Cover Reveal, Two Book Giveaways & Interview with Laurie Friedman

We’re lucky to have a cover reveal and two giveaways…for an exciting new middle grade novel by Laurie Friedman with illustrations by Heather Burns. Just wait until you see the full cover toward the bottom of this post. It’s amazing!!!

Laurie Friedman is the author of over fifty critically acclaimed picture books, chapter books, and novels for young readers including the bestselling Mallory McDonald chapter book series, The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair teen journal-format series, and many rhyming picture books, including the Love, Ruby Valentine series. She is also a frequent speaker at schools across the country. Her latest book, The Campaign, a middle-grade novel about two best friends who run against each other for class president will be available in libraries and through booksellers in September 2020.

You can find out more about Laurie and her books, get information on school visits, and sign up for her newsletter on her website. Interact with Laurie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit Mallory’s Facebook page.

Welcome back to the Mixed-Up Files, Laurie! We’re thrilled to reveal the cover of your upcoming middle grade novel, The Campaign. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. 

What inspired you to write The Campaign? 

Great question! With the upcoming presidential election, I started to think about campaigns and how I might write about them in a way that would be fun and meaningful for middle-schoolers. I also wanted to capture the sense of drama that inevitably surrounds all campaigns. What could be more dramatic than two best friends who run against each other for president of their class? As is the case in many elections, the gloves come off! I want readers to see that no elected position is worth having if you have to fight dirty to get it.

That definitely sounds dramatic—and something every tween should read.

What do you think are the best ways to teach children and teens about politics? Are there any websites you think teachers would like to use with their students? 

Another great question! I think it’s important for kids to realize that their voices and opinions matter. Getting involved with local issues that mean something to them—both at school and in their communities—is a great place to start. Also, following the news is something that can start at a young age. Many of the media outlets have websites dedicated to providing news to students. My personal favorites are CNN 10 which provides a ten-minute recap of important daily news stories and the New York Times Learning Network which has all kinds of classroom resources.

Thanks for the helpful resources! When will The Campaign be released…and what are you looking forward to the most during school visits? 

The Campaign will be out in September, just in time for the national election. I always look forward to school visits and talking to kids about two of my favorite topics–reading and writing. I incorporated bits of history and fun facts about past presidents and what they did as leaders into The Campaign. I’m looking forward to including a trivia quiz (with prizes!) into my school talks.

I’m sure teachers and media specialists will love all the fun facts. And your school talks sound both informational and fun!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? 

Talking about books is one of my favorite topics, so I could go on all day! Ha! Don’t worry, I won’t. The bottom line here is that I feel strongly a leader should be a good listener and recognize when someone has a good idea that might be even better than their own. I don’t like polarization. Whether it’s a school or a country, we should all be working together, not against each other. My hope is that The Campaign will be viewed as a fun read that also gets that message across to students.

I wish everyone would work together instead of against each other, and am so glad you wrote The Campaign. Thank you for visiting us, Laurie—and revealing your amazing cover.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for…the cover reveal of The Campaign! I absolutely love it. Congrats, Laurie. 

Amanda Adams has always dreamed of running for class president. Her mom is a member of Congress and her dad is a political strategist who manages her mother’s campaign. Politics is in her DNA. She has the perfect VP in mind for the school ticket—her best friend Meghan Hart. But when Amanda finds out that Meghan has political ambitions of her own, these two best friends suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of the aisle, and, as each girl mounts her campaign, it’s clear the gloves are about to come off. As the rest of their classmates begin to choose sides, the girls realize how they carry themselves over the coming weeks will have a lasting impact on the outcome.

Laurie Friedman is giving away TWO signed copies of The Campaign! The first Rafflecopter giveaway is open to everyone. The second is only open to teachers and media specialists. Laurie will send the books as soon as they’re available…and the lucky winners can read The Campaign before it’s released!

Giveaway winners will be posted on Saturday, February 8. Good luck!

*This giveaway is only available in the U.S. and Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mindy Alyse Weiss

Mindy Alyse Weiss writes humorous middle grade novels with heart and quirky picture books. She’s constantly inspired by her two daughters, an adorable Beagle/Pointer mix who was rescued from the Everglades and a rescue cat who loves to knock things off her desk.

Repped by Joyce Sweeney at The Seymour Agency.