Watch our Winter 2025 School & Library Virtual Preview!

Watch our MacKids School & Library Winter 2025 Preview Event where we previewed upcoming picture books, middle grade, and young adult titles! You’ll hear from talented creators, including Cindy Derby (Wheetle), Guojing (Oasis), and Jess Callans (Ollie in Between)! Plus, civil rights author-activists Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long are in conversation discussing their young adult adaptation of King: A Life by Jonathan Eig. 

Stay tuned to hear from our live special guest, New York Times bestselling and Michael L. Printz award-winning author, Libba Bray! Libba is in conversation talking about Under the Same Stars, her newest young adult novel that interweaves magical realism and romance across timelines to unravel a mystery that culminates into cinematic and earth-shattering revelations.

Timestamps:
3:20 – Michael G. Long and Yohuru Williams in conversation King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)
14:48 – Picture Books
25:10 – Cindy Derby Wheetle
27:10 – Middle Grade
32:13 – Guojing Oasis
38:37 – Jess Callans Ollie in Between
42:20 – Young Adult
49:38 – Libba Bray in conversation Under the Same Stars

Educator Guide: Abuelo, the Sea, and Me by Ismée Williams; illustrated by Tatiana Gardel

Educator Guide for Abuelo, the Sea, and Me
Abuelo, the Sea, and Me

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me
By Ismée Williams; illustrated by Tatiana Gardel
Ages 4-8
On Sale Now!

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me is a tender, heartwarming picture book that vividly explores intergenerational connections, family history, and the immigrant experience.

When this grandchild visits her abuelo, he takes her to the ocean. In summer, they kick off their shoes and let the cool waves tickle their toes. In winter, they stand on the cliff and let the sea spray prick their noses and cheeks. No matter the season, hot or cold, their favorite place to spend time together is the beach.

It’s here that Abuelo is able to open up about his youth in Havana, Cuba. As they walk along the sand, he recalls the tastes, sounds, and smells of his childhood. And with his words, Cuba comes alive for his grandchild.

DOWNLOAD THE Educator Guide: Abuelo, the Sea, and Me DISCUSSION GUIDE HERE→

How This Book Was Made: Bye Land, Bye Sea by René Spencer and Rodolfo Montalvo

How This Book Was Made: Bye Land, Bye Sea

Go behind the scenes of Bye Land, Bye Sea by René Spencer and Rodolfo Montalvo. Two children from different backgrounds show that friendship has no language in this epic bilingual story about being lost and finding a friend who understands.

Read on for an interview with René Spencer, Rodolfo Montalvo, Emily Feinberg, Executive Editor at Roaring Brook Press, and Mina Chung, Associate Art Director at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group to learn more about how this book was made, preview interior art, and take a peek into the artist’s sketchbook.

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Celebrating Indigenous Voices for National Native American Heritage Month

Celebrating Indigenous Voices for National Native American Heritage Month

Native-American-Heritage-Month-Resource-Center


Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month in your school or library! Keep reading to find more book recommendations, download resources for your classroom—including a teacher’s guide for Saints of the Household and an activity kit for Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior—and hear from H.E. Edgmon about their debut middle grade novel The Flicker!

Find more books for National Native American Heritage Month here →

Discussion Guide: Greta by J.S. Lemon

Greta

Greta
By J.S. Lemon
Ages 10-14
On Sale Now!

Fish in a Tree meets Fighting Words in J. S. Lemon’s middle grade debut, a fiercely original story about friendship, healing, and the beauty of transformation.

Greta Goodwin’s life is changing. On top of moving to a new neighborhood far away from her best friend, Lotti, she’s also starting middle school. Greta isn’t totally ready for boys, bras, and the chaotic cafeteria. She still feels like a little kid compared to those female classmates who have suddenly matured over the summer. Girls who are now the talk of the school—unlike Greta, who would rather fly under the radar, especially after a bad haircut that makes her look less “effortlessly beautiful” and more “triangle with legs.”

But at her first-ever middle-school party, a boy does pay attention to Greta. Initially it feels good. And then it feels awful. In the aftermath, Greta can’t make sense of what’s happened, let alone talk about it, even to Lotti. Impossibly, Greta’s body starts to change in a vastly different way from everyone else’s. What follows leads Greta to believe the world might finally see her as she truly is: ethereal, powerful, and free.

Sensitively told, stunningly written, and surprisingly funny, Greta will transform readers just as Greta herself is transformed.

DOWNLOAD THE GRETA DISCUSSION GUIDE HERE→