BOOK NEWS — January 15, 2026
Happy New Year! We’ve reached 2026. We don’t know what the year will bring. (Hopefully some good things.) For me, 2026 means the launch of my debut middle-grade novel, Tested, in March.
2025 held many milestones in the journey toward getting Tested out in the world. Edits continued well into spring, advance reader copies arrived this summer, and now it’s making it’s way through the pre-launch gauntlet. Three recent high points:
Publishers Weekly Spring 2026 Writers to Watch. PW does a feature on promising debut authors each season. I’m thrilled to be part of that group for Spring 2026, alongside young adult authors Ama Ofosua Lieb, Petra Lord, Cassie Miller, and René Peña-Govea. The news that PW was interested in including me came with twelve interview questions to answer via email. Those questions could have been the basis for a memoir, and it’s interesting to see what they chose to focus on and what quotes they pulled. I had a suspicion they’s take the line “Behind that wild week of getting two books deals in a row was 14 years of pigheaded perseverance with no guarantee of success.” That was my best line. The hook they chose was how an article in the MIT Technology Review became the inspiration for Tested. Read the Publishers Weekly Writers to Watch feature here.
Excellent review from Kirkus. Among the trade review journals, Kirkus has a reputation of being tough, so I was pleased with the write-up for Tested. They noted that protagonist Mikayla “develops a strong moral core” and, overall, called Tested “A compelling, thought-provoking vision.” Read the full review here.
Junior Library Guild Selection. The Junior Library Guild curates a list of best children’s and young adult titles of the year for their subscription service for libraries. I recently found out that Tested is one of their selections for 2026! I’m delighted. JLG does their selection prior to publication—usually before other reviews or best-of-the-year lists are out—so it’s an encouraging first bit of recognition, and rumor has it that it often heralds further good reviews.
FOR READERS
The best book I read this month was the YA historical thriller Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. Set in 1945, the story brings together four teens, each hiding a secret, who are fleeing East Prussia near the end of WWII. I’m ten years behind on this one (it came out in 2016 to great acclaim) but for those of you who, like me, didn’t pick it up then, it’s not too late.
FOR WRITERS
I’m feeling really grateful for Boyds Mills (the former Highlights Foundation) and what the organization offers to children’s and young adult writers. I’ve taken several of their workshops, and each one has helped me towards my goal of getting books out into the world. I started with “Getting Your Middle Grade Novel Unstuck” in 2020 and I’m currently doing “Successful School Visits for Authors and Illustrators.” I’m a huge fan. Check out their upcoming workshop schedule here.
FOR FUN
Over the holidays, my canine nephew, Sarge, declared Tested his favorite book of the year.
