News From Here

June 9, 2026: Looking for an immersive summer read? The Peach Thief is now available in a beautiful paperback edition through your favorite independent or online bookstore. I hope this will make the book even more accessible, to middle-grade readers and beyond!

January 29, 2026: I’m a life-long lover of independent bookstores, so it means a great deal to me that The Peach Thief has been chosen by the California Independent Booksellers Alliance as a finalist for the Golden Poppy Award in the middle-grade category. The winner will be announced during a virtual ceremony that takes place on January 29, 2026 at 7 PM PST. Come join me here!

January 2026: Happy New Year! I’m delighted to see The Peach Thief on this list from The New York Times, alongside books from favorite authors Laurie Halse Anderson and Kate Messner! Other gems listed include The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz, The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes, and The Lions’ Run by Sara Pennypacker.

December 2025: The Peach Thief popped up on the “Best Middle Grade Books of 2025” lists from both Kirkus Reviews and BookPage, and in very good company! I’m halfway through reading (and enjoying) The Nine Moons of Han You and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser, while Caroline Starr Rose’s The Burning Season beckons from the top of my to-be-read stack.

March 7 and 9, 2025: What a thrill! On both March 7th and March 9th, The New York Times Book Review published a wonderful full-page review of The Peach Thief. “An apple got Adam and Even thrown out of paradise,” Jennifer Howard’s in-depth review begins. “In Linda Joan Smith’s glowing debut novel, a peach shows a 13-year-old girl the way in.”

March 23, 2025: Prolific teen book blogger Isabelle Knight interviewed me about The Peach Thief and my advice for young writers; she posted our discussion on her Spring Falls Chronicle website,  found here. My first young teen reviewer and a writer herself, Isabelle also posted her enthusiastic review of The Peach Thief here.

March, 28, 2025: On March 28th I answered questions about The Peach Thief and writing historical fiction on Caroline Starr Rose’s informative and inspirational blog “Straight from the Source.” Visit Caroline’s blog to read it!

March:  The Peach Thief is now available! Order at your local independent book store or at the buy-the-book links below.

Blenheim apricots, which I love as much as peaches, ripening in our garden