Yesterday I got to be part of Open Books, Open Minds, hosted by The Library Journal, School Library Journal and The Horn Book, and I’m still kind of amazed that I got to be part of this conversation!
I joined “The Power of Series” panel to talk about why series can be so important to young readers, but I ended up talking about all sorts of things, too. Like how I got into the hopepunk genre, what I’m excited to read next, and why I think we need to get more children to participate in the worlds they visit through books.
Because when I think about the books that really stayed with me, they weren’t the ones I read because they were “good for me” or because they were educational. They were the books that made me laugh, made me cry, and sometimes scared me so much I couldn’t sleep at night.
That’s what I want books, series or not, to become for young readers. Something they genuinely feel. Something that makes them want to keep reading, keep wondering, and maybe even feel like they’re a little bit part of the world they’ve stepped into.
Anyway, if you missed the panel yesterday, the full video is now available on my Events Page!
