Soon after I began working on POCKET BEAR, I learned about a company in London called “Loved Before.” Their motto is, “Saving the planet, one teddy at a time.” I loved the idea of recycling toys. Pretty soon, The Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured found its way into my book. 🧸💛 #mglit

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

Hooray! @authorsabb.bsky.social is *OFFICIALLY* a nonprofit, and is now open for donations! For the last two years we've been doing all this w free tools, or paying out of pocket, & we were STILL able to get SO MUCH DONE. Imagine what we could do with $$$ www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/donate/

Fills my heart to hear from so many educators, librarians, and family members sharing my books with young readers. 💙 If you're interested, there are teaching guides and activities for many of my books on my website:

Joining us at NCTE 2025 in Denver next week? Tap the link to access our NCTE resource center, where we've collected digital catalogs, a list of our NCTE programs and signings, and more! bit.ly/47Kpx86 #ncte #ncte2025 #edusky

POCKET BEAR is cozy on Amazon's Best Books of 2025 list for children! 🧸💛 Thank you to everyone who's read and loved this tale of bravery, loyalty, and kindness. Check out the full list here: www.amazon.com/best-childre... @mackidsbooks.bsky.social @charlessantoso.bsky.social

"'Here at the Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured,' Pocket said, 'our only job is to wait with hope. Always with hope. And while we wait, to care for each other.'" 💛🧸🧵 @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #PocketBear #mglit

What a poignant effect of habitat degradation and climate change—creatures like butterflies are slowly going monochrome. But as forests regenerate, color returns. A needed ray of hope. #SaveAllSpecies

LGBTQReads Bookish Holiday Drive The holidays are right around the corner, and we here in the LGBTQReads community know things are particularly tight this season. And so, if you're struggling to afford gifts for a loved one who happens to be a queer lit fan, or you yourself just need a moment of…

Did you know that every sea otter in my novel ODDER was inspired by a real story from the otter surrogacy program at @montereybayaquarium.org? 🦦💙 Odder herself is a composite—I needed bits and pieces of a couple backstories. But each part of her story is very much real. @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Are you reading THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN in your classroom or library? ❤️🦍 Jodi Carrigan, Ivan's primary care specialist and friend, offers a great virtual classroom program about the real Ivan, western lowland gorillas, and her work at @zooatl.bsky.social. Learn more:

As we approach the season of giving, I wanted to share the incredible work of the Binc Foundation, a critical safety net for the book industry. 🧡 Binc helps booksellers and bookstore owners in times of need. They keep bookstores open and help them rebuild. A worthy cause, indeed.

I'm often asked if I met the real Ivan. I didn't, but I did try to visit him once. It was a wet day, and Ivan didn't like rain. He never came out. I was sad at first, but then I realized how wonderful it was that Ivan could choose where he wanted to be. He spent too many years without that power. ❤️

The Rutherford County Library System in Tennessee is temporarily closing two branches in order to remove books from them. Why? Because the Secretary of State told them to do it, citing laws and Executive Orders that undermine the Constititon. bookriot.com/rutherford-c...

I'm one of the four fired employees. I was a writer & producer at Bon Appétit for nearly five years, during which I helped organize our union and sat on our bargaining committee. I am, to my knowledge, the only trans woman in our union and the only trans woman on editorial who doesn't work at Them

I wrote my novel #wishtree from the point of view of a 200-year-old oak tree. It may seem like a reach, and it felt like one at times. But sometimes it’s easier for me to view humans through a nonhuman lens. It allows our love, fear, pain, sadness to shine through. And, of course, our empathy. ❤️🌳

A great look at the complex efforts to save mountain gorillas in east Africa. Like so many conservation stories, it all comes down to this: "Humans remain the biggest ongoing threat to gorillas while also being the source of their salvation."

Sharing another great @charlessantoso.bsky.social illustration from POCKET BEAR. Charles's art adds so much to the text. I'm a lucky author, indeed. 💛🧸 @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #mglit

So happy to see #PocketBear included in this @publisherswkly.bsky.social holiday gift guide! 🧸🧵 It's an honor to be listed alongside so many great books from this year. Check out their full list for great recommendations from picture books through to YA:

"I suppose I always loved strange beasts. Even as a wee child, I was drawn to them. The scarier, the smellier, the uglier, the better." 🐗💜🪺 @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #mglit

Fascinating piece here about the epigenetic clock—a measure of "biological age"—and its potential to signal species decline before it's too late. #SaveTheEndlings

Absolutely honored and delighted to see POCKET BEAR on this list of the year's best #kidlit, compiled by the Evanston Public Library and the one and only @fuse8.bsky.social! 🧸🧵 Be sure to check out the full list—so many great titles here! @mackidsbooks.bsky.social @mackidssl.bsky.social

The epigraph to POCKET BEAR is from a Mary Oliver poem: "Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." That line reminds me so much of middle-grade readers. They have so much room in those tender hearts. Thanks to everyone who's introduced Pocket to a young reader. I'm sincerely grateful. 💛🧸

Periodic reminder for #Animorphs fans: There are great audiobook versions of the entire series, including the Megamorphs and Chronicles books. The cast of narrators did such a wonderful job bringing these stories to life. 💚🦎 Here's the series page on @libro.fm:

PW’s Best Books of 2025 selections are out! See the children’s and YA titles chosen by our editors as the best books of the year buff.ly/segXqqf

A “Momentous” Victory and the Future of Censorship Efforts www.slj.com/story/Moment...

This quote says it all. You get to decide what your child reads, but that same right belongs to other parents too. Freedom means choice, not control. When we start deciding what *other people’s* kids can read, we cross from guidance into censorship. Respect your values. Let others do the same.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected in school." Here's a great resource from @trevorproject.bsky.social for anyone who works in a school. Easy, actionable tips, plus lots more linked within.

So honored to see POCKET BEAR on this list of the year's best from @publisherswkly.bsky.social! 🧸🧵 So many great books keeping Pocket company. Highly recommend adding a few to your TBR! best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-book... @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #mglit

ICYMI: My new novel in verse, WOMBAT WAITING, arrives next spring. Wombat is a “Destiny Dog,” determined to find her person, against all odds—in this case, deadly fires sweeping the state. I can't wait for you all to meet her. 🧡 Learn more and pre-order here: www.harpercollins.com/products/wom...

The @montereybayaquarium.org website has a wonderful timeline of the sea otter rehab and surrogacy program that inspired my novel ODDER. 💙🦦 It's a great resource for teachers and librarians sharing my book with their students. Check it out here: www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/sea-...

Great piece about efforts to save and plant seagrass meadows. Two key lines: "Seagrasses account for an estimated 10% of all the carbon stored by the world’s oceans." "At current rates... a football field’s worth of seagrasses disappears every second."

I learned about pocket bears a few years ago. They were designed to fit into the breast pocket of a soldier’s uniform in WWI. That way, when a soldier looked down, he'd see a token of love—and, hopefully, a good luck charm. I was so struck by this that I wrapped a novel around it. #PocketBear

So touched by this lovely elementary school drive inspired by CRENSHAW. My sincere thanks to Ms. Harvey and her third-graders in Pismo Beach, CA. Kids like this are going to change the world! 💜🐈‍⬛ www.ksby.com/pismo-beach/...

Libraries and librarians are always here for us. Let's all return the favor. Show up #ForOurLibraries and follow these simple steps from @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social. Your advocacy can make a difference. ❤️ Resources and action items here:

Teachers, if you're planning to use one of my books in the classroom this year, I hope you'll check out the Educator Resources page on my website. It's full of great activity ideas, discussion questions, and more—including for my new book, POCKET BEAR. 💛 katherineapplegate.com/educator-res... #mglit

"I'm not brave. Not bold. Not a leader. I'm not remarkable in any way, to tell you the truth. Unless you count the fact that I may well be the last member of my species, the dairnes. An endling." ⚔️🍃🐾 #EndlingBooks #mglit

So delighted to see #TheOneAndOnlyIvan on this great list of book-to-movie adaptations! www.harpercollins.com/blogs/harper... I loved Thea Sharrock's take on the story, and I still pinch myself over the incredibly talented cast. ❤️🦍 @harperkids.bsky.social

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

I knew I wanted to write a story about pocket bears, but it took me a long time to find the perfect narrator. I auditioned pretty much every character in the book before finally giving Zephyrina a shot at the role. I’m glad I waited for her. Writing as Zephyrina was an absolute hoot. 🧸💛 #mglit

Calling all teachers! ❤️ If you're looking for read-aloud inspiration, @mackidssl.bsky.social has an incredible trove of teacher's guides online. You'll find everything from picture books to YA nonfiction—even a few of my titles! Check it out here: www.mackidsschoolandlibrary.com/teachers-gui...

"Animal stories help us understand ourselves better." — @kaaauthor.bsky.social mrschureads.blogspot.com/2025/10/cove...

Celebrate Indigenous storytelling this #IndigenousPeoplesDay — and every day! — with these new and upcoming releases from Heartdrum! Here’s every Heartdrum title that’s been published in 2025 — as well as a look ahead at forthcoming 2026 Heartdrum titles that you can pre-order today!

Indigenous Peoples' Day is coming up this Monday, October 13th! Looking for titles to recommend to your students for weekend reading? Tap the link to browse our Native American Heritage Month Resource Center. bit.ly/4o714jY #edusky #idigenouspeoplesday #nativeamericanheritagemonth

It’s great fun as a writer to return to a group of characters you already know and love. @choldenko.bsky.social and I had so much fun revisiting the world of #Dogtown as we worked on book three. We can't wait to share details soon, and we're so grateful to our readers for wanting more. ❤️🐾 #mglit

Here's a great set of tips for anyone looking to increase biodiversity in their own backyard. It's easier than you might think, and a great reminder that small actions can make a big impact. #SaveAllSpecies

"At Second Chances, Pocket had always been one of the tiniest toys. Certainly, he was by far the littlest bear." 🧸💛🧵 #PocketBear us.macmillan.com/books/978125... 📷: @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

❤️ So thrilled to be illustrating this super sweet book by the amazing @kaaauthor.bsky.social! Many thanks to Katherine, @mrschureads.bsky.social and fab designer Amy Ryan and team @harperkids.bsky.social!

We believe that every person, of every age, of every race, of every gender, no matter who they love, or where they live, should have access to books that reflect and expand their worldview. #UniteAgainstBookBans #BannedBooksWeek

Thank You For Attending Our Storyteller Spotlight With Katherine Applegate! 📖🎙️ Watch the Recording: buff.ly/8KISQ8H Order Katherine's Books: buff.ly/4OtZJhK @kaaauthor.bsky.social @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #EdWebinar #Teachers #Librarians