In her new YA novel, I Was Here, Gayle Forman explores the questions surrounding a teen suicide
January 27, 2015 In I Was Here, bestselling author Gayle Forman has created a powerful story about an eighteen-year-old girl’s search for the reasons behind her best friend’s suicide. Forman will be joined by fellow young-adult authors Ruta Sepetys, David Arnold, and Courtney Stevens at Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 30, 2015, at 6:30 p.m.
Sharon M. Draper crafts a tale of community, family, and courage in the Jim Crow South
January 15, 2015 Eleven-year-old Stella Mills has always felt safe in the embrace of her family and community. But Stella feels helpless during a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan—until she finds a way to help. Sharon Draper, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, will discuss her new middle-grade novel, Stella by Starlight, at the Nashville Public Library on January 22, 2015, at 6 p.m. and at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on January 23, 2015, at 6:30 p.m.
Katherine Paterson’s warm, humorous memoir sheds light on a beloved author
December 10, 2014 Katherine Paterson’s Stories of My Life is a loving look back at an extraordinary life. The Newbery- and National Book Award-winning author of children’s classics like Bridge to Terabithia, Jacob Have I Loved, and The Great Gilly Hopkins, Paterson recently answered questions from Chapter 16.
R.J. Palacio’s 365 Days of Wonder is a timeless collection of precepts to live by
October 27, 2014 R.J. Palacio’s 365 Days of Wonder—a companion book to Palacio’s bestselling middle-grade novel, Wonder—is a collection of “precepts,” one for each day of the year. Palacio will speak at Harding Academy in Nashville on November 3, 2014, at 6:15 p.m. The event, part of the Salon@615 series, is free and open to the public.
Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming is the story of a life told in soaring verse
October 8, 2014 In evocative verse, Jacqueline Woodson, who has just been longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, shares the story of her childhood in Brown Girl Dreaming. Woodson will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 12, 2014, and at the Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on October 13, 2014. Both events are free and open to the public.
John Scieszka talks with Chapter 16 about his seriously entertaining new tale for young readers
August 13, 2014 Jon Scieszka, the author of more than fifty books for young readers, served as the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor is the first book in a new series focused on science whiz-kid Frank Einstein and his Grampa Al. Scieszka will appear at the Nashville Public Library on August 18, 2014; at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Brentwood on August 19, 2014; and at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on August 20, 2014.
