SCIBA CHILDREN'S LITERACY DINNER
Always a wonderful event! A time to meet established and up and coming  authors, get some great books & meet the people who are passionate about children's literature. I had dinner with Tracy Trivas, who's contemplating a sequel to her novel, Wish Stealers, but is a little busy right now with her new baby, so we'll all have to wait (sigh). I also had a chance to talk with new author Jenn Reese, whose first novel, Above World, combines her interests in martial arts & gaming. During dinner, we heard from Michael Grant (Gone series) who talked about his new novel BZRK. Lisa Loeb sang a few songs from her collection Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-a-Longs, and--be still oh heart--Cornelia Funke (Inkheart, Dragon Rider), talked about the challenges of translating her novels from German to English and introduced her new novel, Ghost Knight (I have the ARC!). She's offered to come back to visit Sequoyah, so I promised to take her up on that! Lastly, I began a conversation new author Leigh Bardugo (see below) which has continued via email. She would be interested in visiting our school (it will be her first school visit!) early next fall after the publication of her book. Thanks to this event, sponsored by  Southern California Association of Independent Booksellers Association, I walked away with a very large bag of books for our library.  As I get through the titles, I'll post a brief recommendation.

Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone (Henry Holt), release date June 5, 2012.
If you liked Cashore's Graceling, then this book is for you. A young soldier discovers she has an rare magical power. Once her leaders learn of her power, she is hidden from the country's enemies. As she undergoes intensive training with the Darkling, the leader of all the elite magical people, she begins to understand why her power is important enough for some to die for and who she can really trust. Horrid monsters, powerful magicians, battles against good & evil, treachery, intrigue, and, oh!, romance are magically woven in to an intriguing story steeped in Russian folklore and customs.  Visit the author's fantastic web site for more information (based on Advance Reader Copy).