Beth Anderson's Blog

Author Teresa Robeson has not only demonstrated versatility and excellence in her writing, she’s also one of the kindest and hardest working people I know in the kid lit community. It’s no wonder that opportunity has knocked on her door multiple times! Huge congratulations to Teresa on two new books!

GIVEAWAY! Just leave a comment below for a chance to choose either FLASH FLOODS or ANIMALS OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC from Teresa!

Knock-Knock. Opportunity Here!

by Teresa Robeson

As fate ...

Author Ann McCallum Staats and I both celebrated a book birthday on 9/29/26 with the release of A QUILT OF STARS and THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX! As two former teachers, we know the best way to celebrate is with educators. These two books might appear to have nothing more in common than science and history. But with this activity for the classroom, we challenge young critical thinkers to make connections across time and place, and ultimately to themselves.

Congratulations to Teresa Robeson, the ...

I am thrilled to share this post from Ashley Yazdani, illustrator of THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S BATTLE TO SAVE THE CONTINENTAL ARMY! It’s always fascinating for me to learn about the illustration process, and I’m sure you’ll find this interesting, too! My immense gratitude to Ashley for her amazing work on THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX and for sharing a bit of her process here for you!

AND don’t miss the GIVEAWAY for a copy of THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX! Just leave a comment belo...

Though delays and challenges are frustrating, author Nora Nickum found that embracing them resulted in a better book in multiple ways for WILD MEDICINE: INVENTING WAYS TO SAVE ENDANGERED ANIMALS. Patience, perseverance, and continued learning paid off!!

GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of WILD MEDICINE: INVENTING WAYS TO SAVE ENDANGERED ANIMALS from Nora!

Congrats to Jennifer Merrifield, the winner of THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX: George Washington’s Battle to Save t...

Here’s a terrific post from author Jason Peterson on finding the balance between details of a life and “the feel” of that life in the world in BLUES WITH A BUTTER KNIFE: THE UNSTOPPABLE MUSIC OF CEDELL DAVIS.

GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment below to get in on the giveaway for a copy of BLUES WITH A BUTTER KNIFE!

AND…You still have one week to get in on the GIVEAWAY for a copy of THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S BATTLE TO SAVE THE CONTINENTAL ARMY! Just leave a comment on this post...

In this year of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, it’s truly an honor to share a little-known piece of history in THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S BATTLE TO SAVE THE CONTINENTAL ARMY, releasing 9/29/26. Here’s a peek behind the scenes of the writing and how I wrestled with TOO MUCH INFORMATION—an ongoing challenge in my writing journey. While I’m sure I haven’t defeated the issue entirely, I’ve found some strategies to carry with me.

GIVEAWAY!! Leave a comment be...

Love this post from debut author Heidi Yates on taking creative risks and trying something new. MONSTER MANNERS A-Z is a fabulous, fun, fresh alphabet book with well chosen behavior tips for kids today. Congratulations, Heidi! And thank you for sharing your journey out of the comfort zone!

GIVEAWAY!! Be sure to leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of MONSTER MANNERS A-Z from Heidi!!

Congrats to Danielle Hammelef, winner of A QUILT OF STARS from Ann McCallum Staats!

Creativ...

Just as perspective led to Karen Nyberg’s global quilt project from space, author Ann McCallum Staats found the heart of A QUILT OF STARS: ASTRONAUT KAREN NYBERG STITCHES A DREAM by exploring perspective. In this fascinating story, a bit of tradition and old-fashioned skills find their place in space!

GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of “A QUILT OF STARS” from Ann!

Congratulations to Lisa Connors, the winner of WINTER SOLSTICE HILL from Cathy Ogren!!

How a Pat...

When an author can embed the emotional core of their connection to a story, it’s easy for readers to connect and bring something special from it to their own lives. Author Cathy Ogren is really good at mining her memories, and in this post she shares how that played a role in writing WINTER SOLSTICE HILL.

GIVEAWAY! Be sure to leave a comment after the post to get in on the GIVEAWAY for a copy of WINTER SOLSTICE HILL from Cathy!

Congratulations to Christine Van Zandt, the winner of NO BRA...

NO BRAIN THE SAME is the third book in a terrific series that I would have loved to have had when I was teaching. You can find posts on the previous two on this blog here: NO WORLD TOO BIG and NO VOICE TOO SMALL. In this article, author Keila Dawson shares a

GIVEAWAY! To be entered to win a copy of NO BRAIN THE SAME from Keila, just leave a comment below!

Congratulations to Evelyn Hendrix, the winner of WHEN GEORGE WASHINGTON BOWED TO THE NEW NATION from Barbara Carroll Roberts!

Cele...