Below you will find a comprehensive list of books for which I’ve provided editorial, administrative, project management, or client care support and expertise during my tenure at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
picture books
ages: 4-8 | grades: K-3
* “A winning portrayal from a child’s point of view of living through crisis…Twelve-year-old Alabed has given the world a gift in a story that is realistic without being frightening and hopeful without being sappy.”
School Library Journal starred review on My Name Is Bana by Bana Alabed, illustrated by Nez Riaz
* “Riotously written and wittily illustrated with plenty of details for kids to savor, this charmer will keep readers laughing and looking. Seek no more for words to describe this winner: a standout!”
Kirkus Reviews starred review on Have You Seen Gordon? by Adam Jay Epstein, illustrated by Ruth Chan
* “Bravo! This winning story with Sarda’s intricate and glorious digital illustrations is guaranteed to delight and spark conversation. A definite purchase for all collections.”
School Library Journal starred review on Sweep by Louise Greig, illustrated by Júlia Sardà
“Against simple yet striking grayscale landscapes, Naylor-Ballesteros offers a gentle tale of friendship between a round-eyed black horned beetle narrator and a red caterpillar.”
Publishers Weekly review on Out of Nowhere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
middle grade
ages: 8-12 | grades: 3-7
“There’s a classic feel to this story from its very start…With its fine balance of menace and cheer, though, The Explorer is perfectly suited to its middle-grade audience. It is a book to kindle imaginations. And though it emphasizes the fantastic otherness of the jungle in a way that feels almost antique, young readers will finish it with an impression of the grandeur of the natural world.”
New York Times review by Eliot Schrefer on The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
“Fajardo’s honest, heartfelt text evokes sorrow and grief but also understanding, navigating the many complexities of identity, friendship, family, loss, and death.”
Booklist review on What If a Fish by Anika Fajardo
“This delightful, oft-comedic graphic novel injects familiar themes with ample imagination, as Vega and campmates learn that ‘friendship is a renewable resource.’”
Publishers Weekly review on Long Distance by Whitney Gardner
“This Nancy-Drew-style sleuthing tale with a modern sensibility will delight middle grade readers craving suspense, mystery and puzzles. A page-turner packed with wisdom and heart.”
Barbara Dee, author of Star-Crossed, on Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing by Briana McDonald
young adult
ages: 12+ | grades: 7+
* “Shusterman widens the already impressive scope of his near-future utopia while also keeping a deft finger on the pulse of our own turbulent times. Exceptionally clear-eyed and brutal in its execution.”
Booklist starred review on Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
* “The palpable desperation that pervades the plot as it thunders toward the ending feels true, giving it a chilling air of inevitability… a study of how extreme circumstances can bring out people’s capacity for both panic and predation, ingenuity and altruism.”
Publishers Weekly starred review on Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
“Earnest, heartfelt, and sincerely moving. Robbie Couch writes with real honesty and compassion about love, family, and friendship in all their beautiful complexity.”
Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, on The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
* “Hutchinson is known for offbeat, edgy books, and this is no exception. Convincing, well-rounded characters come to life in Hutchinson’s lyrical, punchy writing, and his skills for maintaining suspense and intrigue mean the story never drags. Hutchinson never misses a beat in this gripping, dynamic novel.”
Booklist starred review on Howl by Shaun David Hutchinson
Amanda Isabel Ramirez 