Discover the latest news and updates from Susan Ross, author of the middle-grade novel Kiki and Jacques!
The amazing high school soccer team from Lewiston, Maine won the State Championship for the first time ever -- 18 of the boys were refugees and 8 knew each other from a Somali refugee camp before coming to Maine. Have a tissue ready; this team is beyond inspiring!
What a fantastic weekend at NTCE/ALAN2015. Shared a panel on Realistic Faces of Fiction with terrific authors Sarah Dessen, Tamara Ireland Stone, Margo Rabb and Ashley Hope Perez.
Most inspiring of all were the wonderful teachers from all over the country and the world who care deeply about their diverse and multicultural students and teaching tolerance and understanding!
What could be more wonderful than sharing Kiki and Jacques with over 100 friends, family and members of the community?
Loved spreading the important message: Every kid should have a "friend" from an entirely different background and culture, if only in a book. It's the power of kids reading fiction. And we raised over $600 to assist Bridgeport School Volunteers with books for classrooms!
July, 2024
HOLOCAUST AND HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF MAINE
TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST for educators
ACTIVE WORKSHOP PRESENTATION
July ,2023
HHRC WORKSHOP
TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST
SUMMER, 2022
Selected as a feature author for CT GOVERNOR’S STATE SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
January, 2021
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE NOMINATED FOR LAMPLIGHT AWARD (sponsored by NCSA)
January, 2021
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE NOMINATED FOR SOUTH CAROLINA JUNIOR BOOK AWARD (South Carolina Association of School Librarians)
November, 2020
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE — NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD BOOK (Assembly of Children’s Literature at NCTE)
September, 2020
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE NAMED FINALIST for 2020 CT BOOK AWARDS (Young Readers Fiction)
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE NAMED TO NCTE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ASSEMBLY 2020 NOTABLES LIST
April, 2020
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE WINS
MAINE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 2020 LUPINE AWARD!
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE NAMED TO MAINE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION’S CREAM OF THE CROP LIST 2020
January 21-22, 2019
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Author Visits for Public Schools, GLOBAL READING CHALLENGE
November, 2019
Kiki and Jacques chosen for SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY GLOBAL READING CHALLENGE 2020 for Seattle Public Schools!
November 2, 2019
NERDCAMPLI
Boyd Intermediate School,
Huntington, LI
October 13, 2019
PORTLAND JEWISH MUSEUM WITH PRINT BOOKSTORE
Author Talk, Searching for Lottie
Portland, ME 3pm
October 5, 2019
CHAPPAQUA CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL
Bell School,
Chappaqua, NY
September 28, 2019
WESTPORT LIBRARY SAUGATUCK STORYFEST
Panelist: “Coming of Age”
Westport, CT
June 20, 2019
DETROIT JEWISH NEWS includes Searching for Lottie in: Books That Are a Must Read This Summer! https://thejewishnews.com/2019/06/20/books-that-are-a-must-read-this-summer/
June 17, 2019
JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL REVIEW of Searching for Lottie: “Unusually engaging and honest… Searching for Lottie is highly recommended.” https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/searching-for-lottie
June 2, 2019, 1pm
BELMONT BOOKS
Author Reading & Signing
79 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA
May, 2019
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY names Searching for Lottie to its “New and Noteworthy Middle Grade Fiction List” https://www.nypl.org/blog/2019/05/08/new-noteworthy-middle-grade-fiction
May 11, 2019, 3pm
Panel Discussion & Signing with Padma Venkatraman, Jennifer Jacobson and Rebecca Reynolds
Books-A-Million Bookstore
South Portland, Maine
May 4, 2019, 3pm
WESTPORT LIBRARY EVENT: SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE
Book Talk & Signing
Westport Women’s Club, 44 Imperial Ave
May 2, 2019
JEWISH JOURNAL, Searching for Lottie Brings Children on a Journey or Hope: https://jewishjournal.org/2019/05/02/searching-for-lottie-brings-children-on-a-journey-of-hope/
May, 2019
School Library Connection Searching for Lottie Review: “[T]weens will identify with the daily challenges Charlie faces… background for an unpredictable, page turning mystery…. [T]his title would be an excellent read aloud for instruction on the Holocaust or for recognizing Remembrance Day”
April, 2019
Q & A on Books With Deborah Kalb Blog — focusing on the history behind Searching for Lottie: https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/2019/04/q-with-susan-l-ross.html
April 1st, 2019
BEDFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL, Westport CT
WestportREADS Author Visit
March, 2019
Good Reads With Ronna Blog: “When is a Holocaust book not a Holocaust book? When it’s Searching for Lottie, a contemporary fiction, historical and mystery novel that beautifully and sensitively conveys the connectivity the past has with the present. Author Susan Ross’s multi-layered story, which won the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award and is a PJ Our Way selection, also emphasizes the importance of individual identity, the supportive role of family and friends, and the power of music. [I]t powerfully demonstrates how one determined young girl can make difference.”
March, 2019
Author Interview re Searching for Lottie: Gabi Coatsworth Blog:
https://gabicoatsworth.com/2019/03/04/author-interview-susan-ross/
February 26, 2019
SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE BOOK BIRTHDAY!!!!
February 25, 2019
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY NAMES SEARCHING FOR LOTTIE TO HOT NEW KIDS & YA BOOKS FOR THE WEEK
February 22, 2019
Author Interview/Searching for Lottie Review in BRIDGET and the BOOKS Blog: “It was so good I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to solve the mystery and learn more. This is one of my top books of 2019!” https://t.co/JLMhaRZPAJ
February 12, 2019
PAPERBACK EDITION OF KIKI AND JACQUES: A REFUGEE STORY ARRIVES ON THE SHELVES!
February 1, 2019
WORLD READ ALOUD DAY
Skype author visits, talking about Kiki and Jacques, Refugees, Friendship & School with classes in Texas, Tennessee, Maine, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, and Canada!
January, 2019
ALA BOOKLIST REVIEW/Searching for Lottie: “Charlie’s research leads to a deeper understanding of her family’s history… it’s the discovery of her family’s past that grounds Charlie’s story and drives it toward a satisfying conclusion.”
January 25, 2019
UNLEASHING READERS BLOG: “Searching for Lottie… is contemporary but also includes a historical narrative… This makes it a great choice for students who may not like historical fiction but are interested in history. I am also a fan of Susan Ross’s writing because she does a fabulous job taking a tough subject and writing a middle grade novel that gives us an introduction to the topic without being too mature but also while not sugar coating it… And it really helps that the stories are interesting and many kids will connect with the conflicts and events…”
January, 2019
AUTHOR INTERVIEW in THE WHOLE MEGILLAH BLOG:
"In Searching for Lottie I hoped to take a new, contemporary approach to a difficult but essential topic for kids to learn about and absorb. The ability of kids today to access and preserve family history is one of the key themes…” https://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/tag/susan-l-ross/
January, 2019
#BOOKPOSSE Review/ Searching for Lottie @MrsHornick says: “Love, Love, Love this book! …The mystery, the history, wow Searching for Lottie by @SusanRossAuthor has it all. This book is a great intro to WWII and the Holocaust for students and I know will spark so much interest amongst my 6th grade Ss.”
January 26, 2019
KIKI AND JACQUES is WestportREADS town-wide Children’s Companion Book!
Author Reading & Discussion of Kiki and Jacques: A Refugee Story, WestportREADS
Westport Library,
Westport, CT
October 14, 2018
Moderator, "What's Your Lane" Writers' Panel
Saugatuck Storyfest Literary Festival
Westport, CT
December 16, 2016
Panelist -- "So you Want to Be a Children's Author?"
Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield, CT
October 16, 2016
Author Presentation — Brattleboro Literary Festival Brattleboro, Vermont
May 14, 2016
Panelist -- School Librarians of Rhode Island Conference
University of Rhode Island
April 30, 2016
Panelist -- Massachusetts School Librarians Association
Spring BookFest
Amherst, MA
April 7, 2016
Panelist -- Reading Round Up, Maine State and School Librarians Conference
Augusta, ME
March, 2016
Kiki and Jacques Named by Bank Street College as one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year
December 18, 2015
Interview with Susan on HuffPost Live
November 25, 2015
NCTE/ALAN WORKSHOP
Panelist, "Realistic Faces of Fiction"
Minneapolis, MN
October 24, 2015
Kiki and Jacques Launch Party!
Barnes & Noble
1076 Post Road East
Westport, CTN
Susan Ross © 2018
