Children & YA | Chapter 16

All Together Now

A Chapter 16 writer considers the collective spirit of the Southern Festival of Books

By Maria Browning | October 10, 2014

October 10, 2014 The Southern Festival of Books is big, varied, and one of the most inclusive cultural events around. Chapter 16’s Maria Browning considers the special pleasure of the festival’s collective spirit. The twenty-sixth annual Southern Festival of Books will take place in Nashville October 10-12, 2014, at Legislative Plaza and the Nashville Public Library. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Each Day a New World

Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming is the story of a life told in soaring verse

By Tracy Barrett | October 8, 2014

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.

New Deals

Both Victoria Schwab and Jessica Young have inked contracts on new series fiction for children and young adults

By Margaret Renkl | October 7, 2014

October 7, 2014 Across publishing, children’s and YA titles have kept the publishing industry profitable this year, and Middle Tennessee authors Jessica Young and Victoria Schwab are doing their part for the trend.

A Mildly Subversive YA Fantasy

With his signature brand of silly and smart, Jasper Fforde continues his foray into young-adult literature

By Tina LoTufo | October 6, 2014

October 6, 2013 In Jasper Fforde’s The Eye of Zoltar, mayhem and hilarity vie for center stage. Prior to his appearance at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 10-12, 2014, Fforde spoke with Chapter 16 about why writing for young adults isn’t so very different from writing for their parents.

No Surrender

Carl Hiaasen talks about his wacky style of Florida thriller, teen edition

By Michael Ray Taylor | September 30, 2014

September 30, 2014 In twenty-three novels, two books of nonfiction, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning column for the Miami Herald, Carl Hiaasen has captured the weird side of Florida life—and crime—like no other writer. In Skink—No Surrender, his first YA novel, Hiassen pairs a beloved character from his adult books with a teen narrator. Hiassen will appear at the Nashville Public Library on October 6, 2014, at 6:15 p.m. The event, part of the Salon@615 series, is free and open to the public.

Lullaby Pictures

Nashville clay artist Susan Eaddy has created enchanting illustrations for a new bedtime book

By Julie Danielson | September 24, 2014

September 24, 2014 A welcome addition to the bedtime picture-book shelf, My Love for You Is the Sun is just right for drifting off to sleep—after, that is, you’ve oohed and aahed over Susan Eaddy’s charming clay illustrations. Eaddy will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on September 29, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. She will also appear at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 10-12, 2014.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker