Amanda Ramirez

New York

Reviews Editor, Children's at Publishers Weekly

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Articles

Four Questions for Calista Brill

1 day ago | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Calista Brill—picture book author and editorial director at First Second Books—makes her graphic novel debut with middle grade comic Creaky Acres, illustrated by Nilah Magruder. Star equestrian Nora is sad to leave behind her friends upon moving to the rural town of Greenville. There, she butts heads with the owner of Creaky Acres, the rundown barn where she houses her horse, Hay Fever. And as the only Black kid in her new class, she’s bombarded with microaggressions from her peers.
Four Questions for Gloria Chao

Dec 17, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Taiwanese American author Gloria Chao travels to Taipei for the first time on the page in her new YA romance, Ex Marks the Spot. When 18-year-old Gemma Sun is contacted by an attorney, who tells her that her Taiwanese grandfather recently died—and that he’d left Gemma old newspaper clippings with a secret message urging her to visit his apartment in Taipei—the news causes a rift between Gemma and her mother, who’d told Gemma that he died a long time ago.
Q & A with Natasha Preston

Dec 3, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Natasha Preston, the bestselling author of The Cellar, The Cabin, and other titles for teens, whips up another YA suspense novel, The Party. To ensure that no adults can derail their spring break plans, friends attending an English boarding school lie to the administration and their parents about their destination: an ancient castle, complete with a moat, that belongs to the wealthy family of 16-year-old narrator Bessie’s friend—and lead party planner—Allegra.
Fall 2024 Children’s Flying Starts: Tony Weaver Jr.

Nov 29, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

I knew I wanted to create things,” Tony Weaver Jr. says of his youthful aspirations. “And I originally started with poetry.” The author of middle grade graphic novel memoir Weirdo (First Second), illustrated by twin creators Jes and Cin Wibowo, had no intention of breaking into the traditional publishing biz.
Q & A with Shannon Messenger

Nov 26, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Shannon Messenger takes a detour in Unraveled, book 9.5 in her bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities middle grade series. The first book to be narrated from an entirely new POV and the second .5 installment following Unlocked (book 8.5), Unraveled centers on elven teenager Keefe Sencen after he split off from Sophie Foster in Stellarlune. What did Keefe get up to while he was traipsing through Humanland? What mysteries did he uncover and what secrets did he learn?
Q & A with Marisha Pessl

Nov 21, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Adult author Marisha Pessl (Special Topics in Calamity Physics) follows her YA debut Neverworld Wake with suspense thriller Darkly. When 17-year-old Dia sees an ad from the Louisiana Veda Foundation—founded in honor of the long-dead creator of the complicated board games, now collector’s items, known as a Darkly—seeking seven teens for an unusual summer internship, she knows she can’t pass up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Q & A with Katharine McGee

Nov 5, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Katharine McGee, the bestselling author of the American Royals series, turns back the clock to 19th-century Europe in her new YA historical romance novel A Queen’s Game, the first book in a planned duology inspired by true events. Three teenage noblewomen—Alix of Hesse, exiled French princess Hélène d’Orléans, and Her Serene Highness May of Teck—find themselves caught in a web of political alliances as the queen of England plays matchmaker for her sprawling family.
Four Questions for Robin Benway

Oct 1, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Robin Benway, author of the National Book Award-winning YA novel Far from the Tree, makes her first foray into middle grade with The Girls of Skylark Lane. Twelve-year-old twin sisters Aggie and Jac have mixed feelings about moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles with their fathers. Aggie worries about change and fitting in; Jac is excited for a fresh start.
Q & A with Hanna Alkaf

Sep 24, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

The Weight of Our Sky and Queen of the Tiles author Hanna Alkaf crafts a dark love letter to her mission school days in YA supernatural thriller The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s. When students at St. Bernadette’s, a 112-year-old all-girls school in Kuala Lumpur, begin letting out terrified, unrelenting screams and are unable to stop, officials blame ghosts and mass hysteria.
Q & A with Erin A. Craig

Sep 19, 2024 | publishersweekly.com | Amanda Ramirez

Erin A. Craig, author of the bestselling YA gothic fantasy novel House of Salt and Sorrows, crafts another dark fairy tale in The Thirteenth Child, a reimagining of “Godfather Death” by the Brothers Grimm. When Hazel is born to parents already struggling to feed 12 other children, the god of death—Merrick the Dreaded End—whisks her away to raise her as his own. Merrick proclaims that Hazel will become a great healer and bestows upon her the ability to instantly treat the sick.