Anna Rose Johnson

"Back to Beijing" Article featuring reflections from the 2008 U.S. Olympic women's team

Riley McCusker headlines the September/October issue of Inside Gymnastics, featuring top stories and stunning photos from the 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships PLUS a preview of the top competitors to watch at Worlds!

I discovered the work of Maud Hart Lovelace at a very young age. In fact, I can’t even remember a time when I didn’t count Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly among my best book friends. I grew up reading and rereading the first four books in this classic series of an imaginative girl growing up in the early 1900s, which were published in the 1940s and ‘50s.

I found such joy in my 2018 Reading Challenge and my ongoing quest to find wondrous new books to inspire my writing. So with a mix of old and new, a bit of genre variety, a sprinkling of nonfiction, a blend of the humorous and thought-provoking, here is an overview of my 2018 books!

Summertime is for butterflies!
I’ve always been fascinated with the butterflies that visit our farm, especially the showstopper of summer, the yellow swallowtail butterfly:
I recently read Gene Stratton-Porter’s classic novel A Girl of the Limberlost...

A handful of the five-star novels I read this spring, in no particular order:
The Penderwicks At Last (Jeanne Birdsall)
I have never anticipated a book’s release more than this one. Since early 2015, I’ve longed to find out what would transpire with the beloved Penderwick sisters...

I grew up reading stories about families full of entertaining siblings, and it was a delight to discover Karina Yan Glaser’s new middle grade novels! I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Karina, and I’m pleased to share her thoughtful answers!

Today, I’m doing a quick “news roundup” of some fun tidbits from the past couple of weeks!

One of the reasons I love classic middle grade/YA (and one of the reasons I write in this genre) is that these books are ideal for summer. I’ve collected a list of books that are particularly suited to summertime; a perfect complement to blooming flowers, breezy days, long walks in the woods, and (perhaps best of all!) ice cream and raspberries. 🙂

This is the first post in my new blog series about largely forgotten (often out-of-print) children’s novels that definitely deserve to be rediscovered!

Few first-year seniors in 2017 made an impression as noteworthy as Trinity Thomas of York, Pennsylvania. Heralded for her truly breathtaking power, Thomas has proven her strength on every apparatus, from her charming floor routine to her flexible beam, stylish bars and solid vault.

When the FIG opted to change the Olympic qualifying system in 2015, the gymnastics community had dozens of questions: How would this system work? How many athletes would qualify to Tokyo 2020? Why change from 5-member to 4-member teams? How does the World Cup circuit affect the Olympics?
Here, we try to answer these questions as simply as possible.

While reading the May/June 2018 issue of Victoria (one of my very favorite magazines), I came across an article showcasing the artwork of Bridget Collins, who creates beautiful pictures using flowers and grasses arranged on paper. Inspired by these lovely designs, I decided to give it a try, using the flowers from my own garden.

I couldn’t quite decide what to write about this week, so I decided that I’d touch on everything I’m excited about in today’s post! 🙂

After promising to do so in my last blog post, it is finally time to post my brief analysis on the Pat Gardiner series by L.M. Montgomery! I’m excited to share my thoughts on these wonderful books. 🙂

Following in the footsteps of her talented coach, 15-year-old Anahit Assadourian hopes to reach her goals and help revolutionize women’s gymnastics in Armenia.