Happy Campers
R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder (Knopf), visited the Thalia Kids’ Book Club Camp at New York City’s Symphony Space on August 1. The program offers kids ages 9 to 12 the chance to interact with children’s book writers and illustrators; Palacio led a prompt that encouraged campers to write from the perspective of fictional characters encountering her protagonist, Auggie, for the first time. According to Random House, sales for the novel have surpassed 100,000 copies across all formats since it went on sale in February.
Teach Your Children Well
Six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks tweeted this photo of him reading his debut book to his kids at bedtime. STAT: Home Court (Scholastic, Aug. 1) launches a middle-grade fiction series based on the author-athlete’s life. Stoudemire will promote STAT this fall with appearances on Good Morning America, Live with Kelly, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The second novel in the series will be published on October 1. Photo: Amar’eStoudemire.com.
Let the Games Begin
The backyard patio at indie bookshop Green Bean Books in Portland, Ore., was the setting for an Olympics-themed event with Victoria Jamieson, author-illustrator of the recently published Olympig! (Dial, July). On a sunny Saturday afternoon, July 28, kids crafted medals and Olympic-style torches, and then, while Jamieson presented her book, she and the kids mimed swimming, jumping, and running along with the story.
Don’t Stop Believing
As part of his five-market tour to promote his first novel, a middle-grade fantasy-adventure called The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (Little, Brown), Chris Colfer – a breakout star on the TV show Glee – visited the Barnes & Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles. The actor-author also appeared at signings in the New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Ohio areas, attracting crowds of 1,000 or more and prompting some fans to camp out the night before his appearances. The Wishing Spell, which was released July 17, is currently #2 on PW’s children’s fiction bestseller list.
