2013 Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate describes how the plight of a silverback gorilla kept on display in a shopping mall inspired her to pen her heartrending tale, The One and Only Ivan (HarperCollins).

Explore all the 2013 Newbery resources and author interviews on TeachingBooks.net.

2013 Caldecott Winner Jon Klassen explains his multimedia approach to illustrating This Is Not My Hat (Candlewick), a fun, playful story about a mischievous fish.

Explore all the 2013 Caldecott resources and author interviews on TeachingBooks.net.

Steve Sheinkin, 2013 Sibert Informational Book Award Winner, Newbery Honoree, YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Winner, and National Book Award Finalist, discusses the challenge of incorporating multiple complex storylines and characters into the gripping thriller Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon (Roaring Brook).

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Elizabeth Wein, 2013 Printz Award Honoree, delves into how her discoveries of the influential role of women in World War II motivated her to write Code Name Verity (Hyperion).

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Andrea Davis Pinkney, 2013 Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Winner, explores how the idea for Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America (Hyperion) came about after her middle-school aged son, bored with his own curriculum, begged her to write a more engaging historical work for children.

Explore all the 2013 Coretta Scott King Book Award resources and author interviews on TeachingBooks.net.

Ethan Long, 2013 Geisel Award Winner, shares how the characters in his humorous early reader, Up, Tall and High! (Penguin) originated as a way of coping after his father passed away.

Explore all the 2013 Geisel resources and author interviews on TeachingBooks.net.