I'm thinking about how grateful I am to make a living doing what I love. Thank you, readers. I am one lucky author. What are you grateful for?

“They teach you things. They look after their young. The only thing missing is that they don’t speak Spanish.” What a great story about the fight to save Colombia's cotton-top tamarin and the ripple effects on the entire ecosystem. #SaveTheEndlings

"That a time so dark could provide such light is a miracle, I think. It’s interesting. The older I get, the more miracles I seem to notice." 🦍💜🦋 #TheOneAndOnlyFamily @harperkids.bsky.social

Keep an eye out for this one! ROXIE IN COLOR by @dianedebrovner.bsky.social and Stacy Cervenka comes out on June 2. I can't wait for young readers to fall in love with this story. mrschureads.blogspot.com/2025/11/roxi...

One thing I always look forward to about a new year is all the favorite books I know I'm going to discover over the next twelve months. What are you most looking forward to reading in 2026? #kidlit

"Wombat Waiting tells the story of a 'Destiny Dog': a dog determined to find her person, against all odds — even deadly fires sweeping through southern California." — @kaaauthor.bsky.social mrschureads.blogspot.com/2025/10/cove...

"Days have a way of slipping past like raindrops in a river." 🌳🐦⬛✨ Can't believe it's time to turn the calendar once again. I'm wishing you all a new year full of memorable stories. #wishtree @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

One-day sale! Ebook readers, if you haven't already read ODDER, my #mglit novel in verse about a sea otter off the coast of California, it's on sale for $2.99 today only. 💙🦦 Download here: bit.ly/44gWJ6e @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

I have it on good authority that the folks at @barnesandnoble.com are running a huge preorder sale! If you want to preorder the paperback edition of ODDER and get 25% off, join their free rewards program and use code PREORDER25 at checkout. 💙🦦 bit.ly/4qiBny9 #BNPreorder @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Really enjoyed this article about the importance of observing and understanding animal behavior. "Animals are not just part of the planet’s ecosystems, they’re active collaborators in keeping it alive."

It began over lunch. "What if . . . we wrote a book together." I could never have imagined it would be this much fun. The third book in the #Dogtown trilogy is coming soon! @choldenko.bsky.social and I can't wait to share one last story with you all. ❤️🐶 @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Indie bookstores are magical places, and the Binc Foundation is a critical safety net for bookstore owners and employees. 🧡 Here's a great list of ways you can support their work that goes beyond sending money. (Sending money is great, too!)

Wishing everyone who is celebrating a merry and bright holiday tomorrow. Hope you all find lots of new friends under the tree. 🧸🎄 #PocketBear @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Very nice to see MOUSE AND HIS DOG is on this list of 2025's notable paperback releases! 🐭🐶 Lots of great books here from some of my favorite authors, like Dan Gemeinhart, Allie Millington, and many more... even the great Natalie Babbitt! ❤️

Wonderful story about the importance of kelp forests to marine ecosystems and the incredible work being done to restore them. Very happy to see the mention of sea otters in Monterey Bay! 💙🦦

I sometimes get questions from young readers wondering if I had an imaginary friend like Crenshaw. Actually, no! I borrowed Crenshaw's personality from my cat, Lightning. I was also inspired by an old movie I love called HARVEY, which features a six-foot-tall imaginary rabbit. 💜🐈⬛ #mglit

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

Here's a great offer from @libro.fm: Donate to some of my favorite book organizations, get a free audiobook. What's not to love? ❤️

A new @mrschureads.bsky.social book is always a cause for joy! ❤️ I can't wait to meet Lily-May next fall. Catch the cover reveal and an interview between John, illustrator @hollyhatam.bsky.social, and @100scopenotes.bsky.social here:

Here's wishing you all a happy and healthy winter break full of good company, good food, and good books. 💛🧸 What are you planning to read over the holidays? @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #mglit

So happy to see #PocketBear on this list of @slj.com's best middle grade books of the year. 🧸🧵 Pocket has so much great company on this list—use it as a gift guide for the young readers in your life!

The @gracies-house.bsky.social auction is open for bidding through 12/22! There are some amazing #kidlit items, plus travel, fine art, and more. I contributed a signed set of 25 copies of POCKET BEAR. 💛🧸 Every bid helps fund programs for LGBTQIA+ youth. Check it out: givebutter.com/c/V7Anar/auc...

Please join me in ensuring that we defeat H.R. 3492 and defend trans kids. Contact your reps by tomorrow, 12/17 to demand that they vote NO. christopherstreetproject.org/act Like, comment on, or share posts like this one. Donate: christopherstreetproject.org h/t @christopherstreet.bsky.social

As a former reluctant reader myself, it means so much to see IVAN included on this list! ❤️🦍

Beyond honored to find POCKET BEAR on this @libbyapp.com list of the best books of 2025. 🧸🧵 Any list curated by librarians is a good place to be. 💛 people.com/libby-top-20... @mackidsbooks.bsky.social @charlessantoso.bsky.social

Characters and storyline always come first, but I knew very early on that I wanted to write my novel #Odder in free verse. There's just so much you can do with line breaks, rhythm, and sound in verse. It felt like a natural choice for a book about the ocean. 💙🦦 #mglit @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

So happy to see RUBY hanging out with some of my favorites here. 💚 Books about animals were my gateway to reading. (For me, the a-ha moment was when I read CHARLOTTE'S WEB.) 📷: @theshelfstuff.bsky.social #mglit

Just this year, a study on bonobos found that they "[combine] vocalisations in complex ways, much like the structuring of human language." This is a great piece on the efforts to save this fascinating, peaceful, and critically endangered species.

Educators, thank you so much for sharing your classroom #wishtree projects with me here this semester. They never fail to brighten my day and fill me with hope. ❤️🌳 If you don't already know, there are some great "All Are Welcome Here" resources on my website: katherineapplegate.com/educator-res...

Food for thought this holiday season! @libro.fm is a great company that supports indie bookstores, and they make it easy to gift audiobooks or audiobook credits to all the readers on your list.

Sharing one of my favorite ways to give this time of year. The holidays can be a tough time for lots of folks, and especially for trans kids. TranSanta is a great way to show them some joy and love. ❤️🏳️⚧️

Just delighted to see POCKET BEAR on The Week Junior's list of the year's best books. 🧸🧵 It's a great group of titles—something for every kind of reader. 💛 kids.theweekjunior.com/bookclub @charlessantoso.bsky.social @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Fascinating article here about—no joke—the importance of letting your kids play around in the mud. "Our health is intimately linked to our surroundings, and to the ecological health of the world around us." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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

"My eyes are sharp, my nose is wet, my coat puppy soft, and the white patch over my eye? It's a charmer, I don't mind saying. My name is Chance. I'm pleased to meet you." 💙🐶 @choldenko.bsky.social @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

🥁 🎉 ANNOUNCING...A NEW EVENT with... The one and only KATHERINE APPLEGATE!!! ℹ️ For more info and to register: www.bookelicious.com/bp 📅 5-12-25 @ 1:30p ET @mackidsbooks.bsky.social @harperkids.bsky.social @kaaauthor.bsky.social

If you'd like to join me in standing up against dangerous book bans, check out this toolkit from @uabookbans.bsky.social—it's full of tips, talking points, organizing tools, social media assets, and lots more helpful stuff: uniteagainstbookbans.org/toolkit/ #UniteAgainstBookBans

Disheartening news from Wisconsin, where #wishtree was removed from a voluntary reading program after parent complaints. If you don’t want your child to read my book, that’s absolutely your right. But you cannot tell other parents what their children get to read. www.cbs58.com/news/book-ta...

Ever heard of a “phantom book challenge”? It’s censorship without a complaint, when books are blocked before they even hit the shelf because someone fears they might be challenged. Read more in our latest article: www.freedomtoreadproject.org/the_phantom_...

Teachers, if you're looking ahead to spring read-alouds, I'll share that the @mackidssl.bsky.social team has created a wonderful teacher's guide for my new novel, POCKET BEAR. 🧸🧵 You'll find lots of great activities and discussion questions within: www.mackidsschoolandlibrary.com/pocket-bear-...

NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month. This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory! Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...

Sharing Some Most Excellent Book News! @mikecurato.bsky.social and I are making a book together! It's called TOO BIG TO SAY. The book is part novel and part graphic novel. It's for upper middle grade readers... and everyone! We can't wait for it to be out in the world in spring 2027.

What an encouraging story about the efforts to restore leopard shark populations in the Indo-Pacific. It's amazing what we can do with a little creativity and hope. ❤️

#Odder is the queen of play, and a bit of a daredevil. Of course, not every otter is quite so fun-loving. But one of the first things I noticed when I watched sea otters in the ocean was the joyful way they moved. There’s no way around it: they look like kids at a water park. 🩵🦦 #mglit

I wanted to take a moment to shout out the incredible work being done by @thetrevorproject.bsky.social—a necessary, life-saving organization that's making the world a more welcoming place. ❤️ Donations are currently being matched! www.thetrevorproject.org

Today is Remembrance Day for Lost Species. Here in the thick of the Holocene extinction, the list gets longer every year. It's a scary time for our planet. I wrote the #EndlingBooks trilogy because I wanted to talk about that honestly with kids. But I also wanted to offer a measure of hope. 💙🐾

Today is #IndiesFirst! This is one of my favorite holidays. It's all about celebrating some of the best places in the world: indie bookstores. 💙 Find an @indiebound.bsky.social store near you and make plans to visit this them this holiday season: www.indiebound.org/indie-store-...

I've been posting about some of my favorite charities this season, and today I want to talk about the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. They're a great org to support (or volunteer for, if you're nearby), and they're making the world a kinder, more connected place. ❤️ www.cvhfoundation.org

I'm told that my #Odder picture book, ODDER: AN OTTER'S STORY is included in Amazon's Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals for a limited time. 💙🦦 Check it out here: www.amazon.com/Odder-Otters... @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

I've always had a soft spot for stuffed animals. 🧸🧵 I wrote about this for @scarymommy.com around the time my novel POCKET BEAR came out. If you're curious about my inspiration for the book (or just a fellow plushie enthusiast), I hope you'll take a look. 💛