Please welcome, at last, my dear friend and former coworker Sarah to the Kidliterate staff. I am thrilled to have her here. You’ll probably have read her first review before you read this, since I’m posting this first and the review will be on top. Her bio, which is also up on our staff page, is as follows:

Sarah grew up in a house filled with books, and at the age of 14 started working at the library checking books out and putting books away.  She went on to get a BA in English (but not before spending a semester at Oxford, where she bought enough books to fill a suitcase) and then started her career in—drum roll please—bookselling.  For the past seven years, she has spent her days at Children’s Book World in Haverford, PA, where she and Melissa first met.  They became fast friends over a mutual love of Aaron Sorkin, Tazo chai, Harry Potter, pop culture, and of course, children’s books, among other things.  Sarah has an uncanny ability to remember the plots of things she reads, which comes in very handy in her profession.  Unfortunately she can’t remember half the things she says, which occasionally gets her into trouble.  Though she tries to show love to all the genres, fantasy and science fiction tend to be her favorites.   She loves reading books by first time authors, because one day she hopes to become one herself.

If you’re in bookselling, or are an author, chances are you’ve met Sarah. Her enthusiasm and encyclopedic knowledge of kidlit are unforgettable, as is her ready laugh and beaming smile. When I recently visited CBW on a trip back East, we were able to tag-team handsell books to a few tween and teen girls, just like we used to, and it was just the re-energizing I needed. I miss her every day, and having her here makes it the teeniest tiniest bit easier. Please join me in welcoming her to Kidliterate.