Cover Reveal: CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Posted on August 28, 2026 by viviankirkfield

Hello dear friends! Are you ready for something different? I hope so!

Usually, I’m shouting out about picture books, whether with an exciting cover reveal, a celebratory book birthday, or a Perfect Picture Book Friday. But today, for your dining and dancing pleasure, we are getting a FIRST DAY peek at the cover of a Middle Grade novel!

Yes! When long time participant of #50PreciousWords (and multiple time winner’s circle recipient) Melissa Miles reached out to let me know that her debut MG novel will be launching next year, I knew I’d want to share the good news with all of you. And what better way than for you to get that FIRST DAY peek at the cover.

WOW! The cover immediately grabs my attention…and I want to know what is going on…and how these two kids are involved. I feel connected with their adventure already and I am driven to find out more…and that’s exactly what a great cover sets out to do.

Melissa kindly stopped by to tell us a little bit about the book.
ME: Welcome, Melissa. Thanks for stopping by. Will you tell us a little bit about the book?

MELISSA: Thanks so much for having me and for helping celebrate the cover of my debut novel.
Here’s a little about the book:

A high-stakes Hitchcockian cat-and-mouse action adventure thriller perfect for 8-12-year-olds about a neurodivergent young podcaster pushed on the run after spotting a supposedly dead senator on a Times Square livestream.

After a summer of non-stop news footage of Senator Jefferson Morgan’s suspicious death just days before his testimony against the global crime ring, Double Helix, Dominic does not expect to spot him in live webcam footage of NYT Square
looking very … alive!

Dominic knows he saw him, but he can’t convince anyone to believe him.
Desperate to prove he’s right and to bring Senator Morgan to justice, Dominic creates a podcast to share his conclusions about Morgan’s identity. It goes viral in away he never imagined. Can Dominic uncover the real story behind Senator
Morgan’s fake death, evade underworld operatives, stay one step ahead of a (potentially!) untrustworthy rogue federal agent, handle new social ticks and anxieties brought on by his sudden fame AND navigate the pitfalls of middle social hierarchy . . . without losing sight of the things that make him, well, him?

This new middle grade adventure from Georgia-based teacher Melissa Miles shows the power of seeing and thinking differently from the status quo, and how being brave enough to embrace what makes you unique has the power to change the course of millions of lives.

ME: Well, Melissa, after that brief and exciting pitch, I totally can’t wait to read it! But it will definitely be hard to wait until April 27, 2027 when the book flies into bookstores.

Dear friends…please check out the pre-order link if you want to make sure to get your copy as soon as it comes out!.

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Unveiling Pippa’s Hanukkah Hunt: A Joyful Journey Awaits!

Posted on February 4, 2026 by viviankirkfield

Today is a VERY SPECIAL DAY for several reasons!

Reason #1: It’s World Read Aloud Day! I’ll be sharing ONE GIRL’S VOICE with all of the 4th graders at P.S. 97 in the Bronx, NY.

Reason #2: Today is the anniversary of my very first published book. PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE, illustrated by Jill Weber and published by Holiday House, is 8 years old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR PIPPA!

And Reason #3: We are revealing the cover of Pippa’s next adventure…PIPPA’S HANUKKAH HUNT…which launches this coming fall on September 29!

Oh my goodness…I LOVE this cover…and I hope you do, too!
Jill Weber, the illustrator, really knows what young kids love! Her art is JOYFUL! I’m so excited for children to turn the pages and discover the MYSTERY of the Missing Potatoes. There are clues for the reader on every page, not in the text, but in the illustrations. Great picture book illustrators somehow find a way to show other layers to the story in the pictures…I’m grateful to Jill!

This wonderful book will be flying onto bookstore shelves on September 29…delighting children with Pippa’s search for the missing potatoes. Because Hanukkah is coming and Pippa wants to make potato latkes for all of her friends – and SOMEONE has been taking all of the potatoes.

Do you love Pippa? Did you enjoy the first book? While we wait for the new book to launch, there are a few things followers of Pippa can do:
1. Pre-order the book: At any local bookstore or on Amazon
2. Review the book on Goodreads
3. Ask your local library to purchase copies of the book
4. Tell your friends (Sharing this post on your social media REALLY helps!)

I also wanted to thank folks who have been reviewing ONE GIRL’S VOICE. In my previous blog post, I mentioned that even though that book is a finalist for a Golden Kite in the nonfiction for younger readers category and has received other awards and accolades, it only had 35 reviews on Amazon as of a week ago. After my post, 9 more reviews appeared…THANK YOU to everyone who left early reviews or recent ones! Remember, it’s never too late to review a book! It’s such a worthy book, I hope there will be more reviews. And I will let you all know what happens on Friday night when the SCBWI Golden Kite winners and honor books are announced.

Please make sure you return on Saturday when the Heads-Up-The-Contest-Is-Coming-Soon post goes live…with the huge list of INCREDIBLE prizes for the 2026 #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest. I and my awesome judges, Maria Marshall, Carmen Castillo Gilbert, Leah Moser, Pamela Courtney, Amber Bouchard, Shirin Shamsi, and Diane Tulloch, are so excited to read all of your precious words!

I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week…and find joy in every day, no matter how challenging it may be.

Perfect Picture Book Friday: THE GREAT CAPER CAPER Plus Author Chat Giveaway

Posted on November 4, 2022 by viviankirkfield

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. Kids love a series, don’t they? There are plenty of chapter book and middle grade series…but picture book series are hard to find. Why, you may ask? Because it’s hard to develop characters that will resonate so much with kids that they want to read about their other adventures. The talented Josh Funk is definitely a master of this…and today’s featured book is the FIFTH in the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast series…well done, Josh!!!! This post is part of Josh’s book blog tour so I’m sure everyone will be hearing a lot more about it – the book launches November 15th. But it’s available for PRE-ORDER right now! And please make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a Zoom author chat with Josh…if you’ve never checked out his website, you should! It’s filled with amazing resources and posts for writers…and parents and librarians and teachers. Please SHARE the post on social media if you can and tag friends for extra tickets in the giveaway hat.