Ellen Hagan is so many things: Author. Poet. Performer. Educator. Self-proclaimed documentarian. She is also the author of RECKLESS, GLORIOUS, GIRL, a lovely, heartwarming middle grade novel in verse set in her home state of Kentucky. I raced through this book, drawn to the characters and story. Seventh grade, as Ellen and I discuss below, is such a strange and specific time, and Ellen brings those feelings and emotions to life so wonderfully. Here’s what she had to say when we chatted.
I’ve been a huge fan of Elana K. Arnold’s fearless and varied work for years now. Elana writes everything from picture books to middle grade novels to brilliant YA/adult crossovers and more. Always her stories dig into what it means to be human and the often fascinating moments where the everyday and ordinary meet the strange and unusual. Her newest middle grade novel, THE HOUSE THAT WASN’T THERE is simply brilliant and we’ll be hosting her in May to discuss it with our middle grade book club for readers 8-12!
We give out a LOT of bookmarks here at Brazos, and we are always looking for new ideas for their design. So once again we’re asking kids to lend their artistic expertise to our annual Bookmark Contest! Download the official entry form here! Artwork and completed entry forms must be returned to Brazos Bookstore either in store or scanned and emailed to laura.graveline@brazosbookstore.com
What’s more fun than a husband/wife author/illustrator duo? Getting to interview Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr, that’s what? We have been huge fans since they visited the store one Spring Break in the before times, and so it was a great pleasure to chat with them about their new MG series, THE COOKIE CHRONICLES. And they even provided illustrations!
We couldn't be more excited to announce our Virtual Spring Break program for 2021: Digging for Dinos! Check out our schedule below to learn more about our Paleontological Plans!
I first got to know author Jason June when he was my literary agent’s assistant! The three of us would have conference calls about whatever manuscript I was working on and my agent would be tough-loving me with everything that needed to be fixed, while Jason June kept calling out how great it was in the background.
I’ve known Austin’s remarkable and talented Cynthia Leitich Smith for well over a decade now. In that time she’s been a friend, mentor, and one of the most creative and generous authors I’ve had the privilege of working with. Author, teacher, and now head of the Harper’s new, Native-American focused imprint, Heartdrum, Cyn has always strived to make a difference, to nurture other creatives, and push herself to new projects. It was my pleasure and honor to get to talk to her about all of this as the first Heartdrum book, SEA IN WINTER, arrives onto shelves.
We are so very excited to introduce our Holiday Kids’ List! There’s something here for everyone, for all tastes and interests – from our youngest readers to middle schoolers – because we all know that a good book is a good book and that crosses all age lines! Please note that this year our YA picks will be filtered in with our Adult Fiction Picks, found here!
The Texas Library Association has officially announced their list for the 2021-2022 Bluebonnet Award! You can find their list here on the Brazos website!
Each year, 20 books are chosen for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. Schools and libraries around the state participate in the program, encouraging students to read a minimum of five books from the list. In January, students vote for their favorite title and the books with the most votes win!
I first met Ellen Hopkins in person about a decade ago, introduced by a mutual friend at a writer’s conference. I was very new to this industry then, my first YA novel about to come out, basically in awe of getting to talk to someone whose work I so very much admired. Here’s the thing about Ellen that her fans know: She is the real deal: passionate and intense and kind and always willing to pay it forward if she can. Many #kidlit authors are, actually, but Ellen is particularly generous with her time and friendship, and I’ve always appreciated this more than I can say.
