Audrey Vernick

Audrey Vernick is the author of numerous, highly acclaimed and award-winning picture books, including Brothers at Bat, First Grade Dropout, Second Grade Holdout, Take Your Octopus to School Day, and The Funniest Man in Baseball: The True Story of Max Patkin. Along with Liz Garton Scanlon, she is the co-author of the picture books Dear Substitute and Bob, Not Bob! Along with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, she is the co-author of the middle-grade novels Two Naomis and Naomis Too. She lives near the Jersey shore.

MFOB FEATURED BOOKS: Naomis Too (Coming September 11, 2018) and Take Your Octopus to School Day (Coming September 25, 2018)

Naomis Too (ages 8-12): In this sequel to Two Naomis, now that Naomi M.’s mom and Naomi E.’s dad are married, the girls have learned to do a lot of things together; however, sixth grade in a new school presents a whole new set of surprises and challenges. Trusting her gut has worked for Naomi E. all her life, and she figures that it will be an asset to her role as a Peer Mediator—until she realizes how much of the job requires the Art of Compromise, which she’s only just starting to get used to at home. Naomi M. is excited about making new friends—but she wants to keep old ones too. And when she sees that some in the school community have a hard time with the realities of “diversity in action,” she wonders if the new members of her family can see those realities as well. As the girls deal with the ups and downs of middle school and the mysteries of family dynamics, they learn that even when life and school try to drive you apart, it’s ultimately easier to face everything together.

Take Your Octopus to School Day (ages 3-7): When it comes to show-and-tell, Sam is in it to win it. But no matter how hard he tries, one of his classmates is always showing him up with a slightly better costume or a slightly cooler object to share. His teacher says it’s not a competition, but just once Sam would like to be the best—which is why he’s so excited when Take Your Octopus to School Day is announced. Sam is pretty sure he’s the only kid with a real live pet octopus to bring, and Thurgood, his eight-tentacled best friend, is excited too. Together, they prepare Thurgood’s travel tank and get ready for a school day like no other. . . . What could possibly go wrong?

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