Here's another series that I'm late to the party on. I love John Grisham's adult legal books, and this middle grade book is just as good. And it's read by John Boy Walton! The Walton's was my favorite show when I was a little kid. I even had a Walton's lunchbox.

My December newsletter is up. Check it out! susandrew.substack.com/p/make-it-wo...

I found an old pictures from a Live Nativity at our church. One little girl had gotten there too late to be Mary and had to be an angel. This was her face all night. I had forgotten about this and can't stop laughing. So, I wrote a picture book. Watch what you do people, you may end up in a book!

This is a fun book for little readers about mistaken identity when a girl is invited to a pig party. Who even knew pigs had a secret world! Lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending. Check it out.

Well, here I am late to the party. I was looking in my library for a new book and found The Maze of Bones. I had no idea what I was getting into! So much fun! If you haven't heard of this series, check it out.

Vermont peeps! I'll be at the 47th Annual Hyde Park Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday. So far, fingers crossed, no snow is forecast. It'll be a great day to get out and do some shopping. I always pick up a couple of things at this fair. It's a good one. Stop by and say hi!

Whether it's a new hat, or winter cards, or a combination, you'll get free shipping on orders over $30. And you can sign up for email updates. You'll be the first to hear about new products and sales. www.susandrewart.net

My November Substack is up. I love this picture from the Way Back Machine. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. open.substack.com/.../im-feeli....

It's here! My first ever Black Friday Sale. All Greeting Cards and Post Cards are 20% off in my shop susandrewart.net

If you've been thinking about holiday cards, mine will be on sale on Friday! One day only get 20% off all greeting cards and postcards. You can go to susandrewart.net and load up some goodies in your cart to buy on Friday!

This book is action, action, action! I listened in the car and sat in the driveway many days. Hearing it read helped with the parts of the book in Spanish. I'm not a Spanish speaker (you can pick it up by context) and hearing it was great. It made an already magical book more magical.

Check out this card, and many more at my website susandrewart.net. Plus, hats, and my book - Sadie Does Not Like Sorries.

When my kids were little, they had imaginary friends - Copac, Jilly and Kiki (the bad one). But what if the KID was the imaginary friend? Read this adorable book about friendship and find out. The illustrations are fabulous, too.

I have new winter cards and postcards in my art site. Take a look and let me know what you think. You might even want to buy a few! These are just a sample of the cards that I have available. I'll be posting more of them in the coming days. susandrewart.net

Have you ever thought -- I cannot read another alphabet book? I know they help kids ... but I'd rather not. READ THIS ONE! It breaks all the alphabet book rules. First, it starts with Z. And second, Zebra is hilarious! Add in a little snarky, sassiness, and you have a perfect Fun Friday Book.

Do you set intentions for your week?

This is the first book of a series about Mia, & the motel her family runs. I love that I'm late to the party on this book. The next books are already written! I love how Mia sees a problem and dives in headfirst. There's big cast of characters, & immersion into the life of an immigrant family.

This is a cool book about what to do when you’re afraid of the dark - using sign language. I’ve never seen a sign language picture book before. I like the way it’s done with almost a call and repeat, and the illustrations are fabulous.

I talk a little about my current query journey and include a full-length picture book. You might ask why I'd "give away" my book. To start a discussion. Signing with an agent is hard. Going out on submission is hard. How's your journey going? open.substack.com/pub/susandre...

This is a spectacularly beautiful book. The story is fun, too. It's about a girl who is friends with the Dark. A kind of shaggy beast of a thing. She makes a beautiful nighttime garden and teaches her town that there’s nothing to be afraid of in the dark.

If you love dad jokes, you'll love this book. It's a dad trying to distract his daughter with silly stories. Very, very fun. I can just hear my dad in this.

I love this cute book about a Martian who gets left behind on Earth and is adopted because he looks like a dog. Themes of home is where the heart is. I particularly love the illustrations and the black, white and green color scheme.

My September newsletter is up. open.substack.com/pub/susandre...

This book is told by the ghost! How fun! In this spooky tale, Maudie, the ghost, must help find her brother and friend, also ghosts, who have gone missing who were stolen by a monster from her nightmares. I didn't know ghosts had nightmares, too. Maudie teams up with a live girl for this adventure.

This book is hilarious, and the illustrations fit the words perfectly. Give it to a new mom you know. Although she might not find it as funny as those of us who’s kids sleep through the night now.

Who knew you could have a middle grade book about a family of con artists! I loved this one. It includes themes of environmentalism, and great discussions on ethics.

This book spoke to me - it's about a writer! Lyla is having trouble with the book she's writing for a contest. At the same time, there's family drama, and her best friend goes to a different school. Lyla learns how to deal with change, anxiety and friendships. Check out the writing tips, too!

Fun, fun, fun book. The talking cats cracked me up. One of the cats was disgusted by regular cats who walk around naked! The horror. And when they want to insult you, they call you dog names. Hahaha. The cat personalities are perfect. And it's a thriller!

I love this book. I can't imagine how the delivery men actually rode bicycles through the city balancing the hot noodles! The illustrations are stunning. Grab this book to share with a noodle lover in your life.

A cozy mystery for middle grade! With science and a joke shop! And a very funny parrot. Manya has to solve the mystery of who killed the school custodian and free her parents who are accused of the crime. So many twists and turns, and an ending I did not see coming. Check it out! It's a good one.

This is a serious question people! I've seen deer, chickens, geese, a bear, a coyote, a mink (really!), and foxes around my house. But not two pigs running in the road. As fast as their little piggy legs could go. I think they were making a jail break.

BahahAH! I'm still laughing at this one. All ages will love it. It starts out like a non-fiction animal book, but goes down hill fast. I love the eyes on all the fish, and animals. Dan Santat is a genius.

You can watch lots of fun videos of authors on this YouTube channel. I'm getting inspired to read lots more books! Just how many can I stuff in my to-be-read shelves? We're going to find out! youtu.be/NKOQAjyRUJs?...

Now while I wait, I finish up some art projects and think about my next project. I have a middle grade book started, but another book is scrabbling around my brain wanting to be written down. I'm thinking of a cozy middle grade mystery. Complete with a murder. Yes, there are mg murder mystery books.

Ohhh I LOVE this one. It does that thing where the pictures tell more than the words! The words are good, too, but the way they work together -- you have to see it. Gorgeous.

I've been researching banned books for my current middle grade work in progress. The reasons given for why some books are being challenged are shocking and appalling. PS - Bathe the Cat is a real book.

This one is super fun. Yash has to take PE in summer school, even though he's the school's star athlete. The class is not quite up to his standards, but they form a team to play in a football tournament. If you haven't read one of Gordon Korman's books, I suggest you do. You're in for a treat!

This is an interesting book about the effects of keeping family secrets, and bottling up hurts. I think it's a good book for parents to read - parents who might think they are protecting their child from hard things.

So many fun things you can do with a character named Blaze.

This is a fascinating part of WWII history. I'm not usually a fan of books about war, but this one is about the girls who helped break the Nazi codes. I think back to what I was doing when I was 18, 19, 20 years old. Could I have done this vital work, kept it secret, and lived under the stress?

What does your big hairy monster say to you? open.substack.com/pub/susandre...

Roxie and Grayson find out the Witching Wind steals things that people love most. But could it have really stolen their loved ones? I don't want to give too much away with this book because it went places I was not expecting. Another good book to try out.

I'm loving the middle grade scary books right now! This one has ghosts, a parallel universe, what might be a demon, twins and a home improvement show. Get on board this fast-paced thrill ride.

This book is both fun and serious. On the fun side, twin separated when they are very young find each other. Who hasn't wished for a secret twin? On the serious side, this book deals with confronting racism against Asian Americans in the US. It's a wonderful read on all fronts.

A loved trope - boarding school kid finds out they're magical. Here they're descended from mythological monsters. What kicked it up was how the author showed how many of the myths made the female character bad while the male was victim or hero. This is a new take on Medusa and it is so much fun!

OOooOOoohhhh! This is such a fun ghost story! If you love creeping into spooky cemeteries, ghosts who follow you back!, and sleepovers where no one sleeps, this is the book for you.