Look what arrived on my doorstep this week! An advance copy of Under Pressure: The Science of Stress.

This was absolutely fascinating to write. I had no idea we experience so many chemical and neurological changes related to stress. Plus I got to research obsessive tennis players, fearless base jumpers, and feminist rat researchers. (Um… the researchers were feminists. I’m not sure about the rats.)

This is my first-ever book with Kids Can Press. They have been incredible to work with — not an ounce of anxiety involved! Plus they recruited the über-talented Marie-Ève Tremblay to do ever-so-subtly-silly illustrations.

I kind of want to sleep with this copy under my pillow. Would that be weird?

Speaking of weird, I have two more books coming out with Kids Can Press in the next couple years, both on subjects that also begin with the letter S. My accidental S-sound series will eventually include stress, stereotypes, and sleep.

The writing part of the next two books is complete, so I’d better get working on a new proposal. Smells, possibly? Snails? S’mores?

Under Pressure is out in September. But you could avoid any undue stress and pre-order your copy now.