This week, Batman isn’t the only one with a Batmobile in town; debut YA authors gather for a celebration; author-illustrator Briony May Smith shares her artistic talents; and authors discuss writing about culture.
Heading ‘Bat’ to School
While vacationing in Maine on August 11, Caldecott Honor author-illustrator Brian Lies arrived at Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Boothbay Harbor driving his “Batwagon,” a car decked out to promote Little Bat in Night School (Clarion). There he signed copies of his recently released picture book, about a young bat who learns to spread his wings and dive into new experiences while attending school for the first time.
Dazzling Debuts
On August 7, Books of Wonder hosted four YA authors for its “Fresh Reads! Dazzling YA Debuts of 2021” virtual panel event. Coinciding with the publication of Fresh by Margot Wood (Abrams), the panel celebrated the YA debut class of 2021. Guests included (clockwise from top l.) Rosalind Casey, Books of Wonder (moderator), Robbie Couch (Sky Blues, Simon & Schuster), Tashie Bhuiyan (Counting Down with You, Inkyard), Kosoko Jackson (Yesterday Is History, Sourcebooks), and Wood. They discussed such topics as having their books debut during a pandemic, crafting a strong voice for teen characters, and what drew them to young adult writing. A q&a was held after the event during the live feed.
Winsome Windows
On May 26, U.K. author-illustrator Briony May Smith painted the windows of The Ivybridge Bookshop in England featuring illustrations from her book Margaret’s Unicorn (Schwartz & Wade). The book tells the story of a girl who finds a baby unicorn and takes care of him after moving to a cottage by the sea. Signed copies were available for purchase inside the store.
Multicultural Conversations
Politics and Prose Bookstore, located in Washington, D.C., hosted a virtual event on August 5 for World in Between (Clarion) authors Kenan Trebinčević and Susan Shapiro, and A Place at the Table (Clarion) authors Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan. Moderated by Tiffanie Drayton (Black American Refugee, Viking), the writers discussed middle grade in a multicultural world and their shared experience as a team of Muslim and Jewish co-authors.
