In Brief: January 31

Among the Abrams authors in attendance at the recent ALA midwinter meeting was Margi Preus, shown here signing copies of her latest novel, Shadow on the Mountain. The author, who won a Newbery Honor for her debut, Heart of a Samurai, was joined in Seattle by Abrams colleagues including Nikki McClure (in the background, with How to Be a Cat, due out March 12); Tom Angleberger (who got on-the-scene support from the 501st Legion for his Art2-D2’s Guide to Folding and Doodling, available on March 26); and debut YA authors Sarah Skilton (Bruised, March 5) and Cat Winters (In the Shadow of the Blackbirds, April 2).

A camera-shy crew of librarians at ALA’s midwinter meeting showed their love for Amelia Bedelia, whose 50th anniversary celebration kicked off on January 29. HarperCollins/Greenwillow has created a party kit to fete the literal-minded housekeeper character, whose series has sold more than 35 million copies in the U.S., plus 11 million more through licensing with Scholastic. Greenwillow also has a host of new releases timed to the milestone, including a 50th anniversary edition of the first title, Amelia Bedelia, written by Peggy Parish and illustrated by Fritz Siebel.

Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods vampire series has concluded with Gates of Paradise (Hyperion), out this month. To mark the finale, fans voted for their favorite city in the U.S. and Canada to win a spot on Cruz’s seven-city tour, which kicked off January 15 in Santa Monica and wrapped up in Chicago on January 24. Along the way, she stopped in Seattle, Houston, Toronto, New York City, and Atlanta. Each city’s event featured a photo booth where fans could pose with a custom skyline of the city, reminiscent of the Blue Bloods covers. Shown here at Blue Willow Bookshop in front of a backdrop of Houston are de la Cruz (fourth from l.) with Blue Willow staffers Paige Miller, Sara Boyle, Annie Rice, Cathy Berner, and Jordan McPhail, and owner Valerie Koehler.