SMACK DAB NEWS!

Megan Frazer Blakemore's The Spy Catcher's of Maple Hill (Bloomsbury) will be released on May 6th. Hazel Kaplansky is a firm believer in the pursuit of knowledge and truth—and she also happens to love a good mystery. When suspicions swirl that a Russian spy has infiltrated her small town of Maple Hill, Vermont, amidst the fervor of Cold War era McCarthyism, Hazel knows it’s up to her to find a suspect… starting with Mr. Jones, the quietly suspicious grave digger. Plus she’s found a perfect sleuthing partner in Samuel Butler, the new boy in school with a few secrets of his own. But as Hazel and Samuel piece together clues from the past and present, the truth is suddenly not what they expected, and what they find reveals more about themselves and the people of their cozy little town than they could ever have imagined.

May 6th is also the release date for the paperback of The Water Castle.

Megan will be visiting Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago, Saratoga Springs, and Manchester, VT in support of these releases. Please see her website for more details. She's also running a give away on her website.

Holly Schindler is offering free Skype visits for classrooms that have read (or are planning to read) THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY.  Jill, who blogs at The O.W.L., said of Schindler's Skype visit with her fifth-grade class:   "Holly was so gracious and answered each question so fully that my students really got an understanding of the novel and writing.  It was a great experience, and I'm so glad my students were given the opportunity!"

Skypes are also a great way to keep students engaged after year-end testing has been completed.  Please contact Holly at writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com for more info or to schedule a visit.

  Tracy Holczer's The Secret Hum of a Daisy is releasing today!

After the sudden death of her mother, , twelve-year-old Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met in a small town she's never heard of. A town Mama left years before--with Grace in her belly and a bus ticket in her pocket--and never looked back. It doesn't take long before Grace desperately wants to leave, too.

Until she finds the first crane.

 

A mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on, takes Grace on a journey to find home, and it just might be closer than she thinks.

 

A 2014 Indies Introduce New Voices pick for Summer/Fall

 

"A lovely and captivating debut...nuanced characters engage from beginning to end." PW, starred review

 

"Grace's surprising discoveries about herself, her family, and her friends, and her struggles with sorrow and forgiveness, are engrossing." Kirkus Reviews 

 

For Top Secret good news being announced soon, you can check out her website in the next couple of weeks. Also, The Secret Hum of a Daisy Blog Tour begins May 6th at Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire! Head on over to win a copy of Hum, a $25 Amazon gift card, and more secret treasure.