Events in November 2019

November 22-23, 2019

National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference

This fall, Margi is traveling to Baltimore for the NCTE Annual conference, an event that encourages us all to “be bold and creative in our curiosity. Let’s reawaken our own spirit of inquiry as teachers, leaders, writers, readers, and thinkers.dare to wonder, to be bold and creative in our curiosity. Let’s reawaken our own spirit of inquiry as teachers, leaders, writers, readers, and thinkers.

November 22, 2:00 - 3:15 PM: Join Margi for a panel discussion with luminaries Dan Emeinhart, Celia Perez, Laura Amy Schlitz and Trenton Lee Stewart, ”A Reading Journey: Using Middle Grade Novels to Lead Students to Inquiry, Exploration, and Research.” (Convention Center Room 330)

November 22, 4:30 - 5:30 PM: Margi will be promoting and signing her newest young adult novel, “Village of Scoundrels” (ABRAMS booth #1152)

November 23, 8:00 - 10:00 AM: Abrams Author Breakfast

See the complete event schedule here: http://convention.ncte.org/

Meet "The Littlest Voyageur"

Longing for adventure, Jean Pierre Petite Le Rouge, a red squirrel, stows away in a voyageur canoe traveling from Montreal and across the Great Lakes to a trading post. The voyageurs are not particularly happy to have him on board. He rides, but doesn’t paddle. He eats but doesn’t cook. On the portages he doesn’t carry anything--it is he who is carried. Also, he has a terrible singing voice. What kind of voyageur is that? Fortunately, kind Jean Gentille, takes pity on him.

     But when they finally arrive at the trading post little Le Rouge is in for a terrible shock—the voyageurs have traveled 1200 miles to collect what? Furs! Pelts! Skins! Feeling that he cannot betray his fellow fur-bearers this way he decides to give up his dream to become a voyageur. Unless, of course, he can find a way to change their minds.

Visit the "Village of Scoundrels"

Based on the true story of the French villagers in WWII who saved thousands of Jews, this novel tells how a group of young teenagers stood up for what was right. Forging documents, smuggling people over the border, carrying messages for the French Resistance-- the teenagers of Les Lauzes find ways of helping the refugees in their midst.

For the first years of the German Occupation the remoteness of their village offers them a certain amount of protection, and the townspeople take on the task of sheltering Jewish children rescued from French concentration camps. But as the Nazi occupiers infiltrate every corner of France, the noose tightens and the operation becomes increasingly perilous. First, a policeman is sent to spy on their doings and uncover the village “scoundrels”—the teenagers, pastors, and others who have been aiding the visitors. And when the Gestapo arrives with a list of names, the young people must race against time to get their new friends to safety.

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“Deeply emotional, intense, and thought-provoking.”

— Kirkus Starred Review

“Filled with suspense and intrigue.”

— School Library Connection Starred Review

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Events in October 2019

October 4, 2019

Heartland Fall Forum

Held in Cleveland, Ohio, the Heartland Fall Forum is the premiere gathering place for those interested in independent bookstores throughout the Midwest. Margi will be there promoting her two new books: Village of Scoundrels at The Moveable Feast and The Littlest Voyageur in the Author Lounge. Learn more >

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October 7, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

Moving Words: Writers Across Minnesota

Enjoy a lively discussion at the Detroit Lakes Public Library with four multi-genre, Minnesota Book Award-winning authors: Shannon Gibney, David LaRochelle, Margi Preus, and Mike Wohnoutka. Moving Words is an opportunity for writers and readers to explore various themes together: the impact of literature in their lives, their connection as fellow Minnesotans, and the lens through which we read. Learn more >

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October 11, 2019

2019 ITEM Fall Conference: Come Together

ITEM is Minnesota’s professional organization for all school library media specialists, technology coordinators and specialists, technology integrationists, and anyone else interested in application of information and technology to learning. 2019 ITEM Fall Conference will be held October 10-12 at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park. Learn more >

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October 14, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.

Moving Words: Writers Across Minnesota

Enjoy a lively discussion at the Brainerd Public Library with four multi-genre, Minnesota Book Award-winning authors: Ed Bok Lee, Margi Preus, Andrea Swensson, and Diane Wilson. Moving Words is an opportunity for writers and readers to explore various themes together: the impact of literature in their lives, their connection as fellow Minnesotans, and the lens through which we read. Learn more >

Summer Events 2019

May 23

Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards

I’m thrilled to be the keynote speaker for the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards. Come celebrate some amazing work written by some incredible local authors at University of Minnesota Duluth. Learn more >

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May 29 & 30

Success Beyond the Classroom: Young Author’s Conference

I’m excited to be one of the presenters at this conference at Bethel College in Saint Paul. Students attend a keynote address and three interactive writing sessions led by local authors and writing professionals. Students leave YAC with a greater passion to write and a new set of strategies and ideas with which to experiment. Learn more >

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July 13 & 14

Master Class at Hamline University

Join me for this two-day master class for alumni of Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Learn more >