Amy Fitzgerald
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amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Amy Fitzgerald
@amyarielfitz.bsky.social
1.8K followers 700 following 250 posts
Sr. Editorial Director for Carolrhoda Books/Lab and Zest Books at Lerner Publishing Group. Scribbler, scone enthusiast, history nerd, owner of multiple unmatched mittens. Opinions my own. She/her.
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amyarielfitz.bsky.social
"I could smell the onions and mustard"
Kevin Sorbo as Hercules, about to go "wait a minute, this isn't my world... DISAPPOINTEDDDDD"
November 4, 2025 at 6:44 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
I finished editing this book almost exactly a year ago, wondering what kind of reality it would be born into today. Wondering if it'd feel quaint, dated. Turns out the only thing about it that's aged poorly is that it depicts the NYT as doing real reporting lol.
“So that’s his deal in a nutshell: racism and anti-immigrant nonsense, dialed up to eleven. And his campaign has raised a lot of money.” Jake glances over at me, just briefly. “Some of his donations are connected to Robert James Mitchell, founder of Mitchell MedTech, who may have violated campaign finance laws to funnel money to Wright. You can read more about that in a New York Times article published today. Wright talks a lot about immigrants supposedly being criminals, but it looks like he has no problem with laws being broken for his benefit. I love New York, and I don’t want a man like this to be our governor. I encourage all of you to learn more, spread the word, and get involved, so that everyone knows what’s going on. Elections... [end of excerpt]
November 4, 2025 at 5:02 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Btw Marcia Argueta Mickelson's THE WRITING ROOM is out today. It's set in NYC! It's about the daughter of a Guatemalan immigrant standing up to her rich white dad and the bigoted politician he's funding! It's about telling new stories when the old ones fail us.

@marciamickelson.bsky.social
Cover image for the The Writing Room by Marcia Argueta Mickelson. Uppercase yellow title text over an image of a brick building's red fire escape, with a jagged border of reddish bricks around the edges of the image. I’ve always thought he used to love my mom. Used to love me, when I was little. But maybe that was only because back then, our lives orbited his. I’ve always told myself he wanted his kids to grow into independent adults, but maybe kicking us out was just another way of controlling us. I’ve been telling myself that he’s not racist. That he must not realize what Wright’s truly like or that Wright is eyeing the governor’s office. That he already has more than enough of what he wants most. Those are the stories I’ve been telling myself. They’re not my father’s real story. “I understand.” Honestly, maybe I don’t; I’ve been shielded from so much by my dad’s wealth and privilege, by his whiteness. The stakes are probably higher than I can really process. But I know I can’t just sit behind a locked door and let myself feel safe while people like those little girls are being attacked. Yoly still doesn’t seem on board. “What if the media picks it up—that Robert Mitchell’s daughter is protesting outside his company headquarters?” “I don’t care. I hope the media does notice I’m there. I’ve cared what my dad thinks of me my whole life. Where has that gotten me?” I say it again for emphasis, inscribing the words in the air. “I. Don’t. Care. Anymore.”
November 4, 2025 at 4:56 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Needed this even more than usual yesterday:
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock saying "Lemon, it's Wednesday."
October 30, 2025 at 1:42 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Also, EYES OPEN by Lyn Miller-Lachmann is a Social Justice Literature Award Honor Book, and MAKE A LITTLE WAVE by Kerry O’Malley Cerra is on the recommended reading list!

sites.csulb.edu/l-sr/books/b...

@lynmillerlachmann.bsky.social @kerryomalleycerra.bsky.social @lernerbooks.bsky.social
Cover image for EYES OPEN by Lyn Miller-Lachmann. Multicolored title text sits against a blue background. Beneath the text, a pair of hands releases a flock of folded-paper birds. Cover image for MAKE A LITTLE WAVE by Kerry O’Malley Cerra. Full-color illustration of a tween girl in scuba gear floating underwater, smiling, while surrounded by sharks.
October 16, 2025 at 4:28 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Things That Happened Thursday has arrived again! What Things have happened in my publishing world?

First: Lupe Ruiz-Flores's historical middle grade novel THE PECAN SHELLER was praised as "captivating" by the legendary Laurie Halse Anderson in NYT:

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/b...
Cover image for THE PECAN SHELLER by Lupe Ruiz-Flores. Full-color illustration of a tween girl with brown skin and long dark hair holding up a banner on which the title text is printed.
October 16, 2025 at 4:18 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Hard to imagine how it can get worse after "I've missed hearing Woody Allen's voice..." AND YET
Kombucha reaction meme: a disgusted face kombucha reaction meme: closeup on the same disgusted face; there is no turnaround here, there is only deeper darkness
October 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
WILD SONG by Candy Gourlay is out in the US! Frustrated by her hometown's limitations, Luki agrees to be part of an exhibition of Indigenous Filipinos at the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis.

What
could
go
wrong?

See the starred reviews, excerpt, teaching guide, etc.: lernerbooks.com/shop/show/25...
Cover image for WILD SONG by Candy Gourlay. Green-tinted photo of a teen girl gazes at the reader. Translucent orange title text overlays the girl's face.
October 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
And Candy Gourlay's YA historical novel WILD SONG, about an Indigenous girl from the Philippines at the 1904 World's Fair, has gotten TWO starred reviews!

Booklist praises its "nuance and sensitivity." SLJ predicts "Lovers of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy" it. This one's out next week!
Cover image for WILD SONG by Candy Gourlay. Green-tinted photo of an Indigenous girl from the Philippines, shown from the shoulders up, looking directly at the reader. Title text in translucent orange text overlays the girl's face. Behind her in the background are buildings with tall towers.
September 25, 2025 at 7:25 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Today marks another Things That Happened Thursday: in which I post about stuff I meant to post about earlier.

First up: Shafaq Khan's middle grade debut, ZEYNA LOST AND FOUND, was selected for the American Booksellers Association's Indies Introduce program!
www.bookweb.org/indies-intro...
Cover image for ZEYNA LOST AND FOUND by Shafaq Khan. Full-color illustration of a girl running through a marketplace at night, holding a shining red jewel aloft in her right hand, while two other kids trail her
September 25, 2025 at 7:19 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Me, a rube: What is up with journalists being so credulous and/or disingenuous about [insert issue, pretty much any issue]? Do they not realize how ridiculous they sound? How could they possibly think this is responsible coverage?

The historical record, every time: lol
Screencap from the book Martin Luther King, Jr.: Nonviolent Strategies and Tactics for Social Change by John J. Ansbro: "Many of King's critics have implied that he was guilty of a self-contradiction by practicing a nonviolent protest that generated violence. Tim in a 1964 article on him as Man of the Year asserted, 'King preaches endlessly about nonviolence, but his protest movements often lead to violence.' US News and World Report in its analysis of how he won the Nobel Peace Prize indicated that many Americans thought it 'extraordinary that this prize should go to a man whose fame is based upon his battle for civil rights for Negroes—and whose activities often led to violence.' Hanes Walton Jr in The Political Philosophy of MLK maintained that in one respect King's nonviolence was similar to violence in that it could result in the destruction of property and life. Frank Meyer, in a 1965 article in National Review, 'The Violence of Nonviolence,' accused King of employing a nonviolence that had a 'violent essence' since it involved 'the provocation of violence,' 'the use of force against civil society,' and a ' violent assault upon representative, constitutional government.' Unlike Walton, who conceded that King's intentions and means differed from the advocates of violence, Meyer charged King's Nonviolent Movement with 'hypocrisy on a grand scale' since the movement aimed to provoke the supporters of the civil order so that they would initiate the first act of violence, and proceeded by 'relying upon the terror inspired by mobs to destroy the processes of constitutional civil government.'"
September 23, 2025 at 4:18 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Zeyna Lost and Found by debut author Shafaq Khan is out today! Think National Treasure (with a stolen jewel, not the Declaration of Independence) on the Hippie Trail (a pre-1980 route across the Middle East) for middle graders: an adventure wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an international heist!
Cover image of Zeyna Lost and Found by Shafaq Khan: full-color illustration of three kids running through a market at night; the girl in front holds up a gleaming red jewel.
September 9, 2025 at 2:35 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
LAST SUMMER IN OUTER SPACE by Joshua S. Levy is also out in paperback! The thrilling conclusion of the PSS 118 trilogy wraps up the adventures of the galaxy's most underfunded yet courageous middle schoolers. You can now get *all 3* books in the series in paperback.

lernerbooks.com/shop/show/22...
Cover image for LAST SUMMER IN OUTER SPACE by Joshua S. Levy. Full-color illustration of three kids in spacesuits floating in front of a moon of Jupiter, with shadowy images of a menacing long-haired, red-eyed alien lady and a menacing, short-haired teacher with glasses in the background.
August 14, 2025 at 8:26 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
THE COLOR OF SOUND by Emily Barth Isler has a paperback edition! This MG novel about music, family, and growth got starred reviews from SLJ, PW, and me when it came out last year. It's still a fantastic book, and now it's cheaper and more bendable.

lernerbooks.com/shop/show/23...
Cover image for THE COLOR OF SOUND by Emily Barth Isler. Full-color illustration. On the righthand side of the page a girl is shown in profile from the shoulders up. Wavy lines of color, notably orange, swirl around her. She has light skin and long, wavy dark hair.
August 14, 2025 at 8:19 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Time for another Things That Happened Thursday, my occasional roundup of stuff I meant to post about sooner!

First up: DISPLACED by Patrick Ochieng is out in the US! Kirkus's starred review called this MG novel about hope in impossible circumstances "outstanding."

lernerbooks.com/shop/show/25...
Cover image for DISPLACED by Patrick Ochieng. Full-color illustration of a boy holding a large yellow cannister and and standing in front of a tent city, with a cityscape of tall buildings in the background. The boy has dark skin and short hair. His expression is serious. He wears a short-sleeved shirt.
August 14, 2025 at 8:11 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Finally a moment when I don't regret a lunch-break news check
Sickos Meme: Guy stands at a window saying "Yes... HA HA HA... YES!" Guy usually labeled "sicko" is labeled "me."
July 24, 2025 at 6:41 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Correct energy
Screencap of text: At the rally, Garrison burned copies of the Fugitive Slave Act and the U.S. Constitution, crying out “So perish all compromises with tyranny!” This referred to two recent incidents: the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act into law on May 30, which expanded slavery into these territories; and the arrest and the re-enslavement of Anthony Burns who had been taken into custody on May 24 in Boston, in compliance with the Fugitive Slave Act, a component of the Compromise of 1850. Read a detailed... [Cuts off there]
July 4, 2025 at 1:23 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
ZEYNA LOST AND FOUND, Shafaq Khan's middle grade debut, a delightful caper about straddling two worlds while solving a jewel heist, is an Indies Introduce featured title for this fall! It's out 9/9.

www.bookweb.org/news/summerf...

@shafaqjaleeskhan.bsky.social @lernerbooks.bsky.social
Cover image for Zeyna Lost and Found by Shafaq Khan. Full-color illustration. A tween girl runs through a market at night, holding a glowing red jewel in her raised right hand. She looks at the jewel with a serious, determined expression. She has light brown skin and dark, curly brown hair. A brown satchel is slung over her left shoulder, and she wears a shalwar kameez—a red-and-gold tunic with loose beige trousers that gather at the ankle. Two children close to her age follow her—behind her to her right, a girl wearing a green tunic and gold trousers; behind her to her left, a boy wearing a blue button-down shirt and fitted beige pants. Both companions have light brown skin and dark hair; the girl in green looks alarmed, while the boy smiles in excitement. On either side of them are market stalls displaying colorful wares, including bracelets and patterned bolts of cloth. Several shoppers browse these items, apparently unaware of the children. Lanterns hang in the stalls, and in the background stars shine against a deep blue sky. Above the marketgoers’ heads, laundry is draped on clotheslines that span the two sides of the street, their colors muted to blue by the nighttime. The title text is a vibrant greenish yellow, with thick letters that have a bubbly, handwritten look to them.
May 29, 2025 at 2:07 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Thank you for this thread—it's both informative and an incredible emotional journey!
Vince McMahon reaction meme with four panels stacked vertically: New Pope / Vince is interested New Pope from Chicago / Vince is intrigued New Pope who hates JD Vance / Vince is open-mouthed in wonder New Pope who's chill with the Synodal Way / Vince's eyes glow and the whole frame is red
May 8, 2025 at 7:40 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Jennifer Mason-Black's riveting SOMETIMES THE GIRL—a mystery wrapped in a meditation—is out today! In starred reviews, Kirkus called it "beautifully written & powerfully uplifting" and Foreword deemed it "a touching coming-of-age novel."

lernerbooks.com/shop/show/25...
bookshop.org/p/books/some...
Front cover: Sometimes the Girl by Jennifer Mason-Black. Yellow title text in thick, slightly wavy capital letters is interwoven with a dense spread of leafy tree branches against a bright blue sky. The dark brown branches and light green leaves appear to be seen from below, reaching toward the glimpses of the sky. Author’s name is at the bottom, in the same font as the title text but in white.
May 6, 2025 at 2:40 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
MAKE A LITTLE WAVE by Kerry O'Malley Cerra is a Green Earth Book Awards Honor Book!

www.natgen.org/green-earth-...

@lernerbooks.bsky.social @kerryomalleycerra.bsky.social @janinele.bsky.social
Cover image for Make a Little Wave by Kerry O’Malley Cerra. In an illustrated image, a girl wearing a wetsuit, snorkeling mask and glasses, and diving fins hovers underwater, smiling, while sharks swim around her. Background is varying shades of blue.
May 1, 2025 at 2:45 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
Welcome to the latest edition of Things That Happened Thursday, an update on books I've edited!

First up: THE COLOR OF SOUND by Emily Barth Isler is a Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards Honor Book!

readyourworld.org/awards/padib...
@lernerbooks.bsky.social @esckeyes.bsky.social
Cover image for The Color of Sound by Emily Barth Isler. Full-color illustration of a girl in profile, shown from the shoulders up on the right side of the page, facing toward the left. She has long, wavy brown hair and light skin. Streaks of color, mostly orange with some purple and blue mixed in, flower above and behind her, along with images of a violin, a book, a warped clock, and musical notes.
May 1, 2025 at 2:42 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
It's PUB DAY for Lupe Ruiz-Flores's middle grade novel THE PECAN SHELLER, about a real 1938 strike. What can I say about it that three starred reviews haven't covered? Maybe just this: I sometimes ask myself, "What would Petra do?" and haven't yet been steered wrong.

bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Pecan Sheller by Lupe Ruiz-Flores. Full-color illustration. A girl with brown skin and long black hair stands facing the reader with her right arm (on the left side of the page) raised. She wears a dark blue skirt and a loose white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her right hand cups the top of the rectangular white frame of the title text. The frame curves upward in the middle and downward at each end. The capitalized title text is a brown gradient, lighter at the top and darker at the bottom. Behind the girl, several scenes are depicted: On the left side of the page, the profile of an old woman faces left. Her long white braid drapes over the scene below, which shows a girl standing on a windswept bridge with a dark blue sky in the background. On the right side of the page, a sign with the letters “…NFAIR TO …ORKERS” is partially visible behind the girl’s head. Farther down, below the girl’s streaming hair, is another woman’s face in profile, turned toward the right. At the bottom, between the girl’s left arm and her torso, is a copper-toned image of a crowd of people, some holding signs. Small, irregular brown shapes—pecans—are scattered across the cover image.
April 1, 2025 at 8:21 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
And SOMETIMES THE GIRL by Jennifer Mason-Black got *another* starred review, this one from Foreword Reviews, which hails it as "a touching coming-of-age novel about healing and connection." This YA novel will be out May 6!
Front cover: Sometimes the Girl by Jennifer Mason-Black. Yellow title text in thick, slightly wavy capital letters is interwoven with a dense spread of leafy tree branches against a bright blue sky. The dark brown branches and light green leaves appear to be seen from below, reaching toward the glimpses of the sky. Author’s name is at the bottom, in the same font as the title text but in white.
March 27, 2025 at 3:04 PM
amyarielfitz.bsky.social
It's "Things That Happened" Thursday for books I've edited!

THEY THOUGHT THEY BURIED US by NoNieqa Ramos is a finalist for the Jacqueline Woodson Award for LGBTQ+ Children's/Young Adult Literature!
publishingtriangle.org/awards/the-j...
Cover image: They Thought They Buried Us by NoNieqa Ramos. Large, capitalized white text against a textured dark brown background scattered with narrow, light green leaves. Amidst the leaves, three light green frogs are shown as if from above; one sits to the left of “They,” one to the right of “They,” and one below “Us” and above the author’s name. The background resembles dirt, and specks of brown fleck the white lettering of the text. The leaves sprout in joined pairs or clusters, connected in the middle. They resemble cotyledons, the embryonic leaves of young plants.
March 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM