Kids Events Updates + More!
We’re so excited to finally be settling in to our new Old Town Books Junior space! We’ve been extra busy planning events and programs to help make the bookstore come alive - everything from book clubs to author events. Read on for all the exciting details form our Children’s Book Buyer Melissa LaSalle, and we hope to see you at the shop soon! - Ally
After an incredible whirlwind of a holiday season—thank you so much for all of your support!—we have settled into our new kids and young teens space. We love seeing regulars at our Saturday morning storytimes, kids popping by after school to peruse a graphic novel under the tree, or parents and grandparents stopping by to pick the brains of our passionate and knowledgeable team members. Our Valentine’s Day table is perfect eye candy for these bleak winter days, our Black History Month wall is inspiring, and we’ve got last month’s Youth Media Award winners proudly displayed with star-studded shelftalkers. Plus, I can barely contain my excitement for spring-themed books, puzzles, stuffies, and SLIME, so I’ll be starting to sneak those out all month long!
So many great new books out this month, including seasonal titles like these Valentines faves!
But what is bringing me the most joy? Our incredible line-up of forthcoming events!
On Thursday, March 6 at 6pm, I’ll be bringing together five of my favorite middle-grade authors for A Night Celebrating Young Readers! Katherine Marsh (Medusa, The Lost Year), Kate Albus (A Place to Hang the Moon), C.C. Harrington (Wildoak), and Anna Lapera (Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice) will be in attendance for an hour of book talk, fellowship, and inspiration, moderated by yours truly. Kids will have a chance to learn the backstories of some of their favorite books, get books signed, and leave with a stack of titles they can’t wait to read! Free registration required as space is limited. (PSST mark your calendars for April 23, when Kate Marsh will be back for the launch of The Gods’ Revenge, sequel to Medusa, one of biggest sellers of 2024! Preorder your copy here.)
Save the date, tickets coming soon! For teens (and those who work with them!), I’m thrilled to announce that at 7pm on Wednesday, March 19, we’ll be celebrating the launch of Jenna Voris’ newest YA, Say a Little Prayer, a subversively funny story of one girl taking her church camp by a storm, one deadly sin at a time, and a book that perfectly encapsulates the teen psyche. Jenna will be in conversation with award-winning author, Andrew Joseph White (SQUEAL!), of the award-winning Hell Followed With Us and Compound Fracture, as they talk about writing for today’s teens, how to surprise, delight, and connect, and the importance of queer rep now more than ever. Free registration here!
We’re up and running with our monthly Once Upon a Time book club for 8-12 year olds and have put great time and care into selecting these fantasy titles. (Stay tuned for our realistic fiction book club launching in April!) And our Eras book club for teens continues to draw excited Swifties, who are getting exposed to a range of genres alongside all the TS talk and bracelet making.
And lastly: A reminder that we drop buzzy new releases into our Instagram Stories every Tuesday as they release, with notes about signed copies and special indie bookstore editions! And wowza is it going to be a strong spring for kids books!
- Melissa
A reminder that we drop buzzy new releases into our Instagram Stories every Tuesday as they release, with notes about signed copies and special indie bookstore editions!