📚🎡 The Art of Book Fair Setup

What’s New at Linden Tree

Flo,

Spring is still a week away, but book fair season has already arrived. Every week I’m loading up our delivery truck (aka my minivan) with books from our warehouse (aka my garage) to set up a mini-Linden Tree at one of our local schools.

Setup is actually one of my favorite parts of the fair–no two rooms (library, multi-purpose room, etc) are the same and it’s always a fun challenge to arrange everything in a way that feels natural and harmonious. And since children’s books come in so many nonstandard sizes and shapes, there’s no magic formula to make everything fit. (I usually tell parent volunteers not to worry about where they’re putting books because I’m just going to move everything a dozen times anyway.) Flo made a time-lapse video at a recent fair that captures the process.

📚 Books I’m looking forward to this week: Prepare to be amazed by Marianna Coppo’s The Book That Can Read Your Mind. Lady Rabbit asks the reader to choose a character from her audience and then she figures out who it is... every time! Kids will love this one–reading repeatedly to experience the magic trick. Meanwhile, Until August is the novel Gabriel García Márquez was writing at the time of his death, published now for the first time. I realize posthumously-released “lost” novels have a mixed track record, but if you’re a Márquez fan, this slim, 144-page novella is worth your time.

See you at the store,

Chris

Next Tuesday is Dog Man Day!

Come by the store next Tuesday (March 19) after school to pick up the new Dog Man book, The Scarlet Shedder. We’ll have tons of goodies to give away, including stickers, posters, masks, and more. Pre-order your copy now »

📅 Upcoming Events

Shruthi Rao

This Saturday at 11am

Join us as author Shruthi Rao shares her delightful new picture book, Kadooboo! A Silly South Indian Folktale. In this South Indian folktale retelling full of playful wordplay and humor, a boy mixes up the name of a delicious dish he is carrying home to his mother.

Kadooboo! Golden brown, puffy, sweet, and crunchy, it’s fresh from the pan—a delicious treat! As soon as it’s ready, Kabir runs home with some to share. He’s got to be quick, before the rain! But wait … can he remember the treat’s name? (His Amma is sure to ask!) Of course he can. That is, if fun and friends aren’t too distracting along the way.

As Kabir makes his way, the sights and sounds of the street and interactions with friends start to jumble his memory. A cool new comic, and suddenly the treat is book-oo-doo! When a ball whizzes toward him—duck-oo-boo! With so much fun to be had, Kabir reaches home with a trail of friends … and a jumble of names. Could he possibly remember the right one?

March Book Clubs

Middle Grade Book Club (ages 9+)

Sunday, March 17 at 4pm

Led by bookseller Lorilee, our middle grade book club introduces interested readers to amazing new books and the opportunity to talk about them in a fun, relaxed group setting. This month’s book is Alex Wise vs the End of the World by Terry J. Benton-Walker, the story of a 12-year-old boy leading the charge against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world.

Adult Fiction Book Club

Wednesday, March 20 at 7:30pm

Join booksellers Andi and Sierra for the next meeting of our Adult Fiction Book Club. This month, we’ll be discussing Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. It’s a glorious and immersive novel about two childhood friends, once estranged, who reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. We’ll have a lively discussion with snacks and beverages. (Prefer the audiobook? Get it on Libro.fm!)

Dashka Slater

Sunday, March 24 at 10:30am

We’re excited to welcome back New York Times bestselling author Dashka Slater as she shares Escargot’s latest adventure, Escargot and the Search for Spring!

Bonjour! After a long winter spent indoors, Escargot can’t wait to look outside for the first signs of Spring. Will he find a new friend in the fluffy white bunny he meets along the way?

Fromauthor Dashka Slater and former Pixar animator Sydney Hanson, Escargot and the Search for Spring is an irresistibly sweet and charming story about unlikely friendship, changing seasons, and springtime fun. This hilarious and interactive addition to the award-winning Escargot series is the ideal read aloud for story time and animal lovers alike. Oh là là!

📅 Mark Your Calendar

Sunday, March 24 at 2:30pm: Story Writing Workshops (ages 7-11)
Sunday, March 24 at 3:30pm: Story Writing Workshops (ages 12+)
Wednesday, April 3 at 5pm: Booki Vivat, Meet Me on Mercer Street
Thursday, April 11 at 6pm: Boozy Book Fair at State Street Market
Friday, April 19 at 4pm: Ben Clanton, Tater Tales: The King of the World!
Sunday, April 21 at 6pm: Joanna Ho and Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, We Who Produce Pearls at 129 State Street RSVP »
Tuesday, April 23 at 6pm: Stacey Lee, Kill Her Twice, in conversation with Stephanie Garber RSVP »
Thursday, April 25 at 6pm: Chanel Miller, Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All
Saturday, April 27: 🎈 INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY 🎉