Kids news

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Some Photos from the Premier of Sparkle Spa The Musical!

I just got back from the most incredible weekend in Meredith, New Hampshire where I got to see the first ever production of Sparkle Spa The Musical at the Interlakes Children’s Theatre. The kids and grown-ups who acted, sang, and danced in the show were wonderful! It was so cool to see my imaginary world come alive!

Here are some photos, including one with me, Brad Ross (the show’s composer), and Christiana Cole (the show’s lyricist) just before we went inside to watch the show for the fist time. (We were pretty excited.) 

Another Peek at SPARKLE SPA The Musical!

Today I got to listen to a bunch of talented actors sing through the score of SPARKLE SPA The Musical! There’s going to be a workshop reading on Tuesday, so they were practicing. And they let me record them while they sang “You Are Gonna Lose.” Here it is, if you want to give it a listen. Music by Brad Ross and lyrics by Christiana Cole. Robert Phillip Smith is directing the workshop (and the show in New Hampshire this summer!).

Sparkle Spa: The Musical

I’m so incredibly excited to report that Bling It On!, the seventh Sparkle Spa book, will be a musical! Brad Ross is writing the music, Christiana Cole is writing the lyrics, and I’m going to be writing the dialogue that goes in between the songs. And this summer it’ll be performed at Interlakes Theatre in New Hampshire!

Carly Gendell, an awesome young actress who’s in School of Rock, sang one of the songs for us and let us video tape it. I loved it so much that I wanted to share it here!

Enjoy!

A jacket for Fashion Disaster!

I have some exciting news over here. Sparkle Spa #9: Fashion Disaster has cover art! In this book, Suzy Davis does an awesome job cutting a doll’s hair, so Brooke decides she wants a haircut too–uh oh.

(Suzy is my favorite character in the series because she’s confident and passionate and tells the truth even if no one else wants to hear it. She’s also named after my sister Suzie. I love that she’s featured on the cover of this one.)

Fashion Disaster

It’s Wedding Bells Blues Day!

Today the 8th Sparkle Spa book, Wedding Bell Blues, was released out into the world, and in celebration, I’m running contests on Twitter and on Facebook/Instagram! If you retweet my post on Twitter or comment on my posts on Facebook/Instagram, you’ll be entered to win a set of twelve free books for Valentine’s Day! These are the books:

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It seemed like a great way to spread a little happiness around the internet in honor of my newest book. I hope you enter, and may the sweepstakes odds be ever in your favor!

Excitement While School Visiting!

Last week I visited an elementary school on Long Island (I do that kind of thing a lot). I was having a lot of fun writing mystery stories with the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders there, when something very exciting happened. The school’s librarian found a copy of one of my favorite books from elementary school: Something Queer at the Library, by Elizabeth Levy. Seeing that book–and Mordicai Gerstein’s art–brought back so many memories. It was such a special treat on an already wonderful day. Here’s a copy of the book!

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