J. Anderson Coats (she/her)

Illustrated book cover. At the top of the image is a street scene from early twentieth century Denver, with people of all ages in suits and long dresses. Some are on foot; others are in horse-drawn buggies. There is a large archway with "Welcome" across the top, and beyond it is Seventeenth Street full of people. There are buildings with arched windows on either side of the street. At the bottom left is a white girl with a single braid. She is wearing an beige dress and carrying a messenger-style bag over her shoulder. She is looking up at the archway with an excited expression on her face. At the bottom right is an Eastern European folk art motif with flowers and viney stems. The color scheme is shades of turquoise blue and an orangey-red, with purple accents. In the middle of the image is the book's title in white text: The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls. Also the author's name in red text: J. Anderson Coats.

Small moment of happy news: The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls is getting a paperback edition! Come for a pro-immigrant, pro-freedom-to-read #middlegrade historical, stay for living-in-a-library wish fulfillment. Preorder here if you are so inspired: www.jandersoncoats.com/the-unexpect...

I ruin dinner parties

A close-up of a tabby/Bengal cat. She is lying on her ear and one amber-colored eye is open.

Did I leave the oven on?

Holy crap. (Thread.) Just because someone has works that are publicly available and/or widely cited, does NOT mean you have permission to create a fake AI "version" of them! Just when I think I can't hate this technology any more than I already do, it goes and does something even worse. 😡

A Bengal/tabby cat sits on a person's lap. The person in a blue plaid flannel shirt is also balancing a laptop on their knees, and there is a pink blanket over their lap under the cat.

Politicians crying that they're just "protecting the children" while doing the exact opposite is nothing new, but if this becomes law it could effectively end the careers of some of you favorite queer creators (including mine!)

This is true of writing, too. Finding a way to push past the "I suck at this" block is the only way you will get better - and also FEEL better, and fulfilled by the act of creating.

Gratitude to five wonderful years of Heartdrum! Together, we're making the world of books better for young readers. Mvto/thank you for your ongoing enthusiasm and support! www.harpercollins.com/pages/childr... #KidLit #YALit @harperkids.bsky.social @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social

Boosting!

Quote at the bottom in white, blue background. Cover art for SPIRIT SHADOW-- Native woman and child seated in the long grass, butterfly above their outstretched hands. Author photo of Ginger Reno wearing shoulder brusher earrings and denim shirt over black T. She is an attractive, smiling Cherokee woman.

“Look at everything the Cherokee—all Indigenous people—have suffered through and endured. Terrible, without question. But the personal and collective strength required to survive and even thrive is awe-inspiring.” —Ginger Reno cynthialeitichsmith.com/2026/02/auth... @ajeversole.bsky.social #KidLit

That is GORGEOUS! Can't wait to read it! 📚❤️📚

*pounds the table* POR-TENT! POR-TENT!

A Bengal/tabby cat sits on the top of a rocking chair with her paws hooked over the back. In the background is a green sofa and a gray blanket with a southwest pattern, and a stupidly large TV.

Happy International Rescue Cat Day to this expensive pain in the a$$ who I love to bits and would absolutely move the heavens and earth for not only today but every day.

This is a book-banning bill with a HEAPING side of bigotry. I've called my reps. Please consider calling yours, even if you don't think they'll listen. We've got to be grit in the works, friends. Every little bit helps.

Ohhh, gorgeous! Can't wait to read it!

A group of kids (with smiley face icons protecting their privacy) gathered in a bookstore. There are two adults with them. They are sitting in folding chairs and holding copies of The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls by J. Anderson Coats.

Had a great time chatting with the readers at Island Books Kids Book Club! They had excellent questions and thoughtful comments about The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls, the immigrant experience, parentification, and living in a library. Keep reading, young humans!

I can totally see that. Something about moving my hands and fingers to make the words is coded into my process.

Thank you to @authorsabb.bsky.social heroes @beccacoffindaffer.bsky.social and Ed Underhill, we have some slides that can be shared by anyone about this, with particular reps to target. Let's kill this bill in committee.

My right hand in a black wrist brace with buckles. Background is a green sofa and a pink blanket.

Two things I'm discovering:

1) You can do a lot of things one-handed with time and patience

2) The things you need your good hand for, you *really* need your good hand for

solidarity with all marginalized people in Kansas.

you are not alone. together we are going to build the better world we all deserve.

All hands on deck, folks. This will effectively eliminate all books by queer authors and about queer lives, even books with secondary characters, books where the author or a character uses they/them pronouns. This bill will erase identities and harm kids. And it won't stop at public schools.

No, it isn't parents who should decide what kids can read.

No, it isn't politicians either.

And no, it isn't librarians.

Readers are who should decide what they read. Age doesn't come into the right to read.

Not sure how many different ways I can say this.

An open book, text on the cover reads “THIS MACHINE DESTROYS IGNORANCE”

An open book, text on the cover reads “this machine builds connection”

An open book, text on the cover reads “THIS MACHINE INSPIRES CHANGE”

An open book, text on the cover reads, “this machine builds empathy”

I’m tired but needed to draw something. Inspired by Woody Guthrie.

Queer histories in the farm records What can farm records teach us about same-sex relationships? Researcher Tim Jerrome shares his work exploring queer rural experiences.

If you're researching queer history in England, farm records might be one of the last places you'd check.

Yet for #LGBTQHistoryMonth, @timjerrome.bsky.social shares how he's tracing queer histories within our farm archives, and gives tips for future research.

merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...

Voices: Reading age-appropriate books about sexual assault would have helped me as a kid. Today’s students deserve better. “Protecting kids and teens from discussions about sex is not saving them from assaults. And books are not causing the assaults,” writes Shannon Hale in an op-ed. “But books can aid in clarifying what ...

I wrote a piece for an Utah paper about why books that deal with sex and assault are important for teens and shouldn't be labeled as pornography and banned. This is a major issue in my home state where many do not believe sex scenes in books are ever justified.
www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...

Ohhhh, this looks EXCELLENT!

I've been using the word "elder" to talk abt those older folks kids know, b/c not everyone is fortunate enough to have living grandparents, or sometimes grandparents are not good people to be around. Families are complicated, but it's my hope that every kid has an elder around who cares about them.

The first page of a downloadable notebook for kids to interview their elders. Text reads: Everyone has a story. Interview an elder you love to hear theirs! Inspired by The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls by J. Anderson Coats. The notebook is sitting on a fluffy red carpet.

Two interior pages of a downloadable notebook for kids to interview their elders. There is too much text on the page to include here, but here is as much text as possible: How to conduct an interview. Tell your grown-up (your mom or dad, stepparent, guardian, etc) that you want to interview a particular elder. They will be able to help you make plans to do the interview and gather any equipment you might want to use. If it won't work out to interview this elder, they can help you choose a different one. Before you start recording, whether you're using a device or pen and paper, ask your elder if it's okay. It's not a good idea to record someone without them knowing, and it's just good manners to ask. Once your grown-up is on board with the interview plan, ask your elder if they are willing to share some stories about what it was like when they were growing up. Most people will be excited, but remember that it’s okay for someone to say no. Ask your elder what day and time works for them. Do your best to allow plenty of time for the interview so the conversation isn't rushed. Perhaps you want to do more than one interview! Work with your elder to come up with a plan that you both like. Your grown-up may want to come with you to do the interview. This is totally fine! Stories are for everyone to share. It's a good idea to make some kind of record of the interview so you can remember later what stories your elder shared. Decide if you want to use a device (such as your phone, computer, or tablet), or if you want to take notes with pen and paper, or both! Come up with some questions beforehand, but if your elder is excited to talk about a particular subject, let the conversation go where it wants to go. It's okay if you don't get to all your questions, but having them ready is helpful if the conversation slows down. (Note: There are some questions you can use in this notebook!) During the interview, make sure that you are listening actively.

Traveling to see family for spring break? Why not have your kids take a little time out to interview their elders about their childhood! I've got a free kid-friendly downloadable interview guide on my website, with tips and sample questions: www.jandersoncoats.com/the-unexpect...

A tabby/Bengal cat sleeps on two blankets, one pink and one gray, each with a southwest pattern. Text reads: Skipped one dose of my expensive meds. Tore my neck open. (No cat wounds are visible.)

Siiiiiiiiigh.

Gonna need people to support middle grade and YA titles bc where do we think adult readers come from!! If kids don’t have good books to read from like 8 - 12 they are going to stop reading 😭😭😭😭