Amongst the Books

Inspiration can strike at any time, so always have a notebook handy to write down your ideas. Wendy Mass is the best-selling author of A Mango-Shaped Space, The Candymakers, Every Soul and Star, and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. She believes that you can find a story in any moment so you should always be aware and ready. We were lucky to get to talk with her today. You can learn more about...

Congratulations to A.S. King for winning her second Michael L. Printz award for her book THE COLLECTORS which she edited. We wanted to take this time to revisit our interview with her where we talked about her book ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES. Let's take a listen award winner article A.S. King website

It's ok to take a step back from writing if you hit a roadblock, in fact, you might actually get more inspiration when you aren't thinking about. Go read a book or watch a movie, or maybe make a carrot cake. Peter Brown is the New York Times best-selling author of The Wild Robot and The Creepy Carrots, as well as Mr. Tiger Goes Wild and he sat down with our student interviewers to talk about writi...

Summer is officially upon us and while you are relaxing and taking the sun and lovely weather don't forget to find some time to dive into great summer reading books, and we have some recommendations for you.

Multi-award winning author Christina Soontornvat has worn many hats in her life but her ability to create breathtaking worlds that you can fall into is a true talent. Her latest book, the graphic novel The Tryout is semi autobiographical and touches on fitting in in middle school and how you just need to be true to yourself. You can follow her on Twitter Instagram and Youtube You can find us on  T...

Three words to describe Kayla Miller is talented, funny, inspiring and a force to be reckoned with in the graphic novel world. With their popular Camp series Kayla gives voices to some memorable characters and stories.   You can follow Kayla on Twitter and Instagram @Kayke and check out their website  You can find us on Twitter @amongstthebooks_podcast Our theme music is produced, writte...

Who is your favorite babysitter character? For author and illustrator Gale Galligan they identify with a few, but they are definitely a Claudia is my book. In this episode we talk to Gale about their start into illustrating, how they became obsessed with yo-yo competitions and how is sparked their idea for their stand-alone graphic novel Freestyle.  You can learn more about Gale on their webs...

As we get ready for the Newbery winner award to be announced we wanted to revisit an episode we did with 2020 Newbery Winner for the book The New Kid author and illustrator Jerry Craft. 

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Especially your own life.  This episode we get to talk with the creative force behind the popular Invisible Emmie and Friends series, Terri Libenson.  We learn about her love of creating art and illustrations and how starting in the greeting card business helped hone her skills.  Visit her on her website  or follow her on Twitter , Instagram...

Censorship and intolerance are on full display in this timely and middle grade novel by award winning author Amy Sarig King.  When Mac and his friends find that the book The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen has blacked out words throughout, they set out to discover why this happening and to right this wrong.  While defending the voice of an author, Mac also finds his own voice and how po...

From our tables to yours, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with laughter, love and stories

It's Halloween and time to dive into a bag of candy and curl up with spooky read.  And our hosts have some truly eerie and scary stories to tell you about.  Whether a mystery or horror these reads are sure to send some chills down your spine. 

Welcome to a new season of Amongst the Books! We are happy to have you join us. We have some new hosts this season and they are excited to recommend some books they read over the summer.  Be sure to follow us to get all of the latest episodes. And be sure to share us with your friends.  Stay Happy. Stay Healthy. And Keep Reading

We took some time off but we are back - with some new co-hosts.  We sat down with some language arts teachers to get their summer reading book recommendations, how to find that just right book, how to help motivate others to read, and which is better - the book or the movie. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram. And you can find us where ever you get your podcasts. Our theme music was w...

Don't let your inner critic get the best of you. You are smart, beautiful and amazing.  Author/illustrator Marie D'Abreo created the amazing book series Beautiful that speaks to readers of all ages about how your should value yourself above what others think of you.  You can follow Marie on her website mariedabreo.com on Instagram @mdabreo and on Twitter @mariedabreo Follow us on Twitter...

Vengeful gods, deathly monsters, and celebrated heroes are some of the ways one can describe Greek mythology. And through the Olympians, a graphic novel series by acclaimed author George O'Connor, readers discover this world in full-color and with gripping narrative. Today we are honored to welcome George O’Connor as he talks to us about how he came to love Greek Mythology and why he is more Calvi...

History is more than dates and facts, it is filled with the story of those who survived them.  Author Lauren Tarshis's best-selling series I Survived focuses on the story of a fictional young adult who survived major historical events.  Her passion for writing and creating characters who are both relatable and historically accurate.  To learn more about Lauren and her books you can...

Every voice is unique. Every voice is valuable. And when you find people who accept you for you and welcome all of your quirks is a true gift. Girl Haven is a graphic novel that speaks to all people coming into their own and learning they are not alone.  Lilah Sturges and Meaghan Carter is the creative team behind Girl Haven from Oni Press a story of friendship, new worlds, warrior bunnies, a...

It's the official start of summer! And we at Amongst the Books want to make sure that while you are enjoying your time in the sun that you remember how important it is to keep reading.  Books can take you on some amazing adventures, introduce you to unique voices and viewpoints, and even open your eyes to new worlds both real and imaginative.   So to help we reached out to some friends t...

Never give up on yourself, and never stop writing. Author Marissa Meyer sat down with us to talk about her best-selling series, building new worlds, creating strong female characters, and how listening to each other can make a difference.   Follow Marissa on her website at marissameyer.com on Twitter @marissa_meyer on Instagram @marissameyerauthor and follow her podcast The Happy Writer where...

All creatures, no matter how small, can make a powerful difference.  And when working together, they accomplish the greatest of feats.  Ben Fisher, Emily Whitten, and Michelle Nguyen show how teamwork and dedication can result in an amazing creation as evident in their series Underfoot.  We got to speak to the team about their process, how they came together, and that there are more...

Summer months are coming and with that summer reading.  Today's episode has us chatting with the librarians from the Paramus  New Jersey Public and Branch Libraries about supporting reading, finding just the right books, and TikTok.  We were lucky to get to sit outside (socially distanced and fully masked of course) to record our episode and learn more about how the library is here...

Jarod Pratt and Jey Odin are the dynamic duo behind the new sci-fi graphic novel The Lemonade Code, and they brought a ton of laughs and amazing insights into the creative process on today's episode.  It was such a pleasure getting to talk to them and my sides will never be the same.  You can follow Jarod on Twitter @jarodrhyspratt And you can follow Jey on Twitter and Instagram @JeyOdin...

Allergic is a new graphic novel from Graphix Books and speaks to all those readers who suffer from allergies.  But the creative team of Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter have created a story that is timely, realistic, and relatable to all readers, both allergy sufferers and non-allergy sufferers as well.  It was an honor to get to talk with them about their touching collaboratio...

Sometimes you need to step away from your work to help clear your head and refocus.  Mark Crilley is a firm believer in moving when you need to get through writer's block. This is just one of the subjects we touch on with Eisner Award-nominated Mark Crilley author and illustrator of the new book My Last Summer with Cass a story about two girls, their friendship, and how finding your voice doe...