BEA, ABA, Harvard MBA, and...fun with Chaucer! A news round up

What a big week for Harvard Square and book folk everywhere! 

Today is Harvard's Commencement, with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia's President, as the main speaker. Our book buyer keeps gazing out her office window watching all the be-gowned graduates and droves of families saying how much she loves graduation. It couldn't be a more perfect day to celebrate...the job hunt! CBS News has my favorite review of Amy Poehler's Class Day speech, but I haven't yet found a transcription of today's speeches.

This week is also a pretty big deal to booksellers and librarians - it was Book Expo America in New York! Not only a place to snag galleys of upcoming books, there are also discussion sessions on relevant topics from e-books and using social media to events and marketing. I didn't know this last bit but there is also an art auction - I can't wait to see the pictures and blog posts of attendees. Sadly, no staffers from our store went, but we have been following tweets! (Can you really believe the age we live in?)

And with Memorial Day this weekend, it's almost too much excitement for me to handle. Sunshine! Smiling college students!! Sales! (Psst, we're having an everything 20% off sale!) A board game based off The Canterbury Tales! ...Wait, what? The Guardian reviews  The Road to Canterbury, currently in development. Obviously, players get to be the Pardoner, convincing Pilgrims to purchase fake pardons. Who doesn't love being the bad guy...in the 14th century?

The annual Bookish Ball

This Saturday is Harvard Square's annual Bookish Ball, celebrating the neighborhood's many bookstores. Travel between the bookstores, enjoying events and special sales, getting your "passport" stamped at each location to enter a raffle at the end of the day. Curious George will be offering a 15% discount off the entire purchase of passport holders, with our weekly story-time taking place at noon.

New York Teen Author Festival

I can't believe I missed this - granted, I live in Cambridge not New York City - but it would have been worth the trek!

The New York Teen Author Festival gathered together multitudes of young adult writers across the boroughs for readings and symposiums. Authors from Barry Lyga, Maggie Stiefvater, and John Green to Melina Marchetta, Matt de la Pena, and Gayle Forman read, performed (I never knew Libba Bray was in a band called Tiger Beat!), and led talks on writing. If you went, I am incredibly jealous and I hope you'll come by and tell me stories. If you also missed it, there are some great articles up about it - I like the videos (and E Lockhart's tights!) on Random House's Random Buzzers website.

Never has our giraffe in construction worker couture felt more apropos.

You may have noticed some big changes around the Square. Another raised crosswalk construction project is happening down at the corner of Brattle and Church St., and closer to home (as in, right over our employee area!) a total sidewalk makeover is... well, not happening.

The city of Cambridge has declared the sidewalk around the store unsafe (says owner Donna: "We've been saying that since we moved in!") and in need of a major overhaul. Unfortunately, neither the city nor our landlord is sure who is responsible for the area underneath the sidewalk: our store room, bathrooms, and offices. Until the dispute is resolved, the construction is stalled, because no one's sure what to do or who's going to do it.

You may have seen some construction in our art room last week, when we put a new doorway into our office spaces. Now that that project is finished, impact on shopping should be minimal. The Chapter Book Room, which is directly beneath the Picture Book Room on the ground floor, is totally safe; only our employee area is affected by the construction. Mostly, at the moment, it means there's no convenient place to eat our lunches! However, it means staff and customers alike need to take a key to use a bathroom upstairs. (Just ask at the Hut!)

We'll keep you updated as to the project's progress. Thanks for your support and flexibility during this time. Despite the dust, we always have great merchandise and great staff to help you find the perfect book or toy for your youngster (or yourself!).

Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards!

The 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winners were JUST announced, and we're really excited! Here they are...

Winner for Excellence in Children's Fiction
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Honor Books
The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan; illustrated by Peter Sís
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner


Winner for Excellence in Children's Nonfiction
Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary
by Elizabeth Partridge

Honor Books
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures by Menno Metslelaar and Ruud van der Rol
Smile by Reina Telgemeier


Winner for Excellence in Picture Books
I Know Here by Laurel Croza; illustrated by Matt James

Honor Books
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
It's a Secret! by John Burningham

You may remember that When You Reach Me won this year's Newbery Medal (the American Library Association's award for children's fiction) and The Lion and the Mouse won the Caldecott (the ALA's illustration award).

But of course, Curious George staffers loved all these books long ago. After the release of When You Reach Me, Taylor said: "When whip-smart, instantly likeable 12-year-old Miranda begins to receive mysterious notes with even more mysterious directives, she is catapulted into a mission—à la her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time—to save someone she loves. You will quickly find yourself embroiled in the mystery along with her."

Natasha picked Smile as a fave early on: "A fun, well-illustrated and funny story of one girl’s lifelong dental drama. First, Raina needs braces, then she displaces her two front teeth, and thus starts middle school with various forms of dental wizardry to straighten and fix up her teeth. You’ll root for Raina as she tells her story with lots of humor!"

There's also been a ton of buzz around the Hut about the ceremony and colloquium the Horn Book's having for the awards the first weekend in October at Simmons College. Many Georgians either currently attend or graduated from the Simmons master's programs in Children's Literature, Writing for Children, Library Science, and Education, so you can expect to see a bunch of us there! If only October weren't so far away...

And the publishing houses said, let there be lookalikes...

...Because booksellers need something to amuse themselves with. I like to think of it more as a test of memory, beyond the usual "I remember this book from my childhood about a pig named Horace, or maybe Norace, who..." request. We do love those games, and especially the excited customer response upon finding that special remembered book, but there's certainly something special about finding a lookalike.

Deb Caletti's new teen novel, The Six Rules of Maybe may look familiar...

..Because you saw that puffy vest and boardwalk on a paperback edition of:


You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye by Patricia Hermes.

Now that's enough internet s(m)urfing for this blogger, I hope you all go out and enjoy this lovely, lovely May Day weather - And wear sunscreen while you do it (My mum raised me well!).

Don't forget to swing by Harvard Square tomorrow for the annual Mayfair - dancing, music, great food, kids' train rides, and hot air balloon rides!

George in the Big City

Our owners visited New York recently for a college trip and saw the Curious George exhibit at the Jewish Museum and loved it! And who said college trips were all about the kids?

Don't forget to read the New York Times review of the exhibition: Monkey Business in a World of Evil.




Those books look mighty familiar...






In other exciting famous people news, we had a surprise visit from husband and wife team David Small and Sarah Stewart! They were speaking to a class at Harvard, and were kind enough to come say hello to us and sign some books! We already had a run on The Gardener and Stitches, but you can still get signed copies of My Senator and Me (illustrated by Small) and The Underneath (a chapter book, illus. by Small). They are such kindly, talented people and they have a manor with a farmhouse studio!

Tie a string around your finger...

...because time is running out to pick up vouchers for FREE TICKETS to Curious George LIVE!, coming to Tsongas Center in Lowell next weekend.

Don't worry, though; if you miss the freebies, we do have coupons for discounted tickets as well.

Here's your weekly reminder...

...to ask us for Curious George LIVE! ticket vouchers!

Just let us know you saw the offer on our blog and we'll give you a set of four vouchers so your whole family can attend a performance of this Curious George musical extravaganza at Tsongas Center. The shows are April 23, 24, and 25, so come in sooner rather than later!

See the Curious George musical on us!

The first two people to come into Curious George and tell us they read our blog or Twitter will win FOUR ticket vouchers for Curious George Live!, playing at the Tsongas Arena from April 23-25.

Don't fret if you miss the window of opportunity; we'll be doing this each week until the show (starting on Mondays)! The Curious George Live! folks also gave us coupons for $3 off tickets, so even if you miss out on freebie tickets, you can still get discounted ones!

This weekend in Greater Boston.....

I was putting up adverts online for our Valentine's event (Alison Paul! Burglar masks! ICE CREAM SUNDAES!) and I stumbled across an ad for a theater production of Rosemary Wells's Max and Ruby! It's up at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in Newton, as part of their Magic Ark Children's Series, on January 31st (this Sunday). You can get tickets at the JCC website or by phone 617-965-5226. I also see they're doing a musical rendition of Junie B. Jones in March....(ooh...!).

Just look at their cuddly bunny ear hats! I can think of a few staffers here who would love a pair of those.


Also this weekend, you can see HONK!, a musical retelling of the Ugly Duckling, at the Wheelock Family Theatre (at Wheelock College). The show continues through February, with additional matinees during school vacation week (the 16th through 19th).


For a slightly older audience (10 up), Coolidge Corner Theatre will broadcast a London National Theatre performance of Terry Pratchett's novel Nation (last year's Printz Honor and a staff favorite here!). The show incorporates music, dance, and puppetry. I hear NT has done a version of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials, which must have been incredible! Sigh. I love you Nicole Kidman, but that film The Golden Compass just didn't do the books justice.



Beyond musicals and plays, don't forget to catch the Harry Potter exhibition at the Museum of Science - you still have a month to see props, costumes and sets (Hagrid's hut!) from the films. Stop at your local library before you go, BPL has passes for the museums.


Hopefully all these options will keep you from getting that winter indoors angst....at least until THE LIGHTING THIEF comes out!!! That would be on February 12th. I'm a little surprised at myself for how excited I am, but can you blame me? (RIP-TIDE is a sword that can be disguised as a PEN!! See? Now you can excuse my excessive exclamation points and alliteration). There's also news that Riordan is writing a new series called the Kane Chronicles, based on Egyptian mythology. It kicks off with The Red Pyramid, out this May. I'd better reread Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Egypt Game to get ahead of the gang.

Rompin' wrap up, building libraries, and general feel good karmic joy...

Last Sunday Donna, our book buyer, and I had the privilege of being the booksellers at Reach Out and Read's 6th annual Read and Romp: a wild tour through kids' favorite story books. There were storybook stations for classics like The Runaway Bunny, where kids could hold baby bunnies, and new favorites like Fancy Nancy, which had a great selection of dress-up. It was astoundingly organized, and so much fun! We're very grateful to the nice folks who invited us and took great care of us (thanks, Jackie and Abbie!) - their director of communications, Matt, even offered to give those of us who are less than tech-savvy a lesson in Twitter! You can look on their website for ways to help out: donating books, money, or your time as a volunteer.


We met Norman Bridwell and his BIG creation, Clifford.



Cheeky monkey, flaunting his own books.


George takes a nibble of Mouse's cookie.



We're also working with Learning Through Libraries, a student coalition at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, which is collecting books for poor communities and schools in El Salvador. We have a drop box for donations in the store, and English/Spanish books or learning games are welcome! (I've got my eye on those beautiful bilingual fairy tales from Chronicle!).

And while we're talking good karma, don't forget Toys for Tots! They have plenty of drop off stations in the neighborhood.

Reading Romp

We've been having loads of great authors and events at the store lately, and I hope you can come to the next few we've got lined up (pssst, Alex Beard this Friday!) - but this Sunday, we're branching out and taking on Boston!

You can find a table of our most popular and classic books and two of our booksellers (myself and our book buyer, Donna) at Reach Out and Read's 6th Annual Read & Romp on Sunday from 10:30 am to 2 pm at the Seaport Hotel Ballroom.

Reach Out and Read believes - as we do - that kids develop physically and emotionally in tandem. Therefore, they give books to children, and talk to parents about reading together, at doctor's offices around the country.

This Sunday's Read and Romp will feature crafts, activities, and music, with visits from friends like Clifford the Big Red Dog (and his friend/author, Norman Bridwell!) and early reader pals Frog and Toad. You can still buy tickets online or by phone, so we hope to see you there!

On books, balls, and baked goods. And more books.

Don't forget: this Saturday, September 12, is our Bookish Ball celebration! The event will begin at 2pm and go all afternoon, with a projected ending time of 6pm. However, we may be too busy monkeying around to stop on time! We have barrels of fun planned, including (drum roll, please)...

-- a signing by Matt Tavares, author/illustrator of the picture books Zachary's Ball, Oliver's Game, and Mudball. He's also the illustrator of Iron Hans, Lady Liberty: A Biography, and the brand-new The Gingerbread Pirates. He'll be here at 2.

-- a signing and reading by Steve Kluger, author of novels My Most Excellent Year, Last Days of Summer, and Almost Like Falling in Love. He's a self-proclaimed Boston-phile and Red Sox fan! He'll be here at 3.

-- a creative writing workshop and signing by Jo Knowles, author of YA novels Lessons from a Dead Girl and the new Jumping Off Swings. (She's my latest book crush!) She'll be here at 4.

-- acoustic performances by singer/songwriter Charlie Hope throughout the afternoon. Her albums include I'm Me! A Collection of Songs for Children and World of Dreams: Soothing Songs and Lullabies.

-- a book-making workshop

-- cookie decorating

-- and of course, all our great books and toys, recommended to you by our knowledgable staff! We may be a little squeezed on Saturday with all the festivities going on, but we'll have a fun, busy day with something for everyone!

Bookish Bedlam and Broomsticks

Maybe there won't actually be broomsticks at most of these events, but there will certainly be the best brand of bedlam: we have SO many wonderful events coming up, you may just want to camp out here!

I hope you've heard already, but if not, this Sunday August 23rd, Sir John Hargrave will demonstrate some of his highest order pranks from his Mischief Maker's Manual. Class will start at 1 pm.

All of Harvard Square's bookshops will be participating in the second annual Bookish Ball September 12th, where "travelers" will visit each store's specific book-loving events and get stamps on their "passports to wisdom." Travelers can enter their passports into a contest to win airline tickets or a shopping spree in Harvard Square. Curious George's guests will include local authors such as:

• Matt Tavares, the author and illustrator of baseball books Zachary's Ball and Oliver's Game; and illustrator of the new picture book The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, Lady Liberty: A Biography by Doreen Rappaport, Jack and the Beanstalk by E. Nesbit
• Jo Knowles, author of Lessons from a Dead Girl and the brand-new Jumping Off Swings
• Steve Kluger, author of My Most Excellent Year and Last Days of Summer, and professed Red Sox fan

We will also have musician Charlie Hope playing two acoustic sets, one to kick off the event and another later in the afternoon. In my humble opinion, her Train Song has the best vocal imitation of a train, hands down.

In addition to great music and these talented authors reading, signing books, and leading activities, we will also have on-going activities led by our own staff. Our book-binder staffer, Anne, will demonstrate the basics of making a book. A few other staff members are deciding on what their special activities will be, so expect some fun surprises!

Later on this fall, we are hosting a Graveyard Book themed Halloween Party! On Friday, October 30th we will extend store hours for a creepy ghosty Gaiman celebration. There will be activities, treats, and a parade. Costumes are encouraged! We'll send in pictures of the event to HarperCollins to win a visit from Neil Gaiman! (Squee! says Katie.)

We are currently planning an event for November, as well, with new-on-the-scene author/illustrator Alex Beard. The date and specifics will be announced shortly.

Thanks to you, we've won Nickelodeon and GoCityKids' Parents' Pick for Best Boston Bookstore! We're so proud and thrilled! Thank you so much! We promise to continue to bring you the best quality books and toys, as well as the up-coming and popular children's book folks you want to see!

More movies, musicals, and bad puns than you can shake a wand at

There is an incredible amount of children's and teen books being adapted into all manner of performances, I'm having trouble keeping track of everything I want to see! To help myself, and you, too, of course, here is a list to pencil into the calendar...

Staff favorite technogeek-thriller Little Brother by Cory Doctorow has been adapted for the stage at Chicago's Griffin Theatre. The show runs through July 19th, and you can even meet Doctorow after the July 9th performance. After PW reported interestingly mixed reviews, I can only hope it will come out closer to Boston someday...

I doubt I even need to call more attention to it, but the 6th film installment of the world's favorite wizard premieres July 15th. If you still haven't seen the trailer, try the official website: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The bookclub some of us staffers belong to is trying to plan a bookclub-cum-Potter meeting, probably discussing our latest books (ghost stories!) in line - we'll see how that pans out! Now, where did I leave my Luna glasses?

I almost didn't even know about Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs becoming a movie - but I am pretty excited that Bruce Campbell is contributing his voice talents to this classic picture book tale! It's slated to premiere September 18th.

Another eagerly anticipated children's film is the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are which roars into theaters October 16th. From Spike Jonze, the director of such bizarre films as Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, it certainly promises to be wild. I hope that after the movie they serve everyone a hot supper. (My puns are awful, aren't they?)

Because there is no such thing as enough Neil Gaiman, there is now a Coraline musical at the MCC Theater in New York. It's a one man show (!) by Stephen Merritt closing July 5 but may perhaps travel (pick us, pick us!).

While Katie geeks out over Gaiman, I'm swooning over director Tim Burton's latest work...Alice in Wonderland! One of my favorite directors with one of my favorite stories?! Heaven! Over at USA Today you can tour a scene and Cast Photos, featuring, of course, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Oh, yum, I can barely wait until March 2010.

Kate DiCamillo's heartwarming chapter book had already been adapted for the screen in 2005, now Because of Winn-Dixie becomes a musical, with a live Winn-Dixie trained by Bill Berloni, trainer of Annie's Sandy. PW says there are no set filming schedules yet.

Are those still not enough to satiate your movie thirst? Try free movies in the park in Brookline - July 13th The Princess Bride and July 27th E.T., and in Boston August 14 Inkheart at the Hatch Shell. Be prepared for a chance of rain, though probably not (soy) meatballs.

I love seeing how books translate into different mediums - and it's certainly fun to see your favorite story retold (Alice! Squeal!) - I just hope those movie folks continue to create new stories, too.

O Frabjous Day! Calloo! Callay!

It's certainly been a jungle over here lately! Thanks for bearing with our somewhat infrequent posts while we undergo some store changes. We're still committed to telling you about all the awesome books, authors, and events in and around the store, we should back up to speed very soon. In the meantime, I have some great news to share today...


The über restaurant guide Zagat really liked our "Curious George Never Dines Without Consulting His Zagat" window: we won first place in their promotional contest and they're treating our whole staff to a delicious evening meal! Now, the only trouble is deciding on which illustrious establishment to have said delicious evening meal. If you see a large, rowdy crowd of your favorite booksellers out in Cambridge in the next few weeks, come say hello!

I sneaked a peek at the Nickelodeon Parents' Picks... thanks to you, so far we're leading as Best Boston Book Store. There's still 28 days left to vote, so get over there if you haven't yet! We love you, you love us, we love you even more!

I think I've used up my allowance of exclamation points for the day, so take care, until next time.

Children's Book Week

It's the middle of Children's Book Week, and the Children's Choice Book Awards were announced at last night's Gala! Stephenie Meyer took Author of the Year and Teen Choice for Breaking Dawn (shocker) and Jon Muth the Illustrator of the Year award, for Zen Ties. Mo Willems's Pigeon Wants a Puppy snagged the K-2 grade book of the year, Dinah Williams's Spooky Cemeteries the 3-4 category, and Thirteen by Lauren Myracle the 5-6 category.

For the rest of the week's events, check out the Children's Book Council website. The week concludes in Boston's own Copley Square at the Boston Public Library and neighboring branches. You can see such authors as Kate Feiffer (Which Puppy?), Sara Pennypacker (Clementine), Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Punk Farm), and Megan McDonald (Judy Moody). After the event, come on over and check out more books by these talented folks!

Children's Book Week

In just a few weeks, from May 11th through the 17th, Children's Book Week kicks off! Sponsored by the Children's Book Council, (a non-profit trade association for children's publishers), the events span the country, concluding in our very own Copley Square. Particulars of the events should be announced shortly, but the most exciting night will be Tuesday's Children's Choice Book Awards.

Kids and teens can vote for their favorite book, author and illustrator right here, until May 3rd. Who do you think will win? Any contest that pits Stephenie Meyer, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan against each other should be fun to watch! (I'll admit, I was surprised when Stephenie Meyer's Twilight championed over Harry Potter at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, though not surprised when there was hubbub over it).

One more thing!

I'm a posting fiend this week! I can't help it, there are just so many wonderful things happening in April, I want to tell you about them all. In bite-sized pieces.

Anyway, here is another idea for April vacation: Charlotte's Web will be performed at Wheelock Family Theatre from April 10th through May 10th, with matinee and evening shows, and extra performances during school vacation week. Kids of all ages can enjoy E.B. White's charming classic about unlikely farm friends adapted for the stage by Joseph Robinette.

Weekend edit: In case you missed the Boston Sunday Globe's giant Arts & Entertainment section on family-friendly places, from museums and playhouses to coffeehouses and musica halls, go here or here for their great suggestions.