Super Authors
A sold-out crowd at Exeter High School in Exeter, N.H., witnessed the dramatic close to Scholastic’s Worlds Collide Tour at the end of April. (From l.) Brandon Mull (Spirit Animals #1: Wild Born), Rick Riordan (who met up with the tour for the finale), Jude Watson (The 39 Clues Unstoppable #1: Nowhere to Run), James Dashner (Infinity Ring #1: A Mutiny in Time), and Gordon Korman (The 39 Clues Cahills vs. Vespers #1: The Medusa Plot) indulged their superhero alter-egos, thanks to app-assistend special effects that Mull created. The event, hosted by Water Street Books in Exeter, drew more than 1,000 attendees, and capped off a cross-country trip promoting the authors’ inaugural titles in each of their multi-platform series.
“Top” Honors
Jerry Pinkney received the 2014 Toast to the Children Literacy Award for his contributions to children’s literature during an event at Riverpark restaurant in New York City. The award is given annually by the nonprofit organization Children of Bellevue, which advocates for children who receive treatment at Bellevue Hospital Center. Here, Riverpark owner (and head judge on Top Chef) Tom Colicchio (r.) presents the award to Pinkney (l.).
A Literary Hiatus
While on tour for She Is Not Invisible and his recent Printz winner Midwinterblood, Marcus Sedgwick took a small detour to visit the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park, Ill. Sedgwick, a longtime Hemingway fan, recently wrapped up visits to schools and bookstores in New York City, Raleigh, Houston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
The Life Aquatic
Mermaid Tales series author Debbie Dadey signed books at the Hudson Children’s Book Festival on May 3 in Hudson, N.Y. She was one of 99 authors, including Jane Yolen, James Howe, and David Kirk, who attended the event, which took place at Hudson Junior and Senior High Schools and is the largest of its kind in New York State. Here, festival volunteers dressed as a whale, seahorse, and mermaid enjoy a photo-op with the author (r.). The eighth book in the Mermaid Tales series, Treasure in Trident City (S&S/Aladdin), was released this spring, with a ninth book, A Royal Tea, due in the fall.
Oh, Baby!
Jennifer L. Holm’s launch party for Babymouse #18: Happy Birthday, Babymouse took place at the Reading Bug in San Carlos, Calif., on May 3, which was also California Bookstore Day. The party was replete with cupcakes, craft activities, and a special guest: Babymouse herself (shown here with Holm), making her first public appearance in a new costume.
