On the Road with Gary Paulsen
Tomorrow marks the finale of writer Gary Paulsen's three-week national tour for his latest novel, Woods Runner (Random/Lamb, Jan.), which was his first tour with Random House in more than six years. Paulsen's tour took him to nine cities—Boston, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Houston, Austin, Denver, and San Francisco—with families sometimes driving hours to attend the events. Here, Paulsen spoke to a crowd of more than 400 at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor, Mich. Photo: Lynn Riehl.
E.B. White Read-Aloud Shortlist Announced
The Association of Booksellers for Children has revealed the shortlist for its annual E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. The picture book finalists are: 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy, illus. by Thomas Gonzalez; Once Upon a Twice by Denise Doyen, illus. by Barry Moser; Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) by Florence Heide Parry, illus. by Lane Smith; and The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. The finalists in the older reader category are: Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti; Tumtum and Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall by Emily Bearn, illus. by Nick Price; The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner; and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. The winners will be announced at the ABC's Not-a-Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction during BEA.
Author vs. Volcano
Steven Knight was hardly the only writer whose travel plans were interrupted by the recent eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. But he may be the only one whose forthcoming debut children's book features Iceland—and its volcanoes—prominently. Knight's The Last Words of Will Wolfkin, a middle-grade novel about a paralyzed boy who learns he is heir to a subterranean Icelandic kingdom, pubs from HarperCollins's Walden Pond Press imprint in late May. Knight, who lives in the U.K., got stuck in Los Angeles this week by the ash cloud that has massively disrupted European travel.
Teen Book Drop Returns
The Readergirlz are at it again: April 15 marked the third anniversary of the group's Operation Teen Book Drop. They partnered with YALSA, GuysLitWire, and If I Can Read, I Can Do Anything to distribute more than 10,000 YA books to Native American teenagers on 44 tribal lands. Additionally, more than 100 YA authors left copies of their books in public places for teens to discover. Seen here (l. to r.) are Readergirlz's Justina Chen, Dia Calhoun, and Lorie Ann Grover; librarians Sherri Foreman and Rachel McDonald; and Readergirlz's Holly Cupala, during the donation of books to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, whose members live southeast of Seattle.
Big Nate Does NEIBA
Cartoonist/writer Lincoln Peirce kicked off his tour for Big Nate: In a Class by Himself (Harper, Apr.) last week at All About the Books, a New England Independent Booksellers Association gathering at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Peirce began his comic strip about sixth-grader Nate Wright two decades ago; today it is published in more than 200 newspapers and is featured on Poptropica, a virtual world for kids. Pictured here (l. to r.) are: HarperCollins's Deborah Murphy, Peirce, and John Hugo, co-owner of HugoBooks, Inc., which runs bookstores in Andover, Newburyport, and Marblehead, Mass.
Stories and Sweets
Author Helen Perelman visited The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, N.Y., last week to discuss her new series, Candy Fairies, from S&S/Aladdin. The first two books, Rainbow Swirl and Chocolate Dreams, pubbed in January, and two additional books, Caramel Moon and Cool Mint, are due later this year. The event featured fairy-themed activities for young readers (seen here with the author) as well as-naturally-some sweets, provided by local candy store Sweet Teez.
