Well, technically, the Spanish version, ¡ELEVA LA RAMPA! did. (Yay for Wendy Wen’s illustrations and Anyeliz Pagan Munoz’s translation!) The reviewer says “Zoe’s colorful world is happy and inviting and full of positivity” and concludes: “VERDICT: This fun picture book is an excellent way to share with young readers the ways STEAM is present every day and is sure to inspire readers to make their own creations. A great addition to Spanish collections for children.” Look for the full review in the October issue of SLJ.

But…what is a starred review, anyway? I was pretty confused when I first started following publishing! Like most people, when I thought of reviews, I thought of consumer reviews, where regular people rate books on Amazon or Goodreads on a 5-star scale. 

I knew there were also professional book reviews, but I wasn’t sure exactly how they worked. I knew newspapers had book sections (or used to), but most of my media critic knowledge came from watching Siskel & Ebert back in the day with my Dad!

Eventually, I discovered that professional book reviews are published in trade magazines. Trade magazines are aimed at people in publishing: librarians, editors, booksellers, etc. So, people in “the trade”. Some publications review both adult and children’s books, like Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness. Others only cover kids’ books, like The Horn Book and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. Librarians split the difference, with Library Journal for adult and School Library Journal for kids’.

Professional reviewers get early copies of books called ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies). They usually write and publish their reviews before the book’s publication date to help libraries and bookstores decide which books to order. You may also come across these reviews as a consumer, in the “editorial reviews” section of a book listing on sites like Amazon or as a quote in a book ad.

So, that’s what trade reviews are, but what about those stars??

When I first saw books advertised as getting “five stars,” I assumed it meant professional reviewers used a 5-star ranking system, like consumer reviews do. I thought maybe they were advertising that their average professional review score was high—something like Rotten Tomatoes. 

But then I saw books celebrated for having two or three stars, which seemed strange. And I then I saw one with six stars! That’s when I knew something else must be going on. 

Turns out, starred reviews work on a totally different system! A starred review isn’t a rating, it’s a special honor. 

Each review publication chooses which books to review. The reviews can be positive or negative or in-between, but they don’t have a rating system—just a written review. Then, of the books they review, they pick their favorites and give them a star. SLJ says a star means “Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre.” So it’s a way to highlight books, to say, “We think this one is really great, make sure to take a look at it!”

Each magazine has their own system for awarding stars. Some give each reviewer a certain number of stars for the year, others have to agree as a team. At SLJ, individual reviewers suggest books they think deserve a star and the editors make the final decision. The exact number varies, but most publications give stars to fewer than 10% of the books they review. Since SLJ reviews are written by librarians for librarians, an SLJ star especially helps increase library sales!

If you want a deep dive on the SLJ review process, check out this video!

I was surprised and delighted to find RAMP IT UP! in School Library Journal’s article, “Power & Wonder: Highly Anticipated Picture Books for Fall 2026” by M. Rose Garrett! Here are some highlights:

Picture books arrive this fall from Patagonia and Tripoli, from Pacific Northwest papercut forests to city streets lit through stained glass. They return again and again to questions of inheritance, make room for biography and history, and even chronicle the stubborn comedy of a vertical crocodile and a horizontal crocodile who are friends. What they share is harder to shelve than any single subject: a trust in young readers to hold wonder, experience sorrow, think through questions, and even appreciate scatological humor. They give children space to sit with questions that don’t resolve. At their strongest, they show that the most particular story—the kind that fits inside the smallest container—almost always has the most room.

What the season’s picture books do collectively is resist categories. The books previewed here are not “cultural” books or “nonfiction” books or “grief” books. They are, first and foremost, good books, which is the only category that holds meaning when in the hands of readers. Fall 2026 delivers a season full of them, and every single one is worth keeping.”

Thanks, SLJ!

Unboxing RAMP IT UP! and the Spanish version, ¡ELEVA LA RAMPA!

My first author copies of RAMP IT UP! were a big surprise! I wasn’t expecting to get author copies so soon—June for an October release. Plus, the box seemed too small for author copies! It turned out to be a bit of an amuse-bouche—one copy of the English hardcover and one of the Spanish hardcover. Plus, a really sweet note from my editors and art director.

It’s so fun to see it become a real book! The spot gloss doesn’t come through that well in the pictures, but it looks great in person. There’s even a shiny LEGO!

Only having one copy of each version makes me feel very protective of them, like they’re the only copies in the world. I’m looking forward to seeing the paperbacks and having a few more copies on hand!

You can watch a short video of the unboxing on Instagram or YouTube.

I’m excited to share the cover of RAMP IT UP!

Isn’t it cute? It’s fun to see how Wendy brought everyone to life!

RAMP IT UP! is about a girl named Zoe who uses a wheelchair and loves building with LEGO (well, technically, unnamed toy building blocks ). Her latest creation is a castle with a rooftop pool perfect for parties—but it’s not accessible for her toys with wheels.  With the help of her toys Miles and Car (and a lot of trial and error), Zoe builds her way to the best party ever!

RAMP IT UP! will be published October 6, 2026 by Charlesbridge as part of their STEAMWORKS line, which shows all kinds of kids using math and science in their everyday lives.

Pre-order RAMP IT UP! now anywhere books are sold! Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads.

Also available in Spanish as ¡ELEVA LA RAMPA!: Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreaads.

I’m excited to announce that my second picture book has been acquired by Charlesbridge Publishing!

It’s part of their new STEAMWORKS collection, showing all kinds of kids using science and math in their everyday lives. It’s a partnership with Count Play Explore, an initiative by the Office of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Early Care and Education Department. So that’s kind of cool because Charlesbridge is in the Boston area, my college stomping grounds (I have often crossed bridges over the Charles River!). And the other is in my home state—if not anywhere near my hometown.

RAMP IT UP! combines my experience as a wheelchair with my love of LEGO! It includes simple machines (specifically inclined planes), geometry, and spatial reasoning. It’s illustrated by Wendy Wen, who also uses a wheelchair.

RAMP IT UP! is about a girl named Zoe who uses a manual wheelchair. She builds an awesome castle (with a pool on the roof!) from bricks that are technically not LEGOs for legal reasons. Zoe wants to throw a pool party for her toys and her friends’ toys. But she realizes there’s no way for her toys that use wheels to get to the pool! So Zoe builds a ramp, experimenting with different angles to design one that’s safe. Car and Miles (a toy that uses a wheelchair) take on the exciting job of helping her test them!

RAMP IT UP! will be available in both Spanish and English. Look for it this fall!

Plus it includes a new Language Arts activity. Animals Go Vroom! by Abi Cushman was one of the inspirations for Copy That, Copy Cat!. “Good Copycat or Bad Copycat?” invites students to compare and contrast the two books and practice being good copycats in their own writing.

At long last, the last chunk of the Copy That, Copy Cat! Teacher’s Guide is available. With these inquiry-based experiments, kids will discover how planes fly, how snowshoes work, and make their own soda can submarine!

You can find the rest of the Teacher’s Guide in Resources.