My favorite part about writing Manatee’s Best Friend was going to Crystal River, Florida to research manatees. What was your favorite part about writing your latest book?

And there are so many more middle-grade authors who are brilliant storytellers, like Tae Keller’s When You Trap a Tiger, Kate Albus’s A Place to Hang the Moon, Alysa Wishingrad’s The Verdigris Pawn, Yoon Ha Lee’s Dragon Pearl, and Kacen Callender’s King and the Dragonflies, to name a few.

More recent classics include When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead and Kate DiCamillo’s books. Some favorite classic middle-grade stories are the Chronicles of Prydain and Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. I’ve always been an avid reader, so my creative influences stem from all genres and age groups. Who or what are some of your creative influences? Eventually, I realized I enjoyed writing novels for older kids, which is how I ended up writing middle-grade books.

That effort led to writing picture books. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.After I left my first job as an environmental attorney to stay at home with my young children, I decided to pursue a career in children’s illustration. and trying might just tear Becca's new friendships apart. But when Becca takes a video that goes viral, it seems like it will be harder than ever to save the manatees. One day, Becca spots a dolphin in the river too! By bonding over the dolphin and manatees, Becca finally starts to make friends at school. When Missy finally does return, she has a new baby with her! Becca wants to be excited, but more than ever inconsiderate boaters are speeding through the river, putting the lives of Missy and her baby in terrible danger. Missy, the manatee who visits the dock in Becca's backyard, and Becca's only friend, hasn't been seen for a long time. Perfect for fans of Catherine Hapka - a heartwarming story about a girl who must find her voice, with lots of manatee and dolphin fun along the way! Becca Wong Walker may be so shy that most people at school think she doesn't speak at all, but why should she care? She has more important things to worry about.

Manatee's Best Friend by Sylvia Liu