In Brief: September 15

The national tour for Brian Selznick’s new novel Wonderstruck (Scholastic Press, Sept.) kicked off this past Monday night with a party at the American Museum of Natural History, where Selznick discussed the book’s influences (as well as the surprising coincidence that musician Taylor Swift’s new fragrance, Wonderstruck, also comes out this fall). Selznick also visited NYC children’s bookstore Books of Wonder, which has briefly renamed itself Books of Wonderstruck to celebrate the book’s release. Selznick’s 15-city tour will take him to museums, theaters, libraries, and schools through the end of October.

On September 10, the town of Shakopee, Minn., worked its way into the record books, setting a Guinness World Record for the most adults reading to children in a single location. Held at a local amusement park in conjunction with National Literacy Month, the event had 360 adults reading to 367 children. The book they read? Charles M. Schulz’s Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (Running Press, Mar.). Additional information about the event is available at the Guinness Web site.

Author/veterinarian Gill Lewis published her first middle-grade novel, Wild Wings (Atheneum),back in May, about two children tracking an endangered osprey. As part of the author’s efforts to raise awareness about these birds, Simon & Schuster is co-sponsoring an osprey named Ozwold, whose migration is being tracked by satellite (and whose progress can be followed at Lewis’s blog). Here, Lewis (r.) is joined by Ozwold and Roy Dennis, founder of the Highland Foundation for Wildlife charity, which organized the tracking project.