Maria is Writing

Congratulations, Kimberly - what a gorgeous book! Can't wait to read!

Oregon Action for Immigrant Justice & Democracy Defense Please join me and my colleagues here in Salem who are advancing these bills in the 2026 legislative session. You can click the links below to go to a bill's homepage on the Oregon Legislative Infor...

I just wrote a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter: Oregon Action for Immigrant Justice & Democracy Defense. Write one here: actionnetwork.org/letters/immi...

Images of Minnesota Wildlife (Loon, Monarch, Walleye, Wolf) that are part of a sticker pack to raise money for the Minnesota Women's Foundation of Minnesota Immigrant Rapid Response Fund

sticker sheet layout featuring stars, monarch butterfly, loon, wolf family and walleye

Here's a small way to support Minnesotans and add unique wildlife stickers to your collection!

Proceeds to the Women's Foundation of Minnesota Immigrant Rapid Response Fund (www.wfmn.org/funds/immigr...)

art by: @feral-pony.bsky.social, @katytanis.bsky.social , @tatjanamaiwyss.bsky.social

The Waga-Laga Bugs: A Hardcover Picture Book A silly and educational story for bug-loving kids ages 3-8! This book teaches real-life bug behaviors and the power of helping others.

This bug book has had a long journey, but every setback brought us to where we are now😍

Check out "The Waga-Laga Bugs" Kickstarter for sneak peeks at the interior, the backstory, and more!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/120...

My 9 yr old and I are loving this one! 9 was especially excited to hear a familiar character's voice from Apt 4A :)

13 Rules to Protect Yourself While Protesting Read and share as communities across the United States rise up against ICE raids and state violence

With ICE fascists escalating violence in Minnesota, again, see my article on 13 ways to protect yourself when protesting.

Easy but important action items. Be sure you and everyone you know who is protesting is following these rules: www.qasimrashid.com/p/13-rules-t...

No paywall. Share widely.

NEW: 400+ civil rights groups and unions just joined our demand that Congress refuse funds for ICE and rein in their behavior.

Masked federal agents are endangering our communities and putting lives at risk. Our leaders must act now and defend us from this lawless violence.

Congrats!!!

How exciting - congrats Lindsey!

Pale yellow graphic titled “2026 Heartdrum Releases to Pre-Order”. The title featured on this slide is “Aaniin” by Dawn Quigley and Nanibah Chacon. Beneath the book cover is a brief tagline for the book that says, “Using the Ojibwe Seven Grandfather Teachings, this picture book by acclaimed author Dawn Quigley and debut Diné artist Nanibah Chacon introduces universal values for living with loving recognition of a child’s own inner goodness.”

“Aaniin” by Dawn Quigley, Nanibah Chacon (2026)

Pale yellow graphic titled “Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day with Heartdrum” There is a photo collage made up of six picture frames, each displaying a close-up of a cover illustration from the Heartdrum catalogue. In the top right corner is a circular photo frame containing the logo for Heartdrum, a Native-focused publishing imprint under HarperCollins.

Celebrate Indigenous storytelling this #IndigenousPeoplesDay — and every day! — with these new and upcoming releases from Heartdrum!

Here’s every Heartdrum title that’s been published in 2025 — as well as a look ahead at forthcoming 2026 Heartdrum titles that you can pre-order today!

Promotional graphic with an ombre background that transitions from dark purple to orange. The graphic shows a mock-up book cover for “In the Country I Love” by Alaa Al-Barkawi, a young adult book forthcoming from PeachTree Teen on May 26th, 2026. The cover illustration depicts houses along a suburban street and figures on the street appearing to walk towards a Shia Muslim religious building off in the distance. At the top of the graphic is the book’s release date in bold, white letters and at the bottom is the book’s official tagline: “Two Iraqi American best friends confront dark truths about their families in the wake of a devastating crime in this heartrending YA debut.”

Promotional graphic with an ombre background that transitions from dark purple to orange. The graphic contains a synopsis for “In the Country I Love” by Alaa Al-Barkawi, which reads in part: “Two Iraqi American best friends—a struggling teen father and the community’s golden boy—confront dark truths about their families in the wake of a devastating crime in this heartrending YA debut. As a seventeen-year-old single dad and a soon-to-be high school drop-out, Yassir Al-Azzawi’s lapsed Shia faith is just another thing convincing his parents he’s a failure. One more mistake, and they’ll send him back to their homeland, a war-torn Iraq. Khaled Al-Hakim is perfect on paper: devout in his faith, a straight-A student, and captain of the debate team. But beneath the surface, Khaled is no saint either, and his worst sin yet is ignoring his parents’ command to stay away from Yassir.”

Here’s your first look at IN THE COUNTRY I LOVE by Alaa Al-Barkawi, a heartrending debut about two Iraqi American best friends confront who dark truths about their families in the wake of a devastating crime. Forthcoming from Peachtree Teen on May 26th, 2026!

✨ bit.ly/InTheCountryI...

Light blue promotional graphic with an illustration of apartment buildings from the view of a neighborhood street lined with trees. At the top of the graphic is white, bold text outlined in blue that says, “Now Available in Paperback!” Underneath is a 3D paperback mock-up of the book “On the Block: Stories of Immigrant Families” edited by Ellen Oh. The cover illustration shows the faces of two apartment buildings side-by-side. The title, subtitle, and editor credit are illustrated as if to appear on an orange street sign. To the right-hand side of the cover mock-up is a bright yellow sunburst illustration containing the words “out now!”

Light blue promotional graphic with an illustration of apartment buildings from the view of a neighborhood street lined with trees. The graphic contains the following synopsis, in part: From We Need Diverse Books comes an inspiring middle-grade anthology that follows the loosely interconnected lives of multigenerational immigrant families, the residents at the Entrada apartment building. Edited by Ellen Oh, a founding member of WNDB. 12 Families. 12 Cultures. 1 Building. Welcome to the Entrada, home to everyday Americans. This anthology features award-winning authors Tracey Baptiste, David Bowles, Adrianna Cuevas, Sayantani DasGupta, Debbi Michiko Florence, Adam Gidwitz, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Andrea Wang, and Jasmine Warga. These inspiring stories celebrate family, friendship, culture, and American immigrant life today.”

ON THE BLOCK is now available in paperback!

Don’t miss your chance to own this inspiring middle grade anthology that follows the loosely interconnected lives of multigenerational immigrant families living in the same apartment building

🏢 bit.ly/OTBPB

A week from today, I'll be at the Curio Room at 3:30 for a #storytime and #booksigning.

Order books in advance of my visit, and I'll sign them when I'm at the store. You can pick them up at your convenience, if you're unable to join us next Sunday.

@charlesbridge.bsky.social #kidlit #authorlife

Please consider giving to your local food bank regularly if you are able to.

www.oregonfoodbank.org

www.feedingamerica.org/advocate/cam...

My daughter and I are loving 📚👍 #kidlit #YA #novel #romcom by the amazing @erinentrada.bsky.social and @kwamembalia.bsky.social

9 and I are loving 📚👍 #MG #kidlit #friendship #family

YES. This week my 9 yr old and I are loving On Again, Awkward Again by @erinentrada.bsky.social and @kwamembalia.bsky.social and Claireboyance by Kristiana Kahakauwila. Highly recommend both!

I love everything @corinnaluyken.bsky.social thanks for pointing this one out i hadn't seen it yet :)

It’s #BannedBooksWeek but a week isn’t enough! So here’s a month’s worth of #truestories for October. Be a warrior and fight book bans!
Learn more these books: bookshop.org/lists/true-s...
📚👍 💡📚 💙📚
#kidlit #pbbios

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
Cemetary Boys by Aidan Thomas
Toni Morrison's novels
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

How exciting! Congrats!

Also, reading with/to your mg reader can really help. Really well written books tend to be even better read out loud.

What are your favorite blogs with reviews/ recommendations for #MG novels?

#kidlit #kidlitchat #authors #agents #editors #librarians #bookreviews

one of 9 yr old's favorite summer reads 📚👍 #MG

My 9 yr old and I are really enjoying 📚👍 by Rukhsanna Guidroz #MG

Black graphic with a starry background and light rainbow overlay. The graphic is titled “Back to (Magic) School Season: A diverse reading guide for young readers.” At the bottom of the graphic are three illustrations of young students reading books where light and sparkles are emerging from the books’ pages. The students are dressed in similar purple and red school uniforms.

Black graphic with a starry background and light rainbow overlay. The graphic is titled “A Note on this Guide” with the following description: “Our definition of what constitutes a “magic school” is inclusive and expansive. In this guide, you’ll find stories about young folks learning more about their inherent magic in a group setting — whether through a formal school or academy, a camp, a competition setting, a group of elders, a cultural tribe, and so forth. These stories may take place entirely in those magical settings or may be partially set in those settings/locations. You can find links to all these books on our “Magic Stories are for Everyone” web page, located on the WNDB website, as part of our ongoing campaign to diversify the concept of “magic school” stories and also fundraise to send care packages with magical books to queer, trans, and nonbinary youth. Follow the link below to learn more.” At the bottom is a search bar graphic containing the URL “bit.ly/MagicCarePackages

It’s Back-to-(Magic)-School Season and we have some ideas for diverse magic school stories you can read!

Many of these titles are part of our ongoing fundraising campaign to send care packages with magical books to queer, trans, & nonbinary youth. Learn more below! ⬇️

✨ bit.ly/MagicCarePack...

Olive green graphic titled “Support Our Newest Care Package Initiative!” A smaller subtitle below says, “Help us provide magical stories to trans and nonbinary kids in need.” At the bottom of the graphic is an illustration of two trans people embracing and holding hands, as if dancing together. On the back of one of their jackets is the trans flag. There are also sparkles, stars, and flowers surrounding them.

Support WNDB's newest round of bookish care packages, which focus on showing queer and trans youth that their stories are magic — and that #MagicStoriesAreForEveryone!

🏳️‍⚧️ bit.ly/MagicCarePack...

Whats her son interested in? I recently asked #authors #librarians here for fav adventure and zombie books for 9 yr old boys which your friend might like. @rickriordan.bsky.social series and @kwamembalia.bsky.social series are usually a hit with #mg readers

Thank you!