The Official Web Site of Peter Johnson
Award-Winning Young Adult and Mid-Grade Novelist & Poet
From my many school visits over the last five years, I’ve come to appreciate teachers and librarians. They are the ones who are expected to find the best books for kids, and that chore is often difficult. First of all, year by year, teachers and librarians are burdened with more and more administrative duties, expected Read More …
School Library Journal, Starred Review Providence, RI, is the rundown hometown of John Smith, Jr., 13, nicknamed Houdini by his friends Lucky and Jorge. Hoping to make some money, Houdini undertakes writing an “authentic” kid’s book about life in the neighborhood, featuring his buddies; his hardworking parents; and his admired older brother, Franklin, a Marine Read More …
Not surprisingly, there’s been interest in my forthcoming novel, The Amazing Adventures of John Smith Jr. aka Houdini, because of how it treats bullying. Any interest in one’s novel for any reason is appreciated but sometimes people think that you write a book to make a statement, for example that we should’ve left Iraq earlier, (a topic Read More …
Thank you for finding my new blog. I’ll be writing about young adult and middle-grade books. I consider myself a “boy” author. I will spend much of my time discussing books currently marketed for boys, and wondering if we challenge boys or talk down to them. I hope to hear from a lot of boys about this Read More …