David Barclay Moore's Blog

I recently received my Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe award in New Orleans as part of the 2018 American Library Association Conference. I am overcome with joy by this distinction. And what a beautiful week in the Crescent City!





During the ceremony, it was an honor to share the stage with poet and children's book author Eloise Greenfield who received the CSK Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement award.





In this photo taken after my speech & the awards ceremony, I got a chance to speak with Ms. Greenfield who was absolutely lovely. I hope I have her staying power.





Best,





DBM

Minneapolis, Minnesota! Come out tonight, Wednesday, April 4th, for the Esther Freier lecture spotlighting middle grade and YA fiction. Featuring myself, Kate DiCamillo, Nicola Yoon and MT Anderson at 7:30pm at the Northrop Family Stage at 84 Church St SE in Minneapolis. See you there.

I've been awarded the Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Award! Abundant thanks to the Coretta Scott King Awards Committee and to the American Library Association for this great honor! I am over the moon and this distinction means so much to me. I am an admirer of the work of both Coretta Scott King and John Steptoe. I am so grateful to them for blazing trails for me as an African American and as an author. When I was a child, I remember being attracted to those "shiny, metallic stickers" that were stamped on some books. Now, I finally get one for my own book! Thank you!

My debut novel, The Stars Beneath Our Feet, is now in bookstores everywhere and available to order through all of the major online retail sites. You can purchase it as a hardcover, ebook and an especially well-done audio book.





Thanks to everyone who has shown me support while I was working on The Stars Beneath Our Feet, especially those people at Writers House, Knopf BFYR, Penguin Random House and my friends and family.





A special shout out to my beloved brother, Brian, to whom this book is dedicated.





Best,





DBM





For order here.

"A slice-of-life narrative with an authentic adolescent voice and strong adult supports, all of whom are true to their urban world," was part of the Starred Review bestowed by VOYA (The Voice of Youth Advocates) journal this month upon The Stars Beneath Our Feet, which is due out September 19th. You can order my debut novel here.





VOYA primarily reviews teen lit so I'm glad they decided to give my middle grade novel a read. I hope everyone gives The Stars Beneath Our Feet a read. It really is a novel for all ages.

My debut middle grade novel, The Stars Beneath Our Feet, has received a THIRD STARRED REVIEW. This time from the well-respected Bulletin of the Center For Children���s Books in their September 2017 issue! This follows starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.





In another recent review, Shelf Awareness called The Stars Beneath Our Feet: "Magnificent." Very exciting.





I am so happy that so many people out there are truly connecting with my book. I put so much into it.





Thanks!

My debut middle grade novel, The Stars Beneath Our Feet, received another Starred Review, this time in Publishers Weekly!





From Publishers Weekly: "...Moore delivers a realistic and at times brutal portrait of life for young people of color who are living on the edge of poverty. At the same time, Moore infuses the story with hope and aspiration..."





Pick up my book in stores on September 19, 2017! Or order it right now here.

Thank you to Entertainment Weekly magazine (EW) for posting an exclusive excerpt of my forthcoming middle grade novel, The Stars Beneath Our Feet (Knopf, September 19, 2017).





Read the excerpt here, in which my central character, Lolly, talks about the struggles of life in Harlem as a 12-year-old African American boy.





http://ew.com/books/2017/07/18/the-stars-beneath-our-feet-book-excerpt/

I had a wonderful time at the ALA (American Library Association) annual conference in Chicago. I met so many interesting librarians and educators from all over the country. I also signed a great deal of ARCs (advance reader's copies) and spoke on the Future of YA Literature panel with Nic Stone and Jared Reck. The panel was moderated by E. Lockhart, author of Genuine Fraud (Delacorte, September 5). A great time!

Come meet me at the annual American Library Association (ALA) conference this Saturday, June 24th for a book signing at 11am (at Random House booth #3711) and a panel discussion at 4pm (at ALA PopTop stage) featuring The Future of YA Literature: A Debut Author Panel. At McCormick Place West in Chicago, Illinois.