Easterat the White House
Children'sbook author J.K. Rowling was among numerous actors, musicians, and performers—suchas Reese Witherspoon, Justin Bieber, and the cast of Glee—who attended the annual White House Easter Egg Roll this past Monday.Seen here, Rowling (l.) read from HarryPotter and the Sorcerer's Stone; Michelle Obama's mother, Marian ShieldsRobinson (r.), read Stretch by DoreenCronin, illustrated by Scott Menchin (Atheneum, 2009). Rowling photo: CharlesDharapak, Associated Press.
Ivyand Bean Go Platinum
No,the next Ivy and Bean book isn't about experimenting with hair dye. Rather, thesix-book series by Annie Barrows and illustrated by Sophie Blackall recentlyclocked one million books sold. Barrows recorded an online video to thank teachers, librarians, and booksellers who have supported the series,and publisher Chronicle celebrated the milestone with a company-wide party earlierthis week. Book #7, Ivy and Bean: What'sthe Big Idea?, will be published this fall with a 75,000-copy firstprinting.
AFootballer and His Family
FormerNFL quarterback Rodney Peete and his family have been in the news lately, withtwo new books out. Peete's adult memoir NotMy Boy!, about his son R.J.'s diagnosis with severe autism, was published in March by Hyperion. AndPeete's wife, Holly Robinson Peete, and daughter, Ryan, have collaborated on anew picture book, My Brother Charlie,illustrated by Shane W. Evans (Scholastic Press, Mar.); it centers on therelationship between two siblings, one of whom has autism. Seen here, thefamily appeared on The Today Showlast Thursday to discuss the books as well as the issues in raising an autisticchild (click here to watch the video).
ASweet Reunion
Morethan 250 people turned out to celebrate the launch of Sharon M. Draper's latestbook, Out of My Mind (Atheneum, Mar.),which is narrated by a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. The party was heldat Walnut HillsHigh School in Cincinnati, Ohio,where Draper taught for 20 years. The festivities included studentperformances, a video Draper created about the power of language, and a cake (r.), which wasdecorated to match the cover of the novel. Draper is participating in theannual children's book festival at the Universityof Southern Mississippi, currently underway, and will be the keynote speaker at TeenBookCon in Houston this weekend.
Meetingwith Martin
LastThursday, Scholastic and the nonprofit group Women in Children's Media co-hosteda conversation between editorial director David Levithan and author Ann M. Martin(seen here) about her beloved Baby-sitters Club series, while celebrating her newprequel,The Summer Before, which was publishedthe same day. Scholastic live-blogged the event for fans who couldn't attend, and has launched a new Baby-sitters Club Website. Entertainment Weekly's Shelf Life blog has an extensive recapof the evening.
AParty Fit for a Kingsley
AuthorKate Kingsley kicked off her new Young, Loaded, and Fabulous series, about agroup of jetsetting British boarding school students, with a launch party atSoho House in New York Citythis past Monday. The first title in the three-book series, Pretty on the Outside, was published this past Tuesday by Simon Pulse, with the second book, Everything but the Truth, scheduled to be released in September.
