Welcome to the Free Spirit Publishing Press Room. If you’re looking for quotable sources for your next story, or information about a topic important to the welfare of kids and teens, you’ve come to the right place. Our in-house publicity staff can connect you with just the facts or book you need. Or our seasoned expert-authors can bring solid advice and fresh insight to help you tackle the important issues of the day.

This is where you’ll find press kits, awards, reviews, and the latest news about Free Spirit Publishing. We’re always adding new content to our site, but if you don’t find what you’re looking for (or you’re interested in a review copy), email us at publicity@freespirit.com or call 1-800-735-7323, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.

Free Spirit’s award-winning books offer solid information and jargon-free advice for teens, kids, parents, and educators on a variety of timely topics from bullying and parenting to stress and school success. Click here to see a list of topics on which our authors can provide advice and insight. Browse our online catalog for books on all of these subjects and many more.

 
Book Videos

ADHD in HD by Jonathan Chesner

Your Life in Comics by Bill Zimmerman

Going Blue: A Teen Guide to Saving Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, & Wetlands by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., Philippe Cousteau, and EarthEcho International

Teen Cyberbullying Investigated by Judge Tom Jacobs

Middle School Confidential™ Series by Annie Fox, M.Ed.

Good-Bye Bully Machine by Debbie Fox and Allan L. Beane, Ph.D.

 
Reviews

ADHD in HD

“Pick up a copy of this book. You’ll be slain by its radness.”—ADDitude

“ADHD in HD works at several levels—as a validation for those with ‘special brains,’ a suggestion guide for surviving and adapting, both in school and life, and a brief and non-threatening introduction to others who know, live, work with, or teach someone with ADHD. The book should be read by all educators and given to any adolescent diagnosed with this disorder.”—VOYA

Make a Splash!: A Kid's Guide to Protecting Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, & Wetlands

“The first time a child sees an ocean or a great river, magic happens. Make A Splash! reaches for the hearts of all young people who love wild water, and who want to do something to keep it pure and everlasting.”—Carl Hiaasen, author of Chomp

“Kids who read this book will find themselves captivated by the world of water and primed to do their part in protecting it.”—Eileen Spinelli, author of over 40 children’s books, including Miss Fox’s Class Goes Green

Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are

“Although it may not be educational in the grammar-and-algebra sense, this app’s focus on hot-button middle school issues like bullying, family conflict, and changing friendships makes it worth checking out.”—MSNBC

The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (And Their Parents)

“Verdick and Reeve’s guide manages to skillfully balance on the edge between information-heavy academic books and too-simplistic books for young children. They have produced an informative, practical guide for late elementary and middle school students that neither talks down to them nor floats above their heads.”—VOYA

“[U]seful and easily readable . . . with lots of practical advice, especially appropriate for grade-schoolers and their caregivers.”—Kirkus

The Weird series

“Heaphy’s pen-and-ink illustrations are dotted with highlights of color that spotlight the main characters. She is a master of facial expression and body language; Sam’s hoodie sweatshirt speaks volumes all on its own.”—Kirkus

Read more reviews.

 
Awards

Mealtime and On-the-Go Time, written by Elizabeth Verdick and illustrated by Marieka Heinlen, are winners of Creative Child Magazine's 2012 Preferred Choice Award in the Toddler Board Books category.

How to Talk to an Autistic Kid is a winner of the ForeWord Book of the Year Gold Award in the Juvenile Nonfiction category.

The Gifted Teen Survival Guide is a winner of the 2011 Midwest Book Award in two categories: Young Adult Nonfiction and Education/Learning.

The Gifted Teen Survival Guide and How to Talk to an Autistic Kid are finalists in ForeWord magazine's 2012 Book of the Year Awards. The winners will be announced on June 23, 2012 at the American Library Association conference in Anaheim, California.

How to Talk to an Autistic Kid is recipient of the Learning Magazine Teachers’ Choice Award for the Family.

Bedtime and Calm-Down Time, written by Elizabeth Verdick and illustrated by Marieka Heinlen, are both recipients of Creative Child Magazine's 2011 Preferred Choice Award in the Toddler Board Books category.

Free Spirit founder and president Judy Galbraith was honored with the prestigious 2011 California Association for the Gifted Ruth A. Martinson Award. This award is given for a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in the area of gifted and talented education.

Be Fit, Be Strong, Be You by Rebecca Kajander, C.P.N.P, M.P.H., and Timothy Culbert, M.D., won the Midwest Book Award in the Children’s Nonfiction category.

The Delaware Valley Reading Association (DVRA) has awarded their annual Celebrate Literacy Award to Judy Lalli, author of I Like Being Me. The award recognizes Judy’s efforts to promote literacy through her books and workshops, which DVRA president Theresa Deckebach called “engaging, effective, and memorable. [Judy’s] advocacy of early literacy development is paramount to our success with students.”

See more awards.

A double win for the Toddler Tools series! Mealtime and On-the-Go Time are winners of the 2012 Creative Child Preferred Choice Award. These two books are about routines all toddlers face—mealtime and running errands—and give young children the coping skills they need to handle these everyday routines with confidence and cooperation. The awards program is hosted by Creative Child, a national magazine that focuses on helping parents nurture their child's creativity.

We are pleased to announce that How To Talk to an Autistic Kid by Daniel Stefanski is a gold award winner in ForeWord Reviews’ 2011 Book of the Year Awards. The awards were announced at ALA’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. Book of the Year Award winners are selected by a panel of librarian and bookseller judges to recognize the best independently published works. ForeWord named 209 Book of the Year Award winners in 54 categories. How to Talk to an Autistic Kid won the top award in the Juvenile Nonfiction category.

75% of parents report a change in how they deal with behavioral challenges after reading Free Spirit’s ParentSmart/KidHappy™ series.

A study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics shows that children’s books may be an effective tool in educating parents on how to foster appropriate behavior in children. In “A Pilot Study Using Children’s Books to Understand Caregiver Perceptions of Parenting Practices,” researchers report that the ParentSmart/KidHappy series by Stacey Kaye (2008 and 2009, Free Spirit Publishing) was used to evaluate if children’s books can help pediatricians deliver parenting support and advice. The results show that parents who read one of the three picture books, which use specific language and illustrate positive parenting strategies, were more likely to report changes in interactions with their children one month after.

We’re thrilled to announce that How to Talk to an Autistic Kid is a finalist for the 16th Annual Books for a Better Life Awards, sponsored by The New York City–Southern New York Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. The awards recognize authors of self-improvement, self-help, and motivational books in ten categories, with five finalists in each. How to Talk to an Autistic Kid is a finalist in the “Relationships” category. The winners of the Books for a Better Life Awards will be announced during a ceremony at The New York Times Center in New York City on Monday, March 12, 2012.

Together with Electric Eggplant, we are happy to announce that our app Be Confident in Who You Are: A Graphic Novel is now available for the Barnes and Noble NOOK Color™ Reader’s Tablet™.

Released earlier this year on the iPad, Be Confident in Who You Are is a digital graphic novel based on Book 1 of Annie Fox’s Middle School Confidential™ series. The app has been well received by reviewers such as Rick Broida at CNET, who said “Kids ages 11 to 14 would benefit from this book’s lessons. My 11-year-old daughter, who starts middle school in the fall . . . gave the app an enthusiastic ‘pretty cool!’” Common Sense Media gave the app four stars, and said, “this app is sleek and well-designed.”

Just in time for back-to-school, this app is appropriate for the hard-to-reach “tween” age group and reluctant readers, and for use in discussion with parents, teachers, and counselors. Be Confident in Who You Are is $3.99 and available through NOOK Apps at http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Be-Confident-in-Who-You-Are/Electric-Eggplant/e/2940043856630

Psychology Today blogger Lisa Rivero talks to Free Spirit authors (and owner) Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle about today’s brightest adolescents and their newly revised and updated book The Gifted Teen Survival Guide.

Read the full interview on Lisa Rivero's Creative Synthesis blog: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-synthesis/201108/teen-survival-smarts

The Delaware Valley Reading Association (DVRA) has awarded their annual Celebrate Literacy Award to Judy Lalli, author of I Like Being Me. The award recognizes Judy’s efforts to promote literacy through her books and workshops, which DVRA president Theresa Deckebach called “engaging, effective, and memorable. [Judy’s] advocacy of early literacy development is paramount to our success with students.”

Annie Fox, M.Ed., appeared on FoxNews.com to answer a tough question many parents are asking: should they allow their teens to have sex in the family home? According to a CDC survey, fifty-six percent of teens do, with or without their parents’ permission. Annie says that where teens are having sex is not the issue. Watch this short video to find out her advice for parents:
 

The New York Times Arts Beat blog featured How to Talk to an Autistic Kid in an article for Autism Awareness Month. Read “Books by and For Autistic Children.” http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/books-by-and-for-autistic-children/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Going Blue: A Teen Guide to Saving our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, & Wetlands by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., and Philippe Cousteau is a 2011 Nautilus Gold Award winner in the Middle Grade & Teen Nonfiction category.

The Nautilus Awards recognizes books that offer distinguished literary and heartfelt contributions to spiritual growth, conscious living, high-level wellness, green values, responsible leadership and positive social change as well as to the worlds of art, creativity and inspirational reading for children, teens and young adults. Past Nautilus Award winning authors include: Deepak Chopra, Barbara Kingsolver, Eckhart Tolle, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Rhonda Byrne, Mariel Hemingway, Andrew Weil, and others. Free Spirit is honored to be a recipient of this prestigious award.

To celebrate National Autism Awareness Month, Daniel Stefanski, 14-year-old author of How to Talk to an Autistic Kid, visited Minneapolis for the first two book signings of his writing career. Daniel and a team from Free Spirit participated in the Fraser Walk for Autism to help raise awareness and funding for autism services for local children and families.

Free Spirit Publishing is delighted to announce the release of a new iPad app, Be Confident in Who You Are: A Middle School Confidential™ Graphic Novel, developed by Electric Eggplant. This 49-page digital graphic novel is based on Book 1 of the award-winning Middle School Confidential™ series written by nationally recognized teen expert and anti-bullying activist Annie Fox, M.Ed., and illustrated by Harvey Award winner Matt Kindt. Be Confident in Who You Are app is available worldwide exclusively through the iTunes App Store in the Books category at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/be-confident-in-who-you-are/id428588931?mt=8&ls=1.  

Timothy Culbert sat down with the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis to talk about Be Fit, Be Strong, Be You, his new book with coauthor Rebecca Kajander and the newest title in the Be the Boss of Your Body^® series.

View a clip from the show 

Judge Tom Jacobs was a guest on Good Morning Arizona in May 2010, where he discussed his book Teen Cyberbullying Investigated and the steps parents can take to educate themselves about their kids’ activities online.

View a clip from the show