2012 Book Fair at Quail Ridge Books
As part of Bookmarked! 2012, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh is hosting a Lucy’s Book Club Book Fair, April 27-29. Purchases may be made in the store, over the phone (919.828.1588), by email (orders@quailridgebooks.com), and online. Patrons may dedicate any purchases made on those days to the Lucy Daniels Center, and Quail Ridge will donate 20% of the sales to Bookmarked! fundraising efforts. Please note: You must say at time of purchase that your purchase is to benefit the Lucy Daniels Center. If ordering online, after choosing the “checkout” option, specify “Lucy Daniels Center” in the “Order Comments” box at the bottom of the screen. This is an excellent opportunity for you to stock up on reading materials for yourself and for your family and friends and benefit the Center’s families at the same time.
Works by Bookmarked! 2012's featured author Audrey Penn are available from Quail Ridge Books as part of the book fair. All books will be available for preview at the Lucy's Book Club/Bookmarked! display at Quail Ridge. Ms. Penn will sign any of her books purchased through the book fair in advance of her appearances at Bookmarked!. Attendees of her readings are encouraged to purchase their books in the store or online (and dedicate that purchase to the Center) in advance of her appearances in order to guarantee receiving a signed copy. (No personalization will be available.) A limited number of signed books will also be available for purchase during the book fair.
Titles by Audrey Penn that will be featured at Bookmarked! readings include:
The Kissing Hand
In her foreword to Penn's tale about Chester, a young raccoon who would rather stay at home than go to school, Jean Kennedy Smith notes that the story is "for any child who confronts a difficult situation, and for the child within each of us who sometimes needs reassurance." Its message is delivered by Mrs. Raccoon, who tells her son that "I know a wonderful secret that will make your nights at school seem as warm and cozy as your days at home." She then kisses his palm, and Chester feels the kiss "rush from his hand, up his arm, and into his heart." Whenever he gets lonely, she advises, he is to press his hand to his cheek and "that very kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts." As it may for youngsters in comparable situations, this "secret" works for Chester, who in turn kisses his mother's palm so that she, too, will be reassured. Ages 3-8. (Publisher's Weekly)
A Pocket Full of Kisses
In this sequel [to The Kissing Hand], Chester has another hurdle to overcome: sibling rivalry. It's bad enough that his new brother Ronny is a pest ("He pulls my tail and talks to my friends and follows me everywhere I go!" Chester complains). But the hero is thrown for a loop when he sees Mrs. Raccoon giving Ronny a Kissing Hand-a smooch in the middle of her child's palm, which, as in the first book, sends "the warmth of that kiss [rushing] from his hand, up his arm, and into his heart"-previously reserved just for Chester. "How come you gave the baby my Kissing Hand?" Chester wails. But with his mother's patient reassurance and an analogy borrowed from nature (there will always be enough love to go around, just as the sun never runs out of light), he begins to believe she won't run out. Ages 4-8. (Publisher's Weekly)
Mystery at BlackBeard's Cove
Okracoke Islanders Billy, Daniel, Stephanie, and Mark love Mrs. McNemmish's tales of her ancestor, the great pirate Blackbeard. One day she tells them that, when she dies, whoever buries her at sea will be greatly rewarded. A few days later, she is dead, and the kids steal her casket to provide the sea grave she requested. Later they discover an old chest that serves as a doorway to a dark and mysterious cave, and forced through the entryway by a greedy islander, they soon find themselves in a dark tunnel filled with bones and buried treasure. Grades 5-8. (Booklist)
Ms. Penn will read excerpts from her chapter books in a special reading for older children at the NC Museum of History.
Check back for updated details about additional titles.
