This week, Angie Thomas addresses a crowd at the Brooklyn Public Library; Odd Dot employees face a fun night; Christian Robinson has a serendipitous reunion; Matt Holm poses with a brave knight; Brittney Morris makes an appearance in Jackson, Miss.; and Stephen Shaskan and Trisha Speed Shaskan travel across Minnesota for a comic creation workshop.
Together We Can
On the evening of October 25, bestselling author Angie Thomas (r.) appeared in conversation with Brooklyn Public Library YA librarian Adeeba Afshan Rana. More than 500 people attended the event in the Grand Lobby of the Central Library branch. Thomas discussed themes from her two novels, The Hate U Give and On the Come Up (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray), which both feature young black women using their voices to effect change. Copies of the books were available for sale courtesy of Stories Bookshop + Storytelling Lab, and Thomas held a signing after the conversation.
Paper Faces on Parade
Odd Dot, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, threw a post-work spa party in Manhattan on November 4 to celebrate the release of Make Your Own Beauty Masks: 38 Simple, All-Natural Recipes for Healthy Skin. The colleagues prepared and put on face masks, enjoyed refreshments, and relaxed in the MCPG offices. Here, staffer Kate Avino has a mask applied by helpful coworkers.
Fancy Meeting You Here
Returning to his hometown of Los Angeles, Christian Robinson visited the Felipe de Neve branch of the Los Angeles Public Library on October 22, where he presented his newest picture book, Just in Case You Want to Fly, written by Julie Fogliano (Holiday House/Porter). The event also functioned as a fortuitous reunion when Robinson realized the hosting children’s librarian, Laurie Reese (pictured), was his childhood librarian at the LAPL’s Wilshire branch.
Family Feud
Author-illustrator Matt Holm recently raised a sword alongside the eponymous knight from his picture book The Evil Princess vs. the Brave Knight (Random House) while on tour with author and sister Jennifer Holm. The Evil Princess vs. the Brave Knight features a contentious sibling relationship set in a castle.
We Slay, Okay
Earlier this fall, Brittney Morris embarked on a tour for her debut YA novel, SLAY (Simon Pulse). The first stop was Lemuria Books in Jackson, Miss., where Morris spoke with Ebony Lumumba, the first lady of Jackson. Slay follows 17-year-old black game developer Kiera Johnson, who must discover the real-life saboteur attempting to infiltrate her Black Panther-inspired online role-playing game. Morris will next appear at the Miami Book Fair from November 21–23.
On the Road Again
This past month, Stephen Shaskan and Trisha Speed Shaskan, the team behind the Q & Ray graphic novel series (Lerner), led a “Create Your Own Comics” workshop for students in the fifth grade and up. Sponsored by Northern Minnesota’s Arrowhead Library System, the largest library system in the state, the workshop spanned 18 library branches and 20 days, with stops in Duluth, Grand Marais, and even International Falls on the Canadian border.
