Have a Cow!
The launch party for Rebecca Petruck’s debut middle-grade novel, Steering Toward Normal (Abrams/Amulet), was held at Pomegranate Books in Wilmington, N.C., on May 17. In keeping with the book’s theme, which involves raising livestock, two hoofed guests were in attendance: Mickey and Charlie – the latter is shown here with Petruck (l.) and Kathleen Jewell, owner of Pomegranate Books. Both steers will be shown at the North Carolina State Fair in October by their handler Liz-Anne Earle.
A Thrill Ride
Members of the acting and storytelling troupe Story Pirates posed outside a school in Fresno, Calif., during the Theodore Boone & the Thrill of Rights Bus Tour on May 15. The month-long, nine-city theatrical tour is based on John Grisham’s series of children’s novels published by Dutton, and is designed to celebrate the books as well as teach readers about the U.S. justice system. L. to r.: Kati Skelton as the Honorable Cassandra D. O’Connell, Rachel Wenitsky as Officer Miranda Wright, Tim Platt as Theodore Boone, and Branson Reese as Stuyvesant T. Butler, Esq., all characters in the Theodore Boone books.
Speaking Up for Stuttering
The Stuttering Foundation Gala, which was held at the Lotos Club in New York City on May 13, recognized recently published books that address stuttering. Among the honorees: Vince Vawter for Paperboy (Delacorte), Alan Rabinowitz for A Boy and a Jaguar (HMH), and Anna Olswanger for Greenhorn (NewSouth/Junebug). L. to r.: Scott Damian, author of V-V-Voice: A Stutterer’s Odyssey (Behler); Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation; Rabinowitz; Olswanger; and Vawter. The event was held in conjunction with National Stuttering Awareness Week, May 12–18.
This Book Could Save Your Life
About 60 fans attended the launch for Yvonne Ventresca’s debut novel, Pandemic (Sky Pony), at Words Bookstore in Maplewood, N.J., on May 18. The author read from her book and offered raffle giveaway prizes to attendees, including a Pandemic survival basket containing an emergency blanket, freeze-dried ice cream, and power bars, as well as a writer’s basket with blank notebooks, chocolate, and other items.
In the Golden ‘Craft’ernoon
To celebrate the release of Project Kid: 100 Ingenious Crafts for Family Fun (Artisan), author and former lifestyle director of Parents magazine Amanda Kingloff is making appearances at bookstores in the New York metro, New Jersey, and Atlanta areas for crafting-demo events. At a recent event at Clinton Bookshop in Clinton, N.J., Kingloff (r.) led young DIY-enthusiasts in a project to create cupcake liner carnations, which is among the 100 crafts featured in the book.
You Might Be a Reader…
San Francisco-based children’s publisher Immedium has donated more than 9,000 books to schools in the Chester County District of Henderson, Tenn. The books, which are intended to promote literacy and learning throughout the district, include the picture books You Might Be a Monster: and Other Stories I Made Up by Attaboy, and Baltazar and the Flying Pirates by Oliver Chin, illustrated by Justin Roth, among other titles. Here, students from Chester County Middle School dive into the donations.
