Children's Lit Newsletter 10/5/2025

PLEASE READ ALL THE INFORMATION AFTER THE INTERVIEW TOO - FOR FREE AUDIO BOOKS AND WAYS YOU CAN HELP

Your opening line, “Ronnie Childers was tripping his balls off in Jackson Square when an angel of the Lord appeared before him” is INCREDIBLE and hilarious! Did you always have this line in mind? When and HOW did it come to you?

Thanks! Haha. I’m a big believer in the power of opening lines, and I do spend a lot of time making sure they’re perfect (at least in my eyes). The chapter in question was a late addition, believe it or not, so this wasn’t the original opening line. But once I knew I wanted to start with Ronnie, the line came pretty naturally. I knew a dozen boys just like him in high school.

Lula Dean’s Concerned Parents Committee found a list of books to ban on-line. Is this referring to the Moms for Liberty group? Did you choose titles from their list for Lula Dean to go after?

That’s one of many lists online, unfortunately. But I didn’t really reference any of them. I spent decades writing books for young people, so I knew YA books are often the first to be pulled off the shelves. I started with my own list of YA books I considered important—books with the power to save, comfort, or enlighten those who read them. I think the first on my list were Speak and The Diary of Anne Frank.

As you note in, um, well, your notes - the seed for this came from your editor Rachel Kahan sending you this question, “What do you think about a novel featuring a little free library filled with banned books?” You took that and ran with it. You also have many subplots/threads in this book. Book banning, Confederate Statues, Shared ancestry of ADOS and white presenting people - and the violent history that underlines. None of these are light, and could often be the entire subject of a book. Did you know you were going to tackle so many heavy topics in one book, or did it happen during the writing process? (to be clear, I LOVE that you have all this tied together)

After Rachel planted the seed, I realized this book—and its unusual structure—would offer the chance to address a wide range of topics that had been weighing on my mind for years. I’d always planned to write about the South (and my Southern heritage), but I’d never found the right story. Suddenly, here was a way to weave together dozens of issues—many of them extremely serious—and to address them with enough humor to draw people in.

There are specific titles that are placed in Lula Dean’s Little Free Library that have quite the ripple effect. Titles such as SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson or ANNE FRANK: THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL. Did you start with the books and then work with them in the story, or did you know what commonly banned issues you wanted to address and then find the books that fit? I appreciate that the LGBTQIA+ book that you have does NOT turn people gay (because that’s not a thing) is a made up title because it’s actually kind of boring (and you don’t want to diss a real book). How did you decide to have a made up book for that part of the plot vs. an actual LGBTQIA+ book?

I loved the “matchmaking” process of pairing individuals with books. Sometimes, as with Speak, it started with a banned book. But just as often, I imagined the character first, then paired them with a title. That’s exactly how the chapter you reference began. I imagined a kid from a very religious family whose beloved older brother has come out as gay. This kid’s been told being gay leads to a life of debauchery—and an eternity in hell. What book would he need to read? The answer, I figured, was a book that made it painfully clear that LGBTQ people are just as dull as everyone else. So he finds a gay romance that bores him to tears. Of course I couldn’t malign a real book, so I made up a title, Rivals and Lovers.

The character, Beverly first thought that book banning was a ‘fad’ like students eating Tide Pods (honestly, I am NEVER going to understand that one). Do you think that many anti-banners saw this in the same way? That we didn’t/don’t take this seriously enough?

Yes, I think a lot of us live in bubbles where we imagine book banning is something that only happens in certain benighted states/regions. This is not the case. Far from it. The book banners are hard at work in Massachusetts as well as Mississippi. I think a lot of us (myself included) thought this crap was all in the past. We stopped going to schoolboard meetings and running for office in our communities. Guess who kept going. The only way to fight back is to get involved again.

Here’s the perpetual writing process question, are you a pantser or a plotter? (NOTE TO READERS: A Pantser writes by the seat of their pants, i.e. no planning. A Plotter plots it all out.)

I am a dedicated plotter. But I always craft my outlines knowing they will likely change 20+ times before I finish. I need to have a sense of how I’ll get from start to finish. But I also need to let myself follow the story new places if that’s where it wants to go.

Not to put you on the spot - but what suggestions do you have for fighting the good fight? Sometimes it all feels so overwhelming, there are so many things that are grabbing our attention - and they should - but it can be hard not to curl up in a fetal position and take cover.

Choose one issue. Just one. And go all in. If you’re fighting on every front, you’ll end up overwhelmed and exhausted. Choose your battle. Book banning. Reproductive rights. Whatever issue gets you mad as hell. (We’ve all got plenty to choose from.) Then get to work.

You have mentioned your friend, Erica Waldrop in this book as well as THE CHANGE and THE WOMEN OF WILD HILL. She sounds like she was an amazing human being. Would you tell us a little about her?

Erica was the biggest gossip I’ve ever encountered. She knew the dirt on absolutely everyone in town—I swear to God she should have worked for the CIA. Pair that with a gift for storytelling and a truly raunchy sense of humor. You were never bored for an instant in her presence.

She was also mean as hell. Imagine a pirate queen, with blazing red hair, a seriously bad attitude, and zero respect for authority. But she (almost always) turned her temper on the evil-doers of the world. One of the last things she told me before she died was that she’d broken a guy’s nose for hitting his pregnant wife. I believed her. She did that kind of thing on a regular basis.

So when she decided it would be her personal mission to have the Confederate statue in our hometown pulled down, I doubt anyone was surprised. Even death threats couldn’t stop her. If she hadn’t died in a car crash, she would have succeeded. I’ve been doing what I can to can to keep up the fight.

Kristen, thank you so much for your time, your voice, and your incredible book. This was truly an honor and a privilege to have this time with you.

YES, the incredible Ms. Miller might be able to meet with your book club over Zoom!! She met with our neighborhood book club and she was PHENOMENAL!!

Go to her website and go to the contact form. https://www.kirstenmillerbooks.com/

She says:

I love getting letters! I don’t always have time to respond, but I promise I do read them all.

If you would like to invite me to join your book group via zoom or stop by your store, please let me know! If I have the time, I’ll accept the invitation. TBH, it’s my favorite part of the job.

The non-profit that Kirsten has chosen to support with sales of her book through Reach and Teach is the American Library Association's Show Up for Our Libraries (https://www.ala.org/advocacy/show-up-for-our-libraries ).

Purchase through the Reach and Teach website: https://shop.reachandteach.com/search?q=lula%20dean%27s%20little%20library%20of%20banned%20books and 10% of sales will go to support the work of this non-profit (and there is A LOT of work to be done)

Hicklebee's is having a special Banned Books Storytime for youngsters at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7. Adults in the store that day are encouraged to do a little silent reading in a book that has had to withstand attacks--and their reward will be a gift from our audiobook-selling partners at Libro.fm. We'll give you a QR code that day that can get you a free download of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. The audiobook must be redeemed by Oct. 9.

The Freedom to Read Project has released a guide for grassroots organizers against book bans. "Turning the Page: An Advocate’s Guide to the Freedom to Read" is available for download with a suggested donation. All proceeds go to supporting the work of the Freedom to Read Project and its affiliates

Join us for more than two dozen panels and author conversations featuring authors, editors, narrators, publishing pros, and free-expression leaders for EveryLibrary Live! Banned Books Week Fest 2025. This all-online festival runs Sunday, October 5 to Friday, October 10 and celebrates the joy of writing and the culture of reading, confronts today’s censorship challenges in schools and libraries, and champions the freedom to read. Make plans now to be part of a literary week where everyone is encouraged to read freely.

We’re hosting a dynamic lineup of author spotlights, panel discussions, and craft/industry chats you can attend live or on demand. We’ll stream live broadcasts every day during Banned Books Week 2025 on Facebook and YouTube. Join the conversation in real time or catch the instant archive whenever it fits your schedule. Meet favorite voices and discover new ones across fiction, kids/YA, nonfiction, and audio performance.

This year’s featured sessions include conversations with Laurie Halse Anderson, Beth Ferry, and Caroline Kusin Pritchard on truths in history; Joe R. Lansdale on Southern Gothic and strange crimes; Ashley Hope Pérez & Elana K. Arnold on stories that cannot be silenced; Reagan Arthur (Cardinal/Hachette Book Group) on building a global imprint; Elodie Harper & Alyson Richman on epic heroines and haunting histories; Clay Cane on resistance and erased histories; Cadwell Turnbull & Dion Graham on story and voice; Markus Redmond & Ellen Marie Wiseman on horror, history, and justice; Patricia A. Jackson & Ben Hodge on overturning book bans; Charlote Sullivan Wild & Katherine Locke on friendship, love, identity (hosted by Gigi Howard of Drinks in the Library); and Bruce Holsinger & Janet Rich Edwards on fiction at the edge of change (hosted by Andrew Albanese of Words and Money). Rex Ogle will host two panel discussions with Penguin Random House authors. Our colleague Lee Wind from IBPA and the We Are Stronger Than Censorship initiative will host three panel discussions with indy press authors. We are proud to feature a special night of programming focusing on City Lights Bookstore, the noted San Francisco bookseller and publisher that has blazed so many trails for authors and issues.

All events are free and open to the public. RSVP now to receive the full festival schedule and morning reminders during the week, so you won’t miss a thing.

Supported by our publishing friends and partners, including Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Candlewick Press, Annick Press, Dafina (Kensington), Spiegel & Grau, Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, Cardinal, City Lights, and more.

Watch live online or on demand: Facebook at facebook.com/everylibrary and YouTube at youtube.com/@everylibrary385.

RSVP now to get the full schedule and daily reminders delivered to your inbox.

https://www.everylibrary.org/everylibrary_live_banned_books_2025_calendar?utm_campaign=banned_books_week_fest_2025_mt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=votelibraries

https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/educators-voices-matter-the-everyday-advocacy-virtual-workshop-is-back-for-banned-books-week/

Local author Harlow presents her debut young adult novel about a teen competing in a fight club for a chance to escape an abusive home.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/abbie-harlows-the-butterflys-sting-in-store-event-and-book-signing-tickets-1641247488419?aff=oddtdtcreator

Y'all, I just finished this and Oh........My............G!!! Absolutely STUPENDOUS!! Get your friends to read it because you will need to discuss it RIGHT AWAY!!! Also, gently take off the book jacket because the cover of the book is AMAZEBALLS!!!

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Here's the Mrs. Dalloway's info:

Join us at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore on Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 PM when award-winning and bestselling author Julie Berry comes to the store to share her latest paranormal romance for young adult readers If Looks Could Kill. Julie will sign copies of her book after the presentation.

From Printz Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nail-biter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. A defiant love song to sisterhood, a survivors’ battle cry, and a romantic literary tour de force laced with humor.

It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one thing: Jack.

And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.

Julie Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of the 2020 NCTE Walden Award and SCBWI Golden Kite Award winner Lovely War, the 2017 Printz Honor and Los Angeles Times Book Prize–shortlisted The Passion of Dolssa, the Carnegie Medal– and Edgar Award–shortlisted All the Truth That’s in Me, the Odyssey Honor The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, and the Wishes and Wellingtons trilogy. Her picture books include The Night Frolic, Happy Right Now, and Cranky Right Now. Julie holds a BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in communication and an MFA from Vermont College of the Fine Arts. Julie lives in western New York, where she owns Author’s Note, an independent bookstore.

THIS EVENT is free but registration is requested. Registration ends at 6:00 pm on October 9.

BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.

https://mrsdalloways.com/event/2025-10-09/julie-berrys-if-looks-could-kill-teens

Towne Center Books welcomes Printz Honoree and NYT Bestselling author Julie Berry to Pleasanton, CA to celebrate the launch of her new YA/adult crossover thriller, IF LOOKS COULD KILL. Join us for an event on Friday, October 10th pm at 4:00 pm at the bookstore to hear Julie present and read from her new critically-acclaimed novel that pits Medusa against Jack the Ripper in the teeming streets of the Gilded Age Bowery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Register here: https://www.townecenterbooks.com/events/3755420251010

More info and registration here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/abbie-harlow-at-books-inc-alameda-tickets-1520529828649?aff=oddtdtcreator

Honestly y'all too many to list. Check out the schedule here:

https://www.litquake.org/2025-schedule

We’re so excited to share that the 2025 Latinx KidLit Book Festival has already been viewed more than 14,000 times! Thank you for tuning in, sharing with your communities, and making space for Latinx stories in classrooms and libraries.

🤔 Haven’t started yet? Don’t worry! Free sessions are available on YouTube, ready when you are.

https://latinxkidlitbookfestival.org/2025-festival

Hey all!!

Recently I have given Book Talks to students and parents that can focus on Engaging Reluctant Readers, Diversify Your (home or school) Bookshelves, and Great and Engaging Books (for various ages/grades). They've been well received and participants leave with TONS of information (and quite a few win prizes). I do these in schools or libraries, but would love to be hired by companies as a 'Perk' for their employees who have children in their lives. So, using my 'Social Capital' (that's you all) to spread the word.

I also work with teachers to help find great books that fit (and expand) the curriculum (otherwise known as my idea of a good time).

Please feel free to spread the word and send people my way: sharonlevin @ mindspring.com

We now return to our regular programming.

I try (when I have time/energy/spoons) to visit store websites and pull event information. However, the best way to get your events in is to e-mail me directly with FOR THE NEWSLETTER as the subject line. There are over 2000 subscribers to this newsletter - plus it gets posted on Facebook, Twitter (I said what I said), BlueSky and my local NextDoor. I am happy to spread the word, it's just easier if 'the word' (not the religious one) comes directly to my inbox

I'm only as good as my sources, so please do feel free to share events, good news, etc.! Please e-mail me at sharonlevin at mindspring dot com and put For the Newsletter as your subject line.

I'm always happy to feature giveaways. There is NO paid advertising in this newsletter - I do not require anything to feature a giveaway. I'm just happy to do it.