Press Room

Press Kit

Janet Fox, Children’s Author

The entire downloadable Press Kit is available here.

A downloadable headshot is available here.

Author photo acknowledgement: Ashleigh Taylor. Permission granted to reproduce for promotional purposes.

A downloadable 2023 bio is available here.

Bio

Janet Fox writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction for children of all ages. Her published works include the non-fiction middle grade book GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT (Free Spirit Publishing 2006; in a new edition 2017), and three YA historical romances: FAITHFUL (Speak/Penguin Group 2010), FORGIVEN (Penguin 2011), and SIRENS (Penguin 2012).

Janet’s debut middle grade novel THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE (Viking 2016) received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Shelf Awareness, is on a number of state lists, and is a Junior Library Guild selection. The novel won SCBWI’s Crystal Kite award in 2017. Check out the book’s website: www.rookskillcastle.com

Her debut picture book, VOLCANO DREAMS: A STORY OF YELLOWSTONE, illustrated by Marlo Garnsworthy, features the science behind the Yellowstone super volcano (Web of Life Books 2018). Her second picture book, WINTERGARDEN, illustrated by Jasu Hu, is out from Neal Porter Books in November 2023.

Janet’s companion book for THE CHARMED CHILDREN is titled THE ARTIFACT HUNTERS (Viking, 2020) and a contemporary novel, CARRY ME HOME, out from Simon & Schuster in 2021.

Janet is a 2010 graduate of the MFA/Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. A former high school English teacher, former regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Janet lives with her family in Bozeman, Montana.

Social Media Links

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanetFox/

Twitter https://twitter.com/janetsfox

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/janetsfox/

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/janetsfox/

Agent

Erin Murphy
Erin Murphy Literary Agency

https://emliterary.com/

Booking Agent

(for all school, library, and event bookings)

Carmen Oliver
The Booking Biz

http://thebookingbiz.com/contact/

Books

Middle Grade Fiction

Carry Me Home

Two sisters struggle to keep their father’s disappearance a secret in this tender middle grade novel that’s perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Twelve-year-old Lulu and her younger sister, Serena, have a secret. As Daddy always says, “it’s best if we keep it to ourselves,” and so they have. But hiding your past is one thing. Hiding where you live—and that your Daddy has gone missing—is harder.

At first Lulu isn’t worried. Daddy has gone away once before and he came back. But as the days add up, with no sign of Daddy, Lulu struggles to take care of all the responsibilities they used to manage as a family.

Lulu knows that all it takes is one slip-up for their secret to come spilling out, for Lulu and Serena to be separated, and for all the good things that have been happening in school to be lost.

But family is all around us, and Lulu must learn to trust her new friends and community to save those she loves and to finally find her true home.

Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers August 2021

ISBN: 978-1-534-48508-2

Ages 8-12

• Shortlisted for Reading the West Book Awards 2022, Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association

• Finalist: Texas Institute of Letters Deirdre Siobhan FlynnBass Award for Best Middle Grade Book 2021

• Bank Street Best Book 2022

• Selected for the 2022-2023 Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List, Grades 3-5

• Selected for the 2022-2023 Maine Student Book Award List.

“Fox’s moving story is told in flashes of the “Now,” “Before,” and “Way Before,” slowly and affectingly filling in the family’s history, as well as a detailed explanation of their situation. A reassuring but realistic ending encourages readers to ask for help when needed and emphasizes that there is always someone who will care. A compassionate and empathetic examination of being unhoused.” – Booklist

“Fox gently depicts the way Lulu manages their basic needs while balancing the difficulties (and joys) of navigating a new school and finding her way in the world. With accessible prose, brisk pacing and well-developed characters, Fox’s empathetic novel encourages readers to understand how people experiencing homelessness are individuals with stories and, like everyone, deserve compassion and support.” – Bookpage

The Artifact Hunters

Twelve year old Isaac Wolf is Jewish and abnormally tall for his age, and at the height of World War II, standing out for any reason often leads to trouble. When tensions in Prague rise, Isaac’s parents make the quick decision to send him to Scotland alone with a small backpack and a pendant in the shape of an eternity knot. They assure him that he will be safe if he can track down this symbol.

This clue leads him to Rookskill Castle, home of the gifted children of the Special Alternative Intelligence Unit who are learning to harness their magical powers to support the Allies’ cause. With the help of his new friends and an antique watch that allows him to travel through time, Isaac must unlock his own powers and uncover the meaning of the eternity knot by hunting for a series of magical artifacts that are scattered through the past. But Isaac is not the only artifact hunter, and soon he finds himself in a race against an even deadlier threat than the war itself—one that his parents had been trying to shield him from all along.

Viking August 2020

ISBN: 978-0-451-47869-6

Ages 10+

• A 2020 Junior Library Guild Selection

“A companion novel to The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle (2016), this is a joyful middle-grade adventure set against the backdrop of WWII. Isaac and the other “charmed children” are curious types, and it’s easy to root for them against the scary creatures of the night.” – Booklist

“This fast-paced fantasy will appeal to fans of Carlos Hernandez’s “Sal and Gabi” series. A strongly recommended purchase where adventurous fantasy is popular.” – School Library Journal

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle

“Keep calm and carry on.”

That’s what Katherine Bateson’s father told her, and that’s what she’s trying to do: when her father goes off to the war, when her mother sends Kat and her brother and sister away from London to escape the incessant bombing, even when the children arrive at Rookskill Castle, an ancient, crumbling manor on the misty Scottish highlands.

But it’s hard to keep calm in the strange castle that seems haunted by ghosts or worse. What’s making those terrifying screeches and groans at night? Why do the castle’s walls seem to have a mind of their own? And why do people seem to mysteriously appear and disappear?

Kat believes she knows the answer: Lady Eleanor, who rules Rookskill Castle, is harboring a Nazi spy. But when her classmates begin to vanish, one by one, Kat must uncover the truth about what the castle actually harbors—and who Lady Eleanor really is—before it’s too late.

Viking 2016

ISBN: 978-0-451-47633-3

Ages 10+

• Winner of SCBWI’s Crystal Kite Award, Western States Division
• 2016 Junior Library Guild selection
• Spring 2016 Indies Next pick
• ALA Notable Books Nominee 2016
• 2017 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Shortlist Honor Book
• 2017 Texas SPOT (Spirit of Texas Award) selection
• 2017 Wisconsin State Reading Association selection
• 2017 Maine Student Book A wards list
• Booklist Top 10 Books For Youth Fantasy/Horror 2016
• Brightly Best Books 2016
• Bank Street Best Children’ s Books 2016
• Kirkus: “Witchy magic, Nazi menace, and clockwork all come into play, along with an Enigma machine and spies for both the Allies and the Nazis seeking occult sources of power or protection. After the breathtaking climax, various threads of the story are tied up in a drawing- room denouement in which the characters decide to dispose of toxic magical artifacts rather carelessly—though in a way that invites anticipation (and fortuitously leaves room for sequels). An original, clever, page-turning adventure.” Starred review
• Publishers Weekly: “True-to-life protagonists, the skillful interweaving of flashbacks and the chatelaine motif, a masterful final encounter, and a satisfying denouement attest to Fox’s craftsmanship.” Starred review
• Booklist: “This wonderfully written gothic fairy tale pairs the horror elements with a steampunk witch and mysterious staff, all while telling a war espionage tale. Embedded lessons—even including Plato’s cave allegory—from a pair of sympathetic castle teachers provide clues to defeating the evil witch. Readers will curl up and keep the lights on with this chilling page- turner.” Starred review

For more accolades and reviews please see https://janetsfox.com/books/chatelaine/

For a complete media kit for The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, click this link.

Middle Grade Non-Fiction

Get Organized Without Losing It

Kids: If your desk is a disaster, and your locker is a shocker, this book is for you! Full of you-can-do-it ways to manage the major messes in your life, “Get Organized” will help you put your stuff in order, manage your time, plan your work and work your plan. It’s a sure-fire way to turn stress into more free time!

Parents and teachers: One of the books in Free Spirit’s Laugh and Learn series, “Get Organized” will help the kids you know who have issues with their stuff, or with time management.

Free Spirit Publishing 2017 ISBN: 978-1-631-98173-9 Ages 8+

• National Association of Parent Publications Awards (NAPPA): 2006 award-winner.

• Midwest Independent Publisher’s Association (MIPA) Midwest Book Awards: 2007 merit award.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) Magazine: “Fox uses humor to provide practical, easy-to- follow ideas for organizing desks, backpacks, and lockers; managing time for homework and after school activities; planning long-term projects; and taking better notes…a great book for middle school and junior high teens when they have more subjects and activities to manage.”

Picture Books

Volcano Dreams: A Story of Yellowstone

Illustrated by Marlo Garnsworthy

Web of Life Children’s Books 2018

ISBN: 978-0-988-33038-2

Ages 5-9

Lyrical prose and luminous paintings lead readers on a tour of the Yellowstone supervolcano, from the wolves, elk, bears, and mountain goats that roam its surface to the fiery depths of its magma chamber. Volcano Dreams knits together the vibrancy of the Yellowstone ecosystem with its explosive history, placing the everyday lives of its creatures within the context of geological time. Janet Fox’s poetic text takes us to the root of it all – the ‘sleeping giant’ of magma responsible for the Yellowstone landscape – and Marlo Garnsworthy’s evocative paintings capture the awe of natural forces at work in our nation’s oldest national park.

“The author’s first picture book reflects her own appreciation for this national treasure, which could inspire family visits. An unusual and appealing addition to the sense-of-wonder shelf.” – Kirkus

“This lyrical, lusciously illustrated title offers an introduction to the flora and fauna of Yellowstone Park to young readers… A valuable addition to an Earth science collection.” – School Library Connection

Young Adult Fiction

Faithful

Speak/Penguin Group 2010

ISBN 978-0-14-241413-2

Ages 12 +

• Amelia Bloomer List Selection for 2011
• YALSA 2011 Nominee: Best Fiction for Young Adults

Forgiven

Speak/Penguin Group 2011

ISBN 978-0-14-241414-9

Ages 12 +

• 2011 Junior Library Guild Selection
• 2012 Finalist of the WILLA Literary Awards for Children’s and Young Adult Fiction and Nonfiction, Women Writing the West

Sirens

Speak/Penguin Group 2012

ISBN 978-0-14-242430-8

Ages 12 +

Kirkus: “Yes, there’s a mystery here. It involves Jo’s supposedly dead brother, Lou’s gangster boyfriend, bootlegging, a bombing, missing pages from a journal, and more than a few Dark Secrets. All of which was quite fun, though it’s not why Sirens was a stand-out for me….Sirens is a celebration of girl power, sisterhood, and hope for the future.”