I’m thrilled to be going to my first Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival where I will be representing How To Coach Girls and Sumo Joe.
I’m also interviewing three authors on behalf of KidLitTV: Phil Bildner, Sandra Neil Wallace, and Joyce Wan. Today, I’m preparing for my interview with Sandra Neil Wallace.
I met Sandra Neil Wallace through my blog when she created a post on 10 True KidLit Immigration Stories which received backlash in a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece. She responded back.
As a former ESPN sportscaster, Sandra Neil Wallace has the ability to see different perspectives and find a way to connect with people. As an immigrant herself, she has a natural sense of empathy for those who experience racism and is an advocate for positive change.
The first generation in her family to attend university, she became a journalist, anchoring the network news before shattering the glass ceiling in sports television as the first woman to host an NHL broadcast on national TV.
Sandra became a U.S. citizen in 2016 and advocates for social responsibility as a founding-year member of the Keene Immigrant and Refugee Partnership and advisor to the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College.
I’m familiar with two of her books, Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery and First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great, but I didn’t realize that she has 6 more books thus far!
Bound by Ice: A True North Pole Survival Story by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace
In this thrilling and terrifying true story of the 1879 search for the North Pole, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace follow the frightening fates of the Jeannette crew as disaster strikes and the men battle to survive 2 years bound by ice. [nonfiction middle grade, ages 10 and up]
Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace
In this astonishing story of the first white civil rights worker in Alabama’s bloodiest county, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace weave a heart-pounding portrait of the danger Daniels faced, the teenager whose life he saved, and how his 1965 murder changed southern justice. [nonfiction young adult, ages 12 and up]
Babe Conquers the World: The Legendary Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace
Sports TV pioneer Sandra Neil Wallace’s first biographyBabe Conquers the World (co-authored with Rich Wallace) captures the personality of sports legend Babe Didrikson Zaharias and the turbulent times she challenged. [nonfiction middle grade biography, ages 9 and up]
Muckers by Sandra Neil Wallace
Inspired by the true story of a racially divided town and a team who must find a way to win, Muckers delves into the rocky terrain of war, Communism, and segregation in 1950 Arizona. [nonfiction young adult, ages 12 and up]
Little Joe by Sandra Neil Wallace
“Sometimes a first heartbreak doesn’t involve humans.” Little Joe is about a farm boy who faces parting with the calf he loves at the fair auction. A state awards finalist and a U.S. Dept. of Ag and American Farm Bureau pick, Little Joe has been translated into 3 languages. Now in paperback and ebook editions.[middle grade, ages 8 and up]
Some of her books, like First Generation, are co-authored with her husband, Rich Wallace. There’s a lot to discover about Sandra here. Let’s get started with some questions for her.
- Tell me about your transition from ESPN sportscaster to author.
- Four of your six books are co-authored with your husband. When, why, and how did it happen and what is it like?
- From middle grade fiction to nonfiction in picture book, middle grade, and YA! Tell me about your writing journey from one genre to another and another and another…
- I didn’t expect backlash to your book, First Generation: 36 Trailblazing Immigrants and Refugees Who Make America Great, but you and Rich seemed to be in the middle of a firestorm. What are your takeaways from this experience?
- What are you working on now?
I can’t wait until October to meet Sandra IRL! Thanks for your questions on what you’d like me to ask her during our chat!
I’ll be interviewing Phil Bildner, Joyce Wan, and Sandra Neil Wallace from 3:30-4:00 pm EST on Saturday, Oct. 4th at Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival where it will be live streaming through KidLit TV’s Facebook!
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Book Lists to Teach Kids Compassion
Modern Immigration and the Refugee Experience
Homelessness in Children’s Books
9 Picture Books About Kindness and Compassion
OCD Characters in Children’s and Young Adult Books
Physical Disabilities in KidLit
Where Are All the Wheelchairs in Children’s Books?
10 Groundbreaking LGBTQ Children’s Books
Understanding Transgender with LGBTQ Books for Kids
Teaching Empathy Through Books About The Importance of One’s Name
10 True KidLit Immigration Stories
Picture Books to Teach Gratitude
10 Picture Books to be Thankful For
10 Picture Books About Africa to Teach Empathy
Top 10: Books that Teach Kids Compassion
Wheelchair Books for Kids (and the future: Iron Man Exoskeletons)
Children’s Books with Single Parents
Teaching Kids Tolerance for Special Needs Classmates
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.
My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award longlist
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
