In Brief: December 22

Diary of a Wimpy Kid author (and Boston Celtics fan) Jeff Kinney helped the NBA team relaunch its “Read to Achieve” reading program at a recent event at the Harvard-Kent School in Charleston, Mass. Kinney (r.), seen here with Celtics president Rick Gotham, read from the new Wimpy Kid book, Cabin Fever (Abrams/Amulet, Nov.), and was also joined by two veteran Celtics players, JoJo White and Dana Barros.

Author/illustrator Masha D’yans, whose first book, Razzle Dazzle Ruby, was published by Scholastic in October, got in the holiday spirit at the annual Children’s Holiday Party at PowerHouse Arena in Brooklyn. D’yans was joined by Oliver Jeffers (Stuck) and Emily Jenkins (Toys Come Home), who also read from and signed copies of their books, as well as Santa himself, who made an appearance at the party.

This past Monday evening, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, paranormal investigators and stars of the Syfy TV show Ghost Hunters, visited their local Barnes & Noble in Warwick, R.I., to promote the second release in their children’s book series, Ghost Hunt 2: More Chilling Tales of the Unknown (Little, Brown, Sept.). Hawes (l.) and Wilson (r.) are seen here with young fans at the event—no word as to whether the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, or Yet to Come also dropped by.