Whether you’re staying home or traveling this spring break, banish boredom from your vacation with these 5 fun activities! 

Looking for something new to share with your child during Women’s History Month? Check out these unique female role models who were groundbreakers in art, sports, and politics. 

February 7th is Charles Dickens’ birthday! This year he'd be 210 years old. His classic book Great Expectations is the inspiration behind Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun.

I haven’t read many books this winter. Maybe it’s because I’ve been busy writing or spending time with family. Maybe it’s because winter is hibernation season for me. Whatever the reason, as soon as I started reading Kacen Callender’s King and the Dragonflies, all my excuses flew out the window. I finished the book in one sitting.

Are you obsessed with Netflix comedy specials? Do you salivate at the mere thought of Korean barbecue? Are you, or have you ever been, a middle schooler? If you answered yes to any of these questions, do me a favor and grab a copy of Jessica Kim’s Stand Up, Yumi Chung!—a delightfully warm, deliciously funny middle-grade novel that is sure to get you smiling.  

Here is my take on a classic Korean stew from my childhood—kimchi-jjigae!

Enjoy a book club with your friends outside for a socially distant summer activity!

The Summer 2020 Reading Theme is  ”Imagine Your Story”, which celebrates mythology, fairy tales, and folktales and encourages young readers to create their own stories.

In my debut novel, Pippa Park Raises Her Game, I spent a lot of time thinking about the relationship between Pippa Park and her brother-in-law, Jung-Hwa. Since Pippa often squabbles with her older sister, Mina, I wanted her to have a sweet, strong bond with Jung-Hwa. Going into the first draft, I knew Pippa adored Jung-Hwa as a father figure, but the more I wrote about him, the more I adored him as well.

Last night, Linda Sue Park was one of many wonderful speakers at the KidLit Rally 4 Black Lives, which was created by Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jason Reynolds. Having recently read Park’s latest book, Prairie Lotus (delivered to my apartment by the lovely Books Are Magic) it was so powerful to see her speak about the way Asians, especially East-Asians, can use the “power of white adjacency” to speak up to white people about racism against black people. Read on for my review of Prairie Lotus, and then, if you missed the rally, you can watch the entire event here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=248795633092755.

If you need inspiration while writing, create your own book-themed playlist! Making a playlist will energize you, offering continued inspiration for your story. You can include songs your main character would enjoy listening to and songs representing a specific character or chapter—whatever will get you get closer to your characters and capture the tone of your book. Check out my playlist for Pippa Park Raises Her Game!

Why did you become a writer?

There wasn’t a particular reason; it’s just something I’ve always done and always loved. I’ve been writing for longer than I can remember—first, in old notebooks with such terrible handwriting that no one, not even myself, would ever be able to decipher it, and then later, on the family computer whenever I could fight off my siblings for computer time. 

Invite your friends and family to join a Virtual Book Club and talk about books for some fun (and educational!) social interaction.

After many nights sleeping in hotels with weird, unidentified sounds, I am officially back to sleeping in my own bedroom with its own weird, unidentified, but familiar sounds. Concerns over COVID-19 canceled events in Texas, Oregon, and California. Hopefully, I’ll have the chance to make it out to those states one day. For now, I’m content to hole up in my apartment for a while. In between reading, writing, and binge-watching new Netflix shows, I’ve had a chance to reflect on all the wild, wonderful bits of my travels. Here are the highlights from my first author tour...
 

I first read The Doll People by Ann M. Marlin and Laura Godwin when I was in elementary school. So when I was on tour a few weeks ago and the owner of Blue Willow Bookshop mentioned the title to me, a couple bells rang faintly in my mind. But I couldn’t quite put a plot to the name. Then, I saw the cover. Immediately, warm memories rushed back to me. Of course, I thought. How could I forget about The Doll People? How could I forget about green-haired Annabelle or the adventure of being cooped up in a single house? Whether you’re in a nostalgic mood like me or you’re someone who is just now encountering this charming series, The Doll People is sure to win you over.

Need home entertainment for your middle schooler? Play Word Games with Pippa Park!

Cake has always been one of my favorite desserts. Carrot cake, German chocolate cake, and, of course, the best of the best—birthday cake! In Remy Lai’s Pie in the Sky, the main character Jingwen makes an abundance of cakes. Every single one looked absolutely mouthwatering, but I didn’t have so much as a spoonful of frosting nearby! I’m already looking forward to a reread—and this time I’ll be huddled up in a bake shop.