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Kendra Levin is an executive editor at Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, where since 2005 she has worked on a wide range of children’s literature from picture books to young adult novels. She has edited the New York Times bestseller Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, Printz Honor winner The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry, Theodor Seuss Geisel award winner Don’t Throw It to Mo! by David A. Adler, Society of Illustrators Gold Medal winner The Lost House by B.B. Cronin, and the work of authors including Janet Fox, Deborah Freedman, and others. Kendra also helps writers as a teacher and certified life coach, and is the author of The Hero Is You , a grounded self-help guide to a healthier writing process. Visit her at www.kendracoaching.com and follow her @kendralevin. Kendra Levin is an editor at Viking Children's Books and the author of The Hero Is You, a book that uses The Hero's Journey to help writers find the right path and process for them...

The Golden Kite honors two for best picture book text -- a winner and an honoree. And the winners are.... Winner: The Christmas Boot by Lisa Wheeler Publisher: Dial A touching Yuletide story about a lonely woman who finds a mysterious boot in the snow. Honor:  Time for Earth School, Dewey Dew by Leslie Staub Publisher: Boyds Mills Press A nervous alien deals with being the only non-human at his new school. Golden Kite award winner for best picture book text Lisa Wheeler shared the inspiring, nearly 20-year journey she took to the SCBWI Golden Kite stage. "Let me just take a breath because this is the year I've decided I get to enjoy moments, and this a moment I've enjoyed," Wheeler said. "The story behind the Christmas Boot  is very inspiring -- especially for those of us who have been in the trenches for years." "It was December of 1998. I was working at Toys R Us in the children's book department," she recalls. "As I left work one day, ...

Jennifer Laughran joined Andrea Brown Literary Agency in 2007 after a long career as a bookseller, buyer and event coordinator. Always on the lookout for sparkling YA and middle grade fiction with unusual and unforgettable characters and vivid settings, she loves funny books, thrilling books, romantic books, books that make her cry, and all-around un-put-downable books… and her true favorites are all of the above. Some clients include author-illustrators like Giselle Potter, Don Brown, Raul the Third and Phoebe Wahl; middle grade authors like Daniel Pinkwater, Kate Messner, Alex Gino and Linda Urban; YA authors like Erin Jade Lange, Paula Stokes, Karen Rivers and Ellen Emerson White, among others. Visit www.andreabrownlit.com . Prolific agent extraordinaire Jennifer Laughran, an actively acquiring agent at Andrea Brown Literary, has an awesome, engaging presence, online and off. And you can, too. Here are some of her kickass tips about how to prime your book for success.  1) Be e...

Stephanie Garber is the New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author of the break-out, young adult fantasy Caraval, which is one of the publishing success stories of 2017. When Stephanie isn’t writing, she teaches creative writing at a private college in northern California, where she’s been known to turn assignments into games and take students on fieldtrips that involve book signings. She can be found on Twitter @sgarbergirl, or Instagram @stephanie_garber.  Lin Oliver introduced Stephanie Garber as "the definition of an overnight success."  But that overnight success was more than seven years in the making.  "The last time I was here, I was not published. So I'm very excited. And I'm really nervous," she says. "I know what it's like to sit here and wonder if you'll ever get an agent or a book deal, hoping that someone will see something in you and your work. Hoping someone will say the words that would make it all better." She w...

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Best-selling author of twenty-four books, including The Crossover , which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Paterson Poetry Prize. Some of his other works include The Playbook: 52 Rules To Help You Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Of Life ; the picture books, Animal Ark , Out of Wonder and Surf's Up ; and novels Booked , He Said She Said , and the forthcoming Solo . Listening to Kwame Alexander speak is like going to church. And when you pair him with fellow poet and YA goddess Sonya Sones, you know you're in for a treat. The #LA17SCBWI Saturday afternoon's closing keynote did not disappoint. "Okay, Kwame. Let's start from the beginning," Sonya said. "Tell me about the moment of your conception." Kwame didn't miss a beat. "1967. Harlem, New York. A dormi...