See more here: manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/la...

And submit to me on Query Manager (April 15-May 15): QueryTracker.net/query/laurelsymonds (3/3)

- Middle grade: slice of life, historical fiction, and fantasy
- Contemporary and highly commercial upper middle grade/lower YA with series potential
- YA and crossover: historical romcoms, romantasy, and mysteries (2/3)

This is not a joke: I will be open to queries from April 15 to May 15, 2026.

I’m looking for projects that are upbeat, escapist, and ultimately hopeful! Especially in these categories: (1/3)

Creeping to a bookshelf near you... it's BRAAAINS! From @littlebrownyr.bsky.social, this spooky tale drops Summer '27. BIG thanks to my editor Jessica Levine & agent @laurelsymonds.bsky.social at @ktliterary.bsky.social for helping me bring this lil undead dude to life! @pwkidsbookshelf.bsky.social

#kidlitartpostcard almost passed me by with the holiday weekend! Hi, I'm Mirka and author and illustrator represented by @laurelsymonds.bsky.social at Kt Literary. I love to illustrate animals and nature, both fiction and NF. You can find my portfolio at mirkah.com/pbillustration. #kidlit

Graphic with an illustrated background depicting the moon partially hidden behind billowing clouds. The illustration has been edited to appear in tones of pinks and blues. At the top of the graphic is title text that says, “Cover Reveal” followed by a mock-up hardcover copy of “A Year Without Home” by V.T. Bidania. The cover illustration shows a young Hmong girl staring out at a house sitting atop a hill. To her left, her family are carrying their belongings and walking away. At the bottom of the graphic is light yellow text that says, “January 6th, 2026”, denoting the book’s release date.

Graphic sharing a synopsis for “A Year Without Home” by V.T. Bidania, which reads as follows: “A poignant middle grade novel in verse about a Hmong girl losing and finding home in the after-math of the Vietnam War. Inspired by the author’s own family history and perfect for fans of Jasmine Warga and Veera Hiranandani. For eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, home is the lush, humid jungles and highlands of Laos. Home is where she can roll down the grassy hill with her younger siblings after her chores, walk to school, and pick ripe peaches from her family’s trees. But home becomes impossible to hold onto when the communist government takes over after U.S. troops pull out of the Vietnam War. The communists will be searching for any American allies, like Gao Sheng’s father, a Hmong captain in the Lao Army who fought alongside the Americans against the Vietnamese. If he’s caught, he’ll be killed. On foot, by taxi and finally in a canoe, Gao Sheng and her family make haste from the mountains to the capitol Vientiane and across the rushing Mekong River, to finally arrive at an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.”

WNDB is proud to unveil the beautiful cover for A YEAR WITHOUT HOME by V.T. Bidania, forthcoming from Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Kids) on January 6th, 2026!

🎨 Cover illustration by Christina Chung

📖 bit.ly/3HKh4sf

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! I'm Mirka, an author-illustrator who likes nature and animals. Represented by @laurelsymonds.bsky.social #kidlit #kidlitart

Beyond excited to share my debut picture book SPOOKY SCOUTS will be published by McElderry Books in Fall 2026! I'm so pumped to work with @nicolefios.bsky.social and can't wait for you all to meet Luna. Shout out to my amazing agent @laurelsymonds.bsky.social for making it happen!

#kidlit

Rights Report: Week of March 10, 2025 New deals for Darianne Schramm, Kiana Krystle, Katie Schenkel, and others.

Announcing new deals for Darianne Schramm, Jenni L. Walsh, Pedro Urvi, @kjshrack.bsky.social + more

Congratulations!!

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! I'm Mirka, a neurodivergent illustrator who loves to draw animals. I work with both digital and traditional media and am represented by @laurelsymonds.bsky.social. #kidlit #valentinesday @ktlit.bsky.social

Happy pub day!!