About Me
A senior editor/editorial kid lit agent, Jodell has worn many hats that help shape her mission to help bring quality literary projects to kids: art director, author, marketing consultant, teacher, reading coach, AP/dual credit english teacher, special ed, school and virtual librarian, speaker, and pacing expert.
She’s currently looking to work with author-illustrator on projects with creatives that write across multiple categories, and looking for illustrators wanting to expand their career into writing. She has enjoyed my working with her clients, her former, new, and always clients.
Here’s a bit more about my personal tastes:
PB: Funny fiction like Elephants Do Not Belong in Trees, Quiet Please by Russ Willms to nonfiction Winged Wonders, Miep and the Most Famous Diary: The Woman Who Rescued Anne Frank's Diary, or Cougar Crossings by Meeg Pincus and The Boy Who Grew A Forest by Sophia Gholz and beautifully brilliant like the work of Matthew Rivera, his illustrations for Stacy McAnulty’s book, Brains, Not Just A Zombie Snack reigns supreme and his new author-illustrator title with Neal Porter Books, The Plant Rescuer, is sure to be a hit, or provide that poetic prose in Ann Whitford Paul’s If Animals series.
GNs, graphic novels, in fiction like the Mischief and Mayhem series; Middle School Misadventures, or nonfiction like Science Comics and Don Brown’s work.
IL/IL-AU: Illustrators, and specifically illustrators who wish to transition to author-illustrators like Aaron Boyd and his newest title, Giving Good, (Albert Whitman, 2025).
MGs that share a truth and that are playful and may be a solid stand alone with series potential (think Nancy Paulsen Books quality meets Science Comics concepts)—hybrids and zany ideas welcome; fiction like The Infinite Questions of Dotti Bing by Molly B. Burnham; Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson; The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman; and far too many more to mention. I love when fiction is supported by strong nonfiction. Think Strongheart, Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann.
ER or CBs like Acorn or Fox the Tiger series by Corey R. Tabor; or Worm and Caterpillar by Kaz Windness or or Branches or nonfiction series like From and Idea to Google/Lego/Disney/Nike.
Novels in Verse: I really loved Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson and Starfish by Lisa Fipps, as well as an overall favorite, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.
YA/ might include The Poet X, Clap When You Land, With the Fire on High. Gorgeous writing meets deep, memorable storytelling.
I love books that make reading fun, keep reluctant readers reading, and inspire our world to love and live better.
KIDLIT COLLEGE
I also worked to promote books and events that sold through KidLit College in webinar or requested after crit-n-chats. A few of those projects include U Can Save the Day by Shannon Stocker, Ronan the Librarian by Tara Luebbe , Becky Cattie, and The Road Ever After by Rebekah Lowell.so many others. Books would be requested after critiques and go on to find their place on the bookshelf.
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Jodell Sadler
Editor/Editorial Agent, KidLit