Lauren Magaziner is the internationally bestselling author of Case Closed, The Mythics, the upcoming series The Incorruptibles (June 10, 2025), and three other stand-alone books for middle grade readers. Originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania, Lauren started writing novels when she was thirteen–and never stopped. A proud graduate of Hamilton College’s creative writing program, she wrote her debut children’s book while studying abroad in Scotland. Currently, Lauren lives in Philadelphia, where she writes full-time. www.laurenmagaziner.com.

Awards:

Lauren’s books are international bestsellers, available in 12 languages, have been Junior Library Guild picks, been on the Indie Next List, and been optioned for a TV movie with Nickelodeon.

3 Fun Facts

1. The idea for The Mythics came about because Lauren always wanted to know what her animal personality would be… but could never figure it out. After much deliberation, Lauren thinks her animal companion for life would either be a cat or a baby hippo.

2. Lauren plots her interactive pick-your-own-path Case Closed books with a massive whiteboard. She uses different colored markers to keep track of each different plot, the dead ends, and the puzzles. She does a week or two of plotting on the whiteboard before she starts writing a single word!

3. Lauren once stuck her face in a faerie river of eternal youth in Scotland. That was a decade ago, and she has not aged a day since then.

Stacy McAnulty is an award-winning children’s book author, who used to be a mechanical engineer, and who dreams of someday being a dog therapist, a correspondent for The Daily Show, an astronaut, and a Green Bay Packer coach. She’s written over 30 books, including the middle-grade novel, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, and the popular Our Universe picture book series. Her debut middle-grade nonfiction, Save the People! Halting Human Extinction was favorably reviewed in the New York Times. Most of her books include a STEM angle or an adorable dog—some have both. Originally from upstate NY, she now lives in Kernersville, NC. www.stacymcanulty.com

Awards
– Indie Bestseller The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
– Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor Recipient for Excellent Ed
– 2019 Mathical Prize Winners for The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
– The 2021-2022 Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Winner for Millionaires for the Month

3 Fun Facts

1. I believe intelligent life exists beyond Earth, but I’d really like to know for sure!
2. I studied mechanical engineering in college and then worked designing first-class airline seats. (Yet, I’ve never sat in a first-class airline seat.)
3. Local roots! Both my parents were born and raised in Hudson, and we adopted my first dog, Mandy, from the Columbia-Greene Humane Society.

Barbara Ann Mojica, M.A. S.A.S., S.D.A is a historian and retired educator. Her education career spans more than forty years serving as a teacher, special educator, principal, and school district administrator. Now retired, she provides education strategies and tips for parents and teachers through guest podcasting, book reviewing, teaching videos, and personal appearances. Barbara writes monthly historical articles for the Columbia Insider under the banner “Passages.” Using the whimsical Little Miss History character to narrate her book series, Barbara hopes to educate, entertain and inspire children to learn about historical people and places.The author teaches critical thinking skills that will empower our youth to become the leaders of tomorrow. Little Miss History’s antics make reading nonfiction a fun-filled adventure for all ages. She firmly believes, “If you don’t know your history, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”  http://www.littlemisshistory.com

Awards

The Little Miss HISTORY book series has garnered more than two dozen awards including B.R.A.G. Medallions, International Book Excellence Awards, Purple Dragonfly, International Readers’ Favorite Awards, Eric Hoffer, and Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards.

3 Fun Facts

1. I have two sets of twin grandchildren!
2. I enjoy playing BoxBollen.
3. My favorite dessert is gelato.

Victor Ramon Mojica was born and raised in Manhattan, New York, but now lives in New York Capital Region. He is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, and publisher with such works as the critically acclaimed comic book series “eugenus®, The Next Step in Human Evolution,” and Captain CROSSBONES® for LAUGHS, Volumes 1-4. www.eugenusSTUDIOS.com

Awards

BRAG Medallions

Fun Facts

1. Visited Europe (Italy) for the first time in 2024.
2. Never known a time I didn’t have a TV.
3. Been drawing since I was 5.

Torrey Maldonado, born and raised in Brooklyn’s Red Hook, approaches 30 years of teaching in NYC public schools. His fast-paced stories draw from his and his students’ lives. His popular Hands, Tight, and What Lane? are Junior Library Guild Gold Selections, won multiple awards, earned starred reviews, and are on “Best Book of the Year” and states’ lists. Hands is this year’s Global Read Aloud. His debut, Secret Saturdays, remains popular over a decade later. Oprah and the New York Times praised What Lane? as essential in showing friendship and allyship. Discover more at torreymaldonado.com or on social media @torreymaldonado

3 Fun Facts

1. By third grade, I was hooked on comic books. By fourteen, I had almost two hundred collectibles. I also had a cat named Snow White and she peed on and scratched my collection down to fifty comics. So I secretly wish I had the super power of pausing and redirecting pets to prevent them from damaging things we love.
2. I love Scrabble and word games. No one in a five mile radius can beat me in Scrabble OR no one in a five mile radius would enjoy losing as much as me in Scrabble. Stop by my table for a Scrabble match!
3. As a teen, for about a month, I taped my ears to my head with black electrical tape because I thought that would flatten my big ears. Did it work? Visit and let me know if my head has caught up with my ears.

Florence Minor is an animal lover of the highest order, but how could she not be, having grown up in a family of animal lovers. From childhood on, dogs, cats, birds, and turtles have always shared her home.

Her books with her husband Wendell – If You Were a Penguin, If You Were a Panda Bear, How To Be a Bigger Bunny – all feature animals of various species, and she loves sharing that connection with children. Her new book, Smitten with Kittens, pays homage to all the entertaining felines, past and present, who have brought so much love, joy and laughter to her life.

Visit Florence at minorart.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

FEATURED BOOK 2023

Get smitten with kittens in this rhyming picture book perfect for read-alouds. There’s so much to love about kittens–from their cute little mews to their unstoppable mischief-making! Turn to the back of the book for fascinating facts. Perfect for kitty loving kiddos everywhere!

“The cuddle factor is high as the animals’ smudgy heads peek around the edges of the book’s opening pages…. A final close-up of one fuzzy feline ‘all curled up in a cozy lap’ is practically pettable.” —Publishers Weekly

AWARDS:

Pennsylvania One Book Every Young Child selection, Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, and with Wendell: New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA) President’s Award for lifetime achievement in arts and letters; Honoree of the Boston Public Library’s 27th annual Literary Light, which recognizes outstanding writers from the Northeast for their inspiring work.

3 Fun Facts

1. I just discovered that swimming with dogs is almost as much fun as swimming with dolphins!
2. I feed the chipmunks around my house on a teeny-tiny picnic table that a friend made for me.
3. I’ve always been a cloud watcher and love it when I see a cloud that looks like an animal.

Wendell Minor began his career as a book cover designer, creating iconic covers for noted authors David McCullough and Pat Conroy among many others. His transition to children’s book illustrator and author of over 60 award winning books continues to be very rewarding.

As a nature lover and history buff, Wendell loves sharing those interests with children through the books he has authored or co-authored with Jean Craighead George, Tony Johnston, Robert Burleigh, Charlotte Zolotow, Margaret Wise Brown, Buzz Aldrin, Mary Higgins Clark, and last but not least, his wife Florence.

His work has been exhibited in various museums and galleries throughout the country.

Visit Wendell at www.minorart.com and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

FEATURED BOOK 2023

CROWBAR: The Smartest Bird in the World

A young boy finds a baby crow, abandoned, cold, and hungry. He takes him home, hoping to nurse him back to health. His grandpa disapproves — he thinks that crows are pests and thieves! The boy knows that the crow he names Crowbar is capable of learning more than how to eat, caw, and fly. But can he prove it?

“Minor’s art, done in graphite and gouache and enhanced digitally, offers realistic, meticulous snapshots of the crow and family, forming a tender interspecies familial portrait. Back matter includes more about crows, with a list of additional resources.” —Publishers Weekly

AWARDS:

The Cook Prize, Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library selection, Pennsylvania One Book Every Young Child selection, ALA Notable Book, John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young Children, Outstanding Science Trade Books, the 2018-2019 Artist Laureate of the Norman Rockwell Museum, New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA) President’s Award for lifetime achievement in arts and letters; Honoree of the Boston Public Library’s 27th annual Literary Light (with Florence Minor) which recognizes outstanding writers from the Northeast for their inspiring work.

3 Fun Facts

1. I like green bananas
2. I love crows.
3. I love dolphins