Author, editor, publisher, and speaker Marc Aronson believes passionately in the power of great nonfiction — in building background knowledge, nourishing children’s interest in the real world, and helping young people become critical readers and thinkers. He has written history and biography books for middle school children and young adults, including books about the secrets of Stonehenge, the sugar trade (Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science), and the life of John Henry (Ain’t Nothing but a Man). His biography of Sir Walter Raleigh (Sir Walter Raleigh and the Quest for El Dorado won the ALA’s first Robert L. Sibert Information Book Award for nonfiction and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

For an extended interview with Aronson and a list of his YA books, visit our sister site, AdLit.org.

Chris d’Lacey got a late start on his writing career, but he’s made up for lost time — he’s the author of more than 25 books for kids. Though he’s best known for his dragon novels, The Last Dragon Chronicles and The Dragons of Wayward Crescent, he’s also written about polar bears, pigeons, squirrels, snails, pirates, ducks, and soccer (called football outside the U.S.) Some of his books are based on real life, others are pure fantasy, but they all share d’Lacey’s warm and quirky sense of humor.

The author of 100 Best Books for Children and 500 Great Books for Teens, Anita Silvey has devoted 35 years to promoting books that inspire children to become enthusiastic, lifelong readers. Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Horn Book Magazine and a children’s book publisher with Houghton Mifflin), Silvey continues her role as an energetic advocate for children’s and YA literature through regular appearances on television and radio and at literacy events nationwide. Publisher’s Weekly has said, “It would be hard to find a more authoritative voice than Anita Silvey.” She has recently published her first book written for children, a work of narrative nonfiction called I’ll Pass for Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War.

In this interview, find out what Silvey thinks about the future of the book and listen to the thrilling real-life anecdote about the creators of Curious George. As she says, “every children’s book tells a story, but every children’s book has a story behind it.”