Becky Levine
LightNews LightNews
banner
beckylevine.bsky.social
Becky Levine
@beckylevine.bsky.social
1.1K followers 460 following 560 posts
Kidlit writer, knitter, beginning drummer. Come for the writing and books, stay for the cat, yarn, and travel pix. Opinions are my own. Unless you love them, in which case I'm happy to share. She/Her

www.beckylevine.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
beckylevine.bsky.social
Spent a few minutes in @hicklebees.bsky.social today and picked up a copy of this absolutely lovely picture book biography by @shrurao.bsky.social. Written beautifully around complex science and complex emotional paths, as clear and engaging as a PB bio should be. ❤️
Book cover showing a young boy and a young man against a background of space and stars in blues, golds, and pink Title: WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL: HOW S. CHANDRASEKHAR PREDICTED THE EXISTENCE OF BLACK HOLES. Author: Shruthi Rao; Illustrator: Srinidhi Srinivasan
October 22, 2025 at 10:04 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Had an amazing day at the #scbwiohionorth conference. The books (and the fantastic critique inside the folder!) are my physical takeaways, but I'm also refueled with happiness, inspiration, and hope. Huge thank you to all the SCBWI folx and the faculty who made this conference happen.
Two books, DATING AND DRAGONS by Kristy Boyce and BE THE LIGHT: HOW SHE BECAME ANGELA DAVIS, plus a green folder with a butterfly bookmark and an SCBWI sticker.
October 4, 2025 at 9:24 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
I have the best homework. #kidlit 📚 👍🏻 #chapterbook
Book cover of DRAGON MASTERS: SAVING THE SUN DRAGON by Tracey West. Cover art shows two children on a flying, white dragon with yellow and black wings. The child in front is a girl with brown skin and straight, black hair, and the child in back is a boy with white skin and curly, brown hair. On the ground below the dragon is a pyramid and a few trees. Additional text & graphics on the cover identify the book as published by Scholastic and as part of the BRANCHES line of chapter books.
September 24, 2025 at 10:58 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
My nephew recommended BLOOD OVER BRIGHT HAVEN by M. L. Wang to me, and it is one of the most brilliant fantasy/sci-fi novels I've ever read. Heads up, it's grim, and the ending is VERY bleak, especially with the way life feels these days. But, to me, the ending felt absolutely right for the story.
A red background with a black & gray city skyline. The silhouette of woman with a coat blowing out behind her walks away from the front of the cover.
September 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
#Caturday auditions for the cat circus.
A black and white cat on a slanted 2x4, with a background of trees and diet.
September 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
My morning walk in Santa Cruz. Foggy, cold, and quiet, with a few happy dogs running around.The best kind of beach time.

I *think* the birds are pelicans.
August 12, 2025 at 12:16 AM
beckylevine.bsky.social
THE LIBRARY OF UNRULY TREASURES is very different from the Penderwicks books, but every world Jeanne Birdsall creates and every word she writes is pure joy. 📚👍🏻
Book cover with a white background and colors of blue, red, and green. A girl walks along with Lahdukan flying around her and a dog with its front paws on top of a stack of books.
August 7, 2025 at 12:46 AM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Happiness is a new book by Jeanne Birdsall. 📚👍🏻
A book cover with a girl walking, with fairies flying around and a dog with its front paws on a stack of books. The girl is white with brown hair and is wearing a blue sweatshirt, red pants, and black-and-white shoes. The title is THE LIBRARY OF UNRULY TREASURES. The author is Jeanne Birdsall and the illustrator is Matt Phelan.
August 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
My son got me this #stevejacksongames game last Christmas. I was wary, because I haven't really played this style of game before. It did take a while for it to click with my brain, but now I love it. Highly recommend.
Purple box with "Chez Cthulhu" in bright green lettering above a picture of a crowded room with various people, animals, and things in it. At the bottom are game credits and, in that same green, "Steve Jackson Games."
August 2, 2025 at 6:02 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Grateful for the morning fog banks that are keeping the summer temps low. (And before you compliment me on my photography skills, I was literally staring into the sun, unable to even see what my phone camera was getting!)
A blue sky with sparkling sun, between two trees and above hills with a fog bank and more trees.
July 30, 2025 at 2:48 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Home from the @sccld.bsky.social bookmobile. A tall stack of nonfiction today. #nonfiction #picturebook #kidlit 📚👍🏻
A stack of pictures books on a table, with a room behind. Titles: I AM FARMER; ALONG CAME A RADIOACTIVE SPIDER; SURVIVOR TREE; THE TREE OF HOPE; HELLO, TREE; HURRICANE; THE NOISY PUDDLE; PECULIAR PRIMATES; I AM THE STORM; APART, TOGETHER; MEET THE MINI ANIMALS; TIME TO SHINE.
July 24, 2025 at 8:29 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
I keep raving about the WITCHES IN BROOKLYN series, but they're SO good. The writing is brilliant. And the art...look at this panel. EXACTLY how a young teen would sit to explain something she's been told is supposed to happen, but that she's not yet comfortable talking about! 💖 #kidlit #GN #MG 📚👍🏻
A girl with black hair in short ponytails, wearing a red T-shirt and brown shorts, sitting on a green chair. She has her hands between her knees in a nervous pose. Text says: "Well...there was a hole in the mosquito screen by my bed, and some ivy crept up through it and went into my hair. When I woke up, my hair was literally a bush of ivy, and my hands..." Book cover, blue background with gold curvy lines around the border. Title: WITCHES OF BROOKLYN S'MORE MAGIC. A panda in a blue shirt, framed by a blond, white girl in a red shirt, a white girl with black hair wearing a red shirt, and a Brown boy with brown hair.
July 22, 2025 at 3:54 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
I'm reading about a time-traveller stuck in the 1800s, and I'm feeling very grateful for the ease with which I can get a cup of coffee.
A blue mug on a desk. White illustration shows a boat and white text says, "Becky's on Hobson's Wharf, Portland, ME." Mug is 3/4 filled with coffee.
July 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
This morning's walk.
Narrow paved road going up hill through trees.
July 19, 2025 at 4:11 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Here's what I'd like to do tonight: Go out to dinner, then wander through the video store and pick out a movie to bring home.

This nostalgic moment brought to you by a time-traveling policewoman in Elly Griffiths' new mystery. Not that I expect any video stores in the 1850s. (No spoilers, please!)
Book with black cover and red and white lettering: THE FROZEN PEOPLE: SOME MURDERS CAN'T BE SOLVED IN JUST ONE LIFETIME. A MYSTERY. The second i in Griffiths is an open door letting in a stream of blue light.
July 19, 2025 at 2:11 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Don't mind me. Just playing Hide & Seek with the cat.
A black and white cat crouched down inside a great bathtub in a bathroom with wood walls and blue floor and rug.
July 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
For those of you who, like me, *loved" Sangu Mandanna's THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES and who, like me, have been *waiting* for A WITCH'S GUIDE TO MAGICAL INNKEEPING, I can tell you that I am 2/3 of the way through, and it is everything I wanted it to be.
The cover of A WITCH'S GUIDE TO MAGICAL INNKEEPING, showing a woman and a fox outside the garden gate in front of a house, and a man inside the gate.
July 16, 2025 at 8:58 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Small, but excellent stack from the library this round. #kidlit 📚👍🏻
A stack of six library books on a table: ZERO: THE NUMBER THAT ALMOST WASN'T; JELLYFISH SCIENTIST: MAUDE DELAP AND HER MESMERIZING MEDUSAS; THE ANIMAL TOOLKIT; RADIANT CHILD: THE STORY OF YOUNG ARTIST JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT; THE FRIENDSHIP TRAIN: A TRUE STORY OF HELPING AND HEALING AFTER WORLD WAR II; THE GRUFFALO
July 16, 2025 at 2:33 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
A little late for Caturday, but Happy First Birthday to this sweetheart who brings friendship, silliness, and cuddles to everyone he meets.
Black and white cat stretched out on a blue patterned rug.
July 13, 2025 at 2:13 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Happy National Kitten Day from this not-so-little-anymore guy who keeps us laughing even when he's asleep. 🐈‍⬛💖 #nationalkittenday
July 10, 2025 at 2:18 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Thanks to Kepler's Books in Menlo Park for supporting my graphic novel habit. #kidlit #graphicnovel 📚👍🏻
July 10, 2025 at 1:23 AM
beckylevine.bsky.social
Book 2 in one of my favorite graphic novel series. So good! Funny, clever, and incredibly drawn. #MG #GN #kidlit 📚👍🏻
July 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM
beckylevine.bsky.social
What do you do if you finish revising your chapter book in time to send it to beta readers tomorrow? Well, if you're me, you invite Trader Joe's Mint Chip ice cream to celebrate with you. 🍦💖 #kidlit #chapterbook
A carton with a light green background and a picture of an upside down ice cream cone on the front. The carton has a dark green lid and lettering that reads, "Trader Joe's Mint Chip Ice Cream Super Premium."
July 5, 2025 at 11:34 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
A cat who knows how to enjoy a couch.
July 1, 2025 at 11:33 PM
beckylevine.bsky.social
I love both of these.
The cover of JUST RIGHT: SEARCHING FOR THE GOLDILOCKS PLANET. Written by Curtis Manley, illustrated by Jessica Lane . A girl outside at night, between two buildings, standing next to a telescope, under a sky with stars and Saturn. The cover of AN AMERICAN STORY written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter. An American flag held in the hands of a black person wearing a blue shirt.
June 27, 2025 at 2:17 PM