Crystal Allen is the author of middle grade novels, HOW LAMAR’S BAD PRANK WON A BUBBA-SIZED TROPHY (Balzer and Bray 2011), THE LAURA LINE (Balzer and Bray 2013), and THE MAGNIFICENT MYA TIBBS series of which Book 3, MYA IN THE MIDDLE, will launch on October 18, 2018. Crystal is the recipient of the 2018 [ Read the full article… ]
Oh Mylanta…She’s back! We are pleased as peanut brittle to celebrate the latest, greatest release from author and BBS contributor, Crystal Allen, also known as The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown (Balzer and Bray). We asked Crystal for some inside scoop on the creation of her new chapter book series. Our conversation went as follows: BBS: [ Read the full article… ]
The New Journey When my debut novel, How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won A Bubba-Sized Trophy came out in February of 2011, I thought that was the biggest moment of my life in the world of publishing. I now had a book that would hit the shelves of many bookstores and libraries around the world. But [ Read the full article… ]
Crystal Allen has one of the best author bios ever: I was born in a military hospital in Germany because my dad was in the Army. I’m the youngest of five children. I spent lots of my young years in New Albany, Indiana where I was corn-shucking and multiplication queen of my third grade class. [ Read the full article… ]
Like the trailblazers in her picture books, Crystal Hubbard knows what it means to beat the odds. As a child, she struggled with chronic asthma. That could have meant sports were out of reach. But Crystal went on to overcome that challenge and not only excel at sports, but develop a passion for them. Her determination and desire to share the [ Read the full article… ]
Floyd Cooper (January 8, 1956-July 15, 2021) was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His artistic talents began early. In an interview for Mackin Community, he said, “I began my artistic sojourn by erasing. When I was three years old I plucked a piece of gypsum board from a scrap heap left by my Dad [ Read the full article… ]
Welcome back to Generations Book Club! Our new list celebrates belonging. From the storytelling of Big Papa and the Time Machine by Daniel Bernstrom to the journey of discovery in the Laura Line by our own Crystal Allen to the classic, Kindred by Octavia Butler and the outstanding guide, Parent Like It Matters: How to [ Read the full article… ]
In the final stretch toward Election Day, The African American Children’s Book Project, founded by Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, and The Brown Bookshelf invite the Black publishing community to help mobilize voters. Please read the post below, spread the word and sign on in the comments to add your name. Our hashtag is #whywevote. We would love [ Read the full article… ]
