Tag Archive for Shaken Preller

Photos: Captured in the Wild

A friend recently passed this along . . .

Always nice for a book to show up somewhere. You just never know where they’ll end up. Though always best seen in a young reader’s hands.

And then there’s this shot, from the great Warwick Children’s Book Festival . . .

Yes, please. Ask me about school visits!

I’m happy to discuss the details to see if we have a fit. 

As I’ve said before, I am fairly unique in that I have current, age-appropriate, affordable paperback books for grades PreK-8. 

Will travel! You can write to me at [email protected].

Thanks so much. 

Summer Hours, Publishing News, School Visits . . .

It’s July 1. Boy, that happened fast. 

As the sole proprietor of James Preller Dot Com since May of 2008, possibly the longest continuously operated blog within spitting distance, I’ve learned that readership quiets down during the summer. 

This aligns with schools and the lives of teachers and librarians. 

So I kind of back off on content. You are out getting a tan anyway. 

But I actually keep working through the summer.

Here’s two pieces of news from Publishers Weekly:

And also this, from further back:

Exciting, right?

I’ve got a 3rd “. . . And a Moose!” book coming out for early readers, Two Astronauts . . . and a Moose! And I believe I’ll be seeing copies of Two Ballerinas . . . and a Moose! any day now. 

 

 

I’m going to write another Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, and those books are just pure entertainment. 

And there are two more even bigger projects in the works (a graphic novel series and something else that’s super exciting in the very, very early stages of development — so hush that mouth, Jimmy). 

And all I can say is that I am grateful and proud to be survivor in this bunny-eat-bunny business. 

Summer hours, indeed!

 

SCHOOL VISITS

Yes, this is a great time for librarians and PTA members to start thinking about next year’s author visits. Calendars fill up, time flies. For me, I love beginning with a query and a phone call. I mean, there’s written information to find on the site. But it’s just warmer and easier if we can chat briefly and see if there’s a match. Or send an email to [email protected] and I’m happy to answer any questions. From there, we can go amiably forth!

I am fairly unique in the business because I have recently published, age-appropriate titles from PreK-8. Almost all of them in paperback at affordable prices. 

While I do a majority of my visits in elementary schools (this past year brought me happily to Tulsa, OK!), I also get to a number of middle schools. During a June visit, we enjoyed “Cupcakes and Conversation” with a small group of students. The fabulous librarian, Rebecca Ekstrom, served these . . . 

I think that’ s more than enough for today. Sorry for all the me, me, me context. Sometimes it has to be done.

Oh, wait. 

I’m excited to see the paperback of Shaken, due sometime next year (hardcover available now). Bank Street named it one of the best books of 2025. 

I think they were right!

Ha.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, FOLKS!

“SHAKEN” Selected to the 2025 Kansas NEA Reading Circle List

It was one of those happy times when my editor, Liz Szabla, sends me an email that begins, “I am excited to tell you . . . .”

These days, or maybe since time immemorial, authors usually receive emails that begin with the words “unfortunately” or “sadly” or “regrettably.”

Then the message gets worse after that. 

But not so on this fine, sunny morning!

My middle-grade novel, Shaken, still less than half a year old, was selected to be on the 2025 Kansas NEA Reading Circle List. 

And no, I’m not exactly sure what any of that means. But I do know that these state lists are important for raising the profile of a book, and for getting those books into the hands of teachers and students.

Doing some quick research, I learned this: Since 1926, KNEA has published a list of recommended books by reading level as a service for school librarians and classroom teachers. 

MANY THANKS, KIND FOLKS IN KANSAS!

I’D LOVE TO VISIT YOUR SCHOOLS NEXT YEAR, GIVE ME A JINGLE!