So happy to learn that #PocketBear was selected for the 2025 Kansas NEA Reading Circle List as one of their top 10 recommended titles. I'm one lucky author, and I can't wait for young readers in Kansas to discover this story. 💛🧸 knea.org/sites/knea/f... @mackidssl.bsky.social

Writing about another species is always hard. I have no idea what it’s like to swim and pirouette through the shallows. But I try my best to capture what it might be like for my readers. That’s what I love about middle grade. Those readers are ready to deep-dive with you into uncharted waters. 💙🦦

"I was built from random household items: rivets, routers, safety goggles, table legs, and a Christmas-tree light. When I was complete, a young girl flipped a switch, and I began to bark." ❤️🐶 Not long now until I AM A GOOD DOG arrives. Can't wait to share this one. us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

Absolutely thrilled to share that I'm adapting my novel WISHTREE into a picture book, illustrated by the wonderful @charlessantoso.bsky.social. 🌳 Charles's work is so special. Publication scheduled for fall of '27! @mackidsbooks.bsky.social ❤️

"The story—my story—has taken flight, like all stories do. I know there's no turning back. You can't exile stories. You can't ban truth. You can't cage hope. I know that now." 🦍💜🦋 #TheOneAndOnlyFamily @harperkids.bsky.social #mglit

Keep your young readers engaged in learning this summer with @bookelicious.bsky.social's THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN-themed "Summer of Stories" programming! ❤️🦍 Lots of IVAN-inspired resources and content available, including a virtual visit with me. Learn more: www.bookelicious.com/Educators/su...

I'm doggone thrilled to share that I'm hitting the road with @choldenko.bsky.social this fall to celebrate the third book in our Dogtown series, I AM A GOOD DOG. 💙🐶 You can find all the tour details here: linktr.ee/IAmAGoodDogT... We can't wait to meet you! @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

If you're reading one of my books over the summer, I hope you'll check out the Educator Resources page on my website—it's full of discussion questions, activities, and more that are great for home as well as the classroom. ❤️ #mglit katherineapplegate.com/educator-res...

Wallace West’s cover illustration for I AM A GOOD DOG is my favorite in the whole #Dogtown trilogy. (And that’s saying something!) Wallace's illustrations are funny and poignant all at once. Out September 22! Learn more and preorder here: us.macmillan.com/books/978125... @choldenko.bsky.social ❤️

I knew I wanted to write a story about pocket bears, but it took me a long time to find the right narrator. I auditioned almost every character in the book for the role before finally giving Zephyrina a shot. I’m glad I waited for her. Writing as Zephyrina was a hoot. 🧸💛 #mglit

Of the many characters I've written, the one who is most like me—especially at that age—is #Willodeen. Like Willodeen, I was shy. I loved spending time with animals. (For me, it was gerbils.) And I was trying to make sense of the world and find my place in it. I loved writing her. 💜🌿

So excited to share that #Crenshaw is being adapted into a graphic novel edited by Anna Roberto and illustrated by the wonderful Yai Rhynn! 💜🐈‍⬛ Publication is slated for fall of '28. Can't wait to share more soon! @mackidsbooks.bsky.social #mglit

Wombat is a “destiny dog.” Something inside of her (she calls it 'Voice’) keeps telling her that there's somebody out there who is meant to be her person. Even though it's just an instinct, Wombat keeps waiting. Sometimes you have to listen to your heart to find your true voice. 🧡🐕 #WombatWaiting

I'm beyond thrilled that my novel POCKET BEAR has been selected as a 2026 Judy Lopez Honor title. 💛🧸 It's an honor to be in such excellent company. This year's medalist is the wonderful @jamesbirdbooks.bsky.social... and last year's was my dear friend @choldenko.bsky.social! judylopezaward.org

My novel #wishtree is dedicated to newcomers and welcomers. I know that there are so very many welcomers in this country. Even in the darkness, I am reminded of this every day. They give me reason to hope. And as Red says, “Everyone needs to hope.” ❤️🌳

"What’s unusual about me is I grew up in a dog shelter, so I speak Dog, Human English, and Mousespeak. Also, I can read. The dog shelter, called Dogtown, takes discarded dogs, stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and broken metal dogs. It doesn’t take mice." 🐭 #MouseAndHisDog @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Thank you so much to everyone who has read my new novel, WOMBAT WAITING, and reached out or tagged me here. I love dogs and any opportunity to write about them, and I'm so glad that Wombat is making so many new friends. Hearing from you makes my day. 📷: @harperkids.bsky.social 🧡🐕

The epigraph to POCKET BEAR is from a Mary Oliver poem: "Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." That line reminds me so much of middle-grade readers. They have so much room in their tender hearts. 💛🧸

Wombat is a "destiny dog"—a dog whose fate is to track down the person with whom she’s meant to spend her life. #WombatWaiting is about compassion, resilience, and friendship. And hope. If you've had a chance to read it, I hope you loved it. 🧡🐕

She may not be in the title, but in some ways I think of #TheOneAndOnlyRuby as Stella's book, too. 💙🐘 I loved getting to know Ruby better as I was writing—but I also really enjoyed exploring Stella's backstory and her influence on these friends. 📷: @harperkids.bsky.social

My novel ODDER was inspired by a real-life conservation success story from @montereybayaquarium.org. By the early 1900s, central CA's population of southern sea otters had dwindled to about 50. Today, there are close to 3,000. Conservation measures work. 💙🦦 @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Soon after I began working on POCKET BEAR, I learned about a company in London called “Loved Before.” Their motto is, “Saving the planet, one teddy at a time.” I loved the idea of recycling toys. Pretty soon, The Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured found its way into my book. 🧸💛 #mglit

Otterly thrilled that my ODDER picture book has been named one of Bank Street's Best Children's Books of the Year! 💙🦦 Browse the full list, which is full of great books published in 2025, here: educate.bankstreet.edu/cbc_awards/36/ @bankstreetlibrary.bsky.social @charlessantoso.bsky.social

"Wombat wasn’t always Wombat. Before her name, before her bench, before the fires, everything started with the winds." 🧡🐕 @harperkids.bsky.social #mglit

A paperback box set of my "One and Only" books is out today. ❤️🦍🐕🐘 I still remember reading an article in the newspaper about Ivan. I knew I wanted to tell his story, but I never dreamed I'd write four linked novels. It’s been fascinating, and a true honor. www.harperstacks.com/978006350857...

"Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have." —Thom Jones My new #mglit novel, WOMBAT WAITING, came out last month. Have you had a chance to read it? I'd love to hear what you thought. 🧡🐕 @harperkids.bsky.social

30 years this month. 🧊🦎 Never dreamed that the #Animorphs series would end up being over 60 books. And I certainly wouldn’t have dreamed that they'd still have readers 30 years later. What a gift you’ve given us. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Ani fans are the absolute best. ❤️

Educators! The folks at @harperstacks.bsky.social have teamed up with children’s librarian Kathleen Odean to create a great educator's guide for my new novel, WOMBAT WAITING. Questions and extension activities within! You can download the guide here: katherineapplegate.com/educator-res... #mglit

#WorldOtterDay trivia: Did you know that every southern sea otter in my novel ODDER was inspired by a real story from @montereybayaquarium.org's sea otter surrogacy program? (Odder herself is a composite.) I loved learning more about this incredible keystone species. 🦦💙 @mackidsbooks.bsky.social

Couldn't help but share these great WOMBAT WAITING interior illustrations by the lovely @artofjen.bsky.social. She captured Wombat perfectly. 🧡🐕 WOMBAT WAITING is out now! www.harpercollins.com/products/wom... @harperkids.bsky.social