. 🧵

Save the date! I have two launch events planned for SUMMER AT SQUEE – one in person and one virtual. 🧵 #MGlit #SummerAtSquee #booklaunch

I can’t believe that my second MG novel releases in just over a month, on March 5th! Order your copy of SUMMER AT SQUEE by March 3 to get a bookmark, signed bookplate, and sticker with images from the book’s gorgeous cover, illustrated by the amazing @karynslee!

So happy and honored that SUMMER AT SQUEE has been chosen as a Gold Standard Selection by @jrlibraryguild! JLG Gold Standard Selections are often purchased by schools and libraries, meaning that readers will have greater access to them. 🧵

Hey #kidlit fam! Check out my interview on Picture Book Builders today with... MYSELF! 😂(yes, I do like to talk THAT much!) Sharing my upcoming Passover book, AFIKOMAN, WHERE'D YOU GO? + a #giveaway! Here's the link: tinyurl.com/3vvwkypz @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social #NoaKelner

Good news from Texas! www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Just finished reading an ARC of @andreaywang.bsky.social's SUMMER AT SQUEE and it's so, so great! Full of summer camp fun & pranks as well as essential conversations about identity and belonging. It's one of those books readers are going to finish and hug. Coming in March from Kokila Books!

Last chance! This event is tomorrow!

November newsletter going out tomorrow and I’m giving away an ARC of SUMMER AT SQUEE @andreaywang.bsky.social Sign up for my mailing list - debbimichikoflorence.com

Yay for a lovely review by Publishers Weekly of my upcoming middle grade novel, SUMMER AT SQUEE! Set at a Chinese heritage camp, SUMMER AT SQUEE is about friendship, culture, and an expanding sense of what it means to be Chinese American. Publishes 3/5/2024 & available for pre-order now! 🌞🏕️🥟

Parent & educator friends, do you have a minute? My son needs folks to answer a quick survey for a group project in his business class. It's about a fictional toy product & whether you'd buy it or not. Here's the link: bostonu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... You have our eternal gratitude!! 🥰🙏

650 authors & illustrators (and counting) have signed on in protest of Scholastic Book Fairs' choice to segregate the books they sell in schools. We cannot and will not cede a single inch to the book banners. Will you join us? docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Just presented on #LuliandtheLanguageofTea to 1st & 2nd graders and asked them what their favorite drinks are. One student said, “Fanta and Sauvignon Blanc.” 😂😮 #Kidsarethebest #hopefullynottogether

I got sick the week of my book release and hoping that this eco-fantasy set in the Kiranmala multiverse will make it into readers hands!

Teachers, librarians, & home school families! THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS is available for pre-order and we have a special offer for you! Pre-order the first two books & you'll get a FREE virtual author visit with Newbery Honor author @rajanilarocca.bsky.social & me! katemessner.com/pre-order-th...

Book bans ⬆️ 33%. If you value the freedom to read, donate & join us for this event! #KidlitAgainstBookBans 10/3/23 7 pm ET Virtual benefit to fight censorship: 30 children's authors/allies tell stories of hope. Any donation gives access to watch. 100% proceeds directly to PEN America. bit.ly/458lAqM

This is what writing is like.

There’s something I’m afraid to write. I know because I’m procrasticleaning.

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to @armyvet5.bsky.social and her amazing new picture book, THE WALK!! For more about it and to enter the giveaway, check out the blog post on Picture Book Builders!

This Sunday is my book launch! Eeks! Pls come! I’m scared people won’t be at my events😬💔 😭. If you are near Cambridge (MA), Seattle, San Fran, Oakland, Berkeley or LA, pls come! If you know anyone in these areas, pls tell them. I would truly love to see you!🙏 https://gracelin.com/news-events/

Gradually going through my Follow list, unfollowing dormant and placeholder accounts. Relying on custom feeds for now but also REALLY hoping Bluesky adds ability for user-curated PRIVATE lists to make it easier for me to curate my own feed. Else will have to eventually cull a LOT more 😢.

Honored to interview @armyvet5.bsky.social abt her newest PB, THE WALK, a heartwarming intro to civics gorgeously illus by EB Lewis. Pre-order this poignant & joyful book abt creating community, lifting voices, & exercising our right to vote. Comment on the blog to enter the giveaway! bit.ly/45GyCwO

I kinda miss the person who was wrong-number scam texting me about the plant they supposedly bought from my store. Now all I get are emotional guilt trips about my ailing auntie. I know how that story ends. But how's the geranium, and do they still want a rec for a succulent?🪴

😎Cover Reveal!😎 So excited to reveal the gorgeous cover of SUMMER AT SQUEE, illus by Karyn S Lee & designed by Kristie Radwilowicz! SQUEE is my new contemp realistic #MGlit set at a Chinese heritage summer camp! Out March 2024 from Kokila Books and available for pre-order now! https://bit.ly/3OfS2kB