chapter book

Book 3, Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl is available for pre-order! Pub date: April 3, 2018 It’s talent show time at school, and eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi is excited to show her stuff. But as she thinks about her strengths―tree-climbing, mochi making, collage―none of them feel quite right to perform on-stage. Jasmine’s friends already have a talent:… Read more »

Here are some fun Jasmine Toguchi activities you can do with your kids and students! Click on the image for a free download. I’d love to see what your readers come up with. Please share on social media with #JasmineToguchiBooks. Thank you and enjoy! Jasmine Toguchi: Paper Dolls   Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Recipe   Jasmine… Read more »

Thank you to everyone for making launch week for Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen and Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth amazing and wonderful! It lifted my heart to get your notes and social media boosts, and I loved seeing so many familiar faces at my launch party at Bank Square Books last week! Thank you! I’ve also… Read more »

Today is my book birthday! The culmination of 17 years of writing, revising, learning, growing, accumulating rejections, and writing again. I talk more about this dream come true on Emu’s Debuts, the blog for The Erin Murphy Literary Agency’s debut authors. There are so many people I want to thank, because without them, I would… Read more »

In Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen, 8-year-old Jasmine wants to participate in the family tradition of making mochi or mochi-tsuki, but family rule says she must be 10 to help roll mochi with the women. Jasmine is determined to join in. She comes up with a plan to help not the women, but the men, and she wants… Read more »

I’m thrilled to share with you the cover for Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl, book 3 in my chapter book series! I’m grateful to talented illustrator Elizabet Vukovic who brings Jasmine and her friends and family to life, to fabulous designer Kristie Radwilowicz, and of course to my wise and wonderful editor at FSG, Grace Kendall. Jasmine… Read more »

Wow! Time does fly. In less than three months, my debut chapter book series, Jasmine Toguchi will launch with the first two books: Mochi Queen and Super Sleuth!   I’m thrilled and honored to share that Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Fall 2017 selection! This has been a… Read more »

Yesterday, on World Read Aloud Day, I read to five classrooms of first and second graders in four different states via Skype. It was the first time I spoke to kids as a fiction author and it was a thrill! I’ve always loved speaking with kids – starting from when I did school visits as… Read more »

I am absolutely thrilled to participate in World Read Aloud Day. I have the pleasure of doing author Skype visits to schools in North Carolina, New York, Maryland, and Alabama. I’ll be reading from my book Dorothy and Toto, What’s YOUR Name? (Picture Window Books/2016). I’ll check in tomorrow to share my experience. Happy reading… Read more »

I’m super excited to finally be able to share the cover of book 1 of the Jasmine Toguchi series, Mochi Queen! Ready or not, here it is! Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen (FSG/July 11, 2017) Eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi is a flamingo fan, tree climber, and top-notch mess-maker! She’s also tired of her big sister, Sophie, always… Read more »