SC: Sue Corbett reviews children's books for magazines and the Miami Herald. She also writes middle-grade novels, the latest of which is The Last Newspaper Boy in America.


ME: Monica Edinger is a 4th grade teacher at the Dalton School in New York City as well as a reviewer and contributor to a variety of publications including The New York Times and the Horn Book Magazine. She created and helps run School Library Journal's annual Battle of the Kids' Books and blogs at educating alice and The Huffington Post.


JF: Judy Freeman is a well-known consultant, writer, and speaker on children's literature, storytelling, and all aspects of librarianship. A former school librarian, she gives conferences, workshops, speeches, and performances throughout the U.S. and the world for teachers, librarians, parents, and children, and has written resource books for literature-based classrooms and libraries such as Books Kids Will Sit Still For: The Complete Read-Aloud Guide and The Winners Handbook. Visit her online at JudyReadsBooks.com.

JMcD: Jeanne McDermott is a 25-year marketing veteran of children's book publishing. The recipient of the 2008 ALAN Ted Hipple Service Award, she earned her MLS at Queens College GSLIS and is a reviewer and the Children's and YA Librarian at the Amagansett (NY) Free Library.

SULLY: Ed Sullivan has many years of experience as a book reviewer, educator, librarian, and presenter. He is the author of The Ultimate Weapon: The Race Develop the Atomic Bomb (Holiday House, 2007), which received a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award. Ed maintains a blog called Rogue Librarian, collects PEZ candy dispensers, and is well known for his vast collection of Converse Chuck Taylor high top sneakers. You can learn more about Ed's work at www.sully-writer.com.


LLW: Lauren L. Wohl has primarily been involved on the marketing side of publishing, working with companies big and small and some notable start-ups. She has an MLS, has been a school librarian, and is currently mentoring students in the masters program at Simmons College. At READKIDDOREAD, she writes content and works to spread the word about the website.



Staff of Books and Books, in Miami, Florida


JS: Jeanne Snyder taught both in the U.S. and internationally in elementary schools and at the university level before finding her dream job as a children's bookseller at Books & Books in Coral Gables, FL. She regularly contributes recommendations to Kid's Next, the Independent Booksellers' publication.


BQ: Becky Quiroga is the Children's Book Buyer for Books & Books, South Florida's largest independent bookstore. When she's not buying and selling children's books, she convinces illustrators to grace her arm with original drawings, which she then has tattooed. Her drawing arm currently features work by Eric Carle, Mo Willems, and Lane Smith.


MK: Michael Karpus has a B.A. in English from Michigan State University,and has studied literature in Dublin, Ireland and Annecy, France.  He is the Store Manager for Books & Books Bal Harbour Shops, and lives in Miami with his wife and pet turtle Oscar.

Staff of R.J Julia. Booksellers in Madison, CT

KSD: Kaley DeGoursey is the Children's Book Buyer for RJ Julia Independent Booksellers, located in picturesque Madison, CT. She has a B.A. in English, and is currently working on her MLS and School Media Specialist certification. Anyone from the CT shoreline area will agree that her famous Cinnamon-Sugar SandDollar cookies are to die for. Kaley lives in Guilford, CT with her husband, six year-old daughter, one cat, and way too many books.

MES: Maureen Sullivan is the Marketing Manager for RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, where she keeps their website full of the latest and greatest staff picks, sends out email newsletters about authors coming to the store, creates all the advertising and printed materials for the store, and, of course, reads tons of books! She has two cats named Muggle and Minnie (short for Minerva McGonagall), named in honor one of her all-time favorite books, Harry Potter, and a one year old daughter named Maggie who is named in honor of her great-grandmother Margaret.