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.
One of the best things about being a bookseller is getting to read books months before they publish. We received Advanced Reader Copies of LOBIZONA back in Winter of 2019, so I’ve been excited about the book for a long time now - the kind of excited anticipation that helps get a girl through a pandemic. Especially because werewolves are back - this time with Argentinian folklore!
One thing we all love here at Brazos Bookstore is discovering new authors! So of course when Scholastic approached us about doing an event with Brazilian debut author Lucas Rocha for his YA novel WHERE WE GO FROM HERE, which Scholastic has recently translated into English from Brazilian Portuguese, I was very excited, even more so when I dug into the book. Characters living with HIV, falling in love, finding their way - Rocha’s book is a superb read.
I’ve been a fan of Zoraida Córdova’s YA novels since the beginning, so I’m always on the lookout for her newest titles. But what an extra treat to find that she has also dipped her writerly toes in the world of middle grade novels with THE WAY TO RIO LUNA, her newest fantasy out this week from Scholastic. It's got this great classic Narnia sort of feel, with secrets lands and adventures and gently scary villains - perfect for younger middle schoolers and up!
As summertime comes into full swing we’re looking forward to some amazing new reads! Check out our Summer Reading Guide for 2020 to discover our picks for each age group and genre below – and be sure to look for the Treehouse stamp of approval noting our favorite books in each section!
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this year's bookmark contest! It was so difficult to choose between all your lovely entries as they were all so full of talent and passion. Please see the winners below and check out their amazing artwork!
We will be printing and using their bookmarks all summer long, so order some books and check out the amazing art!
We are so thrilled that our postponed event from March with Brandy Colbert, author of numerous of our YA favorites, has been rescheduled for July 20, at 2 pm CT on the Brazos IG Live! Brandy will be discussing her debut middle grade novel, THE ONLY BLACK GIRLS IN TOWN, in conversation with friend of store and phenomenal Houston author, Liara Tamani, whose much buzzed about new YA novel, ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER KNEW is out now as well.
