📣 ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! 📣
so excited to get to share with you all my young adult debut, THEY CARVED US TO BE PERFECT, a Pinocchio retelling using the Golem myth in which, instead of building golems to protect people, golems are used to try to create a town with perfect, obedient children.
For as long as I could remember, I remember always being extremely disturbed with the Pinocchio story. The way in which Pinocchio’s humanity is denied him unless he behaves—— even in the Disney retelling, the blue fairy says that only if he shows that he can be selfless and brave, can he actually become human.
How often do we see that now? How often do we see abuses towards kids and teens being excused because they simply are not behaving as adults around them want?
Lots of things to my wonderful agent @renarossner and my team at @tundrabooks for their unwavering support of me and my stories.
Cannot wait for you to meet Oren and Celia and Giacomo in 2027!!!!
It’s the two year anniversary of my debut novel, DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR MONSTER releasing! And what an incredible two years it has been!
A Sydney Taylor Honor award!
Two starred reviews!!
A Junior Library Guild gold standard selection
One of Evanston Public Library’s 101 Best Books For Kids 2023
Kirkus Best Middle Grade of 2023
And it’s 4 state reading lists
(Illinois, Maine, Connecticut and New Hampshire)
PLUS!!! I just learned that DWTBYM has more than 16,000 copies in print!!!! 🤩
So happy birthday, little dream book! 🧛🏻 ❤️
Currently KVELLING at all the accolades BENJI ZEB IS A RAVENOUS WEREWOLF has received! Including:
🥉 a Sydney Taylor notable award
🥈 a Jewish Book award finalist
🥈 a CYBILS award finalist in MG speculative
📝 the Pedro & Daniel Intersectionality Award Longlist
⭐️⭐️ Two starred reviews
🏅a Junior Library Gold Gold Standard selection
💯 One of Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids
Went to @halfpricebooks outlet in Olympia for my birthday- got four books of the clearance rack for $4!
PANIC IN A SUITCASE by Ukrainian author Yelena Akhtiorskaya 🇺🇦
ART TREE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER by Caribbean author Jamaica Kincaid 🇦🇬
SANDY KOUFAX biography ✡️
THE MAKING OF ANOTHER MAJOR MOTION PICTURE MASTERPIECE by @tomhanks 🇺🇸
Excited to have some more international authors to help with my goal to read more internationally in 2026!
So grateful to the @haroldgrinspoonfoundation for sending me a complimentary copy of BENJI ZEB IS A RAVENOUS WEREWOLF with the PJ Our Way banner- this is a free book program for Jewish kids ages 9 to 13. And I don’t know how they managed it but look at the size difference! Benji Zeb looks so skinny!!!!
so very thankful that this program will help get my very very queer Jewish book in the hands of Jewish readers for free! (and thankful that my book which that only is about werewolves, but also about how you can still live fully religiously observant life, while being true to your self will be available for readers to discover!)
If you are not a PJ our way participant, you can still get yourself a copy of Benji Zeb is a ravenous werewolf everywhere books are sold. It just won’t be as skinny. Out now from @tundrabooks 🤣
Join us to discuss our April Jewish Queer book club book, Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf, with author Deke Moulton, now on May 12th. Ask your questions, bring your theories, and spend time discussing this awesome book. Sign up at jqy.org/bookhang
My #jewishamericanheritagemonth TBR (even if not all of my books are American. I am trying to dedicate this month to reading as many of my Jewish books as possible… As well as writing my own lol)
🧳 RETURNING by Nicholas Lemann (and sent to me by @nureadsjbc )
🏛️ Jews vs. Rome by Barry Strauss
🕰️ Fagin the Thief by @rapscallison
🇮🇱 My Promised Land by Ari Shavit
⚾️ Breakout Year by @kdcaseywrites
⛏️ Tunnels by @rutumodan have you read any of these? Which one do you think I should read first?
☔️ April reads! ☔️
(can you tell that I spent most of my free time writing this month?)
I have certainly been noticing my reading habit shifting as I am much more likely to pick up a adult book than a middle grade. Though I suppose that is appropriate as my next two novels will be young adult, and I will probably eventually shift to writing for adults after that.
I only had one DNF this month though, so I guess I am choosing my books much more carefully!
Books total: 11
Picture books: 3
Middle grade: 2
Young adults: 0
Adult: 6
Nonfiction: 3
Fiction: 8
Have you read any of these books? Or any of them on your TBR?
So happy to share that my sophomore middle grade novel BENJI ZEB IS A RAVENOUS WEREWOLF is a @haroldgrinspoonfoundation@pjlibrary PJ Our Way selection!
This month, Jewish kids around the world have the option to choose my book and have it delivered to their house for free!! So happy to get my book into the hands of readers, most especially my very target audience!! (and how cool is it that friends @sofipasternack@marilwrites and @mo_netz ‘s books are used for comps!)
But even if you aren’t in the PJ our Way program, you can still find my book everywhere books are sold through @tundrabooks
Today for independent bookstore day, I visited the absolutely charming @thelakewoodbookstore
Saw some bookmarks for @jessicapayne.writer ‘s next book (and dropped off some of my own!)
And I picked up a book that @michelle_timian has been telling me to get for ages now!
📚 🛒 💨 HAPPY INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY!
Independent bookstores MAKE authors careers! I don’t know where I would be without the support of my local Indie @browsersbooks for all of their incredible work and helping me launch my career.
It is wild nearly 3 years after my debut book DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR MONSTER released, to see just how far I have come. The awards I have won the accolades I have received. And working behind the scenes, our book sellers wanting to get quality books in the hands of readers.
So make sure that you shop small, shop local, shop independent!! today, and every day!
