Once Upon a Book Signing

Four YA authors, in Los Angeles for the SCBWI’s 40th anniversary conference, dropped in at Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose, Calif., for a “YA Rising Stars” event organized by community outreach group Bridge to Books, which works to connect kids with books. Authors (l. to r.) Suzanne Young (A Need So Beautiful; HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, June), Nova Ren Suma (Imaginary Girls; Dutton, June), Holly Goldberg Sloan (I'll Be There; Little, Brown, May), and Cindy Pon (Fury of the Phoenix; Greenwillow, Mar.) spoke to an SRO crowd of teens, parents, and librarians, discussing their books, taking audience questions, and signing copies.

Authors Head to the Hamptons

Authors Tad Hills (How Rocket Learned to Read; Knopf, 2010) and Diane Kredensor (Ollie & Moon; Random, Apr.) were among a number of authors and illustrators who turned out for the annual East Hampton Library Children’s Fair, held this past Sunday. The fair benefits the library and includes games, crafts, author signings, and more; the event followed the library’s annual Authors Night fundraiser, held last Saturday evening, which featured more than 100 children’s and adult authors.

Tinman’s First Birthday

Tinman Children’s Bookstore in Spokane, Wash., celebrated its first anniversary this past Saturday at the eighth annual Garland Street Fair. Fittingly, given the store’s name, Dorothy stopped by while local author Claire Rudolf Murphy (at right) showed off her upcoming picture book, Marching with Aunt Susan (Peachtree, Oct.). The story follows Bessie, a real girl who participated in California’s 1896 suffrage campaign. Tinman owner Sue Bradley encouraged SCBWI members to autograph books during a tribute to Judy Garland and The Wizard of Oz.

A Local Launch

The Monkey See, Monkey Do Children’s Bookstore in Clarence, N.Y., recently hosted a launch of event for local authors Margery Facklam and Peggy Thomas, celebrating the release of their writing guide, Anatomy of Nonfiction: Writing True Stories for Children (Writer’s Institute Publications), which encourages aspiring children’s book writers to try their hand at nonfiction. Seen here, l. to r., are Facklam, store owner Kim Krug, and Thomas.