How do you pass the 'interview' to win the Newberry? How to keep a story short? And a whole lot of fun are in store for this middle grade author interview with Newberry Honor winner Daniel Nayeri.

Find Daniel Nayeri
https://www.danielnayeri.com/
https://www.instagram.com/danielnayeri/
https://www.facebook.com/danielnayeri

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri https://www.amazon.com/Teacher-Nomad-Land-World-Story/dp/1646145666/
The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams Newberry Honor Book https://www.amazon.com/Many-Assassinations-Samir-Seller-Dreams/dp/1646143035/
The Bizarre Bazaar Mirror Town by Daniel Nayeri (Author), Liz Enright (Illustrator) https://www.amazon.com/Bizarre-Bazaar-Mirror-Graphic-Novel/dp/0759556431/
The Bizarre Bazaar Down a Dark Path by Daniel Nayeri (Author), Lesley Vamos (Illustrator) https://www.amazon.com/Bizarre-Bazaar-Down-Graphic-Novel/dp/075955644X/
Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini (Author), Leah Janeczko (Translator) https://www.amazon.com/Glowrushes-Roberto-Piumini/dp/1681377500/

Chapters
00:00 Meet Newberry winning middle grade author Daniel Nayeri
06:12 What are Daniel Nayeri’s Newberry Honor books about. The Many Assassinations of Samir the Seller of Dreams and The Teacher of Nomad Land
11:28 Daniel’s reaction to winning the Newberry Award
15:47 How to keep things short in writing middle grade and graphic novels? How did Daniel become a writer of a few words?
21:00 What led Daniel to create The Bizarre Bazaar graphic novel series?
What is the Bizarre Bazaar Down a Dark Path about?
28:56 How can you use graphic novels in the classroom?
30:35 How did Daniel find illustrators for his graphic novels The Bizarre Bazaar Tales Passing Strange and why there are different illustrators for each book in the series
34:39 What is next for Daniel Nayeri with graphic novels, middle grade and picture books?
42:18 Daniel’s book recommendations

What can you learn about yourself as you develop a relationship with another person? Or as you develop a relationship with an animal? How will you grow as an individual? Lynne Kelly's beautiful new book, Three Blue Hearts, is about a boy on a summer vacation where he rescues a hurt octopus and discovers a summer of love and growth that he didn't see coming.

Find middle grade author Lynne Kelly 
https://lynnekellybooks.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lynnekkelly/
https://www.facebook.com/authorLynneKelly/

Three Blue Hearts by Lynn Kelly
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Blue-Hearts-Lynne-Kelly/dp/0593898397/
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate https://www.amazon.com/One-Only-Ivan-Katherine-Applegate/dp/0061992259/

Chapters
00:00 Meet Lynne Kelly
03:39 What is Three Blue Hearts by Lynne Kelly about?
07:10 What came first the setting or the character? The animal or kid main character?
10:16 What did Lynne learn about Octopi when writing Three Blue Hearts? Interesting facts about Octopuses.
12:10 Why does it work for Lynne to take a fascinating animal and then build a connection with a child main character?
13:16 Max - the main character in Three Blue Hearts - reconciling your name to be your own, separate from anyone else’s identity
17:50 How friendship helps strengthen individuals through the storms of life
21:37 What is next for author Lynne Kelly?
23:50 What species of animal does Lynne Kelly feel a special connection to?
25:30 Do Octopuses have any similarities to humans? What we can learn from octopi?
28:57 Lynne Kelly’s book recommendation

LeUyen is the illustrator of The Princess in Black series written by Shannon and Dean Hale as well as other books with Shannon. She has been an illustrator for 30 years now with over 140 books published and has also written/illustrated her own books. She was awarded the Caldecott Honor for the book Bear Came Along (written by Richard T. Morris). In this episode we chat about what it is like to be an illustrator and her relationships with other authors, editors, and readers. 

Find LeUyen Pham 
https://www.instagram.com/uyenloseordraw/

The Princess in Black written by Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Black-Triple-Smash-Three/dp/1536232890/
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina https://www.amazon.com/Caps-Sale-Peddler-Monkeys-Business/dp/020109147X/

Chapters 
00:00 Meet author/illustrator LeUyen Pham
08:38 How did you get into a career as an artist?
12:13 Using Princess in Black what is it like from start to finish as an illustrator working on a project?
15:10 Adding illustrations that aren’t specified in the text, but enhance the book experience
18:51 The joy of illustrating a series with 13 Princess in Black Books
19:49 Does the publisher ever send back change requests for your drawings? 
24:21 What medium do you like to illustrate with?
28:06 Does the age you are drawing for effect the colors that you use?
30:25 Author and illustrator and editor relationships 
36:51 LeUyen Pham shares feedback received from kids 
42:08 What is next for LeUyen Pham? 
49:54 LeUyen’s book recommendation 

The last week of December Annisha from Reading in the Middle and I got together to talk about our most anticipated books of 2026. These are just some of the middle grade books that we are super excited to read this year. Keep listening to future episodes as we continue to read and discover more amazing children's books. And share with us which ones we missed and what you look forward to reading.

Find Annisha Jeffries
https://readinginthemiddle.blog/
https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@readinginthemiddle⁩  
https://www.instagram.com/reading_in_the_middle/

Chapters 
00:00 Most anticipated books of 2026 - The Whisperwicks book 3 by Jordan Lees
03:53 The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller
06:11 Guardians - The Forbidden Mountain by Brandon Mull
09:19 The Star of Moon Village by Jennifer Ann Richter
12:20 A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff
14:00 The Secret Winners Club by Donna Galanti
16:00 Dragonborn book 2 The Twilight Child by Struan Murray
18:00 Hattie Mae Begins Again by Sharon G. Flake
21:30 Breakout by Christina Wyman
23:41 The After School Kindness Crew by Goldie Hawn and Lin Oliver
26:19 Some of Us Are Brave by Saadia Faruqi
28:11 Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson (Blood in the Water)
30:43 Alice With a Why Return to Wonderland by Anna James
33:10 The Claiming The Last Resort 2 by Jasmine Warga sequel to The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly
34:48 Hypergifted by Gordon Korman book 3 of Ungifted series
38:10 Tech Week by Lindsay Champion sequel to Cast vs Crew
40:25 Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
43:05 The Bizarre Bazaar graphic novels by Daniel Nayeri book 1 Mirror Town and book 2 Down a Dark Path

There were so many wonderful middle grade books released in 2025, and in this episode Melissa Taylor and I discuss just some of the best books of 2025 from our lists. Want to hear more of my favorite books from 2025 then check out this episode next https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/42-the-best-books-of-2025-so-far-shannon-balloon/id1752315662?i=1000715323257

Find children's book author and content creator Melissa Taylor
https://imaginationsoup.net/
https://www.instagram.com/imaginationsoup/
https://www.facebook.com/ImaginationSoup

Chapters 
00:00 Meet children’s book blogger Melissa Taylor from Imagination Soup
03:30 The Free State of Jax by Jennifer A. Nielson
06:32 Blood in the Water by Tiffany D Jackson
08:39 The Beat I Drum / Holding on For Dear Life by Dusti Bowling
13:18 The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser
15:24 Silverborn The Mystery of Morrigan Crow of the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend
19:14 The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner
21:41 Neshama by Marcella Pixley
24:11 Afia in the Land of Wonders by Mia Araujo
26:05 Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate
29:17 Deepwater Creek graphic novel by Michael Regina
31:18 The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham by Ryan James Black
33:39 The Creature Clinic by Gavin Aung Than
36:00 Tuck Everlasting the graphic novel adapted by K. Woodman-Maynard
37:13 Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
38:55 The Sherlock Society Hurricane Heist by James Ponti
41:28 Please Pay Attention by Jamie Sumner
46:09 The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose
49:35 Old School by Gordon Korman

Meg Medina's newest middle grade book is a beautiful fantasy adventure about the relationship between a sea spirit and a unique living boy with a common goal. They may be from different worlds with completely different views, but this book has a treasure trove of themes, like the importance of community. 

Find Meg Medina
https://megmedina.com/
https://www.facebook.com/meg.medina.10/
https://www.instagram.com/megmedinabooks/?hl=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@megmedinabooks

Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina https://www.amazon.com/Graciela-Abyss-Meg-Medina/dp/B0DJCT4BGY/
The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Jasminne Paulino https://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Orbit-Alex-Ramirez/dp/0593859316/
Scattergood by H. M. Bouwman https://www.amazon.com/Scattergood-H-M-Bouwman/dp/0823457753/

Chapters 
00:00 Meet middle grade author Meg Medina
03:31 What is Graciela in the Abyss about?
07:47 A 15 year journey in writing Graciela in the Abyss
18:06 The art by the Balbusso twins
21:02 The importance of community
32:18 What’s next for Meg Medina?
35:10 Meg’s book recommendation

Have you ever wondered why reindeer pull Santa's sleigh? The picture book Dasher provides a beautiful origin story families and schools will love to add to the seasonal readings. Matt Tavares has added a new Dasher book this year with Dasher and the Polar Bear and it is my favorite one of the series! In this episode we talk about his creation of the story and art as well as beautiful themes within these picture books. 

Find author and illustrator Matt Tavares
https://matttavares.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tavaresbooks/
https://bsky.app/profile/tavaresbooks.bsky.social
https://www.facebook.com/tavaresbooks

Dasher by Matt Tavares https://www.amazon.com/Dasher-Little-Changed-Christmas-Forever/dp/1536201375/
Dasher and the Polar Bear by Matt Tavares https://www.amazon.com/Dasher-Polar-Bear-Matt-Tavares/dp/1536236314/

Chapters 
00:00 Meet Picture Book Author and illustrator Matt Tavares
02:48 What is the Dasher origin story? How did Matt come up with the idea?
05:22 What comes first the story or the art? And what art mediums are used to create the pictures in the book?
09:59 Themes in Dasher - Hope
12:17 What is home? Christmas Magic - book themes
17:09 What is Matt’s hope that Dasher will do for families?
18:57 What has Dasher done for the author and illustrator, Matt Tavares?
21:23 What is next for Matt Tavares?
22:27 Matt’s book recommendations

A captivating ghost story evolves into an intense family drama with strong themes of forgiveness, self-identity, and family. Neshama, this powerful novel in verse, brings all the feels of a middle grade adventure amid beautiful verses of poetry. In this episode Marcella Pixley and I discuss not only the beauty of this novel in verse but also questions of compassion, relationships, religion, and self-growth. 

Find middle grade author Marcella Pixley
https://marcellapixley.com/
https://www.instagram.com/marcellapixleybooks/?hl=en
https://www.threads.com/@marcellapixleybooks?xmt=AQF01WcgnxB9ZD_yF35Vil2eQf9Z68K_unXTESSSULz2huc
Neshama by Marcella Pixley https://www.amazon.com/Neshama-Marcella-Pixley/dp/1536236616/
The Girl in the Walls by Meg Eden Kuyatt https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Walls-Meg-Eden-Kuyatt/dp/1546110534/
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: Inspiring Conversations on Hope, Love and Personal Growth by Charlie Mackesy https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Mole-Fox-Horse/dp/0062976583/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

Chapters 
00:00 Meet Marcella Pixley
05:40 What is Neshama about?
07:52 Why is it important to connect with and know our ancestors?
13:10 Creating Neshama
16:11 Was Neshama Marcella’s first novel in verse?
Stopping to appreciate the poetry within the story.
21:39 Themes of forgiveness in Neshama
26:25 What has Shabbat done for you and your faith?
33:40 What is next for middle grade author Marcella Pixley?
35:26 Marcella’s book recommendations

Don't take life too seriously, have some fun too! If you could spend all day doing what you loved most, what would it be? Would you write silly stories that get published into graphic novels? Middle grade author Tom Angleberger shares with us about the creation of his graphic novel series, The Two-Headed Chicken, and why graphic novels make such great gifts for kids. 

Find author Tom Angleberger 
https://origamiyoda.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tomangleberger/?hl=en
The Two-Headed Chicken https://www.amazon.com/Two-Headed-Chicken-Tom-Angleberger/dp/1536223212/

Chapters 
00:00 Meet Tom Angleberger
07:16 Is writing a job for you? Or is it just fun?
11:15 How did Tom Angleberger come up with the idea for the Two Headed Chicken series?
15:44 Why do graphic novels make great gifts? Why are graphic novels important?
21:02 Lessons in graphic novels?
22:12 The publishers response to Two-Headed Chicken
26:22 Where does Tom Angleberger get his book ideas?
29:52 Tom’s question for me, what book would I have the two-headed chicken jump into?
34:07 What is next for author Tom Angleberger?
34:57 Tom’s book recommendation.

Those who have experienced the magic of a read aloud know they are a must in every home and classroom. Reading to children is so important and in this interview Kate shares some of the reasons why we should all find the time to read to children. 

Find Kate DiCamillo
https://www.katedicamillo.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KateDiCamillo
Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Evangeline-Norendy-Tale-DiCamillo/dp/1420532197/

Chapters 
00:00 Meet Kate DiCamillo
04:09 Why do you feel reading out loud to kids is important?
07:03 What would you say to a teacher who says “I don’t have the time to read out loud to my class.”
How to find the time to read to kids.
08:53 Does reading aloud provide behavioral or emotional benefits?
10:20 What ages do you read out loud to?
12:55 What if someone is not comfortable reading out loud?
14:51 After reading a story out loud what can we do to enhance the experience
18:28 An experience where a read aloud of one of Kate DiCamillo’s books impacted someone else.
21:26 Does Kate have a favorite book of hers to hear read out loud?
22:50 Kate’s go to chapter for her to read out loud to a group.
24:37 Why Kate writes short books with short chapters
25:47 How being read to impacted Kate DiCamillo
26:56 How Kate decides what to work on next
28:50 What is next for Kate DiCamillo?
29:43 Kate’s book recommendation