This week, National Geographic launches its fiction imprint; booksellers tour the Sendak House; author Shannon Gibney connects with a reader; and pajama-clad kids welcome Suzanne Selfors’s new novel.
A Wild Event!
National Geographic Kids Books welcomed its premiere fiction imprint, Under the Stars, at a pop-up Explorer Academy Recruitment Center in New York City on September 5. The imprint, which will publish fictional books based on the research and discoveries of National Geographic scientists, launches with Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit. In keeping with the theme of science and adventure, attendees took part in experiments and other interactive learning experiences, including touring a virtual forest of monarch butterflies, digging for artifacts, cracking secret codes, and even meeting a live snake.
A Treasure Trove
To honor the publication of Presto and Zesto in Limboland by Arthur Yorinks and Maurice Sendak, HarperCollins partnered with the Sendak Foundation for a tour of the Sendak House in Ridgefield, Conn. Guests included members from the New England Independent Booksellers Association. Here, booksellers peruse the collection of Sendak’s art, ephemera, and other items.
A Meaningful Moment
Author Shannon Gibney celebrated the launch of her novel, Dream Country (Dutton), which spans generations and explores a family’s immigration from Liberia to America. The event was held at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minn., on September 12. The author spoke in conversation with Dr. Taiyon Coleman, a professor at the school, and answered audience questions. At the event, Gibney (l.) met a 20-year-old Liberian student, who was born in a refugee camp. During the Q&A, the student expressed how much the book meant to her.
I Wish I May…
A launch event for Suzanne Selfors’s middle grade novel, Wish Upon a Sleepover (Imprint), recently took place at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island, Wash. Special guest, picture book author George Shannon, was also in attendance. In Selfors’s story, a girl plans what she hopes will be the perfect sleepover—with unexpected results. Like the characters, guests were encouraged to dress in pajamas—a request they took very seriously.
