Tucson Festival of Books

Writing Middle Grade Novels for Today's Readers


Today's readers are asking for shorter and more interactive books. Erin and Jasmine have a new series, The Last Resort, which uses interactive elements accessed by smartphones. They talk about this series plus other recent books they are publishing and how they are considering today's readers in these books.


Panelists
Erin Entrada Kelly

Erin Entrada Kelly is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning novels "Hello, Universe" and "The First State of Being," which was also a finalist for the National Book Award. She received a Newbery Honor for "We Dream of Space....

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Jasmine Warga

Jasmine Warga is the No.1 New York Times bestselling author of "The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan," "Claiming," "A Rover’s Story," "The Shape of Thunder," and "A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall....

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Books:
The Claiming (the Last Resort #2)
Jasmine Warga
Children
Scholastic, Incorporated
January 2026
ISBN 9781546162841
240 pages
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The Last Resort
Erin Entrada Kelly
Children
Scholastic, Incorporated
September 2025
ISBN 9781546132431
240 pages
Buy now

The First State of Being
Erin Entrada Kelly
Children
HarperCollins Publishers
March 2026
ISBN 9780063337329
272 pages

The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan
Jasmine Warga
Children
Balzer + Bray
March 2026
ISBN 9781250387189
240 pages
Buy now