Category: Virtual Chats

Scholastic Parents Night: The Power of Summer Reading

Scholastic Parents Night: The Power of Summer Reading

School’s out!
At Scholastic Parents Night: The Power of Summer Reading, a virtual panel of Scholastic authors, education experts, and booksellers will give tips and book recommendations that will keep kids excited to read all summer long!
Be sure to tune in for:
A book recommendation speed-round with an indie bookseller – Ask for recommendations based on your child’s likes and needs!

Interviews with beloved authors Varian Johnson (Twins and The Parker Inheritance) and Kelly Yang (The Front Desk series)

Tips and tricks to keep your kids reading all summer – and loving it!

Swag! Attendees who visit the store after the event will receive a goodie bag (on a first come, first serve basis), and all attendees will receive digital activities, brochures and more!

We will joined by:
Moderator John Schu: Host of Book Joy Live, author of the popular blog Watch. Read. Connect. and Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs.
Varian Johnson: Award-winning author of several books for children and young adults, including The Parker Inheritance and Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright.
Lauren Savage: Co-founder and owner of the Reading Bug Bookstore and Reading Bug Box in San Carlos, California and narrator of the Reading Bug Adventures story and music podcast.
Lizette Serrano: VP of Educational Marketing at Scholastic, Co-founder of the Power of Story initiative and a 2021 Summer Reading Ambassador.
Kelly Yang: Author of the award-winning Front Desk series and founder of The Kelly Yang project.

Date: 05/26/2021
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Cost: 0

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scholastic-parents-night-the-power-of-summer-reading-tickets-156300887161

Buy from our store if you’re wanting curbside, home delivery or in-store pickup – want it shipped? Buy direct from our our partner bookshop.org

Reader Meet Writer Presents – Kate Clayborn This Thursday

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Kate Clayborn

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Kate Clayborn. Kate Clayborn will be talking with us about their newest book Love at First and answering your questions. Kate Clayborn is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

Kate Clayborn is the two-time RITAⓇ Award-nominated author of highly acclaimed romantic comedies, including Love Lettering, Love at First, and the Chance of a Lifetime series. Her novels have been named Best Romances of the Year by O, The Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Romper, and more. She lives in Virginia and can be found online at KateClayborn.com.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 3/4/2021
Time: 6:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

Love at First

“The most delightful cast of characters I’ve met in ages…a modern romance masterpiece.”
–New York Times bestseller Christina Lauren

One of Goodreads Hottest Romances of 2021!

A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.

Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw–or rather, heard–the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . .

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting–maybe it’s the kind of story that can’t work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . .
“A superb cast of characters rounds out this sweet, slow-burn romance.”
–Booklist

“A Mary Balogh-style love story…The comforting rewrite of Romeo and Juliet you didn’t know you needed.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“Will and Nora’s chemistry and the quirky side characters keep the pages turning. Clayborn’s fans will be pleased.”
–Publishers Weekly

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents – Ariel Lawhon This Tuesday

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Ariel Lawhon

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Ariel Lawhon. Ariel Lawhon will be talking with us about their newest book Code Name Hélène and answering your questions. Ariel Lawhon is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

ARIEL LAWHON is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Library Reads, One Book One County, Indie Next, Costco, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, four sons, a black Lab, and a deranged cat.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 2/9/2021
Time: 6:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

Code Name Hélène

This fully animated portrait of Nancy Wake . . . will fascinate readers of World War II history and thrill fans of fierce, brash, independent women, alike.
–LISA WINGATE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
BASED ON THE THRILLING REAL-LIFE STORY OF SOCIALITE SPY NANCY WAKE, comes the newest feat of historical fiction from the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia, featuring the astonishing woman who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and went on to become one of the most decorated women in WWII.
Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name H l ne is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name.
It is 1936 and Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name.
As LUCIENNE CARLIER Nancy smuggles people and documents across the border. Her success and her remarkable ability to evade capture earns her the nickname THE WHITE MOUSE from the Gestapo. With a five million franc bounty on her head, Nancy is forced to escape France and leave Henri behind. When she enters training with the Special Operations Executives in Britain, her new comrades are instructed to call her H L NE. And finally, with mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly MADAM ANDR E, where she claims her place as one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, armed with a ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and the ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces.
But no one can protect Nancy if the enemy finds out these four women are one and the same, and the closer to liberation France gets, the more exposed she–and the people she loves–become.

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents – Allan Gurganus This Tuesday

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Allan Gurganus

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Allan Gurganus. Allan Gurganus will be talking with us about their newest book The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus and answering your questions. Allan Gurganus is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

Allan Gurganus is widely translated, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Adaptations of his fiction have earned four Emmys, and his stories have been appearing in The New Yorker since 1974. He lives in a small town in North Carolina.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 1/12/2021
Time: 4:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus

John Irving writes of Allan Gurganus: “His narration becomes a Greek chorus, Sophocles in North Carolina.” Since the explosive publication of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All decades back, Gurganus has dazzled readers as “the most technically gifted and morally responsive writer of his generation” (John Cheever).

These ten classic tales attest to the growing depth of his genius. Offering characters antic and tragic, Gurganus charts the human condition as we live it now. His parables recall William Faulkner’s scope, Flannery O’Connor’s corrosive wit. We encounter a seaside couple fighting to save their dog from Maine’s fierce undertow; a mortician whose dedication to his departed clients exceeds all legal limits. A virginal 78-year-old grammar-school librarian has her only erotic encounter with a Joe Exotic-like polyamorous snake farmer. In the lead-off story, already excerpted in The New Yorker, cholera strikes a rural village in 1850 and citizens blame their doomed young doctor, who saved hundreds. A sublime ventriloquist, Gurganus again proves himself among our wisest writers.

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents This Thursday – Rachel Hawkins

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Rachel Hawkins

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Rachel Hawkins. Rachel Hawkins will be talking with us about their newest book The Wife Upstairs and answering your questions. Rachel Hawkins is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

RACHEL HAWKINS is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books for young readers, and her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama. The Wife Upstairs is her first adult novel.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 1/7/2021
Time: 6:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

The Wife Upstairs

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie­ Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents – Julia Fowler This Thursday

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Julia Fowler

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Julia Fowler. Julia Fowler will be talking with us about their newest book Embrace Your Southern, Sugar! and answering your questions. Julia Fowler is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

South Carolina native, Julia Fowler, is the creator of YouTube’s Southern Women Channel, home of the viral video series, “Sh%t Southern Women Say.” She is an actor, writer and producer who has worked in television, film and on Broadway. She currently resides in Venice Beach, California, and is generally irritated that it’s void of proper fried okra. Visit her at http://www.southernwomenchannel.com.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 11/12/2020
Time: 6:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

Embrace Your Southern, Sugar!

More irresistible stories and sayings from the creator of YouTube’s Southern Women Channel.

Ms. Julia Fowler is back, and this time she’s goin’ to talk her lipstick off about even more things Southern. If you’re not from the South, we hope to learn ya a thing or two that you can tote back into your own culture. If you are from the South, then you’re ’bout to be happier than a mule in a pickle patch: Julia’s laugh-out-loud essays cover the dadblame weather, your obsession with football, your Southern fried palate, comin’ and goin’, your health, and bein’ country, all complemented by a list of sayings you will only ever hear in the South. Julia says to embrace it all, as there is nothing purdier than authenticity: Embrace Your Southern, Sugar!

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents – Miles McKenna This Tuesday

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Miles McKenna

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Miles McKenna. Miles McKenna will be talking with us about their newest book Out! and answering your questions. Miles McKenna is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

Miles McKenna is an actor and social media icon known for his comedic voice and LGBTQ+ advice and activism. He was recently awarded the Shorty Award for Best LGBTQ+ Account of 2017, headlined two nationwide tours that covered a total of 35 shows, and has creatively collaborated with companies like Google, HBO, ATT, and Lyft. Find out more on his YouTube channel, MilesChronicles, or on Instagram at @themilesmckenna.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 10/27/2020
Time: 6:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

Out!

Miles McKenna is a queer and trans activist. He transitioned online in front of a million people. This is his survival guide.
When Miles came out on his YouTube channel in 2015–then transitioned online in 2017–his aim was to help other teens navigate their identities and take charge of their own coming-out stories. From that experience comes Out!, the ultimate coming-out survival guide for anyone questioning or queer.
Out! covers questions big and small: How to stay safe when coming out in a toxic environment, what to do if you don’t feel comfortable with your birth name, what style haircut best suits your identity, and how to find your chosen family. Miles offers readers coming-out conversation starters (“Can I have the bathroom pass? Also, the correct pronouns?”), a recipe for a very gay cake, and a guide to mastering the masculine haircut. You’ll find resources for finding a gender therapist, pointers for being a queer ally, and Miles’s Ten Commandments (#5: You are valid in your identity, even if you’re the only one who can define it).
If you’re a person seeking answers, look no further! This book is for you. And remember: Whoever you are, you are worth fighting for.

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents – Kirsten Miller, Jonathan Auxier, Beth Ferry This Saturday

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Kirsten Miller, Jonathan Auxier, Beth Ferry

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Kirsten Miller, Jonathan Auxier, Beth Ferry. Kirsten Miller, Jonathan Auxier, Beth Ferry will be talking with us about their newest book Every Thing You Need to Know When You Are 8, Willa the Wisp (The Fabled Stables Book #1), Fox & Rabbit Make Believe (Fox & Rabbit Book #2) and answering your questions. Kirsten Miller, Jonathan Auxier, Beth Ferry is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

Jonathan Auxier is the New York Times–bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, The Night Gardener, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, and Sweep. He lives with his family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Kirsten Miller is a renowned author of middle-grade and YA fiction. She lives in Brooklyn with her precocious 10-year-old, who helped write this book.

Beth Ferry is the author of many books for young readers, including Caveboy Crush, The Scarecrow, and the New York Times–bestselling Stick and Stone. She lives in New Jersey with her family

Here are the details you need:
Date: 10/24/2020
Time: 10:00:00 AM CST
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Every Thing You Need to Know When You Are 8, Willa the Wisp (The Fabled Stables Book #1), Fox & Rabbit Make Believe (Fox & Rabbit Book #2)

The Fabled Stables #1:

Welcome to the Fabled Stables, a magical building filled with one-of-a-kind creatures. Creatures including the Gargantula, the Yawning Abyss, the Hippopotamouse . . . and Auggie. Auggie is the only human boy at the Stables, and he takes care of all the other animals. The Fabled Stables have a mind of their own, and every so often, the building SHAKES and SHUDDERS, TWITCHES and SPUTTERS—it’s making room for a new arrival! It’s Auggie’s job to venture out and rescue a new creature from mortal danger. But will he be able to complete his mission before it’s too late? With some help from Fen (a literal stick-in-the-mud) and his animal companions, Auggie saves the day and makes a new friend in the process.

Every Thing You Need to Know When You Are 8:

Dominate age eight with a trove of earth-shattering secrets, jokes, and tips they won’t teach you in school!

What’s the best gift for a kid who’s turned eight? Everything they need to know! Eight is a banner year in every kid’s life. It’s when they’re finally granted “big kid” status. That means more freedom and responsibility. It also means there’s a ton of stuff to learn, and some of it’s pretty important. Inside this hilarious handbook is the information kids need to make eight one of the best years of their lives—from the fun (How to Win Halloween), to the serious (How to Get Germs Before They Get You) and the downright disgusting (How to Make Boogers You Can Eat).

Fox & Rabbit Make Believe:

Book #2 in the Fox & Rabbit series celebrates the magic of making believe and making new friends! Fox and Rabbit are the very best of friends. They do everything together. Good things like getting ice cream and not-so-good things like getting bad haircuts. But when they meet a new friend, Owl, Fox isn’t so sure if there’s enough friendship to go around. Soon, Fox learns that it’s easy to be friends with Rabbit and Owl. They have lots of fun exploring the depths of Owl’s big imagination. Together, Fox and Rabbit and Owl sail the high seas, get swallowed by a whale, defeat evil woodchucks, and more—all from the comfort of the playground. Featuring the same funny text and fresh art as Book #1, the second book in the Fox & Rabbit series will delight old fans and seamlessly welcome new ones!

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents – Andrew Reiner

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Andrew Reiner

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Andrew Reiner. Andrew Reiner will be talking with us about their newest book Better Boys, Better Men and answering your questions. Andrew Reiner is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

Andrew Reiner is a professor at Towson University, where he offers the seminar “Changing Face of Masculinity.” He has written on masculinity and men’s issues for the New York Times, Italy’s la Republica and the Washington Post Magazine, and his work has been featured on NPR and the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and in The Guardian, Men’s Health magazine, and Forbes. He speaks about masculinity regularly at schools and conferences nationally and internationally.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 10/15/2020
Time: 6:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

Better Boys, Better Men

A thought-provoking and much-needed look at how modern masculinity is harming and holding back men–and all of society–and what we can do to promote a new masculinity that allows men of all ages to thrive.

In Better Boys, Better Men, cultural critic and New York Times contributor Andrew Reiner argues that men today are working on an outdated model of masculinity, which prevents them in moments of distress and vulnerability from marshalling the courage, strength, and resiliency–the very characteristics we regularly champion in men–they need to thrive in a world vastly different from the ones their fathers and grandfathers grew up in. According to Reiner, this outdated model of manhood can have devastating effects on the entire culture and, especially boys and men, from falling behind in the classroom and rising male unemployment rates to increased levels of depression and disturbing upticks in violence on a mass scale.

Reiner interviews boys and men of all ages, educators, counselors, therapists, and physicians throughout the United States to better understand what factors are preventing the country’s boys and men from developing the emotional resiliency they need. He also introduces readers to the boys and men at the vanguard of a new masculinity that empowers them to find and express the full range of their humanity.

Urgent and necessary, Better Boys, Better Men will change the way we talk about boys and men in America today.

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.

Reader Meet Writer Presents This Thursday – Lisa Unger

Reader Meet Writer, Southern Edition

Lisa Unger

Let us deliver authors to your living room. The next author in the Southern Edition series is Lisa Unger. Lisa Unger will be talking with us about their newest book Confessions on the 7:45 and answering your questions. Lisa Unger is one of many authors we’ll be bringing into your living room.

Lisa Unger is the NYT bestselling author of 18 novels. Her books are published in 26 languages, with millions of readers worldwide. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few writers including Agatha Christie. Her work has been voted “Best of the Year” or top picks by Today, People, GMA, EW, Amazon, IndieBound and many others. She has written for the NYT, WSJ, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. She lives in Florida with her family.

Here are the details you need:
Date: 10/1/2020
Time: 6:00:00 PM CST
RSVP here

Confessions on the 7:45

“[A] taut, beautifully-written novel.” –Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Anonymous Girl
From master of suspense Lisa Unger comes a riveting thriller about a chance encounter that unravels a stunning web of lies and deceit.
Be careful to whom you tell your darkest secrets…
Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.
But days later, Selena’s nanny disappears.
Soon Selena finds her once-perfect life upended. As she is pulled into the mystery of the missing nanny, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, Selena begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover.
Expertly plotted and reminiscent of the timeless classic Strangers on a Train, Confessions on the 7:45 is a gripping thriller about the delicate facades we create around our lives.

To see a list of all upcoming authors booked so far, click here.