In this addictive, charming, and entirely delightful story, Shannon Hale brings out the Jane Austen obsessive in all of us.
Read by Ina Barrón, AUSTENLAND is available wherever you listen to audiobooks!
Ditched our writing retreat for an interpretive dance sesh. Such choreography transcends labels, but our inspiration comes from something the wise & generous @megmedinabooks once said, “You never forget the books you loved as a kid. You never forget the poems you memorized, the first book you read until the cover fell off, the book you read hidden from your mother. What an honor to hold hands with a child’s imagination in this way.”
All titles available for sale @folkloremidway
I love this quote by Laurie Halse Anderson. Today I am glorying in the absolutely embarrassment of riches that is children's literature today. So many skilled, hard-working, compassionate, caring, open-hearted, wonderful people work this field. People who care so much about kids and teens and work actively to create books for them.
As former US Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds said: “This was never about success. I have a genuine, marrow-deep love for the people that I’m working for, and that means a lot to me. I love these kids.”
This is the heart I see in the kid lit writers I know. I see you. I value you. This is an impossible field to try to make a career. The highs can be so gloriously high and the lows are Wile E. Coyote cartoonishly low. Probably because we care so, so, so much. About kids. About teens. About storytelling. About the craft and creating something worth sending into the world. About the magic that happens when readers finds just the right stories to hold their hands in just the right moments.
Laurie Halse Anderson’s quote:
“I believe that the universe cares for us. And if you have a seed in your soul that makes you hunger to create something, whether that’s music or dance or art, or write stories or poems, songs – you were given that for a reason. You have some stories to tell. And in dark times, your stories are light.”
“So it’s hard now. It’s hard for everybody. If you have the desire, you have the gift. Frankly, you’re being called. You are being called by the world to tell your story. We need your story. We need you on the page. We need you in our ears. Please, please don’t give up hope because you are our hope. Keep writing.” #kidlit #childrensbooks #writing
Adorbs! @uyenloseordraw designed the new @americanlibraryassociation ALA Reads poster! Along with matching bookmarks it's available on their website now. #ittybittykittycorn #kittycorn
Mother's Day is this Sunday. You know what would be the perfect gift? The new edition of AUSTENLAND hits bookstores everywhere today! This updated edition contains many new and expanded scenes, gorgeous cover by @kglyder , and bonus 50 page memoir of anecdotes about making the book and the movie, filming seven weeks in England, and premiering it at Sundance. Also out today, the new audiobook, narrated by @inabarron , with bonus pages narrated by me (eek). #austenland #mothersday
Indulge in a year of Austenland…
Austenland updated edition on sale May 5, 2026. Read the novel that started it all as if for the first time! This new edition includes fresh scenes, more hilarity, increased swooniness, and bonus 50 pages of anecdotes about the making of the movie.
Midnight in Austenland updated edition on sale June 30, 2026. Same Austenland, whole new heroine! It’s summer in England, and Charlotte is primed for empire-waist gowns, high tea in the gardens, and hardcore Regency flirting. But nothing ruins a game of croquet like suspecting the other players of murder...
Christmas in Austenland on sale September 22, 2026. It’s Christmastime in England. Surely twelve days in Austenland full of roasting chestnuts, figgy pudding, and gents in breeches will be enough to solve all of Kestrel’s problems… This brand new novel is a perfect treat for yourself and bonus holiday gift for the Austen fan in your life.
Link to preorder the books in bio. #austenland
At a friend's house in California and I was amazed at the bounty of her garden in April. Bananas (with bonus banana flower)! Limes! Blueberries! Artichokes! Oranges! Year-round fresh produce. Wow, says this Utah girl. Seriously, it's like candy growing on trees.
The PRINCESS ACADEMY: Graphic Novel tour is complete! I did 24 school visits in 15 cities across 7 states, plus 2 bookstore events, one book festival, one librarian conference, and one educator conference, and met countless amazing kids, teachers, librarians, booksellers, media escorts, and readers. I didn’t sleep last night so much as fall into a coma. Thanks for all the love for this book by me and @victoriaying . And thanks indie bookstores for making it an instant Indie Bestseller!
It's unbelievable to me, but these two adorable, precious, hilarious, sweet, innocent picture books are frequently banned. I never, ever expected it. This is one sign of how out of control book banning has already become, costing millions of dollars of tax payer money and threatening freedom of speech. It'll get worse if the national book banning bill passes.
HR 7661 will ban from every public school in the country any book that includes “sexually oriented material.” This is so vague, even these picture books have been banned from some school districts for being “sexually explicit.” I mean, WHAT??
Please take action to help protect books, kids, reading, literacy, freedom of information, education, parent choice, and local control. Here are some steps you can take, via @authorsagainstbookbans :
1. Call your representative. @5calls makes it easy to find your rep and they already have a script if you need one.
2. Post a video on social media. 70% of Americans oppose book bans, which means bans often happen because the majority of readers never hear about them. It’s time for us to change that.
3. Post HR 7661 info slides. You can find graphics and alt text at the link in the @authorsagainstbookbans bio. Please share widely.
4. Talk to your friends. Your family. The folks at the dog park. Tell them about this bill and encourage them to take action too. THANK YOU!
