Erin Entrada Kelly is the author of chapter books for kids of all ages, including Hello, Universe — winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal. Her books explore coming of age with sensitivity and honesty, dealing with issues such as bullying, building friendships, and feeling like an outsider. In this interview, Erin talks about giving voice to quiet characters, different ways to be mighty, celebrating Filipino culture, the importance of diversity in children’s books, letting kids choose what they want (and love) to read, and much more.

Nathan Hale is the author/illustrator of the award-winning historical fiction series Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales — graphic novel versions of sometimes-crazy-but-always-true stories from American history.

In our interview, Nathan talks about his early career as a natural history museum mural painter, his first step into graphic novels (illustrating Rapunzel’s Revenge), and the origins of the Hazardous Tales series. He also shares details about his creative process and all of the careful research he does to make sure he gets the history facts right … if he doesn’t, the series’ Research Babies and Correction Babies let him know!