In Brief: November 10

St. Martin’s Press feted the bestselling mother-daughter team of P.C. and Kristin Cast last Wednesday at a party for Destined, the latest book in their House of Night series. Held at the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, N.J., the event was broadcast live online for fans who couldn’t attend in person, and featured a temporary tattoo parlor, desserts, and a conversation with the authors about their books. At the party, the authors announced the name of the 12th book in the series—Hidden. And in other House of Night news, film rights for the series were acquired last week by Davis Films.

Author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka has been in the business for 10 years, and to celebrate, he’s created a collection of his designs and sketches entitled Monkey Boy to Lunch Lady: The Sketchbooks of Jarrett J. Krosoczka, which also includes essays about his creative process, photos from book events, and more. All of the proceeds from the sale of the book (which will be available in both print and e-book formats) will go to the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships at the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester, Mass., which provide tuition for art classes for children in need. Additionally, the museum is hosting a retrospective of Krosoczka’s artwork, through next Tuesday.

More than two dozen authors and illustrators appeared at Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose, Calif., last Thursday for the first SCBWI-LA PALpalooza. Among the PAL (published and listed) members in attendance were (l. to r., standing), Ann Tinnin (Sorcerer of Sainte Felice), SCBWI executive director and author Lin Oliver, Antoinette Portis (Princess Super Kitty), Frans Vischer (Fuddles), Marilee Burton (Artists at Work), Naomi Howland (Princess Says Goodnight), Marianne Wallace (the America’s Ecosystems series), Carol M. Tanzman (Dancergirl), Katherine Easer (Vicious Little Darlings), and Theo Baker (Sound Bender). Front row, l. to r., Greg Trine (the Melvin Beederman series), James Burks (Gabby & Gator), Denise Doyen (Once Upon a Twice), and Candace Ryan (Ribbit Rabbit).

Six middle-grade and YA authors recently visited Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop in La Verne, Calif., for an event called “The Why Chromosome: Why Boys Do Love Books,” which was organized by Bridge to Books, a group that works to connect kids with books. Seen here, front row l. to r., are authors Jonathan Auxier (Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes), Andrew Smith (Stick), and Greg Van Eekhout (The Boy at the End of the World). Back row, l. to r.: Jane Gov of the YA Book Council, attendee Non T. Wels, Jessica Dobson of Whale of a Tale Children’s Bookshoppe, Alethea Allarey, Cathy Blackler, John Stephens (The Emerald Atlas), Allen Zadoff (My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies), G. Neri (Ghetto Cowboy), Alyson Beecher, Andrea Vuleta of Mrs. Nelson’s, Janelle Alexander, and Tessa Weinberg. Photo: Yukari Matsuyama.

This past weekend, DK got a jump on the holiday season with its second annual Star Wars in Your Stocking Tour, a 20-city tour visiting bookstores, libraries, and other venues across the country. Featuring appearances by costumed members of the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion (such as Darth Vader, seen here), the events include giveaways, prizes, and photo-ops, and are promoting two new DK titles: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Incredible Vehicles and Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia.