Children's and YA Author Cynthia Leitich Smith

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Cynthia Leitich Smith is an award-winning author who has done contemporary Native American writing, realistic short stories, and some fantasy. On her site, which has won numerous awards and recommendations, she provides teachers’ guides and background information for a number of her works, along with information about her life as a writer. However, most of the site focuses on more general children’s and young adult literature resources, including interviews with authors and illustrators, annotated bibliographies, articles, and information for writers.

The interviews highlight over one hundred authors and illustrators, their new releases, and the stories behind their stories. The latest interviews and news from the children’s/YA book world can be found on Cynsations, one of Cynthia’s blogs. The annotated bibliographies are organized by age group, genre, and issues of diversity (such as adoption, Asian Americans, multiracial characters, Native Americans, etc…). They focus on recommended picture books, chapter books, middle grade and young adult novels. Her section on information for writers gives tips for writing books for children and teens, along with suggested books to read, online resources, and more. Finally, the site includes a section on book awards, in which you can find awards on the state and national level.

The teachers’ guides address multiple intelligences, literary discussion, and project suggestions to accompany some of Smith’s books. Teachers can also use this site to guide them in choosing new books for the classroom and in making book recommendations to students.