I’m so excited to announce A PLACE FOR PLUTO written by me, Stef Wade, illustrated by Melanie Demmer, is now available on one of my favorite apps, Novel Effect!

Novel Effect is an app that brings stories to life with soundscapes and voiceovers. The app responds to your voice as you read a book aloud, creating a super fun and engaging story time!

I use Novel Effect in our school library and the kids are always begging to read a “speaker book.” I couldn’t be more excited to have A Place for Pluto in the Novel Effect library.

I had the joy of experiencing the behind the scenes soundscape process with the awesome staff of creators, musicians, and artists. And now Pluto has an actual voice! It’s so adorable, you have to hear it for yourself.

I’m honored to have collaborated on this project and love that I’m still experiencing new things with this very special first picture book I ever wrote.

Novel Effect also makes a great gift for a teacher or a friend!

I’m so excited about the release of my second picture book, THE VERY LAST LEAF, illustrated by Jennifer Davison. And to kick things off, I was (virtually) interviewed by Picture Book Perfect blogger, Rachael, on all things Lance Cottonwood. Rachael so kindly calls THE VERY LAST LEAF, a “tree-mendous picture book with a blossoming balance of nature facts and an autumnal story about overcoming anxiety” and notes it as one of her top picks for 2020!

To check out the interview, click here! 

Any time A PLACE FOR PLUTO is nominated or wins an award, I have to say, my heart soars with excitement. Most recently, A PLACE FOR PLUTO written by Stef Wade (that’s me!) and illustrated by Melanie Demmer, was awarded runner-up for the 2020 Magnolia Book Award, awarded by the Mississippi Children’s Museum.

This award is extra special because it is voted on by the true audience of these books…the kids! Students in Mississippi, ages kindergarten through second grade, were eligible to vote for this award. It means so much to me to know these kids hold a special place in their heart for our pal, Pluto.

The winner of the 2020 Magnolia Book Award goes WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THAT POO? by Jane Kurtz, illustrated by Allison Black.

The winners for every category can be found at the Mississippi Children’s Museum website. To view the list, click here.

For more about A PLACE FOR PLUTO, links for ordering, and more on my upcoming books, click here.

Thanks to all the kids who voted for Pluto! We all know he can use all the love he can get.

Thanks and keep on reading!

It is Wednesday again! And today’s YA Highway Road Trip Wednesday question asks: What was the best book you read in April?

I have to say that my reading last month lagged a bit due to the launch of my manuscript into daylight, but I did listen to a few audiobooks. This was a new experience for me…and I loved it! I bored my husband on the way down to St. Louis with my Jane Lynch autobiography, but for a girl who gets car sick, audiobooks are way better than dramamine.

My favorite read for the month was Dan Zevin’s ‘Dan Gets a Minivan: Life at the Intersection between Dude and Dad.” Not young adult. Not fiction. But very very funny for any parent. He narrates the audiobook himself and his impressions of his Jersey Jewish mother are to die for. His humor is categorized as “Seinfeldian” – so he talks a lot about nothing. My kind of guy.

I also read J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye for the very first time (gasp!). I liked it but did not love it. Does that make me a bad person?