On the Shelf by Tara Michener: Sierra Blue by Suzanne Morgan Williams and Kindness Is by Kaitlin Johnstone

Two reviews today!

Sierra Blue is enthralling, captivating and very well written. Suzanne Morgan Williams penned an incredible novel for the young adult reader this fall. 

When you think of magic what do you think about? I can tell you that thanks to this book I think of a strong and courageous character that does her best as she navigates being different from everyone around her. 

Tara holding Sierra Blue

My On the Shelf series embraces mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors, and the main character, Magic, gives us all of these avenues wrapped in one heroine. Magic simply does not fit in...for many reasons...oddly colored hair, being from a different town but also...she sees things that other people cannot see. Her gift is both a blessing and a curse for her because in order for her to use her talent she has to expose it, and this draws attention that does not always land in her favor. Her struggles include many of the typical things that young people face...being bullied, wanting to be kissed and coping with uncertainty about friendships. She also has the added dilemma of keeping her special abilities under wraps in order to protect herself from ridicule and judgement. This is not an easy balance and her love for animals and a special horse invites her to wrestle with what is best...being silent or being secure enough to speak up for the most vulnerable amongst us. 

The lessons in this book are endless, and I enjoyed reading it with my family and talking about what we would do in different scenarios. I invite you to read it and I am curious to know after you read it what you think. I am sure that Suzanne Morgan Williams is curious as well...so please be sure to review on Amazon and Goodreads.  

I met Kaitlin Johnstone through Instagram about a year ago and I have been enamored by her ability to connect readers to authors. She makes sure that she gives focus to those of us who showcase windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. Kaitlin owns a small business dedicated to putting books into the hands of children and she has accomplished this through a business that has soft and beautiful t-shirts and apparel. Her merchandise has slogans, affirmations, and calls to action that remind us to be kind but to be vigilant. This fall Kaitlin became an author herself. 

I was very happy to be amongst the first to read...

  Kindness Is... 

This adorable picture book reminds and educates readers on the beauty of being kind. The pages are filled with opportunities for readers to witness a young girl who is finding her own way and understanding what it means to be inclusive and welcoming. I love that the book allows us to see the dynamic of parent and child in regards to the topic of kindness. Kaitlin has continued her legacy of lifting up amazing authors and now it is our time to lift her up as she enters this world of writing and gives us 1000 more reasons to be kind. This is a great book for the young reader and should be in every class, library, and counseling office. 

On the Shelf is a regular feature by Tara Michener, highlighting books and authors that allow readers to both learn about cultures and people different than them but also to embrace the importance of representation and for each reader to have the opportunity to see themselves showcased in books as well.

Tara Michener is the author of seven children's books that focus on self-esteem, diversity, and anti-bullying. She is a TEDx speaker, therapist, and owns her own private practice in Novi, MI. Tara has been recognized in publications such as Prevention Magazine, Essence Magazine, FREEP and more! She is the former Committee Chair of E&I at SCBWI-MI. Her favorite days usually include spending time with her hubistrator, Jason, her son Cannon, and her favorite snack Twizzlers and Diet Coke. You can follow her on Twitter @Taramichener. 

School Visit Webinar: So You're Not a Juggler?

Would you love to attend a children's book conference without traveling? Webinars offer an inexpensive and flexible format to interact with speakers and other audience members right from your home computer. Or, if you're unavailable at the scheduled time, you can view the webinar at your leisure on another day.




SCBWI-MI offered a series of webinars this year, and the most recent topic was So You're Not a Juggler: Planning Amazing School Visits with Suzanne Morgan Williams. We asked one of our SCBWI-MI members to tell us about her experience.

Here's Sandy Carlson:

An important take-away I learned from Suzanne’s webinar on school visits is that there is always something more you can be doing as a business person. I look on this advice the same way as I see cleaning my house. There are daily tasks. Each day at home there are dirty dishes, laundry, yard work etc. And there are always big ways you could improve these tasks, like buying a snow blower in addition to your handy, decade-old shovel. In home and house work, there’s always something more I could be doing. So it is with being a writer. Suzanne helped bring out both the details and the big things, for being a writer is so much more than just writing. (Now, wouldn’t that be a fun career? Just writing?)

Another take-away for me from the webinar was Suzanne’s encouragement (guide) to creating an author brochure for school visits. I’ve seen many author brochures. In fact, it has been on my to-do list for quite a while now. Other things always took priority, like shoveling the driveway or raking a forest of leaves from our yard. Besides your business cards, a brochure is a concise way

to present what you’ve written and what you are available to present. Being part of this webinar gave me the confident push to get my own author brochure created and done.

Thank you, Suzanne. And thank you SCBWI-MI RA’s and fellow writers for being always so supportive.

Sandy is a 10 year member of SCBWI. She has spoken at three writers conferences and done many school visits for her MG historical fiction books. A former teacher, she lives in Battle  Creek with her husband. Find out more at www.sandycarlson.com

That author brochure that Sandy mentioned? Done. Check out her quality work on her website.

Learn more about Suzanne Morgan Williams, her books and presentations, at her website.

 For more information about any of the 5 webinars SCBWI-MI has hosted this year, visit the Webinar Library. You can still register and view the webinar for up to 3 months after the live date. That gives you until Feb. 12th to learn all about school visits with Suzanne Morgan Williams. Hop to it!