Julia Maguire

Julia Maguire - Editor

Burlington, VT, USA

Editor with 13 years of experience. Big picture to line editing on children's books (picture and middle grade) and everything in between.

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Overview

I have my Masters in Publishing from NYU and have worked as a children's book editor for 13 years at Simon and Schuster and Penguin Random House. My list included picture books (Finding Wild, Margaret and the Moon, She Made a Monster, Fruit Bowl), middle grade (Annie's Life in Lists, Just Under the Clouds) and a few YA titles (Everyone We've Been, No One Here is Lonely), including graphic novels. I worked on fiction and non-fiction as well as anthology. Recently, I moved out of New York but I still want to be involved in the creation of books for children.

I can help with brainstorming or fine tuning ideas you have brewing, making big picture changes as well as small structural edits, line editing and everything in between. I am also happy to answer any questions you have about the publishing process in general and get your manuscript into its strongest version.
Non-Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
Children’s Non-Fiction
Comics Non-Fiction
Fiction
Comics & Graphic Novels
Middle Grade
Picture Books

Awards

  • New York Times Best Illustrated for She Made a Monster by Lynn Fulton, illustrated by Felicita Sala

Work experience

Editor

Penguin Random House
August, 2014 – September, 2019 (about 5 years)

Associate Editor

Simon and Schuster
September, 2007 – August, 2014 (almost 7 years)

Portfolio (14 selected works)

Something Extraordinary

Ben Clanton

Amazing things are happening all around you. You just need to know where to look—and this whimsical picture book is the perfect place to start.Have you ever wished for something extraordinary? Like the ability to fly? Or to breathe underwater? What if you could talk to animals?It’s fun to wish for amazing things. But take a look around, and you just might find that the most “ordinary” things…c... read more

Amazing things are happening all around you. You just need to know where to look—and this whimsical picture book is the perfect place to start.Have you ever wished for something extraordinary? Like the ability to fly? Or to breathe underwater? What if you could talk to animals?It’s fun to wish for amazing things. But take a look around, and you just might find that the most “ordinary” things…c... read more

Pig and Pug

Lynne Berry

Pig and Pug are very different (but not really). See how their similarities show up in this mischievous picture book that’s perfect for pet lovers.Pig and Pug are petite and portable pets—one in a pocket, one in a purse. They are also two spunky spirits: Pug, rather pugnacious; Pig, a bit pigheaded. When these two meet, bickering, chasing, and even some mud wrestling ensue. But after some crea... read more

Pig and Pug are very different (but not really). See how their similarities show up in this mischievous picture book that’s perfect for pet lovers.Pig and Pug are petite and portable pets—one in a pocket, one in a purse. They are also two spunky spirits: Pug, rather pugnacious; Pig, a bit pigheaded. When these two meet, bickering, chasing, and even some mud wrestling ensue. But after some crea... read more

Finding Wild

Megan Wagner Lloyd

*"Sometimes the most striking picture books are the ones that make readers see something in a new way, or that creatively express a concept regularly pondered but rarely put into words."--Shelf Awareness, starred review"Lloyd’s sparkling debut celebrates nature through a whimsical meditation on the idea of wildness. Halpin’s lush and delicately detailed mixed-media pictures...dominated by mute... read more

*"Sometimes the most striking picture books are the ones that make readers see something in a new way, or that creatively express a concept regularly pondered but rarely put into words."--Shelf Awareness, starred review"Lloyd’s sparkling debut celebrates nature through a whimsical meditation on the idea of wildness. Halpin’s lush and delicately detailed mixed-media pictures...dominated by mute... read more

Margaret and the Moon

Dean Robbins

A true story from one of the Women of NASA!Margaret Hamilton loved numbers as a young girl. She knew how many miles it was to the moon (and how many back). She loved studying algebra and geometry and calculus and using math to solve problems in the outside world. Soon math led her to MIT and then to helping NASA put a man on the moon! She handwrote code that would allow the spacecraft’s comput... read more

A true story from one of the Women of NASA!Margaret Hamilton loved numbers as a young girl. She knew how many miles it was to the moon (and how many back). She loved studying algebra and geometry and calculus and using math to solve problems in the outside world. Soon math led her to MIT and then to helping NASA put a man on the moon! She handwrote code that would allow the spacecraft’s comput... read more

She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein

Lynn Fulton

A 2018 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books On the bicentennial of Frankenstein, join Mary Shelley on the night she created the most frightening monster the world has ever seen.On a stormy night two hundred years ago, a young woman sat in a dark house and dreamed of her life as a writer. She longed to follow the path her own mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, had ... read more

A 2018 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books On the bicentennial of Frankenstein, join Mary Shelley on the night she created the most frightening monster the world has ever seen.On a stormy night two hundred years ago, a young woman sat in a dark house and dreamed of her life as a writer. She longed to follow the path her own mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, had ... read more

Annie's Life in Lists

Kristin Mahoney

If you love kids like: 1. Anatastia Krupnik2. Ramona Quimby3. The Penderwicksthen you will love Annie! For Annie, lists are how she keeps her whole life in order. And there is a lot to keep track of!Annie's a shy fifth grader with an incredible memory and a love of making lists. It helps her keep track of things when they can seem a little out of control, like her family, her friends, and her ... read more

If you love kids like: 1. Anatastia Krupnik2. Ramona Quimby3. The Penderwicksthen you will love Annie! For Annie, lists are how she keeps her whole life in order. And there is a lot to keep track of!Annie's a shy fifth grader with an incredible memory and a love of making lists. It helps her keep track of things when they can seem a little out of control, like her family, her friends, and her ... read more

Just Under the Clouds

Melissa Sarno

Can you still have a home if you don't have a house? In the spirit of The Truth About Jellyfish and Fish in a Tree comes a stunning debut about a family struggling to find something lasting when everything feels so fleeting.Always think in threes and you'll never fall, Cora's father told her when she was a little girl. Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot. That was all Cora needed to know t... read more

Can you still have a home if you don't have a house? In the spirit of The Truth About Jellyfish and Fish in a Tree comes a stunning debut about a family struggling to find something lasting when everything feels so fleeting.Always think in threes and you'll never fall, Cora's father told her when she was a little girl. Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot. That was all Cora needed to know t... read more

Fruit Bowl

Mark Hoffmann

Who belongs in the fruit bowl? Apples, check. Blueberries, check. Tomato, che-- Wait, what?! Tomato wants to join the other fruits, but does he belong? The perfect mix of botany and a bunch of bananas!All the fruit are in the bowl. There's Apple and Orange. Strawberry and Peach. Plum and Pear. And, of course, Tomato.Now wait just a minute! Tomatoes aren't fruit! Or are they?Using sly science (... read more

Who belongs in the fruit bowl? Apples, check. Blueberries, check. Tomato, che-- Wait, what?! Tomato wants to join the other fruits, but does he belong? The perfect mix of botany and a bunch of bananas!All the fruit are in the bowl. There's Apple and Orange. Strawberry and Peach. Plum and Pear. And, of course, Tomato.Now wait just a minute! Tomatoes aren't fruit! Or are they?Using sly science (... read more

The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon

Matthew Burgess

"For any kid or parent that's having a bit of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, this book is an instant pick me up. Great for siblings, too!" --Red Tricycle "After reading aloud, listeners might discover their own ways to unbudge curmudgeons."--Publishers Weekly"Playful language and a subtly rhyming text create an enjoyable read-aloud about frustrations and bad moods." --Booklist Wh... read more

"For any kid or parent that's having a bit of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, this book is an instant pick me up. Great for siblings, too!" --Red Tricycle "After reading aloud, listeners might discover their own ways to unbudge curmudgeons."--Publishers Weekly"Playful language and a subtly rhyming text create an enjoyable read-aloud about frustrations and bad moods." --Booklist Wh... read more

The Seekers

Hari & Deepti

A small band of brave adventurers journey to save their village in this stunning debut picture book from papercut artists Hari & Deepti. Perfect for fans of Aaron Becker's Journey.Mio and Nao live in the valley of Krum, above a great river that provides everything they need to survive. As children, their grandfather told tales of the Silver Fox and Fire Wolf, tales everyone else believed were ... read more

A small band of brave adventurers journey to save their village in this stunning debut picture book from papercut artists Hari & Deepti. Perfect for fans of Aaron Becker's Journey.Mio and Nao live in the valley of Krum, above a great river that provides everything they need to survive. As children, their grandfather told tales of the Silver Fox and Fire Wolf, tales everyone else believed were ... read more

No One Here Is Lonely

Sarah Everett

Our entire lives are online, but what if the boy you love actually lives there? For fans of Adam Silvera comes a story about the future of relationships.Eden has always had two loves: her best friend, Lacey, and her crush, Will. And then, almost simultaneously, she loses them both. Will to a car accident and Lacey to the inevitable growing up and growing apart.Devastated by the holes they have... read more

Our entire lives are online, but what if the boy you love actually lives there? For fans of Adam Silvera comes a story about the future of relationships.Eden has always had two loves: her best friend, Lacey, and her crush, Will. And then, almost simultaneously, she loses them both. Will to a car accident and Lacey to the inevitable growing up and growing apart.Devastated by the holes they have... read more

Noisemakers: 25 Women Who Raised Their Voices & Changed the World - A Graphic Collection from Kazoo

Kazoo Magazine

"Thoughtful, timely and Super-Engaging. So glad the powerhouse young people coming up have Kazoo as a blueprint, a roadmap, and a glimpse into history." -Jacqueline Woodson"Astonishing comics about world-changing women. What could possibly be better?"--Neil Gaiman"All the women in this book were discouraged from doing the work they were born to do. Fortunately, they didn't let that stop them. ... read more

"Thoughtful, timely and Super-Engaging. So glad the powerhouse young people coming up have Kazoo as a blueprint, a roadmap, and a glimpse into history." -Jacqueline Woodson"Astonishing comics about world-changing women. What could possibly be better?"--Neil Gaiman"All the women in this book were discouraged from doing the work they were born to do. Fortunately, they didn't let that stop them. ... read more

The 47 People You'll Meet in Middle School

Kristin Mahoney

Getting ready to start middle school? Well, you'll need to know what to expect. Get to know every person you'll meet and how they can help (and who to stay away from!)."Mahoney authentically captures the universal indignities of middle school, the challenges of self-discovery, and the joy of making true friends." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review Dear Louie,You've been asking and asking abou... read more

Getting ready to start middle school? Well, you'll need to know what to expect. Get to know every person you'll meet and how they can help (and who to stay away from!)."Mahoney authentically captures the universal indignities of middle school, the challenges of self-discovery, and the joy of making true friends." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review Dear Louie,You've been asking and asking abou... read more

A Swirl of Ocean

Melissa Sarno

A touching, timeless novel--perfect for fans of Lisa Graff and Lauren Wolk--about a girl who discovers that the ocean is holding secrets she never could have imagined.Twelve-year-old Summer loves the ocean. The smell, the immensity, the feeling she gets when she dives beneath the surface. She has lived in Barnes Bluff Bay since she was two years old, when Lindy found her on the beach. It's bee... read more

A touching, timeless novel--perfect for fans of Lisa Graff and Lauren Wolk--about a girl who discovers that the ocean is holding secrets she never could have imagined.Twelve-year-old Summer loves the ocean. The smell, the immensity, the feeling she gets when she dives beneath the surface. She has lived in Barnes Bluff Bay since she was two years old, when Lindy found her on the beach. It's bee... read more

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Dorothy Chambers

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