Press & Awards
Awards and Lists:
- Washington Post’s Best Children’s Books of the Year (Maybe He Just Likes You)
- ALA Notable Children’s Books (Maybe He Just Likes You )
- ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project (Maybe He Just Likes You )
- ALA Rainbow List Top Ten (Star-Crossed)
- SLJ’s Best Middle Grade Books of 2022 (Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet)
- SLJ’s Best Middle Grade Books of 2021 (Violets Are Blue)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of 2021 (My Life in the Fish Tank)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of 2020 (Maybe He Just Likes You)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of 2019 (Everything I Know About You)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of 2010 (Solving Zoe)
- 2018 CCBC Choices (Star-Crossed)
- Junior Library Guild Selection (Violets Are Blue, My Life in the Fish Tank, Maybe He Just likes You, Everything I Know About You, Halfway Normal)
Starred Reviews:
“A timely #MeToo story —★ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Maybe He Just Likes You)
“Powerful.” —★ Kirkus Reviews, starred review (Halfway Normal)
“Powerful.” —★ School Library Journal, starred review (Halfway Normal)
”An impressive debut.” ★ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life)
Interviews:
- New York Times: Why More Children’s Books Are Tackling Sexual Harassment and Abuse (2020)
- Publishers Weekly: Q & A with Barbara Dee (2021)
- School Library Journal: Barbara Dee Doesn’t like “Issue Books” (2022)
- School Library Journal: “Please Don’t Talk About Your LGBTQ+ Book”: Barbara Dee on “Star-Crossed” and Her Recent School Visit Experience (2017)
- Positively Dad Podcast: #MeToo & Middle School – A Conversation with Author Barbara Dee (2019)
- What’s the Big Idea? Podcast: How to Write for Middle Schoolers with Barbara Dee (2021)
- Fairfax County Public Schools: Meet the Author: Barbara Dee (2021)
Press:
Kirkus Reviews: 5 Books to Help Kids Face Our Frightening World (2023)
School Library Journal: 2 Middle Grade Novels Exploring Climate Change in Different Ways (2023)
BookRiot: Let’s Talk About Star-Crossed: Why We Need Bisexual Kids Books, Backlash or Not (2017)
Essays and Guest Posts:
School Library Journal: “Abnormal Standard Time”: Barbara Dee’s Message to Kids Living Through a Pandemic (2020)
Cynsations Blog: Barbara Dee on the Sound of Middle Grade: Getting the Voice (2022)
Teen Librarian Toolbox: The Toughest “Tough Topic” of All (2022)
Teen Librarian Toolbox: Knowing and Not Knowing (2021)
Praise for Barbara:
“Dee successfully tackles tough topics, making them relatable for middle-grade readers.”—Booklist (VIOLETS ARE BLUE)
“Dee writes endearing characters that are varied and flawed, allowing readers to easily identify with one or multiple characters.”—Booklist (MY LIFE IN THE FISH TANK)
“Each of Barbara Dee’s books engages readers by embodying honest and authentic middle school feelings. If students read one of her books, they almost always read multiple.” —Edutopia.org (“10 Favorite Writers for Middle School Students”)
“Barbara Dee is an auto-read author for me. Her middle grade books are consistently well-written, interesting, and tackle important topics.”—SLJ.com (Teen Librarian Toolbox on HAVEN JACOBS SAVES THE PLANET)
“Barbara Dee is my favorite middle grade author because she writes kids like actual kids–not like sitcom kids, not like adults in kids’ bodies.”—Kate Olson, Librarian (VIOLETS ARE BLUE)
“Barbara Dee is one of my top 10 favorite middle grade authors. She has an ability to capture the middle school experience better than almost anyone else.”–Laura Gardner, SLJ School Librarian of the Year 2016 finalist (VIOLETS ARE BLUE)