This summer, we headed to London and Portugal with our two daughters (ages 4 and 8) for three whole weeks. And what was most exciting to me was being able to read my Smart Girl's Guide to Travel book to the two of them to prepare. We headed to Mexico City last summer, so this wasn't their first big trip but Mexico City was in our time zone and they were familiar with the spoken language (the girls are in a dual immersion program). So we finally got to "sleep on the plane," de

This spring, my daughter turned 8. Though I knew in my heart that American Girl magazine was gone—it shuttered in 2019—I was not prepared for how I'd feel in that moment. It became so clear to me that she wouldn't have American Girl magazine to guide her through this next stage of childhood. And I couldn't accept that. But I didn't quite know what to do. Flash forward a few weeks later, and I posted a video about The Making of American Girl coffee table book because I was ple

What's better than a Scholastic Book Fair? Well, let me tell you—seeing your own books at your kids' Scholastic Book Fair! I love writing these middle grade novels for Scholastic in partnership with The Dodo. They're based on true stories, which means I get to put my journalism skills to use—lots of interviews, research, and reporting here! And then I take all of that research and translate it into a story arc that's appropriate for middle grade readers. Do I cry writing thes