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Berkley School District’s Read in the Park, Sunday, March 21, 1pm-4pm
“There is no substitute for books in the life of a child” – Mary Ellen Chase
Berkley School District and Book Beat are proud to present the Read in the Park on Sunday, March 21, 2010 at the Berkley High School in the Collaborative Center, 2325 Catalpa Drive, Berkley, MI 48072-1897. March is Reading Month and in celebration five Michigan authors and illustrators have been invited to speak and autograph books for children and families. The event is free and open to the public. Books by the participating authors will be available at the event, also we will be sending out an order form for people who cannot attend but would like to purchase books and get them signed. Your purchase of these author’s books at the event, through the book-order form or at the Book Beat is important because it makes these events possible. We thank you for your support in the salute to reading!
Amy Young Bio  
I grew up in Watertown, Massachusetts. I always loved to draw and to make things, and wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. I was pretty good at writing and other academic subjects, but I never really liked math.
After high school I went to lots of different schools. I went to the Cleveland Institute of Art for two years, then I transferred to Yale University. A few years after graduating, I went to Indiana University and got a Master of Fine Arts in painting. Then, for something completely different, I went to Harvard Law School and proceeded to practice law for seven years. I “retired” in 1995 to illustrate full-time.
During and between all those years of schooling I had a lot of different jobs. I have been a waitress, a kitchen worker, a construction worker, a farm hand and a teaching assistant. My least favorite job was waitressing. My best boss ever was Danny, the foreman of my construction crew.
Once I became a full time illustrator, I worked in as many areas as I could. You can see samples of my work in the different sections of this website.
I had wanted to illustrate a children’s book for years before I got the chance to actually do it. My first picture book, which I wrote as well as illustrated, is Belinda the Ballerina; it was published by Viking in 2003. I have written and illustrated lots of books since then.
I live in Spring Lake, Michigan with my charming husband Paul and my darling dog Sophie Rose. I love animals, and I used to serve on the board of Harbor Humane Society. That’s where we got Sophie. For fun, I like to play music (I play fiddle and Irish whistle, and Paul plays guitar and concertina), read, take walks and nap with Sophie. I also like to spend time with my friends.
Amy Young’s latest title: The Mud Fairy
other books: Moi and Marie Antoinette: By Lynn Cullen, illustrated by Amy Young. Hardcover only
Belinda, the Ballerina: Hardcover and paperback
Belinda in Paris: Hardcover
Belinda and the Glass Slipper: Hardcover
Belinda Begins Ballet: Hardcover
Michael P. Spradlin Bio  
Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children, some of which have actually been published. He grew up in a small town in Michigan not far from the Indiana border, which may explain his irrational fear of Hoosiers. (Both the inhabitants of the state of Indiana and the movie starring Gene Hackman).
Surrounded by books in his formative years, he grew up loving to read, imagining himself the hero of numerous epic battles and indulging in his favorite pastime, which was smuggling fireworks across the Ohio border so that he could blow up his collection of Plastic Green Army Men and Matchbox Cars.
His first book for children, The Legend of Blue Jacket, was called by School Library Journal “a well-researched labor of love.” His first novel, Spy Goddess: Live and Let Shop, was a 2006 Edgar Award nominee by the Mystery Writers of America for Best Young Adult Mystery. The second book in the series, Spy Goddess: To Hawaii, With Love, was given a starred review by VOYA. His newest project is The Youngest Templar Trilogy. The first book The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail was published by G.P. Putnam Sons in September 2008. An international sensation, rights to The Youngest Templar have sold in ten countries, and it is also available as an audio edition from Listening Library. The second book in the trilogy The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate was released in October, 2009 and called by School Library Journal ‘brilliant’ and ‘riveting’. The third book The Youngest Templar: Orphan of Destiny will be released in fall 2010.
Michael’s first book for grownups It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Zombies, was a five week New York Times Bestseller. Published in fall 2009, the book recieved raves from The New York Daily News, The Baltimore Sun and many other media outlets.
Michael is also the author of several picture books including the award-winning Daniel Boone’s Great Escape. Check the Coming Soon page for all of the latest updates on his new books including Baseball From A to Z and Off Like the Wind: The First Ride Of The Pony Express, both of which will be published in spring 2010.
Upcoming projects include a novel called The Raven’s Shadow which will be published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 2011. The Raven’s Shadow is set in Washington DC in 1825 and features a teen age Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin and Edgar Allan Poe who must band together to defeat an evil the modern world will come to know as Count Dracula. Teaming up with illustrator Ard Hoyt again, Michael will publish The Inch High Samurai, a retelling of a Japanese Folk Tale which will also be published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 2012.
When not writing, he enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with his family and worrying over the fact that he really should be writing instead of doing other stuff. He lives in Michigan with his wife Kelly, son Michael, daughter Rachel and two dogs Willow and Apollo.
His latest title: Off Like the Wind: The First Ride of the Pony Express: Hardcover only
Daniel Boone’s Greatest Escape: Hardcover only
Texas Rangers: Legendary Lawmen: Hardcover only
Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail: Hardcover and paperback
Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate: Hardcover
Renee Hand Bio 
My love for reading and writing started when I was a child. I always had a passion for it. I remember frequently wearing out the stone steps to the local library. When in a bookstore I would sit in the middle of an aisle perusing a novel that I was eagerly going to purchase but couldn’t wait to read. Often, when I had extra time, I would write stories that would pop into my head locking myself in my room for hours. Now that I am older my love for reading and writing has not diminished. In fact, it has only become a bigger part of me. It is because of this that I chose to share my interests with other readers who love books as much as I do.
My goal in writing is to entertain, but more importantly it is to build a connection with my readers. If I make another person feel some kind of emotion while they read my books, whether it be love, anger, compassion, or curiosity, then I did my job as a writer and that makes me feel good about what I write about.
I am not only a romance author but a children’s author of an amazing mystery series that encourages children to read by incorporating several topics of interest. The reader must participate into the story in order to solve the case.
I am an award-winning author, educator, tennis coach and various other things. I have been writing for over twenty years and have been a published author for five years with five works published. I write for various chronicles and newsletters, as well as write reviews for various authors of children´s books on my blog.
In my writing career thus far, I have been in over 40 newspapers and blogs. I have been interviewed on ABC channel 12 and on various radio stations and blogs, including Blog Talk Radio and The Children’s Author Show. I have participated in over 100 events, which include book signings, libraries, book stores, charities, schools and festivals all over the United States. I am a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children´s Book Writers and Illustrators). I am available on Facebook and I have two videos created for my series which can be seen from the homepage.
For me, it is all about my readers. I write for them and hopefully create a love of reading that will last a lifetime. My family has encouraged my talents and creativity  and I couldn’t have gotten this far without their support and love.
I have also received awards for my works. For Magic Hearts I won a Best 2006 Fantasy Romance award. My second romance novel Seduction of the Lonely Heart won a National Literary Award for Best Romance of 2007. I am thankful for these two awards. Book 1 of my new children’s series, The Crypto-Capers in The Case of the Missing Sock, won a preferred choice award for 2009 by Creative Child Magazine.
Check out the various books that I currently have available and coming soon, a new mystery series for lower elementary. All of the information is throughout the site.
If you would like me to review your children’s book, I can be contacted at thecryptocapersseries@gmail.com I love being an author! Thank you for all of your support.
Her latest title: Crypto-Capers: Case of the Golden Monkey: Book 3 Paperback only and Joe-Joe Nut: Paperback only
Crypto-Capers: Case of the Missing Sock: Book 1, Paperback only
Crypto-Capers: Case of the Red Rock Canyon: Book 2, Paperback only
K. L. Darnell Illustrator Bio  
Artist Kate Darnell has been drawing for as long as she can remember and even after 20 years of doing it, is thrilled each day to be making her living at what she loves most to do — drawing pictures. She earned her BFA studying drawing and painting at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design. In addition to her freelance career as an illustrator and calligrapher, she is a part-time instructor of art at Lansing Community College.
Her art has been described as “making you want to slow down and look.” Her intricate drawings are achieved through many layers of tiny colored pencil marks on vellum paper. She lives in East Lansing with her husband and daughter.
The American Reader: By Kathy-jo Wargin, illustrated by Kate Darnell, Hardcover only
The Michigan Reader: By Kathy-jo Wargin, illustrated by Kate Darnell Paperback only
Fibblestax: by Devin Scillian, illustrated by Kate Darnell, Paperback only
John Perry Bio
John Perry is a native Michigander and currently lives in Ann Arbor. After spending most of his youth tromping through swamps somewhere North of Howell, Perry eventually found employment in the advertising industry. These days he is a happily married Dad with two young girls, a cat, two hermit crabs and several houseplants.
The Book That Eats People is his debut book and has garnered rave reviews from critics and kids who have survived this  hungry title. Children who enjoy the humor of John Scieszka will “eat this book up” as well. Also, The Book That Eats People has been chosen as one of five finalists for the Children’s Choice Book Awards Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year. The awards, to be announced May 11, are sponsored by the Children’s Book Council, in association with Every Child a Reader, and the finalists were voted for by thousands of young readers. Congratulations John! One of the bookstore’s favorite titles of 2009.
His latest title:
The Book That Eats People
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Andre Williams Signing at
Book Beat – March 20, 5-6 p.m.
R & B legend Andre Williams will be at Book Beat, March 20, 2010 to speak and autograph copies of his debut book of fiction entitled Sweet and other stories from 5 to 6 p.m. Williams sang or spoke on some legendary singles for Detroit’s Fortune Records in the 50’s and 60’s including hits such as Bacon Fat, the Greasy Chicken and Jail Bait. Sweets and other stories is a rough and gritty tale of tragedy and perseverance from the mean streets of Chicago and Houston. It’s sure to be a memorable occasion. @ the Book Beat, 26010 Greenfield Road, Oak Park, MI 48237. 248 968 1190.
Free Recycling Workshop @ the Oak Park Community Center, Tuesday March 16 6-7:30 p.m.
SOCCRA Community Partners in Recycling and Waste is offering a free 1 and 1/2 hour recycling workshop for residents in Oak Park. Kathy Hyde from SOCCRA is hosting this fun and informative seminar. Please bring a friend if you are interested in attending. The seminar will be on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 from 6-7:30 at the Oak Park Community Center, 14300 Oak Park Boulevard (West side of the Oak Park Library ) Please call 248-288-5150 to reserve your spot.
Book Beat Reading Group March Selection
The Book Beat Reading Group will be meeting on  Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 @ 7 pm to be discussing Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, the 2009 National Book Award Winner. The reading group meets at the Goldfish Teahouse, 117 W. Fourth Street in downtown Royal Oak.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE:
We are sorry to announce that the SHARON FLAKE event has been canceled by the author due to a personal emergency. We are sorry for any inconvenience. PLEASE STAY TUNED: we will schedule a new date and time soon, thank you.
This event has been canceled:
CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR SHARON FLAKE AT THE OAK PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY
 Book Beat is pleased to announce that award-winning children’s and young adult fiction writer Sharon Flake is visiting the Oak Park Library on Saturday, February 20, 2010 where she will speak and autograph books. The event begins at 4:00 p.m. and coincides with Sharon Flake’s latest young adult title: You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys. Sharon Flake gained immediate acclaim with the release in 1998 of her first book, The Skin I’m In, for which she won the Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Award for New Talent. This book continues to be on required young adult reading lists for schools and libraries around the country and has reached classic status in the YA publishing world. Flake has also received the Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Money Hungry and Who Am I Without Him. Flake’s first book for a younger audience, The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street has also received much critical praise and is a title on the list for this year’s popular Southfield Public Libraries’ Battle of the Books contest. Her latest book, You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys, is a collection of poems and stories concerning the thoughts, fears and realities faced by young African American men in today’s world. This is written for boys aged 11 and up. This event is free and open to the public and promises to be a fun and thought-provoking visit from an exceptional author. Mark this event on your calendars and arrive a bit early for a great chance to meet and listen to one of today’s top Young Adult and Children’s literary talents.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE:
We are sorry to announce the SHARON FLAKE event has been canceled by the author due to a personal emergency. We are sorry for any inconvenience and will schedule a new date and time soon, thank you.
CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR SHARON FLAKE AT THE OAK PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Book Beat is pleased to announce that award-winning children’s and young adult fiction writer Sharon Flake is visiting the Oak Park Library on Saturday, February 20, 2010 where she will speak and autograph books. THIS EVENT IS CANCELED & POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: The event begins at 4:00 p.m. and coincides with Sharon Flake’s latest young adult title: You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys.
Sharon Flake gained immediate acclaim with the release in 1998 of her first book, The Skin I’m In, for which she won the Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Award for New Talent. This book continues to be on required young adult reading lists for schools and libraries around the country and has reached classic status in the YA publishing world. Flake has also received the Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Money Hungry and Who Am I Without Him. Flake’s first book for a younger audience, The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street has also received much critical praise and is a title on the list for this year’s popular Southfield Public Libraries’ Battle of the Books contest.
Her latest book, You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys, is a collection of poems and stories concerning the thoughts, fears and realities faced by young African American men in today’s world. This is written for boys aged 11 and up.
This event is free and open to the public and promises to be a fun and thought-provoking visit from an exceptional author. Mark this event on your calendars and arrive a bit early for a great chance to meet and listen to one of today’s top Young Adult and Children’s literary talents.
Leonard Pitts Jr. at the Detroit Public Library
 Leonard Pitts, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from the Miami Herald and author of several books, will be visiting the Detroit Public Library Main Branch as their special guest author for African American History Month. His debut novel, Before I Forget, concerns an ailing soul singer as he tries to make amends with the young son whose life he has neglected. Pitts Jr. is also the author of Becoming Dad, Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood.
Book Beat will be selling books for the event and the author will be on hand for autographing copies and a special afternoon discussion. The event occurs at Saturday, February 27, 2:00 p.m. at the Main Library – Friends Auditorium, 5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202. Call 313-833-4042 for more information or directions.
Valentine’s Day – Book Lovers Know What They Want
Valentine’s Day is upon us and Book Beat is packed full of gifts like a decadent chocolate full of some undetermined nougat. Stop by for a fantastic selection of romantic art and photography books, novels and quality Valentine’s cards. And you already know that gift certificates are an excellent choice, too. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
UPDATE ON THE BOOK BEAT READING GROUP
The Book Beat reading group meeting was canceled for January. The book discussion on Herta Muller’s (this year’s Nobel Prize winner) THE LAND OF GREEN PLUMS will be on Wednesday, February 24th at 7:00. Meetings are at Goldfish Teahouse, 117 West 4th Street Royal Oak MI 48067.
Random Acts of Kindness Week 2010: February 15-21
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the United States delegate to the World Kindness Movement, an organization that includes various nations. People in these countries promote kindness within their countries’ borders and are creating a global network of kindness and compassion.
 Some helpful ideas can be found in the Random Acts of Kindness revised edition. With stories, quotations and suggestions for inspiration.
One local organization that would be an excellent recipient of a random act of kindness is the Canticle Cafe in downtown Detroit. The cafe is a hospitality ministry of the Saint Aloysius Parish helping homeless and low-income individuals in Detroit. They sell and serve delicious organic, fair-trade Michigan roasted coffee beans with proceeds helping their patrons. You can purchase ground or whole beans at the location of the Cafe downtown, 1209 Washington Blvd, Detroit, or call their Coffee order HotLine at 313 309 1276. The coffee is $10 for a 1-pound bag, a good price for their high quality coffee.
Also, the people at Canticle Cafe have mentioned that they can always use new white athletic socks for their homeless patrons. If you’d like to help out with this you can drop off new white socks at Book Beat, we’ll have a box here that we will be bringing to the Canticle Cafe downtown February 22. A small expense that makes a big difference.
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American Library Association Children’s Book Awards, Congratulations Authors and Illustrators!
The ALA announced the Children’s Book Award winners on Monday, January 18. This was an exciting year for Book Beat because of the quality of the titles chosen, particularly this year’s Newbery Award Winner Rebecca Stead for her book, When You Reach Me. Also, one of our favorit e local author/illustrators, Herbert Wong Yee won a Theodore Geisel Honor Award for Mouse and Mole: Fine-Feathered Friends. Check out the list of 2010 winners from the winners. Congratulations Authors and illustrators!
We have many of the ALA winners on hand in our store; if you are interested in any of these titles please consider purchasing them from Book Beat, your local independent book seller.
DETROIT READS! One Book One Community Program
The Detroit Public Library Invites you to read and discuss: BEFORE I FORGET YOU by Leonard Pitts, Jr., on Saturday, Feb., 27th at 2:00 PM. Book Beat will be selling books at this event.
Random Acts of Kindness Week 2010: February 15-21
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the United States delegate to the World Kindness Movement, an organization that includes various nations. People in these countries promote kindness within their countries’ borders and are creating a global network of kindness and compassion.
 Some helpful ideas can be found in the Random Acts of Kindness revised edition. With stories, quotations and suggestions for inspiration.
One local organization that would be an excellent recipient of a random act of kindness is the Canticle Cafe in downtown Detroit. The cafe is a hospitality ministry of the Saint Aloysius Parish helping homeless and low-income individuals in Detroit. They sell and serve delicious organic, fair-trade Michigan roasted coffee beans with proceeds helping their patrons. You can purchase ground or whole beans at the location of the Cafe downtown, 1209 Washington Blvd, Detroit, or call their Coffee order HotLine at 313 309 1276. The coffee is $10 for a 1-pound bag, a good price for their high quality coffee.
Also, the people at Canticle Cafe have mentioned that they can always use new white athletic socks for their homeless patrons. If you’d like to help out with this you can drop off new white socks at Book Beat, we’ll have a box here that we will be bringing to the Canticle Cafe downtown February 22. A small expense that makes a big difference.
Rashi’s Daughters’ Author Maggie Anton Signing at Congregation Beth Shalom
 The author Maggie Anton, writer of the popular Rashi’s Daughters series will be speaking and signing Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:30 p.m at Congregation Beth Shalom. The Rashi’s Daughters’ series is set in 11th Century France and concerns a Jewish scholar who teaches his daughters the Talmud. This event is open to the public and is being sponsored by the Sisterhood of Congregation Beth Shalom at 14601 W. Lincoln Road, Oak Park, MI 48237. For more info call 248 547 7970.
Improve your relationships with DR. TERRI ORBUCH AT BALDWIN LIBRARY, Wed, Jan. 20th, at 7:00 PM
Join Dr. Terri Orbuch author of 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO TAKE YOUR MARRIAGE FROM GOOD TO GREAT at the Baldwin Public Library 300 W. Merrill, Birmingham. How do you manage successful relationships in stressful times? Dr. Terri Orbuch, Detroit Free Press columnist, author of 5 Simple Steps to Take your Marriage from Good to Great and featured guest on Fox 2, will help us restore our romantic relationships during these stressful times. The Book Beat will be selling books at this event.
We have signed copies now available of the book, it would make an excellent Valentine’s gift for any couples out there. Also, we have Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-seller Committed, another great Valentine’s gift idea.
UPDATE ON THE BOOK BEAT READING GROUP
The Book Beat reading group meeting will be canceled for January. The book discussion on Herta Muller’s (this year’s Nobel Prize winner) THE LAND OF GREEN PLUMS is now moved to Wednesday, February 24th at 7:00 – sorry for any inconvenience.
Henderson’s Light: Drinking, Driving and a Deadly Encounter
Written by local author Jack Torry about a tragedy that occurred in 1965. This book was recently featured in the Detroit News. Copies are available at Book Beat.
It started out as a post-swim meet pizza date. Five teenagers in a mid-sized Buick, out for an evening of fun. All too soon, the evening turned into one of screams and death, four lives lost, two kids terribly injured, the Buick smashed beyond recognition by the impact of the heavier convertible, whose driver was the fourth fatality. But it didn’t end then. Forty years later, aftereffects of the crash were still reverberating among the survivors – siblings, parents, friends, neighbors, and teachers – who were left to deal with the follow- on realities of a terrible tragedy, one more episode in the continuing American story of drunk driving and its consequences.
DONATE TO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
In light of the recent tragic earthquake in Haiti we hope you will consider a donation to the American Red Cross.
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Great Winter Reading & Gift Giving Ideas for the Holidays:
 The Kwame Sutra “The Kwame Sutra,” is “a one-stop shop for all of Kwame’s best BS,” says top-rated morning radio show host Drew Lane. This new book from Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters M.L. Elrick and Jim Schaefer captures Kwame Kilpatrick as no one ever has. In his own words, including never-before-published quotations, the former mayor of Detroit reveals himself in many ways: Liar, Lothario and, yes, leader.
We Specialize in Children’s Books:
 Life in the Boreal Forest “Gorgeously intricate illustrations perfectly complement equally evocative text in this introduction to the great northern, or boreal, forest, which sprawls across the entire northern hemisphere…Guiberson and Spirin manage to successfully convey the beauty and majesty of this forest and its denizens in two dimensions, and a list of organizations devoted to preserving the forest provides further information. An author’s note adds urgency to the message about the importance of preservation.”—Booklist, Starred Review Ages 4-8
 A Family Secret paperback, $9.99While searching his grandmother’s attic for likely items to sell at a yard sale, Jeroen finds a photo album that brings back hard memories for his grandmother, Helena. Helena tells Jeroen for the first time about her experiences during the German occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War, and mourns the loss of her Jewish best friend, Esther. Helena believes that her own father, a policeman and Nazi sympathizer, delivered Esther to the Nazis and that she died in a concentration camp. But after hearing her story, Jeroen makes a discovery and Helena realizes that her father kept an important secret from her.
An Eye For Color: The Story of Josef Albers * “Spare, engaging text paired with striking gouache illustrations make this book a perfect choice for aspiring  young artists.”—School Library Journal, starred review
“An accessible and lively introduction to this artist and to color theory.”—Publishers Weekly
“An expanded biographical spread and comprehensive glossary with a color wheel greatly enhance this unusual effort, which closes with hands-on projects that explore color theory.”—Booklist Ages 9-12
 The Magician’s Elephant What if? Why not? Could it be?
When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller’s mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be narrated by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes — hope and belonging, desire and compassion — with the lightness of a magician’s touch. Ages 9-12
 Forest Born A brilliant addition to the Books of Bayern, this book is a treat for fans of this series, and stands alone for readers who might be discovering the joys of Shannon Hale’s writing for the first time.
“One doesn’t need to have read the earlier books to become enraptured by this one, but doing so adds to the richness of these very satisfying tales.”—Kirkus Reviews
Ages 13 and up
 Midnight Charter (Hardcover) In a society based on trade, where everything can be bought and sold, the future rests on the secrets of a single document-and the lives of two children whose destiny it is to discover its secrets. In this spellbinding novel, newcomer David Whitley has imagined a nation at a crossroads: misshaped by materialism and facing a choice about its future. He has brought to life two children who will test the nation’s values-and crafted a spellbinding adventure story that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.
For readers who love Philip Pullman, THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER combines great storytelling with a compelling vision – a many layered adventure with powerful and timely implications.
 Liar (Hardcover) “Larbalestier creates and sustains a marvelous tension, as readers ponder what part of Micah’s narrative is true. Micah is wonderfully complex, both irritating and immensely likable. The unresolved ending will certainly provoke discussion, sending readers back to the text for a closer rereading.”—Booklist
Age 14 and up
 Sotah Set against the exotic backdrop of Jerusalem’s glistening white stones and ancient rituals, Sotah is a contemporary story of the struggle to reconcile tradition with freedom, and faith with love.
“The pleasures of Ragen’s book arise… from thought-provoking comparisons of Israeli Orthodox and American Jewish life.” –Publishers Weekly
 Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott When Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women was published in 1868 it was an instant success. Louisa drew on her experiences in writing the novel, but there’s a lot more to her rags-to-riches story. Louisa came from a family that was poor but freethinking, and she started teaching when she was only seventeen years old. But writing was her passion. This informative biography captures the life of a compassionate woman who left an indelible mark on literature for all ages. Ages 9-12
 Eidi: The Children of Crow Cove (The Children of Crow Cove Series) (Hardcover) “Like the previous book in the Children of Crow Cove series, this unassuming yet compelling story is notable for the simplicity and power of the storytelling, the clarity of description and characterization, and the humanity of the ideas at the novel’s heart.” —Starred, Booklist
“[A] heartfelt story of love and belonging.” —Kirkus Reviews
 Everything for a Dog (Hardcover) This parallel novel to Martin’s A Dog’s Life (Scholastic, 2005), about a stray named Squirrel, tells the tale of Squirrel’s brother and his search for a home. Unlike Dog’s Life, only part of the story is told from Bone’s perspective. Instead, it is also narrated by Henry, a boy desperately in want of a dog; and Charlie, who is dealing with the aftermath of his brother’s recent death. Though it follows the standard “boy and his dog” story line, Martin’s gentle tale also touches upon growing up, facing hardship, and the importance of companionship, no matter its form. The interconnected stories, told in alternating chapters, are thoughtfully written and crafted to a satisfying convergence. This is a touching and ultimately happy story that will appeal to fans of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s Shiloh (S & S, 1991) and Fred Gipson’s Old Yeller (HarperCollins, 1942), as well as to a wider audience.—Nicole Waskie (School Journal) Ages 9-12
 Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Volume 3 (Hardcover) $19.95, “[Jansson’s] work soars with lightness and speed, and her drawings only echo her writing: delicate but precise, observant yet suggestive . . . Jansson was exceptional, an exuberant explorer of emotional independence and interdependence, a liberating force.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
Moomin has been swiftly making its way into the hearts of North Americans ever since Drawn & Quarterly began collecting the strip in 2006. It debuted in the London Evening News in 1954 and has become the fastest-selling D+Q series to date. Fifty years ago, Tove Jansson’s observations of everyday life—whimsical but with biting undertones—easily caught the attention of an international audience and still resonate today.
 The True Deceiver (paperback) “…Jansson crafts an unsentimental – often mischievous – novel of ideas that asks whether it is better to be kind than to be truthful, especially for an artist. Ali Smith’s excellent introduction expresses shock and delight that there is still fiction by Jansson untranslated into English. After reading this gem, who could disagree?” —Financial Times
“I loved this book…understated yet exciting, and with a tension that keeps you reading. I felt transported to that remote region of Sweden and when I finished it I read it all over again. The characters still haunt me.”–Ruth Rendell
 The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My (Hardcover) In a delightful, curious game of what come next, Moomintroll travels through the woods to get home with milk for Moominmamma. A simple trip turns into a colorful adventure as Moomintroll meets Mymble who has lost her sister Little My. Along the way, they endue the hijinks of all teh charming characterse of the Moomin world including the Fillijonks and Hattifatteners. Will Moomin ever make it home safe and sound? A beautiful and boisterous story by internationally acclaimed children’s author Tove Jansson, this picture book is sure to tickle the fancies of parents and kids as well as Moomintroll fans everywhere!
 Weezer Changes the World (Hardcover) “Weezer is a cute little dog who does normal cute little dog things until one day he gets struck by lightning and everything changes. Suddenly Weezer can do extraordinary things. Then Weezer gets sick and it is up to everyone in the world to show him what they can do to change. The watercolor illustrations are comical and engaging.
Weezer Changes the World is not so much about how one person can change the world but how everyone together can make a difference if they really want to. This simple story grabs the great big scary world by the horns and tames it for young readers. It is meant to be read again and again as young children will gain more insight with each repetition.” — Advice From a Catapiller. online
 Only One You (hardcover) This is a story about a deep love that is shared between parents and their child. Sharing wisdom from one generation to another is so important.
As parents, our hope is that our words will be embraced and stored away until they are needed. I wanted this colorful story to be a springboard that allows families to talk about memories and life lessons with their children. There is certainly no more enjoyable close to a busy day than sharing a special story with your child.
By visually seeing these simple thoughts, together with fun, lively characters, children will make a meaningful connection and understand that they, in their own way, can truly make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of those around them. They will celebrate their own uniqueness.
 Ancient Gonzo Wisdom Bristling with inspired observations and wild anecdotes, this first collection offers a unique insight into the voice and mind of the inimitable Hunter S. Thompson, as recorded in the pages of Playboy, The Paris Review, Esquire, and elsewhere. Fearless and unsparing, the interviews detail some of the most storied episodes of Thompson’s life: a savage beating at the hands of the Hells Angels, talking football with Nixon on the 1972 Campaign Trail (“the only time in 20 years of listening to the treacherous bastard that I knew he wasn’t lying”), and his unlikely run for sheriff of Aspen.
 Oy Vey: More! The ultimate book of jewish jokes part 2 Hanukah Quizzes Matzo Ball Humor A Real Kosher Treat!
From rabbis to relationships, latkes to lawyers, and marriages to miracles, here is a feast of more than a thousand old and new Jewish jokes and witty anecdotes—and you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy them!
David Minkoff’s Web site, www.awordinyoureye.com, has attracted attention and contributions from around the world. Containing jokes to tell children, a compatibility test for couples, and humorous quips for special occasions, his book is a truly unique collection.
“This clever kosher compilation generates giggles galore.” —Publishers Weekly
“Terrific and addicting . . . guaranteed to make you laugh.” —The Reporter (New York)
 Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box Harken back to those thrilling days of yesteryear when the advent of rental videos astonished the movie-going consumer who could only feed his addiction by going to the theater or watching chopped up movies in between commercials on TV. Like vinyl, here is the revenge of another analog cast-off: the VHS is once again insinuating itself into American culture, and this book celebrates the anarchic design art of those early VHS boxes.
 The Art Student’s War In The Art Student’s War, his sixth novel, Brad Leithauser has brought off a double feat of imagination: a keen and affectionate rendering of an artist as a young woman and a loving historical portrait of a now-vanished Detroit in its heyday.
The story opens on a sunny spring day as a pretty woman, in a crowded wartime city, climbs aboard a streetcar. She is heading home, where another war—a domestic war—is about to erupt.
The year is 1943. Our heroine, Bianca Paradiso, is eighteen and an art student. She goes by Bea with friends and family, but she is Bianca in that world of private ambition where she dreams of creating canvases deserving of space on a museum’s walls. She is determined to observe everything, and there is much to see in a thriving, sleepless city where automobile production has been halted in favor of fighter planes and tanks, and where wounded soldiers have begun to appear with disturbing frequency.
 Generosity: An Enhancement (Hardcover) What will happen to life when science identifies the genetic basis of happiness? Who will own the patent? Do we dare revise our own temperaments? Funny, fast, and finally magical, Generosity celebrates both science and the freed imagination. In his most exuberant book yet, Richard Powers asks us to consider the big questions facing humankind as we begin to rewrite our own existence.
“Powers can write lovely and heartfelt stories (he won a National Book Award in 2006), but he also has a well-deserved reputation for brainy fiction (he won a MacArthur “genius” grant in 1989), and “Generosity” may be his most demanding novel yet. It’s told in a series of moments that run from just a paragraph to a few pages long, involving a triple-helix plot.” – Washington Post
 There Once Lived A Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby The literary event of Halloween: a book of otherworldly power from Russia’s preeminent contemporary fiction writer
Vanishings and aparitions, nightmares and twists of fate, mysterious ailments and supernatural interventions haunt these stories by the Russian master Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, heir to the spellbinding tradition of Gogol and Poe. Blending the miraculous with the macabre, and leavened by a mischievous gallows humor, these bewitching tales are like nothing being written in Russia—or anywhere else in the world—today.
J ustice: What’s the Right Thing To Do What are our obligations to others as people in a free society? Should government tax the rich to help the poor? Is the free market fair? Is it sometimes wrong to tell the truth? Is killing sometimes morally required? Is it possible, or desirable, to legislate morality? Do individual rights and the common good conflict?
Michael J. Sandel’s “Justice” course is one of the most popular and influential at Harvard. Up to a thousand students pack the campus theater to hear Sandel relate the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day, and this fall, public television will air a series based on the course. Justice offers readers the same exhilarating journey that captivates Harvard students. This book is a searching, lyrical exploration of the meaning of justice, one that invites readers of all political persuasions to consider familiar controversies in fresh and illuminating ways.
 Death of Bunny Munro At turns dark and humane, The Death of Bunny Munro is a tender portrait of the relationship between a boy and his father, with all the wit and enigma that fans will recognize as Nick Cave’s singular vision.
“Put Cormac McCarthy, Franz Kafka and Benny Hill together in a Brighton seaside guesthouse and they might just come up with Bunny Munro. As it stands, though, this novel emerges emphatically as the work of one of the great cross-genre storytellers of our age: a compulsive read possessing all of Nick Cave’s trademark horror and humanity, often thinly disguised in a galloping, playful romp.” —Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting
 Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Hardcover) From the author of the #1 bestseller Three Cups of Tea, the continuing story of this determined humanitarian’s efforts to promote peace through education
In this dramatic first-person narrative, Greg Mortenson picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan; his extensive work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders, and tribal leaders even as he was dodging shootouts with feuding Afghan warlords and surviving an eight-day armed abduction by the Taliban. He shares for the first time his broader vision to promote peace through education and literacy, as well as touching on military matters, Islam, and women-all woven together with the many rich personal stories of the people who have been involved in this remarkable two-decade humanitarian effort.
 The Wild Things The Wild Things, based loosely on the storybook by Maurice Sendak and the screenplay co-written with Spike Jonze, is about the confusions of a boy, Max, making his way in a world he can’t control. His father is gone, his mother is spending time with a younger boyfriend, his sister is becoming a teenager and no longer has interest in him. At the same time, he finds himself capable of startling acts of wildness — he wears a wolf suit, bites his mom, can’t always control his outbursts. During a fight at home, Max flees and runs away into the woods. He finds a boat there, jumps in, and ends up on the open sea, destination unknown. He lands on the island of the Wild Things, and soon he becomes their king. But things get complicated when Max realizes that the Wild Things want as much from him as he wants from them. Funny, dark, and alive, The Wild Things is a timeless and time-tested tale for all ages.
 Sweets The first fiction effort from the legendary Andre Williams! Sweets is a narrative which takes you for a wild ride from Chicago to Houston, New Orleans, and New York City, as a teenage girl finds herself in a family way, without a family. Forced to fend for herself, she is taken under the wing of a local pimp who entices her into prostitution. The adventures that follow are a free-for-all foray through the fantastic world of pimps and their women, funeral directors, gangs and drug running, with sidebar anecdotes that are guaranteed to appall, alarm and astonish. Extreme entries remain unedited, and none of Williams’ raw drawl storytelling style has been tampered with in this standout fiction debut.
Go-Monster, Go! MONSTER MANIA!
 Rat Fink Wacky Wobbler by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth
“Like Wow Man, a Bouncin’ Rat Fink Wacky Wobbler!”
During the hot rod craze of the 60’s, no one made more of an impact on popular culture than the legendary car customizer Ed “Big Daddy” Roth! RAT FINK, Big Daddy’s fly-infested alter ego and trademark was Roth’s most popular monster. This is a special limited edition in metallic groovy green!
 Cameron Jamie: silkscreen/ (unsigned) Destroy All Monsters exhibition poster designed by artist Cameron Jamie – a limited number of these are available from an edition of 100. This three color poster has a secret message scrawled in glow-in-the-dark green – just turn out your lights and turn on to a mystical light show that will liven up your secret cave.
 Destroy All Monsters ‘Monster Masher’ Trading Card Set Each card deck consists of a complete set of 40 thick glossy double-sided 3×4″ trading cards, two buttons, two stickers, one Japanese monster toy, and two postcard checklists with descriptions and titles for each image, all designed for the 2009 Printed Matter exhibition “Hungry for Death.” -each deck is numbered from an edition of 250 copies.
Also available is the 1975 Destroy All Monsters LP ‘Double Sextet’ and a reissue of the ‘original primal stew’ – the 3x CD set: Destroy All Monsters 1974-1976 . – also available is a new eco-friendly packaged reissue CD of Monster Island’s first acid-folk release “From the Michigan Floor”
 Flatwoods Monster Figurine (terracotta, votive candleholder) A wonderful artifact and folk art piece from the Flatwoods West Virgina UFO incident. This figurine and candle votive measures about 12″ tall and about 4″ wide at the base, it is fired clay and brightly painted. There are holes to emit light should you want to use this as an elaborate candle votive, by placing a candle underneath the sculpture and watching the light shoot through it.
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Sat., Dec. 5th: Debut Children’s Picture Books … Created in Michigan
 Book Beat and the Oak Park Public Library present three new books by Michigan authors and illustrators at the Oak Park Public Library on 14200 Oak Park Blvd on Saturday December 5 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm.
This event brings together author James Tobin and illustrator David Coverly for Sue MacDonald Had a Book, author John Perry with his book The Book That Eats People, and Philip Christian Stead, author and illustrator of Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast.
 REVIEW: “When asked about the inspiration for his first children’s book, Ann Arbor author Jim Tobin tells a story parents everywhere will recognize immediately: Settling his kids into bed with those consistent rituals all the experts recommend, he would sing them a song to send them off to the land of Nod. And in an excellent example of consistency having an effect, his youngest latched onto one in particular as her preferred soundtrack, requesting a seemingly endless loop.
“I got so sick of ‘Old MacDonald,’” Tobin laughed. “It was like, ‘How many verses are we gonna do?’ But eventually, some part of my brain said, ‘You know, it’s amazing nobody ever put the vowels in place of the e-i-e-i-o….’”
Well, we can’t say that anymore. -Source: the Ann Arbor News; Kid’s Songs Driving you Nuts?
Illustrator Dave Coverly is also a nationally syndicate cartoonist well known for his panel cartoon “Speed Bump,” that appears in more than two hundred newspapers, including The Washington Coat, The Chicago Tribune, and Parade magazine. Coverly has won several Reuben Award’s for his artwork. This is his first children’s book.
 INTERVIEW: What a pleasure to leave the solitude of the studio and connect with real, live, human beings via the Internet. My name is Philip Stead. I live in Ann Arbor, MI, though much of the work from my first book, Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast (Roaring Brook Press, Fall 2009), was created while living in Brooklyn, NY. Like many artists, I’ve fled the city to make room for those better equipped to manage the ballooning rent prices.
I feel very fortunate to work with Roaring Brook Press. My experience with Roaring Brook has been one that most artists only dream of these days. My early book dummy was approved by a single editor. I was then left almost completely alone for the eighteen months it took to create Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast. In my opinion, the chance that a piece of artwork has of retaining its integrity diminishes with each set of hands that touch it.
Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast is based on a strange but true Stead-family story. In the mid-1950s, in a fit of rage, my Grandpa Jack buried his least favorite meal (creamed tuna fish and peas on toast) in the yard, even carving a headstone for the vile dish. All of the characters in the book are my real family members—my Grandpa Jack and Grandma Jane and their five children. Source: Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
“This is a cautionary tale about a voracious book that may eat an unfortunate equally voracious and naive reader. The Book That Eats People by John Perry chronicles the horrific history of a book that, as the title says, eats people. This is that book. The book warns you not to read, as it’s a particularly nasty-tempted book. If you do, you’ll learn the fate of poor Sammy Ruskin, who was devoured by the pages, and the book’s other two (so far) victims.
Who wouldn’t want to read this book with that cover? Despite the multiple warnings, read this book. Kids will love the silly tale of a vicious book that eats people, including a library night guard, and the subsequent attempts to reform it of its cannibal ways. Adults will appreciate the cleverness, like when the book devours Sammy Ruskin, it’s then entitled “Whatever Happened to Sammy Ruskin?” It’ll have you both laughing aloud as you read the book how tries to hide its true identity as people-eating book, with a nice safe cover. You can guess how that turns out. Gulp.” Source: Bri Meets Books
Sun., Dec. 6th: Three Authors of Young Adult Fiction with Michigan Connections: Helen Frost, Pearl North, and Amy Huntley at the Baldwin Public Library
 Book Beat and the Baldwin Public Library are pleased to bring three authors of young adult and children’s fiction together for an event at the Baldwin Public Library on Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Helen Frost, Pearl North, and Amy Huntley are three talented authors with unique literary voices and strong female characters. This free afternoon event is an exciting chance to meet and listen to both veteran story-tellers and a promising newcomers in the world of young adult fiction.
 Helen Frost is the 2008 winner of Michigan’s Mitten Award for her children’s novel Diamond Willow and also the recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for verse. Her latest book, Crossing Stones, is also a novel told in verse written for young adult readers and is set in rural Michigan in 1917.
It’s 1917–Muriel Jorgensen is not happy that all the boys she knows are heading overseas to fight in the war we now call World War I. Her teacher and her mother think she should be careful in expressing her opinions, and even her best friend Emma doesn’t share her belief that women should have the right to vote.
In poems spoken in the voices of Muriel, Emma, and Muriel’s brother Ollie, CROSSING STONES takes us through nine months in the lives of two families living on opposite sides of Crabapple Creek in rural Michigan as the war, the women’s suffrage movement, and the flu epidemic alter the lives of the characters and the history of the world. (from the author’s website, 12 and up.)
Crossing Stones has received positive starred reviews from Horn Book, Kirkus and Booklist and would be an excellent choice for young readers interested in historical fiction and lovers of poetry from any age.
“With care and precision, Frost deftly turns plainspoken conversations and the internal monologues of her characters into stunning poems that combine to present three unique and thoughtful perspectives on war, family, love and loss. Heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful, this is one to savor. “Kirkus starred review.
 Libyrinth by Pearl North is a fantasy novel for teens that takes place in a vast library realm. This is the debut novel by Pearl North, pen name for fantasy author Anne Harris who lives in the Detroit metro area.
For as long as she can remember, Haly has heard the voices of the books. Growing up in the Libyrinth, a library so large that people sometimes get lost in it and never come out, she has been surrounded by words and stories her entire life. When the Libyrinth’s mortal enemies, the illiterate Singers, discover her unique ability, they are determined to use her to destroy her home forever. In order to save all that she loves, Haly must learn to think and dream like a Singer. (From the author’s website, Ages 13 and up.)
Everafter is the first YA novel by East Lansing, Michigan author Amy Huntley and is a stirring and imaginative glimpse into the afterlife. Huntley is a high school teacher and her impressive debut includes realistic look at high school life and a surreal take on death. 
Madison Stanton doesn’t know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this—she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can reexperience—and sometimes even change—moments from her life.
Her first kiss.
A trip to Disney World.
Her sister’s wedding.
A disastrous sleepover.
In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life—and death (From the publisher’s website, Ages 12 and up.)
“…Madison is an engaging protagonist, and the author builds a strong sense of tension; much of her story works well as slice-of-life realism. Huntley is an author worth watching.” From Publisher’s Weekly.
The authors will speak and also autograph their books which will be available for purchase at the event. The Baldwin Public Library is located at 300 West Merrill Street Birmingham, MI 48009, Phone# 248.647.1700.
We appreciate your support for our events and the talented authors connected to our state. Please send on our newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. To reserve any copies or for more information please call Book Beat (248)-968-1190.
Wed., Jan. 20, 2010: Book Beat Reading Group Meeting
The Book Beat reading group will meet Wednesday, Jan., 2oth at 7 PM at the Goldfish Teahouse in Royal Oak. We will be discussing The Land of Green Plums by the 2009 Nobel Laureate in literature Herta Müller.
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