When Harry Met Nanny

Most authors dream of getting onto national TV shows to talk about their books. But the collaborators behind Harry and Horsie (HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray, Sept.) have the next best thing—a foreword written by comedian and Late Show host David Letterman. The connection? First-time author Katie Van Camp worked as an au pair for Letterman, caring for his son who, as it happens, is also named Harry (Letterman’s foreword is entitled, "A Note from Harry’s Dad," and the book is dedicated "To the real Harry [and his Horsie] with love"). Harry and Horsie, the tale of a boy’s late-night adventures rescuing his favorite toy, is also a debut for illustrator Lincoln Agnew.

A ‘Riot’ of a Ride

Last week, Egmont USA organized a bus tour of Manhattan with author Walter Dean Myers, in support of his new novel Riot (Sept.), set in 1863 during the New York City draft riots. Beginning at the New-York Historical Society, the tour visited numerous sites of historical interest, including the Irish Hunger Memorial, Castle Clinton, the South Street Seaport, the site of the former Five Points slum and the African Burial Ground, with Myers and historian/author Barnet Schecter (The Devil’s Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America) serving as guides. Here, Myers speaks in front of the statue of Horace Greeley at City Hall Park.

‘Everything’ for a Sequel

Four years after the publication of A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray (Scholastic, 2005), Ann M. Martin’s follow-up, Everything for a Dog, arrives September 1 from Feiwel and Friends (listen to Martin discuss the book in this new YouTube video from her publisher). In a starred review, PW called the book a “beautifully crafted companion novel.” Here, Martin (center) shows off a copy of Everything for a Dog—not to mention her own dog, Sadie—with F&F’s Jean Feiwel (l.) and Liz Szabla who, respectively, published and edited A Dog’s Life while they were at Scholastic. Martin is currently working on a new novel for F&F.

Today’s Special: Poignant Reunions

Jarrett J. Krosoczka recently launched his new Lunch Lady graphic novel series (Knopf, July) at a sold-out event at the Worcester Public Library in Worcester, Mass. Among the 150 fans in attendance was a pair of especially appropriate guests: Jeanne and Betty, two of the lunch ladies from Krosoczka’s Gates Lane elementary school in Worcester, where they had worked for a combined 70 years. (In Bookshelf’s Q&A with Krosoczka, the author discussed their role in inspiring this new series.) Here, Krosoczka presents the women with copies of his new books as well as original artwork.

Home Runs and Missing Thumbs

Nathan Abercrombie, the hero of My Rotten Life, David Lubar’s new middle-grade novel, is a bit of a loser, and his bad luck might have rubbed off on the home team during the Lehigh Valley IronPigs’ first annual Reading Night this past Tuesday (the minor league baseball team lost 2—1 to the Louisville Bats). Prior to the game, Lubar read from My Rotten Life (Tor/Starscape, Aug.), firstin his new Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series, in which an encounter with a mysterious purple liquid leaves Nathan impervious to pain—and sets the stage for a slew of gross-out gags (he gets a fork stuck in his nose, and his thumb falls off). Here, Lubar tosses out one of the first pitches at the game.