Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Mac Barnett
Mac Barnett is the bestselling author of more than 20 books for children. Barnett writes the Brixton Brothers mystery series and, with Jory John, The Terrible Two novels. Barnett loves his work because, he says, kids are "the sincerest...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Marc Aronson
Marc Aronson has written history and biography books for middle school children and young adults, including books about the secrets of Stonehenge, the sugar trade, and the life of John Henry. His biography of Sir Walter Raleigh won the...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Mary Amato
Mary Amato writes stories, poems, plays, and songs for children and young adults. Amato both writes and teaches writing to both students and teachers. Watch the interview to learn more about her and read a short biography about her life....
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Matthew Holm
Matt Holm has always loved to draw, especially comics. With his sister Jennifer Holm, he co-created two enormously popular graphic novels series - one featuring a pink-obsessed mouse (Babymouse) and another starring a brave amoeba...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Mary Quattlebaum
Mary Quattlebaum is known for her pirate stories, such as her 2011 book, Pirate vs. Pirate, a blustery adventure pitting Mean Mo against Bad Bart to determine who has the most impressive pirate skills. Other titles celebrate nature or...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Matthew Cordell
Matthew Cordell writes and illustrates picture books and chapter books for children. His nearly wordless picture book, Wolf in the Snow, was awarded the 2018 Caldecott Medal. He has written and illustrated many popular (and often very...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Mary Brigid Barrett
Mary Brigid Barrett is a children's book author and illustrator a professional educator, and mom of three artistic and book-loving children. Watch the interview to learn more about her and read a short biography about her life. Includes...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: R. L. Stine
R.L. Stine wrote humor and joke books until an editor asked him to write a young adult horror novel. After Blind Date became an instant best seller, Stine started a young adult horror series called Fear Street. In 1992, R.L. Stine wrote...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Rita Williams Garcia
Rita Williams-Garcia has authored picture books for young readers and novels for young adult and middle grade readers. Many of her books are rooted in recent American history. In this interview, you'll learn about the origins of her book...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale is the author/illustrator of the award-winning historical fiction series Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales - graphic novel versions of sometimes-crazy-but-always-true stories from American history. In the interview, Nathan talks...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Raina Telgemeier
Raina Telgemeier writes and illustrates graphic novels for middle grade readers. Many of her books are autobiographical and deeply personal, especially her 2019 novel, Guts, which explores her own struggles with anxiety. Raina has also...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Mem Fox
Mem Fox is Australia's best-known children's book author. Her books are tremendously popular in the US as well, and she has traveled widely as a writer, teacher, and passionate proponent of reading aloud to children. Watch the interview...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Robert Sabuda
Robert Sabuda is a self-taught pop-up book artist who is well-known for his three-dimensional books. Elaborate dinosaurs leap off the page. Colorful Christmas trees rise up and blink. Knights in shining armor joust before the king and...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Robert Neubecker
Robert Neubecker's picture books have zip - they burst with color, energy, and fun. Neubecker can really capture the world through a kid's eyes, whether it's the first day of school, a first trip to the big city, or the trials and...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has published more than 135 books, never writing the same type of book twice in a row. She has written mysteries, historical fiction, Wild West yarns, scary tales, and memoirs. Watch the interview to learn more...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Meg Medina
Meg Medina is an award-winning Cuban American author who writes picture books, middle grade stories, and young adult fiction. Watch the interview to learn more about her and read a short biography about her life. Includes an interview...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Patricia and Fredrick Mc Kissack
Patricia and Fredrick McKissack are a writing duo that got their start when they decided they wanted to do something about the lack of children's stories about African Americans. In this interview, they talk about finding inspiration for...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Megan Mc Donald
Megan McDonald, the youngest of five sisters, had a stutter as a child, and her mother gave her a notebook to write down what she wanted to say. Many of the anecdotes in her Judy Moody books are based on real incidents - like the time...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Rafael Lopez
Rafael Lopez is an award-winning artist and children's book illustrator. In this interview, Rafael talks about the important role drawing played in his childhood, the influence of his Mexican heritage on his work, and the inspiration...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Seymour Simon
Seymour Simon has written many science books for children. His work has been praised for explaining science in a way that is accurate, interesting, and accessible and has earned him a reputation as a trusted source of information for...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Steven Kellogg
Steven Kellogg has written and/or illustrated more than 100 books over the past half century, including his well-known series about Pinkerton the Great Dane and his tall tales about classic American characters like Pecos Bill, Paul...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Tanya Lee Stone
Tanya Lee Stone writes a little bit of everything - science, history, biography, poetry, and fiction - for kids and teens. She's written middle grades biographies of pioneering women in the NASA space program, Amelia Earhart, and Ella...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Sarah Stewart and David Small
Writer Sarah Stewart and artist David Small, married more than 30 years, like to occasionally collaborate on books. Over the years, they've published a number of award-winning picture books, including The Journey, The Library, and the...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Author Interviews: Sid Fleischman
Sid Fleischman has written dozens of books for children. It took him more than 10 years to complete his award-winning book, The Whipping Boy. His ideas can spring from anywhere. The 13th Floor, a time travel story, was inspired by the...