This week Alex Richards’s book launch is all smiles; Scott Magoon reads a bedtime story; and Jacqueline Firkins shares a stunning dress inspired by the cover of Pride and Premeditation.

Picture Perfect

Alex Richards stopped by the Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn on July 27 to sign copies and celebrate the launch of her new YA novel, When We Were Strangers. Shown here, Richards (l.) and Bloomsbury editor Allison Moore (r.) toasted the book’s debut with midday drinks. The next day, Greenlight held a live virtual event during which Richards was joined in conversation by Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces, about the new book.

Storytime Shenanigans

On July 23, illustrator Scott Magoon read his book CHIRP! Chipmunk Sings for a Friend (written by Jamie Swenson) in a virtual bedtime read aloud hosted by Wellesley Books in Wellesley, Mass. Magoon closed out the event with a q&a where he discussed his illustration methodology, his upcoming works, and advice for aspiring illustrators.

Dress to Impress

Inspired by the cover of YA novel Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price (HarperTeen), costume designer and YA author Jacqueline Firkins (Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things, Bloomsbury) designed and made the dress pictured. During the onset of the pandemic, Firkins started creating dresses influenced by book covers, and she continues to engage in her newfound hobby, producing multiple dresses each month that evoke the books she loves.