What is happening to bees?

That question led me on the winding trail that runs through Where Have All the Bees Gone? Pollinators in Crisis.

Like many people, I had been hearing news reports about declines among managed honey bees for years. But a few years ago, while researching The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery, I began to get hints that the problem ran deeper.

Many of the scientists, master gardeners, teachers, and butterfly experts I was interviewing wanted to talk wild bees. They told me that native bees were in trouble, too, not just monarchs and managed honey bees. I decided to investigate.

The book dives into the world of wild bees, the ones that are pollinating the bulk of our food. It traces the history of bees, all the way back to the dinosaurs, and explains why bees are so important to us and the world we live in.

The stars of the book are the cute and fuzzy bumblebees. They are the work-horses of the wild pollinator world. And they are in trouble.

Bumblebees have been disappearing in North America and around the world. Some species are on the brink; others may already be extinct.

The book explores what scientists know about what's causing the declines and what questions they still have. The list of culprits include parasites, pesticides, climate change, and habitat loss.

The book ends on a hopeful note, explaining what everyone can do to help bees.

In a starred review, Booklist calls it "well-balanced and objective… An important resource for all libraries."

Where Have All the Bees Gone? is a Junior Library Selection. It releases February 4th from Twenty-First Century Books.

The 2020 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books was announced last week and I was thrilled and honored to see WHEN PLANTS ATTACK on the Middle Grade List. Thank you, AAAS/Subaru judges!

The prize is awarded in four categories. It celebrates outstanding science writing and illustration for children and young adults. The prize encourages readers to turn to science books for information and enjoyment, too.

Cheers for all the books on this year's lists. Some I had not seen before the list was announced. How had I not seen them? My reading list just got longer.

The finalists will be announced in November.

Growing up, I loved watching monarch butterflies flit in the sunshine. But I never knew they were long-distance travelers.

As an adult I learned that monarchs migrate from across the eastern US and Canada all the way to Mexico.

In other words, a butterfly that flies on paper-thin wings and weighs no more than a grape travels up to 3,000 miles.

I thought, everyone needs to know about this.

I began to mull over possibilities for writing a book. But could I contribute something new? Many wonderful books had been written about monarch migration for children, like this one and this one. My book idea stayed on the back burner.

Then the situation changed. In early fall of 2012, I had signed up to take my children to a monarch tagging event. That day I got a phone call that the event was canceled. The reason? There were no monarchs flying around.

I began to notice news and scientific reports of declining monarch numbers. Milkweed, I heard, that was the problem. Some scientists had concluded there wasn't enough milkweed, the monarch's host plant. The public latched onto this idea.

But then I started hearing that not all scientists agreed. Some had found evidence of a mysterious problem on the fall migration. Monarchs were departing but not arriving in Mexico. Why are they missing? What could be happening to them?

In the summer of 2015 I started digging in with more research. I talked with the person who had called me to tell me the monarch tagging was canceled. I wanted to hear her perspective on how monarchs were doing.

As summer gave way to fall, I visited schools that were raising monarchs or gardening for butterflies, and talked with kids and teachers.

I found instructions on the internet for making a butterfly net. I made a net, headed outside, and taught myself how to catch monarchs.

In late September, the height of the migration here in Pennsylvania, I recruited my youngest daughter and her friend to tag monarchs with me. My middle daughter came along and snapped photos. Our adventure became the opening of the book.

As fall slipped into winter, I phoned up many of the leading scientists who work on monarchs. They shared with me their ideas about what was happening. Some thought it was milkweed. Some found clues that other culprits were involved, like changes in climate or a disease. Some thought there wasn't really a problem at all, and that monarchs were doing fine.

I sorted through these conflicting ideas and arrived at what I believed was the most accurate take-home message:

Monarchs are declining—their numbers in Mexico are clearly down. But we don't know why. Probably there are a lot of causes—from diseases to deforestation of their winter habitat, from milkweed to climate change. The good news is that monarchs have the ability to bounce back quickly, and we can all give them a helping hand.

The book concludes with back matter that gives readers plenty of ideas for how they can help bring the monarchs back.

Hello and happy September! It's the start of a new school year, and Garfield's Fat Cat Guide to STEM Breakthroughs series is out. What a fun book project to be part of!

New in 2020 will be Where Have All the Bees Gone? It introduces teens to bumblebees and other wild bees. It explores why bees are disappearing, why their disappearance matters, and what everyone can do to help.

Fall 2020 will bring a book about evolution's survivors, strange creatures that have been around and little changed for millions of years. The book is for middle grades, and the working title is Survival of the Fittest.

To celebrate publication of my new book, When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants, I'm giving away 10 signed hardback copies on Goodreads.

The contest ends soon.  So if you want to enter, you have until Friday, April 26—also known as Arbor Day. Click here to enter now.

Meanwhile, a big thanks to Kiss the Book Jr, which gave When Plants Attack its highest rating: Essential for libraries.

"Kinda gross, and very interesting, the full color captioned photographs show the plants up close and personal. We see the scientific process in action as specialists test why the plants do what they do"

You can read the full review here.

The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery was named to the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature Best Children’s Books of the Year list!

Not only did Monarchs make the list, it was designated as a book of outstanding merit!

Click here to see the 2019 Best Children's Books of the Year list.

Speaking of monarchs—the insects, not the book—they're on their way north right now. If you haven't already seen them in your area, expect to soon. They usually show up in my Pennsylvania garden in June, right as the milkweed shoulders its way out of the ground.

This month my new book on the creepiest, scariest plants in the world, When Plants Attack, was published.

To celebrate, I'm giving away 10 signed hardback copies on Goodreads. I hope you'll enter!

To share my love of all plants—the creepy and the not-so-creepy—the giveaway starts today, March 28, also known as Weed Appreciation Day. It runs through April 26, aka Arbor Day.

Click here to enter the giveaway.

Feel free to add When Plants Attack to your "to-read" shelf on Goodreads.

Spring weather is here, animals are on the move, and monarch butterflies are making their way north, generation by generation.

Perfect timing then that the The Horn Book has a list of 5 recommended books on animal migration, including The Monarchs Are Missing.

All the books on this list look fantastic. Here's the full list.

For most of February and March, I have been dealing with a twisted hip, an injured back, and a string of writing deadlines.

I have managed to push through on deadlines, sometimes writing while standing, sometimes writing while lying flat on my back. Thankfully, I've been able to walk, which helps my back and hips feel better and also stems the frustration that comes from being laid low.

I was lying on the couch, typing away, when the cedar waxwings showed up not more than an hour ago.

Cedar waxwings are one of my favorite birds. They have a quiet beauty, with their masked faces and their brightly tipped wings and tails. Because they don't stay in one place, but roam in nomadic flocks, they are not regular visitors to my yard. So their arrival today felt like a special event. I'm not the only one who thinks so. My cat has been sitting at the window for hours, flicking her tail and gazing at them through the glass.

I feel blessed that even when I'm stuck on my back, nature comes close enough for me to see.

Happy spring, everyone!

March has arrived, and my newest book has slithered its way into the world. Please say happy birthday to When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants!

Last month for World Read Aloud Day, I talked with students from grades one through five in New York, Connecticut, Virginia, Michigan, and Calgary. I had a chance to share with them a few different books: The Monarchs Are Missing, Plants Can't Sit Still, Trapdoor Spiders and Other Amazing Predators and, of course, When Plants Attack.

I was delighted to receive in the mail last week thank you letters from students from one of the When Plants Attack classes. Thank you, West Woods Upper Elementary students! I loved reading your letters. I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on books, writing, plants, and what you find fascinating about the world.

In honor of this special month, I'd like to announce A CONTEST! If you're interested in entering a drawing for a free hardcover copy of When Plants Attack, I'll be running a giveaway on Goodreads soon. Check back here soon for details, or connect with me on Goodreads. Meanwhile, you can read early reviews of When Plants Attack on Goodreads.

Happy March, everyone!