This week, the launch of Robert Beatty’s book tour calls for some cosplay; Jeanne Birdsall is feeling a little “sheepish”; husband-and-wife team Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer tour Texas; young wizards gather their powers at Merlin Camp; readers transform into creatures of the night; and one publisher’s staff hits the pavement.
Midnight Madness
Author Robert Beatty kicked off his regional tour for Serafina and the Twisted Staff (Disney-Hyperion), second in his middle grade Serafina series, on July 9 at Barnes & Noble in Asheville, N.C. The event was a midnight party, held from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., and guests came dressed to the nines as characters from the book. Pictured here with Beatty is his daughter Genevieve (l.), who plays Serafina in the book's trailers, and Bode Lizarralde (r.), who plays the character Braeden Vanderbilt in the trailers.
Baa, Baa!
Author Jeanne Birdsall and illustrator Harry Bliss celebrated the release of their picture book My Favorite Pets (Knopf) at a recent event held at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass. The author and illustrator signed copies of the book for guests – but Birdsall felt a little “sheepish” for a moment.
In Season
Earlier this month, husband-and-wife co-authors Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer toured for their book The Season (Viking), with stops in Dallas, Southlake, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. Their Texas-focused tour commemorated their heroine’s path to becoming a Texas debutante. Here, Jonah Lisa Dyer has an “OMG” moment with the stepladder display for The Season before a July 12 event at Barnes & Noble, Southlake, Tex.
Wizard World
Young wizards convened at Merlin Camp, an educational summer camp devoted to nature and magic last month in Boulder, Colo. The camp was sponsored by T.A. Barron, author of The Merlin Saga, along with The Boulder Bookstore and Boulder Public Library. Here, Merlin shares his wisdom with campers.
Mysterious Creatures
Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, Calif., held a July 17 “Nocturnal Party” after closing time in honor of the first two books in the Nocturnals middle grade series, written by Tracey Hecht and illustrated by Kate Liebman. Guests made animal masks of characters from The Mysterious Abductions and The Ominous Eye (Fabled Films), which include a fox, pangolin, and sugar glider.
Race for Reading
Charlesbridge Publishing formed an office team to participate in the ILA Steps to Advance Literacy 5K, held in conjunction with the International Literacy Association 2016 Conference that took place in Boston earlier this month. Charlesbridge staffers ran to honor the 10th anniversary of their picture book, Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw. Also, in tandem with the race and conference, Charlesbridge hosted a fundraiser for ILA and Reach Out and Read.
