Eileen Robinson has made another move in her almost three-decade children’s publishing journey. She recently relocated her Move Books imprint to Charlesbridge Publishing, where it has a new life as Charlesbridge Moves. In 2011, after having served as executive editor at Scholastic and editorial director at Harcourt and co-founding Reycraft Books at Benchmark Education, Robinson launched Move Books, one of the few Black-owned independent publishers in the U.S. With Charlesbridge’s recent acquisition of Move Books, Robinson has stepped into the roles of editorial director of Charlesbridge Moves and executive editor of Charlesbridge Publishing, responsible for acquiring and editing books across various genres and age levels.
Charlesbridge Moves is a middle-grade line of high-interest, character-driven fiction founded with the mission of encouraging “the inactive reader or capable nonreader who has become disengaged”—the reluctant reader—to discover reading as an enjoyable leisure activity, Robinson explained. She credits her son Michael, now 22, for igniting her passion to move kids to read when he was in elementary school and had little interest in reading, due to the books he was given at school—and to some extent to the pervasive allure of video games.
“Many of the novels Michael read in school contained outdated, even derogatory language,” Robinson recalled. “He had trouble finding books that interested him, or that gave him a chance to see himself in a positive way, which became of great concern to me.”
Speaking as a mother and a publisher, Robinson said her goal is to provide kids access to books with “adventure, mystery, and fun, to give them the confidence to read more. Whether told through traditional prose, verse, or graphic novel elements, our books grow and sustain an appetite for reading, especially with reluctant readers, girls as well as boys—though boys happen to be higher in number. Our mission is to put the power to choose what they want to read back in kids’ hands, and to make sure that they have those books.”
Charlesbridge has absorbed the Move Books backlist titles, including the Lost Tribes series by Christine Taylor-Butler and Surviving Bear Island and Follow the River by Paul Greci. Like all Charlesbridge imprints, new and backlist Charlesbridge Moves titles are distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services.
Moving to Press
Exemplifying Charlesbridge Moves’ diversity in authors, genres, and perspective are its four debut titles, which will soon begin rolling off press. First to pub is The Kid (May 7), a Western adventure by debut author Jeff Schill. Set in 1882 Colorado, the novel stars an orphan who, in hopes of keeping his siblings together, writes fictional tales about a boy who’s the quickest draw in the West.
Next up are Hum by William David Thomas (July 16), in which a boy who is able to communicate with a llama unveils repressed memories and lies about his past; and Wings to Soar (July 23), Tina Athaide’s novel-in-verse about a young refugee in the 1970s who is displaced in a country that doesn’t want her. And rounding out the launch list is Saving Kenny (Aug. 29), Corinne Gaile’s debut novel, centering on a boy with a dauntless spirit who in 1968 sets his sights on becoming a costume designer after seeing the opera Aida.
A high priority for Robinson is to ensure that Charlesbridge Moves involves children with books in creative ways. “It’s important to take kids beyond the book, which we are doing,” she noted. To that end, the imprint’s titles feature a poster printed on the back of the book jacket, which includes a QR code that gives readers access to a dedicated online page for that individual book, where they will find activities and additional downloadable art. “Charlesbridge Moves is an experience that we hope will become more and more interactive, allowing kids to talk about books with each other, and interact with the author and possibly the editor. We want to find new ways to encourage readers to use screens in positive ways.” Robinson added.
Going forward, Robinson anticipates that Charlesbridge Moves will release an average of six to eight titles annually and that the list will encompass chapter book series, middle grade novels, and novels with graphic elements. “Something that interests me are what I call hybrid books—those blending prose with graphic-novel or comics inserts, some in color,” she said. “This way, readers will get both experiences, through books that are not full graphic novels and not strictly prose novels.”
With the four inaugural Charlesbridge Moves titles soon to arrive on bookstore shelves, Robinson expressed appreciation for her imprint’s welcoming new home. “Yolanda Scott [Charlesbridge v-p and publisher] and I have known each other for a very long time, and she loved my mission for the imprint and knew that I could bring a new direction to Charlesbridge,” Robinson said. “Joining the company was the best decision of my career. The team at Charlesbridge has boundless creativity and inspiring perspectives. And getting to work with executive editor Karen Boss and senior editor Julie Bliven, whom I’ve known for many years, was icing on the cake. I am eternally grateful.”
