The author's Horn Book (and other) treasures. Photo: Celia C. Pérez.

I keep a storage bin filled with ephemera from my writing life. It is a treasure chest of memories that includes everything from conference badges, event programs, and T-shirts from schools I’ve visited to letters and artwork I have received from readers. Among those items, I have tucked away issues of The Horn Book Magazine. They are the issues in which my books were reviewed or recognized in the annual Fanfare list. These are special to me because the Horn Book has felt like a home for almost a decade.

In 2014, I met [then–Executive Editor] Martha Parravano at the Pura Belpré Award Celebración during ALA’s Annual Conference. I couldn’t believe my luck when Martha invited me to be a reviewer. Of the library trade publications, The Horn Book Magazine always stood out to me because it felt familiar. It made room for writing that did not separate the academic and the professional from the personal and the creative. Since I come from a zine ­background, this was a space I often found myself in as a writer. I recently dug up a zine I published many years ago that I described as “one part perzine, one part reading memoir, one part Horn Book Magazine wannabe.” My love for the magazine had been locked in years earlier, and I welcomed the opportunity to contribute to a publication that I admired.

Reviewing gave me the opportunity to sharpen skills as a reader and as a writer. I used my knowledge of Spanish to review bilingual books. I was challenged to write about art when reviewing picture books. I had the chance to view story development from a different angle. I learned to edit an over-word-count piece to the essentials, something that has come in handy when writing books. I stepped away from reviewing when my first middle-grade novel was published but was fortunate to continue being involved by writing essays for the magazine and blog posts for Calling Caldecott.

Among the issues that live in my bin of ephemera is the one in which my Boston Globe–Horn Book Award speech is printed (and accompanied by a cute photo of Roger Sutton and me!). Learning that my debut middle-grade novel, The First Rule of Punk, had been awarded a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor in the Fiction and Poetry category remains one of my favorite author memories. I had no idea on that morning in May as I scrolled through social media while on a writing break that I would see my book announced.

A day after the announcements, I received a package in the mail. I had submitted an essay to the ­magazine about S. E. Hinton’s ­The Outsiders­ for a series about “The Book That Changed My Life.”  Inside the package were my contributor ­copies along with a note from Roger ­congratulating me on news I would be receiving the next day. Although I already knew what his cryptic message was about, it felt like receiving the good news for the first time all over again. This letter, ­written in Roger’s trademark green ink on company letterhead, also lives in my treasure chest of author memories.

As a reviewer, a contributor, and an author, I have always felt that my voice was heard, welcomed, and trusted. Being a part of this publication’s history is my honor, and I hope to be a part of its future. Happy one hundred years, Horn Book Magazine!

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. The Horn Book celebrated its centennial in 2024. For more Horn Book centennial coverage, click here.

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