🎉 I have a very exciting announcement to make!

My fourth novel, SECRETS AT SPARHAWK POINT, releases on August 25, 2026 from Holiday House! 🎉

The amazing cover is by Stephanie Son, who has created all of my book covers!

And here’s the description:

***
To draw tourists to their declining coastal town, a group of children claim to have seen a mythic creature from Ojibwe legend, the storm-monster Mishi-Biizhiw. But when their plan backfires, they’ll need to convince everyone the beast is only make-believe. But… what if it isn’t?

1943. Sparhawk Point, Michigan may be a small town, but it’s home. For the Swedish Ahlstrom girls, it’s the only place they’ve ever known—a place they may have to leave if their father’s church can’t find more parishioners. The Ojibwe Robicheaux boys are struggling, too: a lack of tourists means no income from their mother’s two rental cottages. These kids can’t bear the thought of leaving… so they’ll have to make new residents come to them, and fast.

After spotting an unknown object in the water, they find their solution. Drawing on inspiration from Ojibwe stories of the mysterious Mishi-Biizhiw—the riser of storms on Lake Superior—the children spread stories of their very own “American Loch Ness monster” to bring curious visitors to their shores. But their plan works too well! People become afraid to visit. To save their families, they’ll need to convince everyone that the creature isn’t real… even if that may prove to be their biggest lie yet.

***

I am so excited for August and can’t wait for you to read this story!

Next month marks a perennially delightful reading challenge: Middle Grade March! If you’re in need of some fun suggestions, I have a few! Here are some middle grade novels (some vintage, some recent) that I have enjoyed. I’ll link to previous mentions of these books, where I talk a bit more about them!

Ginnie and Geneva by Catherine Woolley [1940s friendship story]
The Secret School by Avi and its sequel, The Secret Sisters [historical fiction set in 1925 Colorado]
The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong [HF set in Holland]
Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan [contemporary family story with fantasy elements]
Stand in the Wind by Jean Little [1970s friendship story]
Alice Atherton’s Grand Tour by Lesley M. M. Blume [HF set in 1927 France]
R My Name is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff [HF set in 1930s New York]
The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo [HF with fantasy elements]
Family Grandstand & Family Sabbatical by Carol Ryrie Brink [1950s family stories]
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai [HF verse novel set in 1970s Vietnam & Alabama]
Honey Butter by Millie Florence [contemporary friendship story]
Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant [HF set in 1970s Indiana]
Hope in the Valley by Mitali Perkins [HF set in 1980s California]
From Anna by Jean Little (HF set in 1930s Germany & Canada]

and of course, my own books!

The Star That Always Stays [HF set in 1910s Michigan]
The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry [HF set in 1910s Michigan]
The Blossoming Summer [HF set in 1940s England & Wisconsin]

Last year, I read Heidi by Johanna Spyri for the first time. It had been on my TBR for years, and I finally decided to give it a try. It was an absolutely beautiful book! I loved it so much and it far exceeded my expectations. Another book that had been on my TBR for years was Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, which I finally read with my Patreon book club members, and it was a delight to discuss it with them! At the end of 2024, I also finally read Marjorie’s Vacation by Carolyn Wells, one of the books in the Marjorie series that I’d been wanting to read for ages. (I read Marjorie in Command years ago and just hadn’t gotten around to the others yet. They are so fun!)

This year, I’d like to make a few more longtime TBR books a priority (I’ve been wanting to read Astrid the Unstoppable by Maria Parr for ages)! There are still some Beverly Cleary books I’ve never read and I want to get to those, too! But here’s another quandary: how do I prioritize which books to reread?

For example, here’s a list of some of the books I want to reread over the next few months:

• The Four Graces by D.E. Stevenson
• The first two Melendy books by Elizabeth Enright
• Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary
• The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Anne of Green Gables & Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
• Cherry Ames mysteries
• Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
• Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager
• Pat of Silver Bush by L.M. Montgomery
• Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

How do you prioritize reading when there are so many books you want to get to? (Plus you always get in the mood to read books that aren’t on your TBR …) I may have to start doing my TBR jar again, because I just can’t decide! 🙂

It’s time to list some of my favorite books of 2025! I wanted to try something different this year, so I’ve made some graphics that include some of my very favorite books that I read for the first time in 2025.

Here they are!

🌟 THE LIBRARY OF UNRULY TREASURES by Jeanne Birdsall (a lovely new story from the author of the Penderwicks series)

🌟 PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS by Patricia Reilly Giff (an emotional, moving Newbery book)

🌟 MARJORIE’S MAYTIME by Carolyn Wells (a delightful vintage book, the fifth in the Marjorie series)

🌟 YOURS TRULY by Heather Vogel Frederick (the fun second book in the Pumpkin Falls mystery series)

🌟 ALICE ATHERTON’S GRAND TOUR by Lesley M.M. Blume (a vivid, charming MG set in 1927!)

🌟 FRANKLIN ENDICOTT AND THE THIRD KEY by Kate DiCamillo (one of the Deckawoo Drive chapter books, funny but beautiful and deep)

🌟 MAMA’S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS by Dionna L. Mann (a breezy MG with an irrepressible protagonist)

🌟 THE HOTEL BALZAAR by Kate DiCamillo (a short MG novel with elements of A Little Princess)

🌟 GINGERSNAP by Patricia Reilly Giff (a sweet, hopeful story set in WWII)

🌟 WAITING FOR THE MAGIC by Patricia MacLachlan (an enchanting contemporary from the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall)

🌟 HEIDI by Johanna Spyri (a classic for a reason! Powerful, beautiful, and engrossing.)

🌟 BEAUTIFUL GLIMPSE by Stephanie Nygaard (the best poetry I’ve read in a long time, full of heartwarming and inspiring themes)

Do you see any favorites on my list? Which books did you discover for the first time in 2025? I’d love to hear! Feel free to leave a comment. 🙂

It’s been a busy few months of book deadlines and various other things, but I wanted to do a quick post to discuss some of my recent reads 🙂

First of all, I was in the mood for total comfort re-reads, which for me meant pulling out some American Girl books. It’s become a tradition of mine to read them at Christmastime, and this year I wanted to revisit the entire Julie series, which I was gifted the Christmas I was twelve years old. What a joy to read them again! In addition to the six book set, I also read the companion book (Good Luck, Ivy) and now I’m rereading the mystery The Puzzle of the Paper Daughter, which was always one of my very favorites. I like it so much that I mentioned it in my list of great historical fiction reads when I appeared on the Read-Aloud Revival podcast! I also think it was one of the reasons why I became a genealogist, because the genealogy research that Julie and Ivy conduct sounded like such fun. (Old newspapers! Microfilm!)

I also recently re-read Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark, which I first read a few years back as an ebook. I saw that the print edition was on sale, so I bought it and had a great time revisiting the book, which is a kind of combination of writing instruction and memoir. Peterson is both a novelist and singer/songwriter, and it’s a fun read!

I’ve enjoyed quite a few middle grade novels by Patricia Reilly Giff over the last year (Lily’s Crossing, Willow Run, R My Name is Rachel, Pictures of Hollis Woods), and I loved reading Gingersnap earlier this month. It’s another WWII book about an orphaned girl who goes to find her grandmother who runs a bakery in Brooklyn, assisted in her quest by a helpful ghost. 🙂 It’s gentle and has a very happy ending!

I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading lately! Please leave a comment if you have any fun reads to share. 🙂

Today I’m sharing a list of some of my favorite vintage MG novels that don’t get discussed much, but I love them and hope you enjoy them too! These are not always easy to find, but they’re worth looking for. 🙂

• The Golden Name Day by Jennie Lindquist: Although it’s a 1950s Newbery novel, this one isn’t talked about much, perhaps because it was out of print for decades until Purple House Press released a new edition! I love the tidbits of Swedish culture in this one (I have a lot of Swedish heritage and enjoy reading about it).
• Maggie Rose: Her Birthday Christmas by Ruth Sawyer: It’s a charming gem of a novel, one that I have recommended so many times but never see discussed, possibly because it also was out of print for decades and has yet to be re-released. Maggie Rose is set in Maine, features a hardworking young heroine determined to make life better for herself and her family, and has the happiest ending you could imagine. What more could you want in a book?
• Jill’s Story by Jean Fiedler: I am not sure I’ve ever seen anyone else discuss this book about a family vacationing at Cape Cod for the summer. Jill longs to become a writer, and this story inspired me a lot when I was ten years old and daydreaming of being an author!
• The Sea Is All Around by Elizabeth Enright: The only Enright novel currently not in print, this is more slow-paced than some of her other books, but the rich language and evocative setting is brilliant. I’m currently rereading this right now!
• Family Sabbatical by Carol Ryrie Brink: There are two very sweet books in this series, but I just re-read Sabbatical last November, so I’ll recommend it especially. This one follows the Ridgeway family to France for a year, and there are some delightful adventures!
• Caldicott Place by Noel Streatfeild: There are so many excellent Streatfeild stories but this one is great if you’re looking for one of her non-theater stories (there is some ballet, of course! but it’s not a big aspect of the book).
• Mine for Keeps by Jean Little: I love so many of Jean Little’s books, but this was her first novel and it’s such a good one. And the best part? It’s easy to find, because Puffin reprinted it just two years ago!
• Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd: This is a fantastic story if you’re looking for light fantasy–it’s a time travel tale, set in both “present-day” 1960s and the 1880s. I won’t go into too many spoilers, but when a girl goes into an elevator in her apartment building, it whisks her off to a time much different than her own …

I hope you find a great read from this list! 🙂 What are you reading right now? I’d love to hear!

This post originally appeared on my Patreon.

I am delighted to announce that my third middle grade historical novel, THE BLOSSOMING SUMMER, releases today! It’s available wherever books are sold. I hope you check it out!!

Surprise! I’m doing another one of my Patreon book clubs in July, and this time we’re reading Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfeild!

Here are the details:

⦁ It’s free! And it starts July 1st, but you can sign up now.

⦁ It’s hosted on my Patreon! You can subscribe to my Patreon for free and I will make all the book club content available for everyone. 🙂

⦁ This book is available not only in the US but also in the UK (and if you get the UK Puffin edition like the one shown here, it has the full unabridged text)! It’s also an audiobook.

⦁ I’ll be doing posts about the book, and anyone can leave comments! There won’t be official discussion questions to answer–we will only be listing the things we enjoyed in the book and chatting about that!

⦁ There’s no set schedule for reading: all you have to do is read the book whenever you want to during July and leave comments with your thoughts.

So if this sounds good to you, head over to my Patreon and sign up! I can’t wait to discuss this story. 🙂

Will you be joining the book club? Leave a comment!

Note: This post originally appeared on my Patreon. If you would like to see more posts like these (for both paid and free tiers), please consider joining 47 other subscribers!

It always happens: I start planning out seasonal TBR lists far too early. I start thinking of summer books when it’s still snowing, and I find myself planning cozy fall reads on hot July days. To me, there is something delicious about looking forward to what books will be just perfect for another time of year.

As Anne Shirley would say, “When I think something nice is going to happen I seem to fly right up on the wings of anticipation.” To me, anticipation itself is one of the nicest things of all!

And so, even though it was just snowing a couple of days ago, I’m daydreaming of summer days, sitting on the porch reading …

• I love summer adventure books, so I’ll probably pick an Enid Blyton to read.

• Which reminds me, I’d love to get a copy of The House in Cornwall by Noel Streatfeild; it was reprinted last year but only in the UK, so it’s not the easiest to find. Hopefully I can find it!

• I’d like to get a Catherine Woolley book, either another in the Ginnie series I’ve been loving lately or something else, if I can track one down. (These are largely out of print.)

• After reading Marjorie’s Vacation by Carolyn Wells at Christmas, I now want to find some of other Marjorie books I haven’t read.

• I read a book of Faith Andrews Bedford’s essays last summer, which was marvelous, so I’d like to read another.

• And I want to read the third book in Heather Vogel Frederick’s Pumpkin Falls mystery series, because it’s set during summer (luckily, I received a copy for my birthday)!

• Oh, and there have to be other mysteries, because summer is perfect for vintage mysteries, so I’ll probably reread a Nancy Drew or two.

• (Pictured in this post is Astrid Lindgren’s Seacrow Island, which is a perfect summer book, and I may just have to reread it too. Ooh, and Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery!)

Do you love seasonal TBR planning? I would love to hear what books you’re hoping to read this summer!