Kids 8-12: Enter the Katherine Applegate Color Our World Writing Contest!

Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medalist and #1 New York Times-bestselling author, is the Collaborative Summer Library Program 2025 Summer Reading Champion!

This Summer, parents and guardians of budding storytellers ages 8-12 are invited to enter the Katherine Applegate Color Our World Writing Contest. Entries are open from June 1 – July 31, 2025.

WRITING PROMPT
Your writing can change and color our world! Write a short story between 1,000 – 1,500 words about a character that takes an action that changes someone else’s day for the better. The action can be as small or grand as you’d like — even small acts can make a big difference!

Your story must have a catchy title, a protagonist that takes an action to make a change, and a beginning, middle, and end.

The contest will be judged by the Collaborative Summer Library Program, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and Katherine Applegate. We’re on the lookout for a story that

Rules and Requirements: View Here
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The grand prize winner will receive a virtual writing workshop with Katherine Applegate, signed copies of Willodeen, Crenshaw, Odder, and wishtree, and will receive a $500 of books for readers ages 8-12 from Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Three runner-ups will receive a signed copies of Willodeen, Crenshaw, Odder, and wishtree.

ABBREVIATED RULES
No purchase necessary. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. who are age 18 or older and of the legal age of majority. Entry period begins at 9:00 AM (ET) on 6/1/2025 and ends at 11:59 PM ET on 7/31/2025. Void where prohibited. For full Official Rules, visit the following link. Sponsored by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

Entries will open June 1st at 12:00am ET.

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Bad Kitty: Party Animal by Nick Bruel Sweepstakes, Activity Kit + Book Club Discussion Guide

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nick Bruel’s New York Times-Bestselling Series with this class set of books and party favors! This series is purr-fect for fans of DOG MAN and INVESTIGATORS, comic book fans, and cranky cats.

Winners will receive a class set of Bad Kitty: Party Animal books and Bad Kitty Kazoos!

No purchase necessary. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia who are age 21 years of age or older. Entry period begins at 11:59 PM (ET) on Monday, January 13, 2025 and ends at 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Void where prohibited. For full Official Rules, visit . Sponsored by MCPG, 120 Broadway 10271.


Bad Kitty: Party Animal by Nick Bruel
Ages 7 to 10

It’s Puppy’s birthday and Kitty can’t seem to do anything right in this brand new graphic novel adventure by New York Times-bestselling creator Nick Bruel, for fans of DOG MAN and INVESTIGATORS.

It’s Puppy’s birthday and Kitty would rather be anywhere else.

While Puppy gets a BIG present and a very special birthday breakfast, all Kitty can do is pop the balloons, topple the cake, and cause mayhem…unless, she can learn how to let Puppy have the spotlight.

Help Puppy (and Kitty) celebrate this special day in this graphic novel about sibling rivalry, and learning how to share, in the latest full-color addition to the bestselling Bad Kitty series.

Activity Kit + Book Club Discussion Guide: Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy

Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy
Ages 8 to 12

When Aviva Davis and Holly Martin meet at the holiday pageant tryouts for their local senior’s center, they think they must be seeing double. While they both knew they were adopted, they had no idea they had a biological sibling, let alone an identical twin! The similarities are only skin deep, though, because while Aviva has a big personality and even bigger Broadway plans, Holly is more the quiet dreamer type who longs to become a famous author like her grandfather.

One thing the girls do have in common is their curiosity about how the other celebrates the holidays. What better way to discover the magic of the holidays than to experience them firsthand? The girls secretly trade lives, planning to stage a dramatic reveal to their families. Two virtual strangers swapping homes, holidays, and age-old traditions–what could possibly go wrong? Find out in this sweet as a sugarplum and satisfying as a latke middle grade novel by Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, and Joanne Levy, award-winning author of Sorry for Your Loss and several other books for tweens.

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Holiday Book List

Holiday Book List

Celebrate Winter HolidaysJuniper's ChristmasLunar New Year Love StoryHappy DiwaliThe Christmas Book FloodSeason of LightHappy Hanukkah, Pout-Pout Fish

With the holiday season upon us, we are excited to display these delightful titles and celebrate the holidays across many cultures and traditions. From Diwali to Lunar New Year, we hope to diversify your reading list into the new year.

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Short and Sweet Series for Growing Readers

Introduce these series starters to budding readers in your classroom or library and spark an enduring love for reading. Featuring everything from uproarious adventures to sweet friendship stories and relatable characters, these series offer diverse gateways to captivate every kind of young reader.

Enter the sweepstakes to win free books for your classroom! One grand prize winner will receive a virtual visit from InvestiGators creator John Patrick Green.

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Activity Kit: How to Pee Your Pants: The Right Way by Rachel Michelle Wilson

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How to Pee Your Pants the Right Way Book Cover

How to Pee Your Pants: The Right Way by Rachel Michelle Wilson
Ages 3 to 5

Don’t miss this humorous and heartwarming picture book by debut creator Rachel Michelle Wilson about that embarrassing moment in life when you (gasp) pee your pants.

Well, it happened. You peed your pants.

You probably regret that second (okay, third) lemonade.

We’ve all been there.

This book has some tips to get you through it (including but not limited to traffic cone pants, extraterrestrial negotiations, food fights, and other very practical techniques).

With her playful retro palette, debut author-illustrator Rachel Michelle Wilson offers a space to laugh with yourself through one of life’s most embarrassing moments and remember that you’re never as alone as you think.

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