For both me and Pippa (the protagonist of my middle grade books Pippa Park Raises Her Game and Pippa Park Crush at First Sight), this was always an emotional time. From anxieties about making a good first-day impression to excitement about extracurriculars, here are three sentiments Pippa and I share the night before returning to school.  

Making new friends can be hard, especially if you’re nervous about going back to school. Luckily, Pippa Park—the relatable heroine of Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun—has a few effective ways to make new friends.

As a kid, I was a voracious reader. Fantasy, realistic fiction, thrillers, mysteries, I read them all. Each week, I would beg my parents to take me to the local library, and each time I would leave with a stack of books almost as tall as me. Despite this, it wasn’t until college that I found books with Korean protagonists. I had moved into a wider pool of novels, adding translations and adult literature to the mix. When I was younger, I just didn’t see that many middle-grade or young adult books with Korean leads.

For my debut novel, Pippa Park Raises Her Game, I followed a pretty unconventional path. Instead of writing my book and then querying literary agents, Fabled Films Press put out a call for submissions for stories inspired by Great Expectations as part of a broader initiative to reimagine classic literature from different perspectives. Immediately, ideas churned in my mind, and I thought about almost nothing but how to update the iconic Dickens novel into a modern middle-grade book. 
 

March is Women's History Month! This month (and every month), empower your child and celebrate the contributions of women throughout history with these children's books for young readers of all ages.

The AAPI community is vibrant, diverse, and full of stories to be told. With the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, it’s never been more important to be educated on issues Asian Americans face every day and exposed to different cultures.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. It’s an opportunity to learn about the history and experiences of the AAPI community and recognize the contribution Asian Americans have made to our culture. One way for students to explore the history, traditions, and experiences of the AAPI community is to read books that feature Asian American characters. 

Whenever I'm having a particularly gloomy day, I find myself gravitating toward middle grade novels. Even though middle school can be a vicious time in real life, middle-school-aged characters in these books often show such compassion and capacity for growth that I always finish each novel with a little hope in my heart.