great day at LA Times Festival of Books! super panel discussion with #kidlit authors @dansantat.bsky.social Stuart Gibbs, and Brady Smith, signing books for kiddos and this middle school librarian, and visiting with my local indie bookstore Pages!

Can’t wait for the Sun panel I’m moderating with powerhouse #kidlit authors @dansantat.bsky.social Stuart Gibbs, and Brady Smith (YA Stage, 11:20am)… Look how good our new releases coordinate! (Theirs are all middle grade, mine is YA.) We'll talk adventure, humor, series, and much more -- join us!

if you're interested in #kidlit translation, this sounds like a great opportunity!

happening right now - @leslea.bsky.social and me, part of the BookFest Spring 2026 online festival: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVpf... #kidlit #fightbookbanning So honored and grateful!

In a world where… we need some Queer Joy, here’s the unboxing video for the ARC of my upcoming #kidlit YA novel, A DIFFERENT KIND OF ENEMY #ya #lgbtq #actionadventure #gayromance (librarian and bookseller friends, it’s on Edelweiss) Shout outs: CB Messer=cover art, Chicago Review Press=Publisher

H.R. 7661 is a government censorship bill targeting #kidlit that is heading for a vote in the US House of Representatives, and we need your help to stop it. 5calls.org helps you find and contact your rep. Spread the word. Support/follow orgs fighting #bookbanning like @authorsabb.bsky.social Thanks!

This was excellent - "Like the Pitt but it's a Bookstore" by author and indie bookstore peep kristinnilsenbooks.com kristinnilsenbooks.substack.com/p/like-the-p...

help fight a national (!) book banning bill: action.everylibrary.org/hr_7661 This impacts all of us in the #kidlit community: writers, readers, teachers, librarians, publishers, illustrators, translators, and on and on...

she really looked like she was playing and having fun!

Want some instant-gratification stories of Queer love across time and around our world this Valentine’s Day? The digital audiobook for NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? (#kidlit nonfiction for ages 11 and up) is on sale for 50% off www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...

looking forward to finally seeing this! The freedom to read is so important, and diverse #kidlit is crucial to creating a better, kinder, more just world...

agreed. They's so afraid of actual science, and empathy, and kindness... which should remind us how powerful it is when we share our pronouns, our gender (as distinct from our body), our books, and our belief in a community made stronger by our diversity

agree - great stuff here for #kidlit folks & readers, and a way to help out in this moment of manufactured, mean-spirited chaos...

We're hiring an intern! Our new Read in Color intern will assist the program manager and team with various aspects of the Read in Color program. This internship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a movement that champions literacy and diversity. https://lflib.org/work-with-us

Earlier this month I was in NYC, in a location from my upcoming A DIFFERENT KIND OF ENEMY, the sequel in my gay teen action adventure romance series that's an homage & critique of James Bond movies. #kidlit #queerjoy #ya

*WE* save us -- yes!

totally blushing at "queer YA icon" -- and very excited for this cover reveal for the gay teen action adventure romance sequel to "A Different Kind of Brave" -- "A Different Kind of Enemy" --thank you @lgbtqreads.bsky.social #kidlit

If I agree with two very smart people, that's smart by association, surely... #kidlitchat

"Defiant Joy" - Facing all the manufactured chaos and mean-spirited selfishness of so many in power, being joyful IS resistance. They want all folks who aren't them afraid and hidden away and the answer is NO. We're here & proud & can be allies to each other! #weneeddiversebooks #kidlitchat 3/3

"Steadfast Gratitude" - how amazing that I get to write and have books published and that I can do this work to change the world to be kinder, better, & more empathetic one reader and one heart at a time! #kidlitchat 2/3

"Steady progress" - my grandmother did elaborate needlepoints, creating them stitch by stitch, like pixels making up an image, and I think that's a great metaphor for writing a little bit (sometimes just 12 min) as many days this year as I can to add up to a new YA novel! #kidlitchat 1/3

Resolved: I will change my 2026 #kidlit shares so only 20% are about my books. For me, bluesky is leaning self promotion vs community-building. We can ask ?s, share wisdom, amplify others, share process, and support each other. I'll start: What are your #kidlit resolutions for the new year? 1/2

Amidst everything, this profile piece coming out is kind of cool. Glad I got to talk about #kidlit and fighting for the #freedomtoread voyagela.com/interview/hi...

Life inspires art inspires life... my #kidlit reality this Hanukkah, exactly 28 years from the moment of original 'oh gosh, we don't have a menorah' inspiration: lighting a Banana Menorah holding a copy of my new picture book, BANANA MENORAH! (and a fun behind-the-scenes pic, too)

re: Freedom to read for #kidlit - ALA on SCOTUS letting book banning decision stand: "The ruling threatens to transform government libraries into centers for indoctrination instead of protecting them as hubs of open inquiry." www.ala.org/news/2025/12...

so many "great books" #kidlit lists this time of year, and awesome to have BANANA MENORAH included on this one! (fully acknowledging there are lots of lists my books didn't land on...) So I tell myself if each book gets 3 good things to vet it/celebrate it, it can find its readers! #grateful

#kidlitchat ThankFest 1) Husband & Kiddo 2) Family and Friends 3) #kidlit community 4) books published 5) supportive librarians, booksellers, other adults 6) readers (kiddos & adults) 7) new works-in-progress I'm excited about! Bonus: being healthy enough to enjoy & engage in 1-7

yay! thanks to you and @gregpincus.bsky.social for hosting the mosting #kidlitchat

nice! that's a great way to approach wordless picture books #kidlit

some great #kidlit critique options and even the chance to be a podcast guest!

lovely, kind, and creative people for the win! Hurray @debbieohi.com and Linda Sue Park -- can't wait to see this one!

really interesting and inspiring (that timeline that looks like a road!) thanks for sharing

I like the idea that the beginning and end need to "shake hands" - so it feels like the PB journey has paid off from the promise of the opening... #kidlitchat

@deborahhalverson.bsky.social knows our #kidlit industry, does the research, and presents it for us -- this is always worth the time! thanks @scbwi.bsky.social

loved hearing from these students! (and nice to have good news re: books being un-banned) thanks @heykellyjensen.bsky.social

helpful and interesting! thanks @cherylklein.bsky.social

Were you thrilled & motivated by election results on Tuesday and want in on the next one? If you're a published writer, join us! We provide resources, connect each other to collective actions, and support each other!

#KidLitLaunches BANANA MENORAH celebrates creativity, a two dad family, and Hanukkah... feeling grateful I get to create #kidlit that would have changed my life if I read it as a kiddo!

Banana Menorah Launch Day! (And 8 ways to use a banana as a menorah!) Tip: You don't blow out Hanukkah candles, you just let them dance and enjoy the lights. Illustrated by Karl West, published by Apples & Honey Press. #lgbtq #kidlit #hanukkah #chanukah #launchday #bookbirthday

Banana Menorah Countdown: 1 day to go! Today I share about my picture book coming out TOMORROW… illustrated by Karl West and published by Apples & Honey Press BANANA MENORAH has four wonderful trade reviews, with Kirkus calling it “A Hanukkah tale sure to ignite kids’ creativity.” #lgbtq #kidlit

Banana Menorah Countdown: 2 days to go! Today, my third picture book, illustrated by Kelly Mangan and published by Cardinal Rule Press: LIKE THAT ELEANOR. Kirkus gave it a Starred Review and it was blurbed by Eleanor Roosevelt’s great-granddaughter! #lgbtq #kidlit #allies

Banana Menorah Countdown: 3 days to go! My second picture book: illustrated by @jietingchenart and published by @reycraft LOVE OF THE HALF-EATEN PEACH. It was an Lambda Literary Award Finalist and was called “stunning” by School Library Journal. #lgbtq #kidlit #lgbthistory

Banana Menorah Countdown: 4 days to go! Today, another nonfiction book for readers 11 and up, THE GENDER BINARY IS A BIG LIE, published by @lernerbooks.bsky.social. A SCBWI Golden Kite Award Finalist + Starred Kirkus Review. #lgbtq #kidlit #nonfiction #lgbthistory

Banana Menorah Countdown: 5 days to go! Today, my second YA novel (and start of a series), A DIFFERENT KIND OF BRAVE, published by Interlude Press/Duet/Chicago Review Press. It’s a gay teen action adventure romance, that Kirkus Reviews called “Thrilling. Positively thrilling.” #lgbtq #kidlit #ya

Banana Menorah Countdown: 6 days to go! Today, my first picture book, RED AND GREEN AND BLUE AND WHITE, illustrated by @paulozelinsky.com published by @levinequerido.bsky.social The NYT called it “Beautiful… It’s a message the world can use, throughout the year.” #kidlit #socialjustice

Our friends @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social are gathering information about "soft censorship" happening in the US According to School Library Journal, soft censorship is a "quiet banishing that often comes without explanation." If you've seen it in your community, please respond to their survey

Love seeing a librarian I know with a new YA nonfiction book! This one sounds fascinating (and it's great to hear about Angelica's primary source research!)

Banana Menorah Countdown: 7 days to go! My first nonfiction book was NO WAY, THEY WERE GAY? published by Zest Books @lernerbooks.bsky.social - it would have changed my life had I read it as an 11 year old. And yes, it changed my life writing it, too. #lgbtq #kidlit #nonfiction #lgbthistory

Banana Menorah Countdown: 8 days to go! Today, my first YA novel, QUEER AS A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL. Crowdfunded via @kickstarter.com and we donated over 900 copies (with help from @bravetrails.bsky.social) to empower Queer and allied teens! #lgbtq #kidlit #ya

such a great example of how a backlist title can suddenly have a boost of interest and relevance!