September 2020: New Kids Non-Fiction at the Takoma Park Maryland Library

 If you've got a young non-fiction lover in your house, check out the latest kids non-fiction books just purchased by the Takoma Park Maryland Library. Enjoy this chance for some online book browsing, and remember you can check them out by using our "Books-to-Go" program! More details about that program are here: http://www.takomapark.info/library/curbside.html

New Kids Non-Fiction Books

"How do you find a bird? There are so many ways! Begin by watching. And listening. And staying quiet, so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat. Soon you'll see that there are birds everywhere&;up in the sky, down on the ground, sometimes even right in front of you just waiting to be discovered!" (From the publisher Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster)

"Through infographics and illustrations readers will learn about the unfathomably huge and fascinating topic of solar systems. Explore the galaxy that surrounds our planet through astounding numbers, facts, and figures." (From the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

"In this deeply moving nonfiction picture book, award-winning author Caren Stelson brings Sachiko Yasui's story of surviving the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and her message of peace to a young audience." (From the publisher, Carolrhoda Books)

"Sibert Medalist, National Book Award Honoree, and New York Times best-selling author Sy Montgomery turns her formidable talents to the story of California condors and the scientists who have fought against their extinction in this installment in the award-winning Scientists in the Field series." (From the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

"A clever, funny, and informative look at the pets--from Calvin Coolidge's wallaby to Teddy Roosevelt's flying squirrels--that have passed through the White House gates. Perfect for fans of I Am George Washington and So You Want to Be President?" (From the publisher, Scwartz & Wade/Penguin Random House)

"A picture biography of Julio C. Tello, considered to be the founder of modern Peruvian archaeology, that traces his life from an early interest in Peru's ancient cultures to his rise as the most distinguished Indigenous social scientist of the twentiethcentury. A map and an afterword with additional information, photograph, and source list are included."-- (From the publisher Children's Book Press)

Everything your child ever wanted to know about birds is here in this informative and engaging book.

"Telling the inspiring human story behind the creation of the Paralympics, this young readers biography artfully combines archival photos, full-color illustrations, and a riveting narrative to honor the life of Ludwig Guttmann, whose work profoundly changed so many lives." (From the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

"Discover how the natural world inspires innovation in science and technology to create the latest and greatest breakthroughs and discoveries in this exciting book." (From the publisher, National Geographic).

"Replicate a chemical reaction similar to one Marie Curie used to purify radioactive elements! Distill perfume using a method created in ancient Mesopotamia by a woman named Tapputi! Aspiring chemists will discover these and more amazing role models and memorable experiments in Chemistry for Kids, the debut book of The Kitchen Pantry Scientist series." (From the publishers, Quarry Books)

A vibrant look at artist Keith Haring.

Next up -- a look at the Library's newest teen books. 

September 2020: New Picture Books & Kids Fiction at the Takoma Park Maryland Library

 We've just added some great books for kids to the shelves at the Takoma Park Maryland Library! Because our Library building is closed, however, patrons can't browse our new offerings. So I'm using this blog as a way for patrons to browse our new books online! Along with a picture of each book's cover, I've also included a snippet of a review of the book by one of the professional review journals: Booklist, The Horn Book, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.

NEW PICTURE BOOKS:

 "For as long as he can remember, Leo has lived in the blue house with his dad, but lately the neighborhood is changing. People are leaving, houses are being knocked down, and shiny new buildings are going up in their place. When Leo and his dad are forced to leave, they aren't happy about it. They howl and rage and dance out their feelings. When the time comes, they leave the blue house behind--there was never any choice, not really--but little by little, they find a way to keep its memory alive in their new home." (From the publisher Alfred A. Knopf)

"Pearl has built three bird feeders--one looks like a house, one looks like a tube, and one looks like a teacup because it is a teacup. After she fills the bird feeders she sits back to enjoy the show--until a squirrel scares the birds away and gobbles up all the peanuts in the teacup. This will never do, and Pearl declares that girl versus squirrel is on. She raises the teacup higher and higher and finally builds an obstacle course to deter the squirrel. Does she succeed? Of course not--but Pearl learns that sometimes it is best--and can even be fun--to find a way to compromise." (From the publisher, Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House)

"Tad is small. In fact, she is the smallest almost-a-frog in the whole, wide pond. That makes it hard for her to do big things like follow her tadsiblings who swim to other parts of the pond when they outgrow the nest.

As her tadbrothers and tadsisters swim up, up, up, they leave poor Tad by her lonesome. That&;s until...Big Blub shows up! He's not only bigger than Tad, but Big Blub isn't exactly what a tadpole would consider friendly.

Swimming at her own pace, Tad soon learns how to to be bigger than her fears. Benji Davies creates a memorable and timeless tale that proves sometimes the mightiest creature comes in the smallest package." (From the publisher, HarperCollins)

"Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can&;t see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves? With fancifully detailed artwork and visual humor, debut picture-book creator Flavia Z. Drago&;s vivid illustrations tell a sweet and gently offbeat story of loneliness, bravery, and friendship that is sure to be a treat for little ghouls and goblins everywhere." (From the publisher, Candlewick Press).

"A bear sits in his quiet, colorless home in a forgotten place. He feels invisible; no one comes to see him, and he spends his days alone.Then someone moves in next door. Madame Odette is sound and sunshine, and at first, the bear isn't sure about this colorful new neighbor.

But through an act of kindness, the bear and the Madame Odette meet, and as time goes by, they become friends. And in the end, they are both forever changed by the gifts they bring each other. The first book from author-illustrator Cécile Metzger, The Invisible Bear is a powerful and beautiful meditation on the beauty of friendship and how two people can save each other just by being themselves." (From the publisher, Tundra Books)

"Penelope is a T. rex, and she's very good at it. She also likes to rock out on guitar! With the school talent show coming up, Penelope can't wait to perform for her classmates. But sharing who you are can be show-stoppingly scary, especially when it's not what people expect. Will Penelope get by with a little help from her friends?" (From the publisher, Disney/Hyperion)

New Fiction for Kids:

"North Korea. December, 1950.

Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under an iron set of rules: No travel without a permit. No criticism of the government. No absences from Communist meetings. Wear red. Hang pictures of the Great Leader. Don't trust your neighbors. Don't speak your mind. You are being watched.

But war is coming, war between North and South Korea, between the Soviets and the Americans. War causes chaos--and war is the perfect time to escape. The plan is simple: Sora and her family will walk hundreds of miles to the South Korean city of Busan from their tiny mountain village. They just need to avoid napalm, frostbite, border guards, and enemy soldiers.

But they can't. And when an incendiary bombing changes everything, Sora and her little brother Young will have to get to Busan on their own. Can a twelve-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother survive three hundred miles of warzone in winter?

Haunting, timely, and beautiful, this harrowing novel from a searing new talent offers readers a glimpse into a vanished time and a closed nation." (From the publisher, Holiday House)

"Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year's Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power.

The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin...the symbol of a curse that has shortened his lifeline, giving him only a week before an untimely death. There is only one way to break the curse, and it requires a trip to the notorious Night Witch.

With only his village's terrifying, ancient stories as a guide, and his two friends Engle and Melda by his side, Tor must travel across unpredictable Emblem Island, filled with wicked creatures he only knows through myths, in a race against his dwindling lifeline." (From the publisher, Sourcebooks)

"When eleven-year-old Samantha is given a mysterious card game called "A Game of Fox & Squirrels," the animal characters of the game come to life and offer Sam anything she desires if she completes the game, but she soon learns that they are hiding rules she isn't prepared for." (From the publisher, Henry Holt).

"Eleven-year-old Jenae doesn't have any friends and she's just fine with that. She's so good at being invisible in school, it's almost like she has a superpower, like her idol, Astrid Dane. At home, Jenae has plenty of company, like her no-nonsense mama; her older brother, Malcolm, who is home from college after a basketball injury; and her beloved grandpa, Gee.

Then a new student shows up at school: a boy named Aubrey with fiery red hair and a smile that won't quit. Jenae can't figure out why he keeps popping up everywhere she goes. The more she tries to push him away, the more he seems determined to be her friend. Despite herself, Jenae starts getting used to having him around.

But when the two are paired up for a class debate about the proposed name change for their school, Jenae knows this new friendship has an expiration date. Aubrey is desperate to win and earn a coveted spot on the debate team. There's just one problem: Jenae would do almost anything to avoid speaking up in front of an audience, including risking the first real friendship she's ever had." (From the publisher, Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins)

"All Nestor Lopez wants is to live in one place for more than a few months and have dinner with his dad.When he and his mother move to a new town to live with his grandmother after his dad’s latest deployment, Nestor plans to lay low. He definitely doesn’t want to anyone find out his deepest secret: that he can talk to animals.

But when the animals in his new town start disappearing, Nestor's grandmother becomes the prime suspect after she is spotted in the woods where they were last seen. As Nestor investigates the source of the disappearances, he learns that they are being seized by a tule vieja—a witch who can absorb an animal’s powers by biting it during a solar eclipse. And the next eclipse is just around the corner…Now it’s up to Nestor’s extraordinary ability and his new friends to catch the tule vieja—and save a place he might just call home." (From the publisher, Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

"Eleven-year-old Danny Monteverde believes in magic. He knows that pixie dust is real, that wardrobes act as portals, and that rabbit holes lead to Wonderland. Most of all, he believes that his older sister, Pili, is waiting for him somewhere in Rio Luna, the enchanted land in their favorite book of fairy tales.

Danny doesn't care what the adults say. He knows that Pili isn't another teen runaway. When the siblings were placed in separate foster homes, she promised that she'd come back for him, and they'd build a new life together in Rio Luna.

Yet as the years pass, Danny's faith begins to dim. But just when he thinks it might be time to put foolish fairy tales behind him, he finds a mysterious book in the library. It's a collection of stories that contain hints about how to reach another world. A map to Rio Luna . . . and to Pili.

As his adventure takes him from New York to Ecuador to Brazil, Danny learns that meeting your favorite characters isn't always a dream come true. But nothing will stop him from finding his sister . . . even if it means standing up to the greatest threat the magical realm has ever known." (From the publisher, Scholastic)

"Collin can't help himself—he has a unique condition that finds him counting every letter spoken to him. It's a quirk that makes him a prime target for bullies, and a continual frustration to the adults around him, including his father.

When Collin asked to leave yet another school, his dad decides to send him to live in Minnesota with the mother he's never met. She is Ojibwe, and lives on a reservation. Collin arrives in Duluth with his loyal dog, Seven, and quickly finds his mom and his new home to be warm, welcoming, and accepting of his condition.

Collin’s quirk is matched by that of his neighbor, Orenda, a girl who lives mostly in her treehouse and believes she is turning into a butterfly. With Orenda’s help, Collin works hard to overcome his challenges. His real test comes when he must step up for his new friend and trust his new family." (From the publisher, Feiwell & Friends/ Macmillan)

Next up: Kids Non-Fiction & Young Adult Books -- Coming Soon!

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New Children's & Teen Books at the Takoma Park Maryland Library!

Our building is closed because of the pandemic, but patrons still can check out books through our "Books-to-Go" curbside service. More information can be found here: http://www.takomapark.info/library/curbside.html

We continue buying great new books, which are available to check out! Because the building is closed, however, patrons can't browse through these new books and may not know what we've recently purchased. So, each month, I'm going to share photos of a few of the wonderful new kids and teen books that we've purchased so that young patrons at least have a sense of some of the newest books in our collection. The books are organized by age and type: board books and picture books; new kids fiction; new teen fiction; and new non-fiction for kids and teens.

Enjoy!

New Board Books and Picture Books:

New Kid's Fiction

New Teen Fiction

New Kids & Teen Non-Fiction

Laura Geringer Bass: Editor & Writer Extraordinaire

For a variety of reasons, it's been way too long since I wrote in this blog. One of my New Year's resolutions for 2019 is to get back to writing regular blog posts. With that in mind, I want to finally write up a wonderful interview I had some months ago with Laura Geringer Bass. If you're a fan of children's books, her name may be familiar to you, as she was a long-time children's book editor who ended up with her own imprint at HarperCollins. She's also an accomplished author of books for kids and teens, and published a new children's novel in 2018, The Girl With More Than One Heart. It's a book that is close to Laura's heart, and took many years to write, but the resulting novel is a compassionate and insightful exploration of grief and resilience as the main character deals with the sudden death of her beloved father.

Before diving into Laura's many years of work on The Girl With More Than One Heart, let's take a look at her fascinating path through the world of children's literature. Laura's first publishing job was with HarperCollins, where she was hired by the legendary editor Charlotte Zolotow. While Laura was thrilled to get the editing job, she also made it clear that she also wanted to continue her work as a writer. "At the very first interview, I mentioned that I was working on a novel," Laura remembered. "She (Charlotte) gave me one of her very big smiles and said, 'I hope when you're ready, you'll show it to me.'" Because Charlotte herself was the author of about 75 books for children, "she was very empathetic to a person who wanted to both edit and write.... She was a mentor, she encouraged me."

When Charlotte retired in 1991, Laura was given her own imprint, Laura Geringer Books, and she published many noteworthy books over the years until her retirement in 2008. Throughout those years, however, Laura also was writing her own books. As she puts it: "There was always the writing." At this point, Laura has written over 20 books for kids and teens, including a teen fantasy, Sign of the Qin, an ALA Best Book shortlisted for the Printz Award, and Myth Men,  a series of graphic novels that CBS adapted into an animated show. In fact, Laura got off to a running start in 1984 with her first published book, A Three Hat Day. "I had the good luck to have (Caldecott Medalist) Arnold Lobel illustrate it," Laura said. "Arnold read it and loved it. He said, 'But I might make the main character a raccoon,' and I said, 'Anything you want to do. ' Instead, he made Mr. Potter a little man who looked a lot like Arnold." A Three Hat Day was chosen as an ALA Notable Book, spotlighted as a Top Ten featured selection on LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow, and is still in print.

After many years where she had to divide her time between editing and writing, Laura decided eight years ago to focus totally on writing. She runs writing workshops for several non-profit groups, including teens at risk in the NYC Prison Writes program, as well as with high school girls who participate in Girls Write Now.  Laura also spends a chunk of her time going to schools, especially in the Harlem area, working with kids interested in writing. Still, Laura carefully carves out time for her own writing, and when she retired from publishing in 2008, she joined a writer's group run by children's author Lore Segal. "I was working on The Girl With More Than One Heart way back then.... Lore was amazing -- so kind -- and she read my 38 chapters many, many times," Laura said.

In The Girl With More Than One Heart, Laura tells the story of eighth grader Briana, who has always felt closer to her father than her mother, especially since the birth of her little brother Aaron, who has special needs and seems to take all of their mother's attention. So Briana's world is turned inside out when her father dies suddenly of a heart attack. Not only is Briana dealing with her own grief amid the social challenges of middle school, she also must cope with her emotionally-shattered mother, who spends her days in bed and relies on Briana to take much of the responsibility for Aaron.  Shortly after her father's death, however, Briana suddenly feels as if she has grown a second heart through which she hears her father's voice. a voice that eventually moves her towards a new relationship with both her mother and brother.

Reviewing the book, Kirkus noted: "There are a lot of different topics covered in this book, but they never feel like too much, and they all fit into the scope of the plot. Bass tackles some heavy issues—having a sibling with a disability, losing a parent suddenly and at a young age, and coping with a parent's depression—but she manages to do it with grace and empathy. Readers will see Briana's understanding of her brother shift as she starts to really see him as opposed to what she feels he has cost her. This book is full of heartache and rare smiles, but that is because it is achingly real."

And Publishers Weekly said: "The narrative moves seamlessly between past and present and incorporates Greek myths, Briana’s “fractured fairy tales,” and Grandpa Ben’s tall tales, highlighting the power of storytelling to foster healing and strengthen relationships."

Heart --Laura's shorthand for the book -- pulls together many strands from Laura's own life. One major character, Grandpa Ben, is based on Laura's father. "My father was a terrific storyteller. He was funny and he loved these long, shaggy dog stories -- what he called Jewish jokes -- that actually included material from every mythology and culture. He used to tell my son these stories. My son is on the spectrum and had a lot of trouble adjusting to the world. He had epic tantrums. My dad was able to turn his meltdowns into something much more joyous."

Laura taped her father telling stories, and when he died she wanted to write about him, and about his storytelling. "So the book kind of started with me transcribing the stories as my dad told them. I wanted to capture his cadence and ability to wryly deliver a line." Laura showed the initial manuscript to Tamar Brazis, now an editor at Abrams, who -- in a neat twist -- had started in children's publishing years before as Laura's editorial assistant. After reading it, Tamar suggested that Laura turn the manuscript from a series of stories into a novel. "I thought she had a great idea -- I just didn't know how to do it," Laura said. "At the time, I was writing fantasy -- Chinese mythology. So I put it aside for a bit. But I had to just keep going back to it, and at one point, I found myself writing about a 13-year-old girl who had lost her dad. That was me; I was very close to that feeling."

Then Laura had the idea of a "dad heart, which became kind of the engine of the book. And a little bit of the mystery of the story, as the heart says things to her." But the idea of the heart was "the hardest thing to work out," Laura said. "At first, there were seven hearts. They were characters in a way but that wasn't sustainable. It was kind of weird at first... Then, as I was writing it, it just became clear it all would come out. I know that Brianna was working her way back to her mother." With that in mind, Laura then focused on the idea of the "dad heart" that would help Brianna and her mom rekindle their emotional bond..

As for Briana, "She's no angel, and she wants to be less of an angel than she is.... I think she's a young and pretty innocent 13-year-old whose head is filled with stories and writing." Even as she deals with her father's death, Briana's life goes on, "she suddenly has a crush, suddenly her friends are different."

The Girl With More Than One Heart went through many, many revisions on the road to publication. Laura asked someone to take a picture of her standing next to a pile of revised manuscripts -- the stack is taller than Laura, who is six feet in socks. "I wanted that photo encourage other writers who are going through the same thing. You want it to be the best it can be, and you must have a crazy amount of patience and the ability to go back and back and get it just right."

It was worth all the revisions, Laura said. "I am very happy with it. I'm very proud of it and I love holding it in my hands." Now, Laura is hard at work on her next book, a middle grade fantasy, a book "which has been marinating in my head for a while."

Overall, Laura feels very fortunate to have been both an editor and a writer (and a teacher even earlier in her career). As an editor, "I got to work with some amazing authors and artists, I really enjoyed that career. But I always wanted to write, so I feel really lucky to have all my time now to devote to the writing and also the the teaching. It feels like all these strands in my life have come together."

END NOTES: Huge thanks to Laura for her remarkable patience with me in getting this blogpost done. I have been greatly inspired by your writing and your work with young writers. Thanks also to Tracey Mason Daniels of Media Masters for setting up the interview with Laura.

A Rising Star in Our Town

I first heard about Minh Le several years ago from his wife Aimee Oberndorfer Le, who participated in one of my library's early literacy classes with their then-toddler son Jacob. Aimee told me that Minh reviewed children's books for Huffington Post and other outlets, so of course I said that I must meet him!

Over the past few years, I've gotten to known Minh, Aimee, Jacob (now a rising first grader) and their newest family member, preschooler Ezra, as both library patrons and friends. And it's been fun having a front row seat as Minh's reputation, both as a reviewer and a picture book author, has grown nationally. When Minh published his first picture book, Let Me Finish! in 2016, he came to my library to read and talk about the book, along with the book's illustrator, Isabel Roxas. Also on hand was the book's editor, Rotem Moscovich, who made the trip down from NYC, bringing a specially decorated cake for the program. Let Me Finish! won praise from critics and marked Minh as a picture book creator to watch.

Fast forward to this year, when Minh published his second picture book, Drawn Together, which details how art allows a young boy who only speaks English to communicate with his Thai-speaking grandfather. It's not your normal second picture book, however. First of all, while it's a very personal book for Minh, it also has a universal message that seems to resonate with everyone who reads it. Second of all, the illustrator for the book is Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, and when you've got a Caldecott Medalist illustrating your picture book, you know that it's going to be something special.

So it's really no surprise that Drawn Together has won raves from critics, including starred reviews from all of the major professional children's book review journals. The book also is an "Indie Choice" in the newsletter published by independent bookstores around country, and it was sporlighted early this month as an "editor's choice" by The New York Times, which called it "at once touching and thrilling." Personally, I believe it's got a great shot at winning the 2019 Caldecott Medal, or at least a Caldecott Honor (although, of course, the actual Caldecott Committee operates in secret, so we have no idea of what they are considering).

Photo by Maurice Belanger

Interestingly, Minh wrote Drawn Together based on his experience as a Vietnamese-American, while Dan Santat's illustrations portray a Thai grandfather and his Thai-American grandson. In a recent interview with me, Minh noted that he's thrilled with Dan's portrayal. "I wrote the book based on my personal experience as a Vietnamese-American," he said. "But, for the picture book collaboration, I wanted to leave space for Dan so he could illustrate from a very personal place. He really did take it on. That's what makes the book so special -- it really did resonate with him.

"Even though the language (shown in the illustrations) is Thai and the cultural details are different, it's still very much the story I wanted, and still very true to my experience. And, from a visual perspective, the Thai script has much more visual distinction," Minh said. (Publishers Weekly recently asked Minh and Dan to interview each other about the book, and the results offer a fascinating backstage look at how a picture book is created.)

Minh also has been delighted to find that the story inspires readers from all types of backgrounds. "For something so personal, it's interesting to see what a broad appeal it has. It's an interesting dynamic, and it gave the book amazing traction even before it was published."

Photo by Maurice Belanger

At the same time that Minh has been getting national attention as the author of Drawn Together,  he's also cemented his reputation as an expert in the children's book world after recently serving as one of three judges for the prestigious The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. Minh and the other two judges spent hundreds -- maybe thousands? -- of hours reading books for children and teens; their choices were announced at the end of May and the winners will give their acceptance speeches in October.

In the midst of all of this activity, Minh, who works full-time as an early childhood policy specialist for the federal government, found time to ask if my library would host a celebration on the day Drawn Together was published in early June. Minh hoped that we could also tie in a wonderful local Takoma Park institution, Capital City Confectionery, by having them create goodies for the program. Our Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library group was happy to provide funding and so our book party for Drawn Together was created.

Photo by Maurice Belanger

Minh is currently at work on another project, writing a graphic novel for kids featuring a new Green Lantern character. I'm proud to say that my library is noted for its extensive graphic novel collection, plus our graphic novel expert Library Associate Dave Burbank. Minh has taken advantage of both our collection and Dave's expertise, saying: "I'm using the library to do my graphic novel 101 studies!"

Minh's graphic novel, Green Lantern: Legacy, will be published in the fall of 2019 by DC Comics, under its DC Zoom imprint. The book is aimed at older kids and teens, and Minh was inspired to do a new Green Lantern graphic novel because of the fact that "there is not just one character. There are a number of Green Lanterns. So I'm creating a new character within the Green Lantern world.

"Green Lantern is a character who gets power from a green power ring, which draws its strength from the character's own strength of will. When looking at that, I had an image suddenly of my grandmother and one of her jade rings. She always had a jade ring. In my story, a boy's Vietnamese grandmother passes away, and the ring falls into the hand of her grandson. The grandmother had actually been a Green Lantern, and my story follows the grandson as he learns how to use his new-found powers as he learns more about his grandmother's history as a Green Lantern."

Minh said that writing a graphic novel has been a learning experience. "Unlike picture books, there is a lot of emphasis on the illustration notes. It's like you're the art director, and you provided as much detail as possible for the illustrator. It's basically the opposite of pictures books, where you leave as much space as possible for the illustrator."

DC Comics has contracted with Minh to write one book, "and we'll see where it goes," Minh said. "The feedback initially has been  fantastic."

Minh hasn't given up on picture books, and he's currently working on two more books with Hyperion/Disney. And Minh also hasn't quit his full-time federal government job, noting that "I hope to get to a point where we can make that work, but we're not there yet. Right now, with the day job, there's a nice stability there. Having the day job and that stability means we can be more intentional with our choices and wait for the right opportunities."

Minh added: "I'm at maximum capacity, and I'm hoping to stay on the right side of that line, although some days, I feel like I tip over it!"

End Notes: Thanks so much to Minh Le for taking the time to let me interview him in the midst of a hugely busy time. Thanks also to Aimee Oberndorfer Le, Jacob and Ezra for being such a fun part of our library family!