August 5, 2014 The best books for young readers are as controversial and thought-provoking as anything written for their parents. Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature by Betsy Bird, Julie Danielson, and Peter D. Sieruta casts a revealing light on children’s books and their creators. Danielson will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 7, 2014, at 6:30 p.m., and at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 10-12, 2014.
July 7, 2014 “Thrillers and fantasy share one thing: they’re both stories that take you to a place you would never go yourself.” David Baldacci, a bestselling author of thrillers, talks with Chapter 16 about The Finisher, his young-adult novel about fourteen-year-old Vega Jane’s quest to know the truth about her magical town. Baldacci will appear at the Nashville Public Library on July 10, 2014, at 6:15 p.m. The event, part of the Salon@615 series, is free and open to the public.
June 18, 2014 Without violating the spirit of the folktale, Tracy Barrett reinvents the Cinderella story with a sensibility that is distinctly modern. In The Stepsister’s Tale, female independence and solidarity matter far more than male gallantry, but the romance and hopeful essence of the original remain. Barrett will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on June 24, 2014, at 6:30 p.m.
Helene Dunbar
Flux
312 pages
$9.99
“Dunbar’s debut novel is a contemporary piece of fiction that realistically depicts PTSD from the perspective of a teenage boy. The young man’s emotional episodes are seamlessly woven into the narrative, and the language is appropriate for the story’s overall heft and emulates the vocabulary of typical young adults. The dark tone reflects the past that Gordie is struggling to overcome.”
–School Library Journal
Augusta Scattergood
Scholastic Press
208 pages
$16.99
“Scattergood paints a balanced portrait of childlike self-interest and awakening integrity. This moving, intimate look at America’s struggle for civil rights, as seen through the narrow lens of one growing girl, will spark interesting discussion.”
–Booklist
May 30, 2014 Knuckleball Ned, the new picture book for young children by Nashville native R.A. Dickey, celebrates diversity and the power of friendship. Chapter 16 invited the kindergartners of Glencliff Elementary, where Dickey attended kindergarten himself, to review the story of how Ned, teased for being different, ultimately saves the day—with a little help from his friends.
