Suzanne Collins

I already have blogged extensively about The Hunger Games Trilogy and how fabulous the books are. But, I wanted to add this cool photo to the mix.

This is a picture of my daughter and Suzanne Collins at the Midwest Bookseller's Association, Children's Book Breakfast. Micawber's amazing Scholastic rep, Terribeth, gave me two tickets to sit at Suzanne Collins' table.

As Hans, my boss and co-owner of Micawber's says, "We don't pay very much but there are definite perks." Having breakfast with an author I greatly admire is definitely a perk.

Dick and Jane and Vampires

When Pride and Prejudice and Zombies first came out, it was quirky and funny. Monsters infused into a classic was a unique and humorous idea. But now, many monsters later, I'm getting pretty sick of this new "genre." When I saw Android Karenina, I knew we had officially moved into the realm of "beating a dead horse."

But, then a new book arrived at the store: Dick and Jane and Vampires. Yes, it is once again a monster-infused classic. But, this time I'd like to believe it's laughing at itself. The original Dick and Jane books are goofy enough, but then throw in a vampire and it's pretty darn funny.

My favorite line is said by Jane: "Look out Mother! Look out behind you!" The illustration shows a black-cloaked vampire following mother into the sweet shop. It really is funny to read the stilted dialogue and see the original pictures, except there is a vampire lurking around.

I understand if you, like me, don't want to see another classic made into a monster- mashup. What's next, Moby Dragon? But, if you do get a chuckle out of quirky, tongue-in-cheek humor, you might want to check out Dick and Jane and Vampires. It's good for a laugh.

Baby Mamba!

Last Saturday, October 30, we had a fun, "snakey" event at Micawber's. Author Kurtis Scaletta read from his new middle-grade novel, Mamba Point, and talked about his inspiration for writing the book. Also, in attendance was Kurtis' new baby boy, Byron, decked out in a baby mamba costume! Byron was so darn cute and not poisonous-looking at all.

This photo is of Kurtis and his unhappy, little mamba baby. Byron was probably upset because he didn't get any "snake snacks." The snacks available were gummy snakes (worms), straight pretzels, and Twix candy bars. Snakes, Sticks & Twix. I thought it was fairly clever.

The event was a lot of fun and Kurtis had much to say about the background for Mamba Point. Apparently, when Kurtis lived in Liberia as a kid, his neighborhood was called Mamba Point. Kurtis did have two encounters with deadly Black Mambas during his time in Africa. One was shortly after his arrival when, like Linus in the book, an African man came running at him with a machete raised high! Instead of attacking Kurtis (or Linus), the man hacked up a Mamba at the boy's feet. That just doesn't happen in St. Paul.

The other Black Mamba encounter was when one slithered right in front of Kurtis and a group of his friends. The boys all froze, which is appropriate when a Mamba is passing by. After the Mamba was gone, one boy said to Kurtis, "You looked like you wanted to touch it." Thus, another inspiration for Kurtis' character Linus, who does indeed touch a Black Mamba.

But, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens to Linus and the snake!

New Books by Minnesota Authors & Illustrators

Fall is definitely here and so are many new children's books by Minnesota authors and illustrators!

Today I went to the store early. The kids' section has been getting out of control! So I rearranged the teen and middle grade books and created a new Minnesota table.

Here's a round up of some of the new kids' books by Minnesota authors and illustrators:

Picture Books:

BIG BELCHING BOG by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Betsy Bowen.

- Great combination of Phyllis' writing style and Betsy's woodcut illustrations.

A FABULOUS FAIR ALPHABET by Debra Frasier.

- The Minnesota State Fair is over, but you can hang on to it all through Debra's book.

THE SNEAKY SHEEP by Chris Monroe.

- Chris Monroe, of Monkey With A Toolbelt fame, has done it again.

HENRY AND THE BULLY by Nancy Carlson.

- This summer I saw some of Nancy's illustrations at the Chicago Institute of Art. Way to go Nancy!

THE PRINCESS AND HER PANTHER by Wendy Orr, illustrated by Lauren Stringer.

- Lauren does a great job with this imaginative picture book.

ONE PUP'S UP by Marsha Wilson Chall, illustrated by Henry Cole.

- The perfect simplicity of Marsha's text makes me jealous and very happy for her!

Chapter Books and Novels:

MAMBA POINT by Kurtis Scaletta.

- Kurtis lived in Liberia for awhile as a kid so he knows what he's talking about. But, unlike the protagonist, Kurtis did not communicate with black mambas, which is a good thing. We're having a snakey MAMBA POINT event at the store on Saturday, October 30 at 11:00 am.

JULIA GILLIAN AND THE DREAM OF THE DOG by Alison McGhee.

- This is the third book in the Julia Gillian series which takes place in Minneapolis.

BINK AND GOLLIE by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile

- Just out, this fun collaboration between Kate and Alison is sure to be a hit!

THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS by Jacqueline West.

- This is the first book in a fun, new series.

MAGIC BELOW STAIRS by Caroline Stevermer.

- Here's a new Victorian fantasy for middle grade readers.

ELVIS AND OLIVE: SUPER DETECTIVES by Stephanie Watson.

- The two girl detectives are back with more mysteries to solve.

HAMSTER MAGIC by Lynne Jonell.

- Soon to be out. We're having a HAMSTER MAGIC event at the store on Saturday, October 16 at 11:00 am!

Wow! There are definitely a lot of great children's authors and illustrators from this state. If you're in the area, stop by Micawber's and check out our new display.

Dress Code

Last week I suddenly noticed that I was the only person who ever wears shorts to work. I had a flash of doubt - was I too casual, too unprofessional? Not only was I wearing shorts that very day, but had been all summer long! It's been hot, so I naturally reach for shorts. But, perhaps I had crossed a line. Maybe I was violating the "professional booksellers dress code!" So I asked Hans.

Hans, as always, listened to my question and gave me his thoughtful response. Yes, I was indeed the only one to wear shorts at work, but he did not see a problem. As he put it, "there is no dress code problem here."

He went on to say that he had only seen Tom in shorts once, and it wasn't at work. And he doubted that Karen ever wore shorts. Hans said he likes shorts but had decided a while ago not to wear them to work.

Oh no, I thought. Hans likes shorts and he's not wearing them. It's because he wants to be professional! Now I felt sure that all summer long I had been committing a huge bookselling faux pas!

Hans, seeing that I was still concerned, relayed this story: Before Micawber's, Hans, Tom and Karen all worked at The Hungry Mind Bookstore (later named Ruminator). The bookstore was located very close to a small, liberal arts college and they sometimes employed college students at the store.

One year, there was a college employee on staff that did cross the dress code line. And he gave them no end of trouble because he just wouldn't be convinced that he was doing anything inappropriate. His dress code error? His professional bookseller blunder?

He refused to wear shoes.

I guess my shorts aren't so bad after all.

Mockingjay

A week ago Tuesday, MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins was released. I had the day off and I read the entire book in one day. It was excellent! MOCKINGJAY was a great conclusion to the very compelling, thought-provoking HUNGER GAMES series for teen and adult readers.

Two people recently asked me about the premise and message in these books. On the surface, THE HUNGER GAMES is about a televised competition where teenagers fight to the death. There can be only one winner of the Hunger Games. This sounds pretty gruesome. And it is.

But the story is about so much more. It's about human nature related to war and peace. It's about the lengths a government will go to to preserve its power and control. It's about the strength of human character in the face of evil. It's also a darn good, suspenseful adventure.

Katniss Everdeen, our heroine, volunteers to take the place of her younger sister in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games, for anyone from District 12, usually means certain death. Thus, begins her journey from girl-who-provides-for-her-family to the Girl-On-Fire.

As Katniss continues to survive and gather supporters around the country, the revolutionary leaders want her to become their symbol, their Mockingjay. While the first two books deal primarily with the Hunger Games, the third book focuses on the growing resistance movement and ultimate revolution against the Capitol.

I will not give away the ending, but I'll say that it got me thinking. Thinking about what it means to be good or bad, right or wrong, and the question, "Does the end ever justify the means?" Katniss wonders these things too, and is empowered to act on her final convictions.

Al Capone's Chicago

Last week, my family and I vacationed in the Windy City, aka Chicago. In case you're interested in where names come from, the "Windy City" does not refer to how much wind comes off Lake Michigan, but rather that early city promoters were called "wind bags" for their efforts to make Chicago seems greater than it was.

The name Chicago is a French derivation of an earlier Native American word that loosely means, "heap of big, stinking onions." Apparently there were a lot of wild onions and garlic in the area. This is also what I called my husband after he ate a particularly potent onion sandwich.

We were in Chicago for a specific reason - to learn more about Al Capone, the 20's and prohibition. My 12-year-old daughter continues her fascination with old-timey gangsters thus the Chicago vacation.

Our hotel, The Blackstone, is a historic hotel right on Michigan Avenue. Al Capone used to get his haircut in the barbershop there. The baseball bat scene from the UNTOUCHABLES movie was filmed at the hotel. The Blackstone offered a package called "Good to be a Gangster" which included a copy of the movie, a signed copy of a new book about Al Capone, and tickets to the Untouchables Tour of Chicago.

The Untouchables Tour was a highlight of our trip. The picture above shows one of our guides as we drove around town in a black school bus. We learned all about prohibition and Chicago crooks as we drove past historic places such as Al Capone's former headquarters and the site of the Valentine's Day Massacre. Pretty interesting, gruesome stuff, but these guys made it very compelling and fun.

The book we received, which my daughter is now reading, is worth a look for anyone interested in Al Capone, his rise to power, and eventual capture. It's called GET CAPONE by Jonathan Eig, published by Simon & Shuster.

Besides being hotter than hades the week we were there, Chicago was a lot of fun. We ate deep dish pizza, visited museums, rode the EL, and, of course, learned about Al Capone. And fortunately, it did not smell like rotting onions.