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Laurel Symonds

@laurelsymonds.bsky.social

Senior literary agent at kt literary (closed to queries). Updates only. Opinions my own. She/her

6,218 Followers  |  215 Following  |  2 Posts  |  Joined: 04.10.2023
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Posts by Laurel Symonds (@laurelsymonds.bsky.social)

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Creeping to a bookshelf near you... it's BRAAAINS! From @littlebrownyr.bsky.social, this spooky tale drops Summer '27. BIG thanks to my editor Jessica Levine & agent @laurelsymonds.bsky.social at @ktliterary.bsky.social for helping me bring this lil undead dude to life! @pwkidsbookshelf.bsky.social

17.09.2025 15:34 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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#kidlitartpostcard almost passed me by with the holiday weekend! Hi, I'm Mirka and author and illustrator represented by @laurelsymonds.bsky.social at Kt Literary. I love to illustrate animals and nature, both fiction and NF. You can find my portfolio at mirkah.com/pbillustration. #kidlit

04.07.2025 03:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 48    ๐Ÿ” 6    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Graphic with an illustrated background depicting the moon partially hidden behind billowing clouds. The illustration has been edited to appear in tones of pinks and blues. At the top of the graphic is title text that says, โ€œCover Revealโ€ followed by a mock-up hardcover copy of โ€œA Year Without Homeโ€ by V.T. Bidania. The cover illustration shows a young Hmong girl staring out at a house sitting atop a hill. To her left, her family are carrying their belongings and walking away. At the bottom of the graphic is light yellow text that says, โ€œJanuary 6th, 2026โ€, denoting the bookโ€™s release date.

Graphic with an illustrated background depicting the moon partially hidden behind billowing clouds. The illustration has been edited to appear in tones of pinks and blues. At the top of the graphic is title text that says, โ€œCover Revealโ€ followed by a mock-up hardcover copy of โ€œA Year Without Homeโ€ by V.T. Bidania. The cover illustration shows a young Hmong girl staring out at a house sitting atop a hill. To her left, her family are carrying their belongings and walking away. At the bottom of the graphic is light yellow text that says, โ€œJanuary 6th, 2026โ€, denoting the bookโ€™s release date.

Graphic sharing a synopsis for โ€œA Year Without Homeโ€ by V.T. Bidania, which reads as follows: โ€œA poignant middle grade novel in verse about a Hmong girl losing and finding home in the after-math of the Vietnam War. Inspired by the authorโ€™s own family history and perfect for fans of Jasmine Warga and Veera Hiranandani. For eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, home is the lush, humid jungles and highlands of Laos. Home is where she can roll down the grassy hill with her younger siblings after her chores, walk to school, and pick ripe peaches from her familyโ€™s trees. But home becomes impossible to hold onto when the communist government takes over after U.S. troops pull out of the Vietnam War. The communists will be searching for any American allies, like Gao Shengโ€™s father, a Hmong captain in the Lao Army who fought alongside the Americans against the Vietnamese. If heโ€™s caught, heโ€™ll be killed. On foot, by taxi and finally in a canoe, Gao Sheng and her family make haste from the mountains to the capitol Vientiane and across the rushing Mekong River, to finally arrive at an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.โ€

Graphic sharing a synopsis for โ€œA Year Without Homeโ€ by V.T. Bidania, which reads as follows: โ€œA poignant middle grade novel in verse about a Hmong girl losing and finding home in the after-math of the Vietnam War. Inspired by the authorโ€™s own family history and perfect for fans of Jasmine Warga and Veera Hiranandani. For eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, home is the lush, humid jungles and highlands of Laos. Home is where she can roll down the grassy hill with her younger siblings after her chores, walk to school, and pick ripe peaches from her familyโ€™s trees. But home becomes impossible to hold onto when the communist government takes over after U.S. troops pull out of the Vietnam War. The communists will be searching for any American allies, like Gao Shengโ€™s father, a Hmong captain in the Lao Army who fought alongside the Americans against the Vietnamese. If heโ€™s caught, heโ€™ll be killed. On foot, by taxi and finally in a canoe, Gao Sheng and her family make haste from the mountains to the capitol Vientiane and across the rushing Mekong River, to finally arrive at an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.โ€

WNDB is proud to unveil the beautiful cover for A YEAR WITHOUT HOME by V.T. Bidania, forthcoming from Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Kids) on January 6th, 2026!

๐ŸŽจ Cover illustration by Christina Chung

๐Ÿ“– bit.ly/3HKh4sf

13.06.2025 14:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 22    ๐Ÿ” 7    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! I'm Mirka, an author-illustrator who likes nature and animals. Represented by @laurelsymonds.bsky.social #kidlit #kidlitart

03.04.2025 21:46 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 42    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Beyond excited to share my debut picture book SPOOKY SCOUTS will be published by McElderry Books in Fall 2026! I'm so pumped to work with @nicolefios.bsky.social and can't wait for you all to meet Luna. Shout out to my amazing agent @laurelsymonds.bsky.social for making it happen!

#kidlit

11.03.2025 23:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 10    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
Preview
Rights Report: Week of March 10, 2025 New deals for Darianne Schramm, Kiana Krystle, Katie Schenkel, and others.

Announcing new deals for Darianne Schramm, Jenni L. Walsh, Pedro Urvi, @kjshrack.bsky.social + more

11.03.2025 21:24 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Congratulations!!

25.02.2025 22:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! I'm Mirka, a neurodivergent illustrator who loves to draw animals. I work with both digital and traditional media and am represented by @laurelsymonds.bsky.social. #kidlit #valentinesday @ktlit.bsky.social

06.02.2025 05:19 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 56    ๐Ÿ” 5    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Happy pub day!!

23.07.2024 18:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 9    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0