Stef Wade’s Q AND U CALL IT QUITS to be published by HarperCollins

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Stef Wade

I’m QUivering with excitement to finally announce to you my third picture book! Q AND U CALL IT QUITS is set to release Summer 2021, published by HarperCollins, with Jorge Martin illustrating. I’m beyond thrilled to be working with Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins and to see my words come to life through the magic of Jorge Martin.

Q AND U CALL IT QUITS is a story of two good friends, Q&U. When U gets sick of Q being needy, she sets off for some alone time. When the other letter blends catch wind of the split, they begin to drift apart, creating chaos and confusion. How can the words be spelled without the letter blends?

This story has no lack of puns and silly humor, but also helps teach children about letter blend sounds through the theme of teamwork.

I’m so excited to be working with Jorge Martin. He has illustrated a family favorite of ours, LITTLE TACO TRUCK, along with FAIRY TALE PETS, and various other children’s titles. His illustrations are whimsical and colorful and I know he is going to knock it out of the park with our friends Q and U. You can check out his work here.

Jorge Martin’s Little Taco Truck – a Wade family favorite!

I’ll have more information in the future. Thanks for coming along on this ride with me. I feel blessed to continue on this exciting path doing what I love the most!

To read the full rights report from Publisher’s Weekly, click here.

A PLACE FOR PLUTO is Black Eyed Susan Award Nominee

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Stef Wade

A PLACE FOR PLUTO has made the nominee list for the Maryland Association of School Librarians Black Eyed Susan Award for the 2019-2020 school year! What does this mean? It means that during the upcoming school year, students vote from the nominees on their favorite of the bunch, from picture books through young adult. Awards are given in May 2020.

I’m so excited to be a part of this and blown away at the list of names. It is surreal to see my name on a list of such amazing authors. And I’d like to send a special shout-out to Melanie Demmer, illustrator of A PLACE FOR PLUTO. It would never have made this list without you!

Below is a list of the picture book nominees. To see a full list of the nominees, click here. If you haven’t checked out any or all of the books on this list, please run to the library or book store and do so!

Stef Wade earns children’s literary award for Wisconsin writers

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Stef Wade

I continue to be awed and humbled by the outpouring of love for this first book of mine. And…I’m excited to announce that I am the honorable mention recipient for the Council For Wisconsin Writers Tofte/Wright Children’s Literary Award for the writing of A PLACE FOR PLUTO. This award is given to Wisconsin residents for literary works for children published in 2018. I’m honored to be in great company with author Patricia Sutton for her work on CAPSIZED.

A full list of winners from other categories can be found here.

Below is some information and history on the award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers website:

Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award

The Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award is given to the Best Children’s Book published by a Wisconsin-based writer in the previous year. From 1966 to 1992 this award was known as the Juvenile Book Award, and from 1997-2003 as the Arthur Tofte Juvenile Fiction Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.

About its namesakes:

Arthur Tofte (1902-1980) enjoyed two distinctly different careers: one as a businessman and the other as an author of science fiction, fantasy, and the occult. He published his first story, “The Meteor Monsters,” for Amazing magazine in 1938 when he was a member of the Milwaukee Fictioneers, a group focused on the memory and style of influential science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. Tofte then focused on his career as a business executive in Milwaukee. Upon his retirement in 1969, and with the encouragement of editor Roger Elwood, he began publishing again, eventually producing five novels, 18 short stories, and four essays. His most popular works include Crash Landing on Iduna (1975), Walls Within Walls (1975), and The Ghost Hunters. His The Day the Earth Stood Still (1976) is a full-length version of the short story made into the world-famous film.

Betty Ren Wright (1927- 2013) grew up in Milwaukee, graduated from Milwaukee-Downer College (now Lawrence University), and worked as an editor for Western Publishing Co. in Racine from 1949 to 1978 until turning to writing full time. Known for her mastery of mystery and suspense, her popular mysteries for middle-grade readers include A Ghost in the House, The Ghost of Mercy Manor, Too Many Secrets, and A Ghost Comes Calling. Her novel The Dollhouse Murders was a 1983 Edgar Award nominee in the best juvenile category and won the Texas Blue Bonnet Award. She also wrote 35 picture books, and her short stories appeared in Young Miss, Ladies’ Home Journal, Redbook, and many other magazines.

A PLACE FOR PLUTO Recognized as LITA Golden Duck Notable Picture Book

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Stef Wade

Pluto belongs on another out-of-this-world list! The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), recently announced the 2019 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists.

I’m happy to announce that A PLACE FOR PLUTO has been recognized as a 2019 Golden Duck Notable Picture Book! Below is a list of all the books, from picture book through young adult. To read the full article, please click here.

The Golden Duck Notable Picture Books List

Bitty Bot’s Big Beach Getaway by Tim McCanna. Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. Paula Wise-man/Simon & Schuster.

Breaking News: Alien Alert by David Biedrzycki. Charlesbridge.

Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey. Little, Brown YR.

If You Had a Jetpack by Lisl H. Detlefsen. Illustrated by Linzie Hunter. Knopf.

Little Robot Alone by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest. Illustrated by Matt Phelan. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade. Illustrated by Melanie Demmer. Capstone Editions.

The Eleanor Cameron Notable Middle Grade Books List

CatStronauts: Robot Rescue by Drew Brockington. Little, Brown YR. (Graphic novel).

Jamie Drake Equation by Christopher Edge. Delacorte.

Margot and Mateo Save the World by Darcy Miller. HarperCollins.

Mega Robo Bros by Neill Cameron. Scholastic. (Graphic novel).

A Problematic Paradox by Eliot Sappingfield. G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Quantum Mechanics by Jeff Weigel. Lion Forge. (Graphic novel).

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks. Disney/Hyperion. (Graphic novel).

Star Scouts: The League of Lasers by Mike Lawrence. First Second. (Graphic novel).

The Story Pirates Present: Stuck in the Stone Age by Geoff Rodkey. Rodale Kids.

Too Much Space! (Beep and Bob) by Jonathan Roth. Simon and Schuster BYR.

Voyage of the Dogs by Greg Van Eekhout. HarperCollins.

Waste of Space by Stuart Gibbs. Simon & Schuster BYR.

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown. Little, Brown YR.

The Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Books List

A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

Cross Fire by Fonda Lee. Scholastic.

The Future Will Be B.S.-Free by Will Mcintosh. Delacorte.

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan. Albert Whitman.

Impostors by Scott Westerfeld. Scholastic.

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda. Feiwel and Friends.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. Delacorte.

The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna. Sky Pony.

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton, Delacorte.

This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson. HarperTeen.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Hyperion.

Your One & Only by Adrianne Finlay. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

A PLACE FOR PLUTO LANDS ON TXLA 2×2 READING LIST

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Stef Wade

I’m excited to share some great news! A PLACE FOR PLUTO was recently announced as part of the Texas Library Association’s (TXLA) 2×2 Reading List. The 2×2 Reading List is a curated list of 20 titles for 2019 that recommends 20 picture book titles for children age 2 through grade 2. This list is designed to encourage reading and is used by parents, teachers, and caregivers in Texas and beyond!

The list of 20 books includes:

A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade, illustrated by Melanie Demmer (Capstone, 2018)

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal (Candlewick, 2018)

Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings (Random House, 2018)

Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli (Random House, 2018)

Festival of Colors by Kabir and Surishtha Sehgal, illustrated by Vashti Harrison (Simon & Schuster, 2018)

How Are You? / ¿Cómo estás? by Angela Dominguez (Henry Holt and Co., 2018)

Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez, illustrated by Felicita Sala (Alfred A. Knopf, 2018)

Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Scott Magoon (Orchard Books, 2018)

People Don’t Bite People by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Molly Idle (Simon & Schuster, 2018)

Russell Wrestles the Relatives by Cindy Chambers Johnson, illustrated by Daniel Duncan (Aladdin, 2018)

Shake the Tree! By Chiara Vignocchi, illustrated by Silvia Borando (Candlewick, 2018)

Shapes by Jacques Duquennoy (Chronicle, 2018)

Stegothesaurus by Bridget Heos, illustrated by T.L. McBeth (Henry Holt and Co., 2018)

Teddy’s Favorite Toy by Christian Trimmer, illustrated by Madeline Valentine (Atheneum Books, 2018)

The Itchy Book by LeUyen Pham (Hyperion Books for Children, 2018)

The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez (Scholastic Press, 2018)

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (Dial Books, 2018)

Truck Full of Ducks by Ross Burach (Scholastic Press, 2018)

What Do They Do With All That Poo? by Jane Kurtz, illustrated by Allison Black (Beach Lane Books, 2018)

What if… by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Mike Curato (Little, Brown and Company, 2018)

To see the full article, please click here.

I’m honored that #plutobelongs on this list with so many distinguished and talented authors. It’s an exciting time for Pluto!

Thanks for all of your support!

Stef Wade to publish next picture book in 2020

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Stef Wade

I can officially say, my newest picture book comes out next year! I’m so excited to bring you LANCE COTTONWOOD IS AFRAID TO FALL, releasing Fall 2020, published by Capstone.

LANCE COTTONWOOD follows Lance the leaf, who’s the best student in his class, but is afraid of his final exam…falling.

Get ready for another pun-ny and fact-filled adventure!

Stay tuned for more information on illustrator and release dates.

Barnes & Noble Storytime

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Stef Wade

Exciting things have been happening in Pluto’s universe this last week (and we all know he could use a little good news).

A PLACE FOR PLUTO has been chosen by Barnes & Noble as part of their National Storytime for August 11, 2018! What exactly does that mean? Every Barnes & Noble across the country holds a Saturday morning storytime each week with the same book at each store. And they’ve chosen A PLACE FOR PLUTO as one of those books! There will be a reading, worksheets and lots of Pluto love! So mark your calendars for August 11!

I couldn’t be more excited. I literally threw confetti.

And due to this development, the release date for A PLACE FOR PLUTO is now July 1, 2018! You can pre-order from Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, Amazon, Capstone and more.

Just a little over a month and PLUTO will be out on the shelves!

Pre-order A PLACE FOR PLUTO

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Stef Wade

Every step of this process makes my dream feel like a reality. Today, it’s the link…to buy my book…at Barnes & Noble! A PLACE FOR PLUTO comes out August 1, but you can order your copy now! Or two. Just kidding. (Not really kidding, they make great gifts.)

So without further ado, here is the link: A PLACE FOR PLUTO pre-order

A PLACE FOR PLUTO Cover Reveal!

Posted on February 10, 2018 by Stef Wade

The first sneak peek to A PLACE FOR PLUTO is here! The cover reveal is over at my super agent Christa Heschke’s Neverending Stories blog.

But you can also see it…..

………………

HERE!

I’m blown away by all the illustrations for this book and the cover shows them off so perfectly. I mean, the suitcase! Come on!

Melanie’s art brings a whole new level to this story. I’m excited to share this cover with you and excited to share this book with the world!

Pre-orders available soon!

Coming August 1, 2018!

A PLACE FOR PLUTO coming Summer 2018

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Stef Wade

Dreams come true.

Writing has been my “thing” since I was able to form words on a paper. Being an author has been my dream since I started reading. Eight years ago, I decided to get serious about it.

I’m proud and excited to announce that my first children’s book is becoming a reality. A PLACE FOR PLUTO will hit shelves Summer 2018.

A PLACE FOR PLUTO follows Pluto as he struggles with a bit of an identity crisis after being told he’s no longer a planet. The book is illustrated by Melanie Demmer and published by Capstone.

For the Publisher’s Weekly announcement, click here.

I’ll share more about my journey along the way, but for now, we’re popping the cork and toasting to Pluto. Here’s to chasing dreams that may seem out of this world.

Cheers!

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