It feels like just yesterday I sat down to write a letter to you all kicking off our 40th anniversary. Yet here we are, a year later, and although the mood of the country has been challenging and at times maddening, I have been so heartened by the beauty of the book world and by the endeavors of our small but mighty publishing company.

We’re closing out 2017 with a record number of accolades and starred reviews for our books, including Fault Lines in the Constitution, Flowers for Sarajevo, and Miguel’s Brave Knight—books that are challenging young readers to think about the world differently and take a stand. And books like Rapunzel, Dangerous Jane, and the King & Kayla series are championing strong female characters with feisty personas and diverse points of view. We have you to thank for loving these books and putting them into the hands of young readers around the country. We are humbled and grateful.

And you won’t believe what we have coming in 2018! Think feisty little inventors, a new picture book from Lester Laminack illustrated by the very talented Jim LaMarche, a follow-up to 2016’s Little One, an epic journey into outer space from Suzanne Slade (did you know she’s a former NASA engineer?), and some underdogs of the animal world that will have you cheering. Those are just some of the things I can tell you about!

After such a robust fall and exciting 40th anniversary celebration, I am looking forward to the peace and relaxation of the holidays, but I cannot wait to kick off 2018. Our mission—to produce books that educate, entertain, encourage, and endure—has never felt more important, and I believe it’s safe to say that we’re in the midst of a golden age of Peachtree Publishers.

Happy Holidays to all and best wishes for 2018.

Margaret M. Quinlin
President and Publisher
Peachtree Publishers