Posts by Jen Harper

About the Author

Jen is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in xoJane, Seattle Weekly, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Zap2it, and a bunch of other places. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and Labrador in Boulder, Colo., where she enjoys drinking iced lattes year-round, OD’ing on ’90s nostalgia, and tweeting @HarperJen.

7 Books for Kids of All Ages About Environmental Activism and Climate Change

change the world

7 Books for Kids of All Ages About Environmental Activism and Climate Change

Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg has taken the world by storm with her passion for environmental activism and tireless efforts to effect change on a global...

Bookseller Favorites: Exciting New Books for Young Readers in November

top picks

Bookseller Favorites: Exciting New Books for Young Readers in November

Prepping for the holidays means buying a turkey, cleaning the house for guests, digging out a decent sweater that hasn’t been attacked by moths, and...

6 Baby-Sitters Club–Inspired Halloween Costumes for Couples

it's true we're old

6 Baby-Sitters Club–Inspired Halloween Costumes for Couples

As everyone who filled out the Baby-Sitters Fan Club application in the back of Claudia and the Sad Goodbye back in 1989 (and promptly forgot to ask their...

Tales from a Not-So-Best Friend Forever: 5 Things We Love About Dork Diaries

omg nikki's back

Tales from a Not-So-Best Friend Forever: 5 Things We Love About Dork Diaries

Whether you’re a self-proclaimed dork or cute, cool, and, popular (a.k.a. a CCP), middle school offers plenty of tricky terrain to tackle. Just ask Nikki...

5 New Middle-Grade Novels for Animal Lovers

furry friends

5 New Middle-Grade Novels for Animal Lovers

Nearly everyone’s kid goes through a phase of pretending to be an animal 24/7. If you haven’t gotten to that point with your own children yet and you...

Wrecking Ball is Almost Here! We’re Celebrating by Ranking Every Diary of a Wimpy Kid

how do we choose

Wrecking Ball is Almost Here! We’re Celebrating by Ranking Every Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Since 2007, Jeff Kinney has been chronicling the life of everyone’s favorite underdog, Greg Heffley, as he attempts to navigate middle school, home life,...

5 Picture Books to Teach Kids about Consent and Bodily Autonomy

no means no!

5 Picture Books to Teach Kids about Consent and Bodily Autonomy

As an adult, can you imagine if someone told you that you have to go sit on the lap of some old man you don’t know, tell him what you want for Christmas,...

October’s Best New Books for Young Readers in 2019

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October’s Best New Books for Young Readers in 2019

During a season filled with creepy spiders, scary witches, and bizarre foods and beverages that should never be pumpkin-spiced (we’re looking at you,...

Guts Review: 6 Ways Raina Telgemeier’s New Book Shows Real Guts

graphic memoirs

Guts Review: 6 Ways Raina Telgemeier’s New Book Shows Real Guts

It takes real guts to survive tweendom, and bestselling author and illustrator Raina Telgemeier definitely had what it takes to make it through that...

September’s Best New Books for Young Readers

top picks

September’s Best New Books for Young Readers

School is back in full swing, the scent of pumpkin spice is in the air, and fresh apples are ripe for the picking—as is a new crop of books for young...

Visit the Enchanting World of Wetmore Forest with Sweet Books, Huggable Plushes, and more!

wetmore forest

Visit the Enchanting World of Wetmore Forest with Sweet Books, Huggable Plushes, and more!

Welcome to the enchanting world of Wetmore Forest, where a whimsical band of friendly monsters—Bugsy Wingnut, Tumblebee, Snuggle-Tooth, Picklez,...

Wacky Summer Vacation Stories for Kids of All Ages

summer reading

Wacky Summer Vacation Stories for Kids of All Ages

Whether your kids’ summer break is packed with car trips, plane rides, train treks, or fun-filled family staycations, there’s plenty of free time to...