
Heavy Medal
March 4, 2025 by Betsy Bird
"...size is one of the first mysteries to confront us when we’re children. It’s still a mystery." Laura Amy Schlitz joins us in conversation as we reveal the cover of her latest book, The Winter of the Dollhouse.
January 27, 2021 by Betsy Bird
This is a book positioned to impress, that then sneaks over and steals your heart. Hermes would be proud.
July 7, 2020 by Betsy Bird
The Newbery Award winning author returns with a book set in ancient Greece full of snarky gods and fearsome goddesses, slaves and masters, mothers and philosophers. And I have the cover reveal.
March 1, 2018 by Betsy Bird
It’s been a while! You can tell when I’ve been flush with content because my Fusenews posts become a bit less frequent. But here we go. I’m back, and I just have so MUCH to tell you! Where to start, where to start . . . . I know! Let’s begin with everyone’s favorite subject. […]
January 12, 2018 by Betsy Bird
Science Alert, people. New Study Shows It Does Matter Which Books You Read to Your Baby: Not all stories are equal when it comes to development. Naturally I read that and immediately wanted a listing of books that were good for babies. It’s not that kind of article (dang) thought it does namecheck those old […]
January 20, 2017 by Betsy Bird
Princess Cora and the Crocodile By Laura Amy Schlitz Illustrated by Brian Floca Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4822-0 Early Chapter Book On shelves March 28th What if. What if Good Night Moon had been illustrated by someone other than Clement Hurd? What if. What if Charlotte’s Web had had an artist who wasn’t Garth Williams? […]
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October 18, 2015 by Betsy Bird
I don’t usually post anything aside from videos on Sunday but after attending the IBBY Conference in NYC this past weekend this topic came up and seemed well worth pursuing. Not long ago I reviewed The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz. It’s a fine, unique historical novel about a 14-year-old girl who escapes a […]
October 6, 2015 by Betsy Bird
The Hired Girl By Laura Amy Schlitz Candlewick Press $17.99 ISBN: 978-0763678180 Ages 12 and up Bildungsroman. Definition: “A novel dealing with one person’s formative years or spiritual education.” A certain strain of English major quivers at the very term. Get enough Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man shoved down your gullet and […]
December 13, 2012 by Betsy Bird
Splendors and Glooms By Laura Amy Schlitz Candlewick Press $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-5380-4 Ages 10 and up On shelves now. Do you remember that moment in the film version of The Princess Bride where the grandfather is trying to convince his stubborn grandson that the book he’s about to read is fantastic? He lures the kid […]
April 25, 2012 by Betsy Bird
You’ve got your big-time fancy pants New York publishers on the one hand, and then you have your big-time fancy pants Boston publishers on the other. A perusal of Minders of Make-Believe by Leonard Marcus provides a pretty good explanation for why Boston is, in its way, a small children’s book enclave of its own. […]
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