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Author Guest Post: “Me, Myself, and My Five Senses” by Sarah Suk, Author of Meet Me at Blue Hour

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“Me, Myself, and My Five Senses”

I spend a lot of time inside my head. This is something that’s always been true about me. As a kid, one of my favourite pastimes was playing pretend, letting my imagination run loose and turning my ideas into dramatic plays for my stuffed animals to star in or for my friends and I to adopt for the afternoon. Today we are princesses and Pokémon trainers—both, at the same time. Tomorrow we’ll be spies, detectives, dragons on a mission. I could spend hours outside with a bouncy ball, just bouncing it up and down the street while I spun stories inside my head.

Now as an author, many of my days are much of the same, though the rhythm of the bouncy ball has turned into the tapping of keys on my computer. And while I can say that letting my imagination run loose and turning my ideas into dramatic scenarios for my characters to star in is still one of my favourite things to do, there are times when being in my head feels more tumultuous than not. When the feeling of stuckness seeps in and spirals into a state of overthinking and then overthinking the overthinking (as one does), I begin to feel more like I’m in the passenger seat of my own mind than the one behind the wheel.

Something I’ve been trying to do lately is to spend a little less time in my head and a little more time in my body. One of the ways I’ve been doing this is pausing to make note of my five senses in real time. I’ll ask myself, what do I see? A chunky mug, red spines on the bookshelf. Hear? Construction outside my window. Smell? Leeks in the pan, my daughter’s baby scent. Taste? Water, cold and refreshing. Feel? The couch beneath me, holding me up. It brings me back to the moment in a tangible way that reminds me that I’m not actually falling no matter how far my mental spiral seems to go. I’m simply right here.

Curiously, the senses have made an appearance as key details in my most recent young adult novels. The Space between Here & Now follows the story of a teenage girl who has a rare condition that causes her to travel back in time to her memories when she smells a scent linked to them. And in my upcoming book Meet Me at Blue Hour, memories are erased through sounds collected on a mix tape.

While I didn’t necessarily or purposefully plan to write these novels centering the senses, I found that’s where my ideas naturally took me. And in writing these stories, I found something else: leaning into the senses is great for worldbuilding! There’s nothing that makes a setting feel more alive than being able to vividly see what your characters see, hear what they hear, taste what they taste. I recall receiving this writing tip from an author friend of mine years ago, but as someone who often gravitates toward scenes with two talking heads in a description-less room, I feel like I needed to write these stories with the senses as a focal point to truly grasp my own style with it.

Now, no matter what I write, I find this exercise helps ground me in the reality of the story, just like how it grounds me in the reality of my own life. So whenever I’m feeling stuck in my head or stuck in the words, I go back to the senses. I take a breath. I plant my feet on the ground. And I remember that I’m here.

Publishing April 1st, 2025 by Quill Tree Books

About the Book: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Past Lives in this gripping, emotional story of two childhood friends navigating the fallout of one erasing their memory of the other, from acclaimed author Sarah Suk.

Seventeen-year-old Yena Bae is spending the summer in Busan, South Korea, working at her mom’s memory-erasing clinic. She feels lost and disconnected from people, something she’s felt ever since her best friend, Lucas, moved away four years ago without a word, leaving her in limbo.

Eighteen-year-old Lucas Pak is also in Busan for the summer, visiting his grandpa, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. But he isn’t just here for a regular visit—he’s determined to get his beloved grandpa into the new study running at the clinic, a trial program seeking to restore lost memories.

When Yena runs into Lucas again, she’s shocked to see him and even more shocked to discover that he doesn’t remember a thing about her. He’s completely erased her from his memories, and she has no idea why.

As the two reconnect, they unravel the mystery and heartache of what happened between them all those years ago—and must now reckon with whether they can forge a new beginning together.

Sarah Suk profile image

About the Author: Sarah Suk (pronounced like soup with a K) lives in Vancouver, Canada, where she writes stories and admires mountains. She is the author of young adult novels Made in Korea and The Space between Here & Now, as well as the co-writer of John Cho’s middle grade novel Troublemaker. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film photos, or eating a bowl of bingsu. You can visit Sarah online at sarahsuk.com and on Twitter and Instagram @_sarahsuk.

Thank you, Sarah, for this writing exercise to bring our writing to life!

Author Guest Post: “The Best Advice is Free” by David A. Anderson, Author of The Drowners

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“The Best Advice is Free”

The digital revolution has irrevocably changed the world. It has given a voice to those who once suffered in silence. And even the poorest among us now have access to a wealth of information. It seems the Silicon Valley pioneers have made John Lennon’s dream a reality by giving power to the people.

Unfortunately, as history has long proved, power corrupts. According to the Pew Research Centre, fake news, misinformation, and propaganda account for 71% of online content. And every snake-oil salesman and extremist now has a platform from which to spread their lies and hate speech.

We now have a generation that receives news from social media feeds and guidance from internet celebrities. Influencers rake in millions from product endorsements, while self-proclaimed gurus sell ‘life-changing’ courses.

We’re all familiar with the proverb ‘You get what you pay for,’ which assumes a relationship between price and quality. In most cases, this idiom rings true. Except, when it comes to advice.

How many people who bought ‘How to write a bestseller?’ have gone on to accomplish this feat? If self-help worked we wouldn’t require psychiatry and the educational system. Or, the self-improvement industry! In today’s world, most guidance you pay for through clicks and credit card details is at best unhelpful. At worst, it’s downright dangerous.

The best advice you get in this life doesn’t cost a dime. Why? Because it comes from people who care. Family. Friends. Teachers. The people who are invested in your well-being. The people who sense when something is not right and want to help. The people who know you.

But how can teachers and parents hope to compete with perma-tanned influencers and their photo-shopped perfection? Is it possible to impart wisdom without hi-tech visual stimuli and ambient mood music? How do you lead pliable young minds away from the enticing mirage of misinformation?

Long before the internet turned the globe into an online community, hell, long before the printing press brought mass-produced wisdom to the public, humanity had a tried and tested way of getting their message across. Myths. Legends. Parables. Fables. Novels. From Aesop to Hemingway, those who seek to enlighten minds do so through the medium of story.

Our way of life may have radically changed with time, but the human condition remains unaltered. Holden Caulfield’s alienation and battle with mental illness still resonates with teenagers 74 years later. And, while nobody makes mix-tapes anymore, Charlie’s struggle to fit in is universal. Unfortunately, Starr Carter’s experience is all too familiar to millions of Americans.

But stories do more than teach, they offer solace. They let readers know they are not alone. Others have felt the same emotions and had similar thoughts. Moreover, books provide hope. Life can be unfair. Justice only exists in comics and superhero movies. The universe doesn’t operate on moral principles. But that doesn’t mean we can’t fight to improve society. That we can’t find meaning and fulfilment in our existence. The billions that went before us did and we can too. It’s all in the stories.

So how do you upstage a bling-dripping influencer sat poolside selling the impossible dream? Recommend a good book. How do you communicate with a kid who has shut themselves off from everyone? Leave a book on their desk.

Will they thank you? Does it matter; The best advice is given without expecting anything in return.

Publishing March 17th, 2025

About the Book: For Aaron, this world is an unfathomable puzzle. Haunted by disturbing dreams, he drifts through empty days, shielding himself behind sarcasm and cynical wit. After being expelled, he sees an opportunity to rewrite his future at a new school. Connecting over a shared love for De Niro films with Robbie, an aspiring actor of Jamaican descent, he unexpectedly finds his companion piece, one person who truly understands him. Together, they navigate the chaotic waters of adolescence, from dramatic first dates to sociopathic bullies, iconic concerts, and a dead body.

With adulthood fast approaching, the crushing weight of societal pressures and devastating revelations threaten to shatter their unique bond. Confronted by the ghosts of his past, Aaron must choose whether to blaze bright or fade away.

A funny and poignant meditation on the forces that shape us, The Drowners is an ode to that time when your tolerance for hypocrisy was zero and life seemed infinite.

About the Author: Hailing from the cold, wet streets of Dublin, David Anderson is the author of The Drowners.

Like a Hummingbird, after college, he migrated south to warmer climes. Namely, sunny Spain, where he teaches English to students who are confused by his Irish brogue. In his early thirties, he caught the writing bug.

He has written several articles for the GMS website about his other obsession in life, football. In 2021, he won a YA Watty award for his novel The Art of Breathing Underwater.

Follow David on Twitter/X, Instagram, and Goodreads!

Thank you, David, for this great advice, also free!

Author Guest Post: “Exercises for Being a Professional Daydreamer” by Shveta Thakrar, Author of Divining the Leaves

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“Exercises for Being a Professional Daydreamer”

I love magic. I always have. I always will.

I’ve always also loved reading, because if I can’t do magic myself, I can at least experience it through stories. When I was a kid, my favorite books ranged from Dorrie the Little Witch to Elfquest to the Forgotten Realms tie-in series to fairy tales to mythology from around the world. I ate up the comic books my parents bought me, a series called Amar Chitra Katha, which retold various Indian myths and legends in a colorful, easily digestible form.

But I’m an adult now, and I still absolutely believe in the need for wonder.

So when I started writing my own novels and short stories, of course they were going to be fantasy. Girls who eat colors out of things. Serpentine-human shape-shifters. Candles with rainbow flames. All the shimmering things I want in my life, and if I can’t have them, then you can bet I’m going to write about them! In beautifully detailed, evocative prose, no less, so I can fully immerse the reader in the jewel box of my imagination.

I type these words having just returned from a walk around a nearby pond on a winter’s afternoon. The liquid surface was frozen over, no ducks or geese in sight, with pristine, glittering white snow adorning the withered fallen leaves on the shore. The pond itself shone in the sun, rippling like frosted glass in a window. Above, the sky was a cerulean so deep, I wanted to eat it, like Nilesh does on his visit to the magical Night Market in my newest novel, Divining the Leaves. The buttery gold of the sun’s rays felt like a hug, and the day itself was evocative of the winter elixir Ridhi samples at the Night Market when she goes there to vend her natural perfumes. I could also picture the sky and the snow swept together into a winter queen’s gown, sewn trimmed with sharp icicles like appliqués.

That may sound ethereal and even whimsical, and it is. Whimsy is a lovely thing. The trick, however, is more practical; I trained myself to think like that. To find the wonder in the world around us, even when things seem utterly mundane. It’s so important to me to offer experiences of the numinous in my books, but in order to do that, I first had to learn to do it in my own life.

It’s when we push ourselves to envision the grand and impossible that we can start to devise new solutions in our own universe, both real and fictional. A handy habit to have, if you ask me. *hands around little cups of winter elixir for inspiration*

So now it’s your turn! Try these prompts to get you deep into the heart of your own wonder.

Exercises for being a professional daydreamer:

  • What fantasy novel or movie would you step into, and why?
  • If you were designing your own magical world, what would it look like? What kinds of plants and animals and people?
  • What would be unique to that world? How? Describe it using all five (or more!) senses.
  • If you could have any enchanted power or potion, what would you pick? (Sure, you can have more than one. In fact, you can have as many as you can hold in your mind! It’s magic, after all.)
  • If there were one thing you want to see changed in our world, how would you do it in your imaginary one?
  • If you were to go outside right now, where would you spot magic even if nobody else did?

Publishing March 4th, 2025 by HarperTeen

About the Book: From critically acclaimed author Shveta Thakrar comes a beautifully imagined contemporary fantasy about two teens, one a believer of magic who yearns to belong, the other a skeptic searching for an escape, who find themselves embroiled in a twisty world of court intrigue when they venture into a forest ruled by yakshas, mysterious woodland spirits drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore.

Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.

Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and wanders her local woods, listening for the leafy whispers of her beloved trees. Pleading for the yakshas to admit her into their enchanted forest kingdom, where she knows she truly belongs.

After learning his parents’ perfect marriage is a sham and getting suspended from school, a heartsick Nilesh lands at Ridhi’s doorstep—the last thing either of them wants. So when a pretty yakshini offers him the distraction of magic, the same magic he mocked Ridhi for believing in, he jumps at it.

Furious, Ridhi strikes a bargain with a noblewoman named Sulochana. In return for helping restore her reputation, Sulochana will turn Ridhi into the yakshini she yearns to be—and teach her to divine the trees’ murmurs.

But when Nilesh ends up trapped in the yakshas’ realm, Ridhi realizes the leaves might be telling a disturbing story about the forest her heart is rooted in—one that, even if the two of them band together, threatens to shred the future like so many thorns.

About the Author: Shveta Thakrar is a part-time nagini and full-time believer in magic. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, including Enchanted Living, Uncanny magazine, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, and Toil & Trouble. Her debut young adult fantasy novel, Star Daughter, was a finalist for the 2021 Andre Norton Nebula Award, and her second and third novels, The Dream Runners and Divining the Leaves, take place in the same universe. Her adult fantasy novella, Into the Moon Garden, is available as an original audiobook from Audible. When not spinning stories about spider silk and shadows, magic and marauders, and courageous girls illuminated by dancing rainbow flames, Shveta crafts, devours books, daydreams, travels, bakes, and occasionally even plays her harp.

Thank you, Shveta, for promoting dreaming and magic!

Author Guest Post: “Connecting the Past and the Present for Students” by Sarah Raughley, Author of The Queen’s Spade

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“Connecting the Past and the Present for Students”

How do you teach your students about Sarah Forbes Bonetta?

Well, that’s a tricky question. First of all, who the heck is Sarah and what does she have to do with North American students in the 21st century? Making that link, I think, is key to helping students understand why learning about buried Black histories matters to us today.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta was actually originally named Omoba Ina (though some literature spells her last name as Aina). She was an African Princess, heir of the Egbado Clan, part of the Yoruba Tribe which can be found in present-day Nigeria. After being kidnapped by the Dahomey, a neighboring African Kingdom, she was taken by an English military man Captain Forbes as part of an exchange with Dahomey’s King. Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on his ship, the HMS Bonetta, she was then presented to Queen Victoria as a ‘gift.’ She was whimsically renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta, ‘Forbes’ after the Captain who took her from Africa and ‘Bonetta’ after his ship. Queen Victoria made Sarah her goddaughter and thus began Sarah’s new life in England as proof of the Queen and by extension Britain’s benevolence across the world.

By the age of eight, Ina went from princess to kidnaped to gift to a propaganda tool. For all the press and hoopla she got in England for being an African princess in England, Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s actual life was quickly forgotten or rather erased, after she married at age 19 and moved back to Africa. What happened to being the goddaughter of a European Queen? What happened to symbolizing Europe’s hopes for the civilization of so-called ‘savages’ of the world?

I think the racism underlying this very sentiment can offer us a clue. Ina was a vessel for other people’s interests, but never quite allowed to be herself. Archives of letters are the only clues we have as to how Sarah truly felt about her predicament – the violent disruptions in her life, the removal from her home, and her forced assimilation into a British culture that didn’t truly care for her or respect her. And although she did seem to care for the Queen – she named her first daughter after Queen Victoria after all – we’ll never know just how deep the psychological costs of Britain’s actions ran. My book, The Queen’s Spade, tries to answer this. Are you really accepted by a group of people if their love for you is conditional upon you behaving exactly as they need you to for their own purposes? Are you really accepted if even after dancing to their tune they dismiss and erase you so easily as if you never mattered to begin with?

There are many such students who may feel like they have to pretend to belong. They know how much it hurts. The personal is often a gateway through which we can understand the historical, the social, and the political. Learning and teaching Ina’s story in a way that takes seriously her inner self may be exactly the way to make her story legible and relatable to people of today and get them thinking of not only the politics of 19th century Britain but how it’s not so different from the politics of today.

Published January 14th, 2025 by HarperCollins

About the Book: In this riveting historical thriller that’s loosely inspired by true life events, The Count of Monte Cristo meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.

A young lady can take only so many injuries before humiliation and insult forge a vow of revenge . . .

The year is 1862, and murderous desires are simmering in England. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Bonetta Forbes (Sally), once a princess of the Egbado Clan, desires one thing above all else: revenge against the British Crown and its system of colonial “humanitarianism,” which stole her dignity and transformed her into royal property. From military men to political leaders, she’s vowed to ruin all who’ve had a hand in her afflictions. The top of her list? Her godmother, Britain’s mighty monarch, Queen Victoria herself.

Taking down the Crown means entering into a twisted game of court politics and manipulating the Queen’s inner circle—even if that means aligning with a dangerous yet alluring crime lord in London’s underworld and exploiting the affections of Queen Victoria’s own son, Prince Albert, as a means to an end. But when Queen Victoria begins to suspect Sally’s true intentions, she plays the only card in Victorian society that could possibly cage Sally once again: marriage. Because if there’s one thing Sally desires more than revenge, it’s her freedom. With time running out and her wedding day looming, Sally’s vengeful game of cat and mouse turns deadly as she’s faced with the striking revelation that that the price for vengeance isn’t just paid in blood. It means sacrificing your heart.

Loosely inspired by the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, The Queen’s Spade is a lush and riveting historical thriller perfect for fans of A Dowry of Blood and Grave Mercy.

About the Author: Sarah Raughley is the Nigerian-Canadian author of the Effigies series and the Bones of Ruin trilogy. An AuroraAward finalist, Raughley is also an English pro-fessor and public intellectual who has written for journals such as the Walrus, CBC, and Teen Vogue. Her creative work is inspired by a messy confluence of experiences, from being a huge fan girl blerd to being a postcolonial researcher and academic. You can find out more about her work at sarahraughley.com.

Thank you, Sarah, for this candid look at how the past truly inspires the present!

Author Guest Post: “Back Matter Can Be the Beginning” by Charlotte Gunnufson, Author of Dream Submarine

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“Back Matter Can Be the Beginning”

Back matter is found at the end of a book, but it can be the beginning of a new interest, an invitation to explore and learn more. For young readers, back matter can be the jumping off point for a dive deep into a fascinating topic.

For teachers, back matter can be a terrific resource. Educators can use the bonus material at the back of a book to:

  • Engage students in a new topic. The story pulls them in; the back matter piques their interest.
  • Enrich students’ understanding and appreciation by extending their knowledge and revealing the depth and breadth of a subject.
  • Encourage curiosity, exploration and independent learning—hallmarks of an effective education!
  • Enjoy! Lots of kids (and adults) love facts and enjoy fortifying their brain with interesting information.

There’s a boom in back matter, and children’s picture books are a big part of this exciting phenomenon. Picture book back matter is visual, accessible and even entertaining. Here are some of the ways it’s presented:

  • Fun facts: additional information that educates, entertains and encourages curiosity
  • Activities and experiments: hands-on fun to further understanding
  • Key concepts: tricky ideas are distilled to reinforce learning
  • Glossary: valuable vocabulary
  • Maps: a little geography lesson that shows location or the scope of a journey
  • Timeline: often illustrated to enhance comprehension and retention
  • Primary sources: photographs, letters, newspaper clippings and more
  • Diagrams: pictures are worth a thousand words!
  • Charts and graphs: visual representations to deepen understanding
  • Author’s note: delves into the author’s research journey and writing process
  • Illustrator’s note: explains the artist’s research and how the art was created
  • Bibliography: shows that a book has been properly researched
  • Further reading: future reading!

Activity: Dive Deep into Back Matter

  1. Ask students what they know about back matter.
  2. Share a picture book that offers a bit of back matter.
  3. Prepare students for a visit to the library: they’re on a mission to find more back matter!
  4. Collaborate with the school librarian, and visit the library with students perusing the picture book section, both fiction and nonfiction.
  5. Invite students to share their discoveries.
  6. Make a list of the different types of back matter.
  7. Dig in! What do different types of back matter show? What types of back matter work best for given books? And what exactly is a bibliography?

Option: Older students can graduate to longer books.

Extension: The next time students embark on a writing assignment, ask them to include one or more types of back matter that are well suited to their topic. Invite them to share their work.

Importantly, students can use these investigative skills now, next year, in high school, college, the workplace and—bonus!—their lives.

But wait, there’s more! After diving into a picture book’s back matter, check out the author’s website. Authors are often immersed in research, and like teachers, they’re eager to share what they’ve learned.

Dream Submarine
Author: Charlotte Gunnufson
Illustrator: Cleonique Hilsaca
Published June 11, 2024 by Candlewick Press

About the Book: Climb aboard the cozy Dream Submarine for a nighttime journey through the world’s oceans! Encounter disappearing fish and dozing whales. Watch large fish get their fins and faces cleaned by tiny wrasse. See red moki settling in caves and parrotfish snoozing in slime sleeping bags. Dive deep and discover bioluminescent creatures lighting up like fireflies. Rise to the surface relaxed and ready to learn more! This beautifully illustrated book includes seven pages of back matter: a map of the world showing the Dream Submarine’s voyage, fascinating facts about each animal, and a diagram of the ocean zones.

“An exploration of the oceans yields stunning discoveries…A delightful voyage well worth taking.” Kirkus Reviews

About the Author: Charlotte Gunnufson is a former teacher who loves connecting with kids at schools and libraries. She knows teaching is a tough job! Educators will find beneficial back matter in her books and teacher resources along with free, fun stuff for students on her website, booksbycharlotte.com. Two STEM books from Disney Planet Possible, Hard Hat Hank (2025) and Eight, Nine, Tengineers (2026), feature pages of kid-friendly facts and hands-on activities. Charlotte is also the author of School Spirits (Atheneum, 2026), Halloween Hustle, Prince and Pirate and a soon-to-be-announced STEM story.

Thank you, Charlotte, for pointing out the importance of back matter–it is always such an asset!

Author Guest Post: “Friendship in Schools” by Arleen McCarthy, Author of My Friend John

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“Friendship in Schools”

When we think of the word “friend,” we think of so many different people. We think of friends we grew up with, friends we went to college with, friends we know through our children, and friends we work with. But are they all really “friends?”

When I was younger, I would use this word a lot, but the older I get, the more selective I am with it. I think life teaches you that. 

But what if we learned what a friend is early on? What if we learned this valuable definition in elementary school? Would we be different as adults? Would our world be better?

I believe the answer is yes. We may not have a lot of friends, but I bet we would have good ones.

In my book, MY FRIEND JOHN, I wanted to easily convey to young readers that friends make you feel good. Friends make you feel safe. There are no judgments with friends, no whispers of envy, no passive aggressive comments–just advice, listening, acceptance, laughter, warm hugs, and a lot of love. This is what I know for sure, and this is so valuable to know as a child.

But how often have children and adults been hurt by their friends? If we, as humans “felt” our way through friendships, our friend list might decrease but the value of it would increase and we’d be much happier in the long-run.

In MY FRIEND JOHN, a young boy named John, who has Tourette Syndrome, starts at a new school. As he faces bullying, his new friend, Bella, stands up for him and educates herself and others on neurodiversity. 

When I think of Bella, I think about the kind of person she is: She did not judge her new classmate. Instead, she embraced a new student because she was kind, and even though he appeared very different from her, she wanted to be his friend. 

This was exactly what John needed. This is what we all need in life, especially children and especially children with disabilities. If more children were like Bella, our world would be a better place. John’s experience at his new school would not have been as pleasant if Bella had not taken the time to stand up for him. But the transformative power of human connection causes us to feel empowered and resilient.

How many times as an adult have you heard someone make fun of someone else? How many times have you seen people leave mean comments on social media posts? How many times have you heard gossiping? Why is this acceptable behavior? Where did we learn this from?

Life can be so hard at times, and we all need genuine friends to get us through it. I believe if children realize the true meaning of friendship and its connection to kindness, they would be able to make better choices.

When I think of my own experiences as a child and the moments I felt left out, it felt awful. I remember one time while I was in high school, I was walking home from the bus stop with a friend. I asked her if she wanted to do something that night as it was a Friday. She said she had already made plans with another friend, and they were going to a party. Why didn’t she just invite me? I never understood it. I remember feeling so sad. It felt terrible not to be included. 

And yet, Monday morning, I continued to be her friend.

Why do children and adults accept this behavior from their “friends?”

We all need human connection. We all need love. And we need to have this message conveyed to children, so they have the knowledge and understanding to make better choices when it comes to choosing friends. 

I feel this is especially important for our children with disabilities. We need more people to see past a disability. We need more people embracing diversity. We need more people like Bella.

Life is hard even without a disability…imagine living with one…imagine being a child living with one. 

But now just imagine being at a party where there were people with and without disabilities. Everyone is laughing and everyone is having fun. Everyone feels safe and everyone feels happy. Everyone is included.

I want to be at that kind of party.

What is a friend? A friend is someone who makes you feel good. A friend is someone who makes you feel safe.

Published November 8th, 2024 by Austin Macauley Publishers

About the Book: Meet John, a remarkable new student at The Huckleberry School. John’s life takes a heartwarming turn when he befriends a sweet little girl named Bella. Everything seems to be going smoothly for him, until a challenging situation resurfaces, shaking the foundations of his world. 

In My Friend John, we are invited to witness a touching journey which explores not only the essence of friendship but also the profound qualities of kindness and leadership. This poignant tale serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience within us all and the transformative power of genuine connection.

About the Author: Arleen McCarthy teaches at a public school in New York City and has always been passionate about making the world a better place. She grew up with two brothers with special needs and saw first-hand the struggles they endured while they were in school. Arleen, her husband, and their dog live in New York and divide their time between Manhattan and Westchester.

Thank you, Arleen, for this look and lesson about friendships in schools!

Author Guest Post: “Using Storytelling to Flip the Script on our Fears” by Adam Rosenbaum, Author of The Ghost Rules

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“Using Storytelling to Flip the Script on our Fears”

I used to be afraid of sharks when I was a kid. Like, really afraid. And maybe still am? Okay, that’s a lie. I am definitely, 100% still afraid of sharks, across the board, all the time. I blame a way too early viewing of JAWS and a wildly active imagination. But instead of facing my fears head-on back in the day, I am now an adult with children of my own who won’t venture more than a few feet into the ocean because a 30-foot great white shark might pop out of the depths and turn me into a morning snack.

There are so many amazing ways to help kids face their fears. And while I am by no means an expert on emotional health (see: my inability to swim in an ocean), I’d like to throw out a suggestion that might help some kids view their fears from a different angle. And it involves a little creativity!

My debut Middle Grade novel, The Ghost Rules, is about a boy named Elwood who can see ghosts. But in my book, ghosts aren’t scary at all. They aren’t haunting the living or terrifying children at night. My ghosts are goofy and annoying and drool a lot and are kind of obsessed with coffee. I took another fear of mine from when I was a kid (I was an anxious child, believe it or not), put a funny spin on it, and built a story around it.

Which is exactly what you can do!

I’ve brought this simple exercise into schools and nonprofits and have been blown away at the creativity and vulnerability of the kids who participate. Not only do some of the kids genuinely confront their fears, they also end up revealing those fears to one another before turning what they’re afraid of into something a little less scary.

If that sounds like something that could be valuable, here are some suggestions for how you can encourage the kids in your life to face their fears through storytelling:

1) IDENTIFY A FEAR

Some kids are MORE THAN happy to share their fears. Other kids have kept those fears bottled up for so long that to even utter them out loud is too much. So I usually say, “Let’s pick something that can be scary. It doesn’t have to be your own fear. Maybe it’s something your little brother or sister is afraid of, or something you used to be afraid of.” And I usually give my fear of sharks as an example to kick things off.

2) FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT SILLY

For The Ghost Rules, I made my ghosts bumbling, forgetful, and covered in ghost drool. To extend my shark example, I ask the kids how we can make something like a shark a little less scary. The ideas they’ve come up with have been so fun and imaginative: a shark who can’t see underwater and needs glasses, or a shark that only wants to eat pickles.

The opportunities here for fun, creative discussion are endless.

3) BUILD A STORY

When crafting a story with kids, I narrow it down to 3 basic things: a main character, a problem, how the main character overcomes that problem.

Sometimes they build a story together in smaller groups, sometimes the kids want to go off on their own and write and illustrate by themselves.

4) SHARE OUR STORIES

The best part of the whole exercise is when we come back together to share our stories, and the kids reveal what fear they chose (individually or as a group) and how they made it goofy. I give extra points to the kids who also illustrate their stories.

To state the obvious, I doubt any child walks away completely changed and fear-free. But it’s pretty amazing to see a kid smile and laugh as they’re talking about something that just minutes earlier had made their voice quiver.

And hopefully it’s a good first step toward their own emotional health so they avoid turning into a 40-something who still can’t swim in the ocean.

Published August 13th, 2024 by Holiday House for Young Readers

About the Book: Twelve-year-old Elwood McGee never asked to have “ghost-sight,” and it involves a lot more drool-dodging than he expected. Ghosts are the WORST—and they’re all over the place in this sharp-witted middle grade debut novel.

Did you know that ghosts love coffee? They’re not trying to be scary. They’re just deprived of an appropriate amount of caffeine! They also bump into things by accident, are occasionally nosy, and get a little nervous when they’re seen by the living.

Elwood McGee knows these ghost facts because he’s one of those rare people with the gift of ghost-sight. And it turns out ghosts are everywhere! Especially in the small Tennessee town where Elwood and his family had to move following the death of his big brother Noah, which Elwood thinks was his fault.

Once Elwood figures out he can see ghosts, he becomes single-mindedly determined to use his powers to see Noah and talk to him once last time. With the help of two girls who live on his street, Elwood embarks on a journey through the surprisingly funny world of ghosts and faces the realities of letting go.

At once hilarious and heart wrenching, Adam Rosenbaum makes his middle grade debut with a supernaturalish novel about grief that’s perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Dan Gutman.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Thank you, Adam, for this exercise to use with students to face fears and do some writing!