Recently, an author kicked off his tour in New York City, an author dropped by a bookseller event, a singer/actor/author made an appearance at an exhibition closing, collaborators came together in L.A., schools came together for a book fair launch, and an author met with students.
Roman Holiday
On April 8, Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick kicked off his tour for his first YA novel, Run Away with Me (Scholastic Press), at Books of Wonder in New York City. Set in 1989, the story follows teens Danny and Angelo, who fall in love during a summer in Rome.
Speed Dating Surprise
Members of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association had a special guest appearance from Michelle Knudsen at NAIBA’s Publicity Speed Dating on April 9. Knudsen spoke with attendees about her forthcoming middle grade fantasy novel Into the Wild Magic (Candlewick), which centers on 11-year-old Bevvy who discovers a magical world at war via a new friend.
A Celebration of Freedom
For the closing of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art’s “Free to Be You and Me: Fifty Years of Stories and Songs” exhibition on April 6, actor and activist Marlo Thomas (r.) dropped by for a special visit. Thomas is the creator of the 1972 song of the same name and subsequent picture books. Here, Thomas speaks with a guest.
Here and There
On April 12, author Alex Killian (l.) and illustrator Grady McFerrin celebrated the launch of In-Between Places (Chronicle) at 826LA, a writing nonprofit in Los Angeles’s Echo Park neighborhood on April 12. The duo gave a reading of their picture book, which is about figuring out where to go.
Book Fair for All!
On April 11, Newark Public Schools, Scholastic, and N.J. Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz came together to celebrate the launch of “Newark Literacy Movement: Page by Page, We Rise,” a citywide Scholastic Book Fair that provided Newark students, from pre-K through third grade, the chance to choose five free books to help build their home libraries. Here, students gather at Speedway Avenue School with their new books.
Adventure Time
Andy Griffiths recently headed out on tour to present Adventures Unlimited: You and Me and the Land of Lost Things (Feiwel and Friends), the first of his new You & Me series, illustrated by Bill Hope. In the new book, the narrator reminds readers of the exciting adventures they’ve shared together. Here, Griffiths visits University School of Milwaukee on April 14, where he speaks with students clad in their own “adventure helmets.”
