Karen Cushman
Newbery award-winning children’s book author
What do Karen Hesse, R.L Stine, Adam Rex, and I have in common? That’s right. Along with eleven other writers for children and young adults, I am a judge for the 2011 School Library Journal’s Battle of the Kids’ Books, a competition pitting sixteen of the very best books for young people against each other. I ‘m sorry that one
Remember way last year when scientists discovered the blobfish? Well, this is how I feel these days. I am between books—Will Sparrow’s Road is with Dinah, my editor, waiting for her comments (gulp) and I have no new idea knocking and calling. It is not a good place for me. I tend to turn into a blobfish. Alas, alas, I
If I were in charge of the Printz Awards, I would have found my winner this weekend. But I am in charge of nothing but this website (sort of) and so will post my winner here. Ta-da, Plain Kate by Erin Bow! Laini Taylor recommended it so highly in her blog that I searched it out, saying all along, “Don’t
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is publishing a new edition of the classic The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I was honored, thrilled, and intimidated to be asked to write an introduction, but I did it. I read the book first as an adult, but I asked a number of women who read the book as a young person to tell me about
The best part about being sick but not too sick is having lots of time to read. I just finished One Crazy Summer, which I had read before but didn’t much like. I hated the title, and I found two of the main characters unbelievable. Delphine was way too responsible, competent, and nearly perfect for an eleven-year-old. And there was
I love autumn in the northwest. Lots of color, lots of rain, and the landing of tiny little space ships. No, in truth the space-ship looking things in the photo are mushrooms. Really. Mushrooms. The biggest I’ve ever seen. Near the size of dinner plates. I can imagine a whole family of fairies finding shelter from the rain under one
At last the sheepdog trials have returned to Vashon Island. I spent the day before my birthday lolling ion a hillside watching border collies herd sheep from one end of a field to the other. I love it. People show up with dogs and kids and picnic lunches and we all clap loudly when a dog manages to move the
Happy anniversary to Neil and Kirby Larson, married thirty-five years ago today. I urge you to go and read her fabulous books. A new one for the Dear America series, The Fences Between Us, is splendid and available now. And here is a repeat from last year. It is still true: On this day in 1969 Philip and I were
All for Kids was one of those great stores that had nearly any book a child could want, a few for their parents, and a staff that new everything—absolutely everything—about children’s books. Want a book about a squirrel? Here it is. Or a fantasy about snake charmers and evil wizards? Right there. It was a pleasure to shop there and, for us writers,
Barleycorn the wonder dog has just qualified as a registered therapy dog. He’ll take over from his co-dog, Siena, who—if there is such a place as dog heaven—has surely gone there. I’m glad my brother keeps me up to date on doings because all that is happening here is work, work, work—and an occasional episode of Inspector Morse or Foyle’s
