Cristina Rouvalis

Snoopers & Sneakers (January 2025)
Middle Grade Fiction

Cristina Rouvalis is an award-winning journalist who distills facts about real people into lively features and profiles. Snoopers & Sneakers is her first foray into the wide-open world of fiction. 
A long-time fan of Harriet the Spy, she set out to write a book that portrayed in an authentic way her daughter’s social turmoil during the middle school years. Meeting her co-author, Lydia Wayman, an autistic adult, inspired the idea of a dual point of view book with a dethroned social butterfly and an autistic cat lover. 

Cristina is a Pittsburgher – what the locals call a Yinzer – through and through. On days when she is not at home writing a story with two cats on her lap, she can be found biking on one of the region’s many scenic trails with her husband, Bill. Her favorite Pittsburgh stories include one for the Smithsonian on the mad search to find a replacement for Mr. Rogers’ iconic sweaters and a profile in Pittsburgh Magazine on the doctor behind the Mr. Yuk sticker. She has won more than a dozen journalism awards, including one for a national contest by the American Society of Journalists and Authors. ​

Snoopers & Sneakers

January 21, 2025

Jane is a wiz at facts and numbers, but she’s clueless when it comes to other kids. Her autism and all-consuming love of cats make her a target for bullies. She’s nothing like Ashley. Ashley is bubbly and excitable and has always been best friends with the queen bee of Monroe Elementary. When Ashley refuses to lie to keep her best friend out of serious trouble, she loses her seat at the popular table--and her whole identity along with it.

The one thing Jane and Ashley have in common is the best teacher in the world, Miss DiMicco. When Miss DiMicco is arrested after being accused of stealing at a school fundraiser, and a miserable sub takes her place, the girls form an unlikely alliance to clear their teacher’s name. As they butt heads over cats, makeup, and the rules of sixth grade, the girls fight to get their teacher back and to keep their friendship from falling apart.