Next month, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will release Cornelia Funke’s Reckless, the first book in a new series that offers a dark twist on the fairytale world imagined by the Brothers Grimm. To launch the series, Little, Brown is sending Funke on the road—and not alone. Funke’s tour, which begins with a launch event in New York City on September 14 (the same day the book goes on sale), will feature producer Lionel Wigram, who co-created the world of Reckless, as well as music and dramatic readings. “Our goal with Cornelia Funke’s Get 'Reckless' Tour was to create an event experience that is as unique, magical and entertaining as Reckless itself,” said Melanie Chang, executive director of publicity and communications for Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
The launch event, held at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University, will be attended by New York City-area schoolchildren. But for those further afield, the New York City event will also be live-streamed on the Reckless Web site. Reckless goes on sale in Germany and England on September 14 as well, from publishers Dressler and Chicken House; both houses are planning to stream the NYC event as part of their own Reckless launch events. “We’re particularly excited to have the NYC launch event live-streamed over the Internet so that our publishing partners abroad can celebrate the publication of Reckless with Cornelia’s legion of fans around the world,” Chang said.
During the events, Funke will do dramatic readings from the book with help from actor Elliot Hill, who narrates the audio version of Reckless. Funke and Wigram (who is an executive producer of the Harry Potter films, among others) will discuss how the Grimm-inspired world of Reckless came to be; Funke will take audience questions and sign books as well. Additionally, musician Adam Watts will perform a song inspired by the book at each event. After the kickoff in NYC, Funke and crew will travel to Chicago on September 15, Los Angeles on the 18th, and Seattle on the 19th (where Oliver Latsch, who translated Reckless from German to English, will take Wigram’s place). The events are being coordinated with Anderson’s Bookshop; Diesel, A Bookstore; and University Book Store, respectively.
