Hybrid Event: Kidlit in the District

East City Bookshop welcomes local kidlit authors Marcie Flinchum Atkins, L. M. Elliott, and Sean O'Brien for a historical fiction panel, moderated by John Cochran.

Join us for a panel celebrating young adult and middle grade historical fiction set in DC—local authors telling local stories. What can young readers of historical fiction learn from the past that's still relevant today? These novels celebrate independence, freedom, standing up for what’s right, and using your voice to make a difference, no matter your age.

Note on Format: This hybrid event will have both an in-person component with limited seating as well as a virtual broadcast via Zoom Webinar. Both in-person and virtual attendees will be able to pose questions to the authors during audience Q&A.

ABOUT ONE STEP FORWARD

One Step Forward is a compelling debut YA historical fiction novel in verse about Matilda Young—the youngest American suffragist imprisoned for picketing the White House to demand women’s right to vote.

Told in powerful verse, One Step Forward follows Matilda's coming-of-age journey as she takes her first step into action. Amid the backdrop of World War I, Matilda’s story vividly highlights the extreme mental, physical, and emotional battles faced by the protestors leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. It also reveals the bravery, hard work, and spirit of the women who paved the way for future generations to use their voices and votes.

ABOUT TRUTH, LIES, AND THE QUESTIONS IN-BETWEEN

As a presidency unravels and the fight for women’s rights intensifies, a teen girl’s future will be determined by her willingness to seek the truth, in this stunning work of historical fiction perfect for fans of Monica Hesse and Malinda Lo.

Illustrated throughout with remarkable real-life images and headlines, this timely exploration of 1973—the year of Watergate hearings, the Equal Rights Amendment, and Roe v. Wade—unfolds through the story of a young woman driven to question everything as she learns to think for, and rely on, herself.

ABOUT WHITE HOUSE CLUBHOUSE: WHITE HOUSE ON FIRE!

When the clubhouse fills with smoke, Marissa and Clara Suarez escape through one of its doors—and find themselves in James Madison’s presidency, with the White House and capital city set on fire by invading British troops! With an iconic portrait of George Washington in hand, they race through the countryside as the War of 1812 rages all around them. Over rough roads, on sailing ships, and on the ramparts of Baltimore's Fort McHenry, Marissa and Clara help save a young nation (and play a part in writing “The Star-Spangled Banner”) while confronting the contradictions that challenge what it means to be free.

Funny, fast-paced, and filled with wholesome adventure, White House on Fire! continues Sean O’Brien’s exciting middle grade series that “masterfully weaves together history, adventure, and purpose” (Ruby Shamir).

Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher-librarian by day and a children’s book writer in the wee hours of the morning. She holds an M.A. and M.F.A. in Children’s Literature from Hollins University. She is the author of Ancient China (ABDO, 2015), “Rookie Get Ready to Code” series (Scholastic Children’s Press, 2019), and Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature (Millbrook Press, 2019) which was one of Kirkus’ Best Picture Books of the Year. Marcie’s poetry has been featured in multiple anthologies edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong (Pomelo Books, 2022, 2023, 2024) and “The Dirigible Balloon.” Her debut YA novel, One Step Forward, came out in 2025 with Versify. Her next nonfiction picture book, When Twilight Comes, is forthcoming from Chronicle in 2026. She also muses about mentor texts, making time to write, and poetry at www.marcieatkins.com. You can follow her on Threads and Instagram @marciefatkins and Bluesky: @marciefatkins.bsky.social.

L. M. Elliott was an award-winning magazine journalist in Washington, DC, before becoming a New York Times bestselling author of historical and biographical young adult novels. Her works include Under a War-Torn Sky, Suspect Red, Hamilton and Peggy!, Walls, and Bea and the New Deal Horse, have won the Scott O'Dell, the VLA Cardinal Cup, and the Grateful American Book Prize for historical fiction, and been named NCSS/CBC Notables, Bank Street College of Ed. Bests, and Kirkus Bests. Visit her online at lmelliott.com.

Sean O’Brien is a former White House speechwriter who teaches at Georgetown University. He served as director of speechwriting to Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, and special assistant to President Barack Obama. White House Clubhouse was his debut novel and is followed by its sequel, White House on Fire!. He lives in Washington, DC.

John Cochran grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and worked for daily newspapers in Missouri, Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. He covered Congress and national politics for Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C., where he received the National Press Foundation’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Reporting of Congress. Breaking into Sunlight, his first novel, was named one of 2024's best books for kids by the New York Public Library and one of the best debuts by the American Booksellers Association. It received a starred review from School Library Journal, which called it a “poignant, relatable read … an important novel for every library to have.” He lives on Capitol Hill in D.C. with his wife and their two children.

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