Leslie Piotrowski‘s first children’s book will be released in January 2027. Credit: My LyFor Leslie Johnson Piotrowski, writing has always been a part of her life. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Piotrowski decided to get back to her creative-writing roots and penned her debut children’s book, The Northbound Train, which will be released in January 2027. “When I started my career in communications and being married, having a child, my life just sort of took off so I wasn’t really writing, outside of communications,” Piotrowski said. The Northbound Train, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, tells the story of a young Black girl and her family’s move from Birmingham, Alabama, to Chicago during the Great Migration in 1930. She said she hopes her book encourages families to speak to their children about family journeys and their history.