It is an exciting time when you are waiting for your new book to come out. You wait for a box full fresh-smelling books to arrive at your door. You wait for reviews. You wait for a lot of things. The waiting for reviews part is exciting and scary though. You want people to like your book, and it’s nerve wracking wondering what people will say and wondering if they will see the love you put into the book and the ideas that are important to you.
On that account, I have a little bit of good news. New Kids and Underdogs, which comes out on October 25th, is now a Junior Library Guild selection.
It has also received its first review. Kirkus calls it, “A thoughtful story about learning to look beneath the surface and be a better friend.”
Thank you, Kirkus! I love this comment because it is exactly what I wanted to do with this book. I wanted to write something that showcases how hard it can be for us to see past ourselves and our own insecurities and truly see the person that we are looking at. I was a new kid many times, and that was always one of the challenges that I faced, and it’s a challenge that I think many of adults and kids face too. But being a friend requires us to see past a person’s surface and to see all sides of them. That may not always be easy, but it is so important for both our development and our happiness.
I hope you have a chance to read the book. If you do, be sure to let me know what you think. I’ll be a little scared and a little excited. Fingers crossed that the book connects with you.