All Smiles in Tucson
The Tucson Festival of Books was held at the University of Arizona in Tucson from March 14-15. The event, which is in its seventh year and is the fourth largest book festival in the U.S., drew an attendance of approximately 120,000 people, many of them kids, who came to meet their favorite authors and take part in reading and storytelling events. Here, Sarah Mylnowski, author of The Whatever After series (Scholastic), greets eight-year-old Campbell. Photo: Sheila Wilensky.
Keep Calm and Crayon
Also at the Tucson Festival of Books, Drew Daywalt, author of The Day the Crayons Quit (Philomel) and its forthcoming sequel The Day the Crayons Come Home (Philomel, Aug.), both illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, meets five-year-old J.J., who attended, Daywalt’s talk dressed as a crayon on strike.
Roller Girls!
Victoria Jamieson celebrated the release of her graphic novel Roller Girl (Dial) at Powell’s Books in Portland, Ore., on March 10. The book is about a 12-year-old girl named Astrid who enters the world of roller derby; in keeping with the book’s subject, the Rose City Rollers, a roller derby team in Portland, attended the launch to demonstrate derby techniques. Here, members of the Rose City Rollers’ junior team, The Rose Petals – Krazy Train (l.) and Donut Mess With Me – read from Jamieson’s book.
Party Penguins
The Pasadena Central Library threw a birthday party on March 14 for Salina Yoon. Guests took part in an interactive reading of Stormy Night (Bloomsbury) and Found (Walker) with Yoon, as well as a scavenger hunt and craft activities. One guest told Yoon that it was the best birthday party she had ever been to. Here, two attendees show off the penguins they made at the party, in honor of the eponymous character from Yoon’s Penguin series.
Lessons Learned
Middle-grade author Allison Gutknecht’s (center) launch party for Pizza Is the Best Breakfast (and Other Lessons I’ve Learned) the latest novel in her Mandy Berr series from S&S/Aladdin, was held at Barnes & Noble in Marlton, N.J., on March 7. Among the guests at the event were Gutknecht’s seventh grade English teacher, Crissy Saracino (l,.) and her fourth grade teacher, Barbara Mihalick-Andrew.
Pajama Power!
Anna Staniszewski (center) launched her debut picture book, called Power Down, Little Robot (Holt), illustrated by Tim Zeltner, at Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, Mass., on March 14. The event was a robot-themed pajama party, which included robot activities and crafts. Joining Staniszewski are Nick Deysher and Tracey Freitag, husband-and-wife and members of the children’s bandIn the Nick of Time They played the Power Down theme song, composed in honor of the picture book.
