It's been an exciting few months leading up to February 9, 2016 - the date Fenway and Hattie hits bookshelves everywhere! Here's a quick round-up of what's been happening:

In November, advance copies of Fenway and Hattie were on display at AASL in Columbus and NCTE in Minneapolis - two of the biggest national conferences for school librarians and teachers.

In December, I visited an enthusiastic classroom of 3rd graders where we explored A Dog's POV. I'm looking forward to connecting with more schools this year. Stay tuned for complete school visit information!

Shortly before Christmas, master librarian Margie Myers-Culver featured Fenway and Hattie as the grand finale of her 15-part blog series dedicated to the memory of her beloved dog Xena. It was a tremendous honor and I'm extremely grateful to Margie for choosing my book as part of this special celebration of Xena's life.

What a surprise! My amazing editor Susan Kochan sent me a copy of The Real Book - hot off the presses - just in time for Christmas!

From January 8-11, 2016, I attended the ALA Midwinter conference right here in Boston. I signed more than 100 advance copies of Fenway and Hattie at the Penguin Young Readers booth, co-hosted a private party for librarians with 24 fellow Sweet Sixteens debut authors, and best of all, I got to meet the One and Only John Schumacher, aka "Mr. Schu," national Ambassador for School Libraries.

*Meeting Mr. Schu was definitely a highlight of ALA!*

And speaking of Mr. Schu, guess who hosted the premiere of the Fenway and Hattie trailer? It was an incredible experience working with Mr. Schu and sharing this fun video with readers. You can watch the video HERE.

I'm so thankful to Mr. Schu and all the teachers and librarians who are getting excited for the book. Just last week, reading specialist and proud Nerdy Book Club member Michele Knott featured Fenway and Hattie on her blog, "Mrs. Knott's Book Nook." It was awesome to see Michele recommend it as a mentor text for teaching inference and perspective.

And finally, thanks to Henry Bear's Park, you can order an autographed copy of Fenway and Hattie and have it shipped within the continental US (and elsewhere by arrangement). I'm so grateful to partner with my neighborhood bookseller - my favorite place to shop for books!

That's all the news for now! See you on the other side of February 9th!