Getting in the Mood(y)
Staffers at Candlewick are gearing up for the June 10 release of Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer; they recently celebrated Judy Moody’s birthday (which happens to be April Fool’s Day) by decking themselves out with boas and sunglasses. The film stars Jordana Beatty as Judy, Parris Mosteller as Stink, and Heather Graham as Aunt Opal. Candlewick will publish five tie-in books in late May, including a novelization of the film by Judy Moody author Megan McDonald. Click here to see a trailer.
Meltdown in Massachusetts
The third annual Music Meltdown and Book Bash took place late last month at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Northampton, Mass. Cofounded by author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka, his wife, Gina, and local radio station WRSI, the event celebrates music and literature; this year the event featured authors Jeanne Birdsall, Jon Scieszka, Jef Czekaj, and Kevin Markey, as well as musical and other performances. Here, Scieszka is flanked by Marika McCoola (l.) and Sophia Awad Rice of the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Mass. Additional photos from the event can be viewed here.
‘Tallulah’ in the Spotlight
The Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City recently hosted a live performance based on Tallulah’s Tutu by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (Clarion, Mar.), about an aspiring ballerina who is very eager to get her first tutu. Both Singer and Boiger attended the performance, which starred ballet students from the school (Singer can be seen at left, narrating as the ballerinas danced). Two additional Tallulah books are planned: Tallulah’s Solo and Tallulah’s Toe Shoes. Photo: Mark Maguire.
A Pair of Debuts from Disney
Disney-Hyperion held a prepublication dinner this past Tuesday for two first-time authors at Cutters Bayhouse in Seattle. Local librarians and booksellers from Barnes & Noble, the Elliott Bay Book Company, University Book Store, Third Place Books, and other bookstores feted Alexa Martin (back row, fifth from l.), author of Girl Wonder, and Clete Smith (back row, fourth from l.), author of Aliens on Vacation, both out from Disney-Hyperion in May (and both set in Washington). Girl Wonder is the story of a girl’s tumultuous senior year at a new school in Seattle; in Aliens on Vacation, Scrub spends the summer with his eccentric grandmother, who runs a bed and breakfast for alien tourists.
‘Shlemiel Crooks’ Debuts in NYC
This coming Sunday, Shlemiel Crooks, a Passover musical based on Anna Olswanger’s picture books Shlemiel Crooks and Chicken Bone Man, makes its stage debut in a one-day-only performance. Narrated by Jerry the dog, the musical tells of how the ghost of Pharaoh tries to sabotage Passover by stealing wine from a kosher wine store. The musical will be performed at the Kaufman Center by the theater’s in-house performance troupe, the Poppy Seed Players (seen here in rehearsal). Olswanger will sign copies of her books after the performance.
