Recently a publisher was feted, an author saw her work come to life via an art bench, a book festival celebrated Latinx creators, an author bid farewell to her middle grade series, an author made their debut, and young cartoonists met a first-time creator.
Raising a Glass
On October 13, Scholastic UK threw a party for Chicken House publisher Barry Cunningham, who is retiring after 25 years from the imprint he founded in 2000. The party, held at the Savile Club, was filled with U.K. publishing luminaries, including Nigel Newton, Kate Wilson, and David Fickling; colleagues past and present; a number of agents; and Chicken House authors.
Have a Seat
On September 26 Kim Hyun Sook, co-author of the graphic novel Good Old-Fashioned Korean Spirit (Penguin Workshop), made an appearance at the Busan Global Webtoon Festival in her home country of South Korea. Her book was transformed into a bench by and was showcased at the festival and is now a permanent fixture in the city.
Lauding Latinx Creators
The Latinx Kidlit Book Festival 2025 Benefit took place in New York City on October 9, celebrating the stories of Latinx children’s book creators. Here (from l.), SCBWI executive director Sarah Baker, authors Meg Medina and Torrey Maldonado enjoying the festivities.
A Fairy Tale Ending
An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Mass., gave author Sarah Mlynowski a warm welcome on October 10 for her event in honor of Mirror, Mirror (Scholastic Press), the final installment of her Whatever After series. Here, Mlynowski gives a reading onstage.
Haunt Away
New York City bookstore Books of Wonder hosted author Taylor Grothe (c.) on September 30 for the release of their debut YA novel Hollow (Peachtree Teen). Grothe was joined by fellow author Ryan La Sala for a conversation about crafting spooky stories, and later signed books for readers.
Creators All Around
On September 11, graphic novelist Chanté Timothy made an appearance at the New York Society Library as part of her tour presenting her debut middle grade sci-fi graphic novel Supa Nova. The story centers around young scientist Nova, who after discovering the impact of plastic on the environment, invents a creature that can eat plastic but struggles when the monster won’t stop growing. Timothy spoke about her book to a group of aspiring comic artists.
