Tischa D. Brown is Alliah L. Agostini’s Mentee

"I can't wait to work with Tischa to hone her melodic, relevant, seriously unserious story. I know she's up for the challenge. Her application showed she invested plenty of sweat equity to learn about craft, which speaks volumes to her work ethic." - Alliah

★

Eury Rivera is Ana Siqueira’s Mentee

"Eury's story is so fun and creative that she pulled me right in. Her story about a flying Abuela is filled with humor, heart, and imagination, and makes my brain pop like popcorn with ideas. Eury is just starting her writing journey, but she shows a lot of talent already." - Ana

★

Azra Rahim is Natasha Khan Kazi’s Mentee

"Azra Rahim's passion is undeniable in her life and writing. Despite facing incredible challenges, Azra is determined to reach her goals. Her passion for creating stories for kids who feel like outsiders — kids who seek refuge, hope, and belonging in books — resonated deeply with me. When I read her manuscript, THE SONG OF US, Azra’s voice completely captured my imagination and heart. She writes (and lives) from a place of joy. I am thrilled to support Azra on her publishing journey." - Natasha K.

★

Charlie Griffin is Livia Blackburne’s Mentee

"Charlie's writing is vivid and lyrical, and he picks fascinating topics that will open up new worlds for his future readers. I can't wait to see his books out in the world!" - Livia

★

Zaneta Cha is Seina Wedlick’s Mentee

"Zaneta’s manuscript caught my attention with its stunning lyrical prose and vivid imagery that transported me to the heart of her story. She has really great goals for her career and I'm really excited to work with her and support her on this writing journey." - Seina

★

Shaunessy Sinnett is Shana Keller’s Mentee

"Shaunessy’s story was hilarious with just the right touch of spooky—an unexpected, vivid combo. I’m excited to dive into the picture book horror genre alongside a writer who is clearly pushing creative boundaries in the most fun and fearless way. Already howling in anticipation of her future success! Boo-lieve that." - Shana

★

Jackie Garcia-Morales is Rina Singh’s Mentee

"Jackie's story is a love letter to heritage, memory, and the rhythms of island life. It smells of salt-kissed breezes and felt like a warm hug of ancestors. It stayed with me long after I read it! I'm excited to mentor her!" - Rina

★

Rachel Kiderchah is Aya Ghanameh’s Mentee

"Rachel's art drew me right in! I was captivated by the creativity and energy in her art, especially the playful, inventive way she approaches page design. Her storytelling is full of heart and imagination, and I’m excited to mentor her as she works toward her goals. I especially love that their story features an Arab protagonist—representation that’s deeply needed—and I'm confident it will be out in the world one day." - Aya

★

Carolyn Sauer is Angela Pham Krans’ Mentee

"Carolyn's application really stood out to me. Her responses were thorough and thoughtful, and her writing pulled me in. Writing lyrical non-fiction that is engaging can be difficult but Carolyn does this so well!" - Angela

★

Ellen Akemi Crosby is Mónica Mancillas’ Mentee

"It was clear from Ellen's application that she is committed to her craft and a meaningful career in children's publishing. Her story stood out to me as not only beautifully lyrical and evocative, but poignant. It is a deeply personal story that I look forward to seeing on bookshelves." - Mónica

★

Nikki Ace is Rita Lorraine Hubbard’s Mentee

"Nikki's manuscript presents a frank and quite powerful story of hope, oppression, perseverance, and (ultimately) victory! Nikki is a hard worker who set clear goals long before this particular opportunity. I'm excited to offer this mentorship to help her move closer to achieving her publishing goals." - Rita

★

Amanda Stone is Ruth Forman’s Mentee

"Amanda’s voice is poetic, rich with lovely imagery and full of grandma’s wisdom. Her themes connecting black joy, family and elder wisdom are irresistible! I look forward to working with Amanda to strengthen her already wonderful voice, poetic skills and powerful themes." - Ruth

★

Marissa Domantay is Michelle Jing Chan’s Mentee

"Marissa's artwork is filled with so much life and energy! I love their use of textures, their expressive character designs, and their vibrant color palettes. Each of their illustrations contains so many fun details that tell a compelling story. Their passion for their Filipino culture, identity, and fandoms shines through their work. I can already imagine Marissa's artwork helping to bring authors' words to life and I'm so excited to be working with them!" - Michelle

★

Sana Faqir is Marzieh Abbas’ Mentee

"Sana is a talented writer, and I can see the work she has put into learning the craft of writing. Her keen observation skills and meaningful stories immediately had me excited for this opportunity to mentor her. I hope to play a part in helping her hone her manuscripts and get query-ready, and can't wait to hold her books in my hands soon, inshAllah!" - Marzieh

★

Maureen Straka is Jesse Byrd’s Mentee

"What grabbed me in Maureen's work is that she was able to explore a difficult topic while staying within the perspective of the child. She masterfully avoided infantilizing the child/having them take on adult language and reasoning as an easier way to navigate the subject. I also admired how Maureen created light and hope in her script that felt authentic and not rushed or like manufacturing a silver lining." - Jesse

★

Kristin Yamane Saito is Maria Marianayagam’s Mentee

"Kristin's writing is lyrical and full of heart, and her ideas are clever and commercial! I've seen her grow over the years as a writer, and her commitment to kidlit has been unwavering. I'm really excited to journey with her during this mentorship!" - Maria

★

Angel Brown is Natasha Tripplett’s Mentee

"Angel transports her readers to the lush island of Jamaica with her sensory descriptions and carefree characters. Her writing is drenched with intergenerational love and showcases the importance of story being a conduit of healing and connection. I am so excited that we matched for the PB Rising Stars Mentorship." - Natasha T.

★

Savannah Garcia is Anne Appert’s Mentee

"Savannah's art explodes with storytelling, fantastic fun, and limitless potential. Savannah's desire to create stories that inspire curiosity and joy aligns with my own creative aims, which makes me incredibly excited to work together this summer towards Savannah's goals!" - Anne

★

Angelina Phelan is Jackie Morera’s Mentee

"I adore Angelina's voice and the depth of her stories. Her writing is layered, heartwarming, and lovely. She's a beautiful storyteller!" - Jackie

★

Desiree S. Evans is Nell Cross Beckerman’s Mentee

"With lush language, an evocative setting, and lots of heart, LILLY OF THE BAYOU jumped out and grabbed me. Desiree and her story are exactly what I asked for on my mentor page and I’m looking forward to getting to know this talented author—we need her voice in the nature-loving informational fiction space!" - Nell

★

Zohra Anwar Chunawala is Jyoti Rajan Gopal’s Mentee

"Zohra’s passion for sharing her Indian culture, finding the wonder in the ordinary and looking for those moments of storytelling magic came through clearly in her application. Can’t wait to work with her to help her achieve her goals and dreams!" - Jyoti

★

Erica Asante is JaNay Brown-Wood’s Mentee

"Erica has such a talent for rich storytelling. The characters and settings she creates truly captivated me as a reader. I can't wait to work with her on fine-tuning her craft to help her stories jump off the page even more!" - JaNay

★

Christa Carr is Shamar Knight-Justice’s Mentee

"Christa’s application reflected a clear artistic vision, strong narrative instincts, and a deep commitment to growth. Her character design is amazing! It will definitely appeal to children. Her background in animation brings a refined sense of design, and her style is so distinct. Her work already shows strong potential, and I’m confident this mentorship will support her continued development as a compelling and thoughtful author-illustrator." - Shamar

★

Caroline Luzzatto is Julia Pierre Hammond’s Mentee

"Caroline's manuscripts are creative, funny, and jam-packed with topics kids adore. I love her writing and admire her ability to craft standout nonfiction stories. She has been published before and I know it is only a matter of time before she is published again!" - Julia Pierre Hammond

★

Cierra Tanae is Sara Holly Ackerman’s Mentee

"Cierra shared a gorgeous manuscript that is deeply rooted in place and a joy to read aloud! Not only that, but she has also struck a difficult-to-achieve balance of kid appeal and stunningly lyrical language. I am looking forward to learning with Cierra." - Sara

★

Emma Applegarth is Rajani LaRocca’s Mentee

"Emma's nonfiction manuscript piqued my interest immediately, and the gorgeous, lyrical writing combined with illustratable and interesting content kept me reading! I also loved the pitches for her other projects that will resonate with young readers. I'm excited to be her mentor and help her take the next steps in her writing career!" - Rajani

★

Mike Flowers is Laura Gehl’s Mentee

"Mike's sense of humor pulled me in right away. I admire his ability to keep that humor coming in both rhyming and prose manuscripts. Mike's passion and work ethic are two other reasons I can't wait to work with him. I hope kids will get to have Mike's stories on their bookshelves soon, to keep them laughing and learning!" - Laura

★

Brooke Baum is Julia Mills’ Mentee

"I gotta crow about Brooke! Brooke had me hooked on page one of her dummy. I took to it like a duck takes to water. A little bird told me that kids are going to want to read (and laugh about) this book. Brooke and I are definitely birds of a feather." - Julia M.

★

Congratulations, 2025 Mentees!

You’ll get an email soon with exciting information about next steps. Keep scrolling to see the 2025 Runners-Up…