Guest post by author by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
As a middle school English teacher, I am very aware of the power of books on young students. Many of my students don’t really read outside of my class, due to the rise of social media and games, so besides it being an educational experience to read and discuss books, reading is a great way to introduce students to the world and help them learn about their own role in society.
Guest post by Lerner Publishing Group, 2024 Platinum Sponsor Years ago, when I read an article about Magawa, an award-winning “HeroRAT” who sniffed out landmines in Cambodia, my writing senses tingled. Kids would be fascinated by him, I first thought–or would they? Characters searching for buried weapons in war-torn lands isn’t your typical picture book fare....
Guest post by Lerner Publishing Group, 2024 Platinum Sponsor
Slippery, Spicy, Tingly, A Kimchi Mystery
By Yangsook Choi
Guest post by Silver Medallion Sponsor Lee & Low Books. 
Breaking to the Beat, a story brimming with hope, is a hip-hoppity journey that reimagines the life of breaking pioneers and the impact their passion and ingenuity have stamped on the world.
Guest post by Lerner Publishing Group, 2024 Platinum Sponsor
Cruzita and the Mariacheros is the story of my heart, inspired by my own upbringing as a Mexican American child in Los Angeles, navigating the nuances that come with straddling two cultures. Little did I know that art would imitate life as my journey to publication would prove to be a bumpy ride driven by one major stereotype: every Mexican Americans’ first language is Spanish.
As agents and editors alike questioned the authenticity of such a story featuring a character surrounded by Spanish but speaking very little of it, I began to question my own identity. I doubted myself: Am I Mexican enough to tell Cruzita’s story?