The Indie Reader is quite impressive.  Twenty pages of book suggestions and event schedules, there was practically a book on every page that sounded fascinating.  Kepler’s is certainly a player in the ebook age, many of the books in newspaper had a QR code, just scan the code and download the book.  The newspaper also directed readers to Kepler’s other social networking endeavors, three blogs (one for teens, one for writers and another for everyone else) and a Facebook page.  Anyone who still believes bookstores are remnants of a bygone era needs to stop by here.  Efforts to create a community aren’t limited to the internet.  The newspaper highlights the store’s Literary Circle Membership, a group of people willing to put their reading money to good use.  A variety of membership levels offer members discounts, rewards and special access to author events.  It’s perfect for anyone who wants to participate in the active literary scene at Kepler’s.

Does the store back up the image in The Indie Reader?  Absolutely!  It’s a spacious full service store with plenty of stock.  I appreciated the bulk of reading recommendations for kids and teens up front, Kelsey was absorbed from the moment we walked in.  The literary fiction section winds down the length of a large wall, ending in a shelf dedicated to Europa books.  I always find book group shelves interesting, it’s a way to keep up with what many people are reading around the country.  Here, it’s a delight.  A whole row of shelves is given over to dozens and dozens of book groups, some with clever names like “Hotties” or “1961″ (the year the group started, I had to ask).  The non-fiction and genre sections are just as extensive, this is a store where odds are good you’ll find what you need.  There are used books also, not a huge section but definitely some good choices.  Moreover, Kepler’s has an extensive selection of magazines, one area of the bookstores that is getting harder to find.

After meandering for quite awhile, Kelsey found me with two books she had to read.  After reading about them in The Indie Reader I wanted them too and so as I paid for the two hardbacks, I told the cashier “I came in here saying only one paperback.”  He looked at Kelsey and said “well done.”

Kepler’s Books

1010 El Camino Real

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Tel:  650.324.4321

One wanders into Hicklebee’s from the crowded sidewalk in downtown Willow Glen, California (a neighborhood of San Jose) to find a lively place decorated with posters and bookshelves full of interesting things. The high ceilings, displaying colorful mobiles and hangings full of literary characters, are a small distraction from the squeals of joy coming from the toddlers as they play with the toys, strewn about in the toddler corner. This busy store is clearly for the young at heart.

As I meander through the store, I quickly discover a special spot. The magical corner up a step from the main floor, as if a stage, which holds the jewels of this children and young adult bookstore. It’s in this corner that I find the perfect gift, an autographed copy of that special book for the child in my life. The store owner, sure to cover all of her bases, has also included a few choice shelves of interesting and unique books for adults so the kids can play and read as the adults take a look at inspiring titles instead of growing anxious waiting for the children.

Included in this special shop is a museum of sorts, where a visitor can find such important items as The Acorn, which fell on Chicken Little’s head, The Pink Refrigerator provided by Tim Egan, Charlotte’s Web and a doodle by J.K. Rowling. These treasures abound as the “Hall of Fame” within the store has crept out from its original corner to cover most of the store.

Hincklebee’s has been inviting authors and illustrators on a regular basis for readings and book signings for decades, making this place a must on a special afternoon, or evening out with the children. Some recent visitors have included award winning authors Chris Crutcher, Marc Brown and Lois Lowery, as well as newcomers Johanna Philbin and Brandon Mull to name but a few.

For the young and young at heart, Hicklebee’s is a delightful place where fantasy, non-fiction, science, mathematics and fiction come alive. Yes, I did say math and science, which Valerie Lewis owner of the store makes sure to include in the collection for readers. Her philosophy is to help young children and teens learn through reading and reading includes all subjects, not just fiction.

The staff of Hincklebee’s has been diligently supplying young readers in Silicon Valley and nationwide with varied and fabulous reading options. Their web site allows far off shoppers to benefit from the staff’s solid expertise as they readily answer questions on a call or in email. I have found the staff at Hincklebee’s to be exceptionally well versed and knowledgeable as they instinctively keep up with the “hip” younger crowd providing excellent recommendations to those of us in serious need of a perfect gift.

Hicklebee’s

1378 Lincoln Ave.

San Jose, CA 95125

Tel:  408.292.8880 or 888.898.0093

192 Books specializes in literary fiction, “literary non-fiction” (think history), art, travel (the yummy cooking and experiencing side of travel) and children’s books.  When I say literary fiction, I mean it.  The front “come hither” table for fiction didn’t have The Help or the books with pie in the title that I can never remember (Sweet Bottomless something and Potato Peel something), all nice reads, this table had Proust, all three volumes of Remembrance of Things Past.  My three favorite literary fiction publishers (Europa, NYRB and Archipelago) were present in abundance.  The events feel as curated as the selection.  David McCullough recently passed through and there are a few this summer, evenly spaced through the season.

For me though, it was the shelves and shelves of art books that lined the upper portion of one wall and wound around to the next.  From criticism to theory to biographies to monographs to gallery life, the topics are wide ranging.  The commitment to art goes beyond the written word, the store offers up its limited wall space to exhibits of contemporary art.  Located in the heart of the Chelsea gallery district, 192 Books brilliantly reflects its neighborhood.

This is the type of store, short on space but big on books, that I would normally assume would skimp on the kids section, but the shelves devoted to children’s books are kid height filling the bottom shelf around a good portion of the bookstore.  Perfectly designed for the kids to look at books on one level while the parents are looking at their choices just above.  Why doesn’t every store do that?

192 Books picks just the right books, at least for me, and will be a must see stop every time I’m in NYC.

192 Books

192 Tenth St (at 21st St)

New York, NY 10011

Tel:  212.255.4022

My favorite way to discover new books is from independent bookstores.  Needless to say, when their organization, the American Booksellers Association, names the best books of the year, I pay attention.  The finalist list for the Indies Choice Book Award is announced March 1st.  Members of the ABA, bookstore owners and staff, vote for his or her favorite book throughout the month of March.  The winners were announced this week.

• Adult Fiction: Room, by Emma Donoghue (Little, Brown) – my favorite book of 2010 also.
• Adult Nonfiction: Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House) – I haven’t met a single person who didn’t love this book.
• Adult Debut: Matterhorn, by Karl Marlantes (Atlantic Monthly Press and El León Literary Arts) – the buzz at this week’s BEA is about his latest book due out soon, What It’s Like To Go To War
• Young Adult: Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly (Delacorte Books for Young Readers) – I always give my daughter a copy of the winner of the Indies Choice YA Book Award, she’s thrilled it’s a book she hasn’t read yet

E.B. White Read-Aloud Award Winners:

• Middle Reader: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger (Amulet Books)
• Picture Book: Children Make Terrible Pets, by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Picture Book Hall of Fame Inductees (there are always three each year)

• Corduroy, by Don Freeman (Viking)
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle (Philomel)

This is a list that will give you a heads up on what to read this summer.

Mother and son reading on the kangaroo's tail

The Store Of My Childhood Dreams

My favorite day in elementary school was the day the Scholastic Books flyers arrived.  Growing up in a small town with very few bookstore options and having read through everything of interest in our small library, this was my monthly goldmine of book discoveries.  Weighing my desire for each book while carefully allocating my allowance money provided early lessons in money management.  This childhood literary crush didn’t fade with time.  When my kids started school, I raced to volunteer to be the Scholastic Parent.  Every year I was amazed that I was competing with nobody, the parents and teachers happily gave me the job.

When I saw The Scholastic Store on my way to Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, I practically skipped over (well, I might have actually skipped if the weather wasn’t so hot and muggy).  I hesitated for a moment going into a children’s bookstore without any kids, either with me or at home.  I realized this was the perfect opportunity since my teenagers would have wanted to spend less time in a children’s bookstore than I would.  The store is a delight!  It’s a cross between a playground and a bookstore.  Don’t take my word for it, check out the store tour video.

The Scholastic Store is organized by age.  I spent quite awhile in the YA section for teenage readers.  As a mother who inadvertently gives her daughter YA books that are too old for her, I found it helpful that the YA books were divided between teens and pre-teens.  The sales people were immensely helpful, pointing out several books that a lover of the Twilight series might enjoy.  The rest of the store was a bit of a walk down memory lane.  The Magic Tree House section reminded me of the hours we spent learning about the world from Ms. Frizzle.  Harry Potter central brought back the days we had to buy three copies of the latest book so we could all read it at once.  And of course, I recalled the truly olden days when the Big Red Dog was the hero of our world.  Add to those series the Hunger Games trilogy, the 39 Clues Books, and Madeline, it’s clear Scholastic publishes terrific kids books.  To see them all together in this publisher’s bookstore is a treat.

The Scholastic Store is more than a purveyor of books, it’s an activity center.  With regular storytime every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, activities every Saturday and a dream birthday party destination spot, the store attracts our littlest readers with fun.

If you’re in Soho, with or without kids, stop by and indulge yourself in a visit to childhood reading.

The Scholastic Store

557 Broadway

Soho, NY

Tel:  212.343.6166

(You may wonder why a 12-year-old girl was invited to a baby shower.  It’s not a teen pregnancy thing.  It’s just that Annie’s social life is always busier and more interesting than mine.  I’ve stopped questioning it.)

So there I am, panicking a little, trying to think of what stores are nearby . . . and then I think, “Oh, wait.  The bookstore!”  I run over to my all-time favorite local Indie, Village Books in the Pacific Palisades, and I head to the back to the children’s corner.  Katie O’Laughlin, who owns the store, once told me that picture books are one of the few things that e-books can’t compete with, so it’s something small bookstores like to keep a good stock of.

I wanted this present to be special since it was coming from Annie, and then it hit me: I should pick out the picture books that meant something to her when she was little (which feels like a minute ago and an eternity ago), the ones that she and I read over and over together because they meant something to us, or just brought us both so much pleasure we never stopped enjoying them.

The second I spotted Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes, it was in my arms.  Both my daughter and I are natural worriers.  We don’t face any new situation without fretting about the various things that might go wrong, the people who might not be friendly, the parking spaces that might not materialize, the food that might not be good . . .  I love that book because it acknowledges that not all kids are carefree and lighthearted.  That was an easy one.

"Our" book

I was tempted to get one of Ian Falconer’s Olivia books because we loved those so much, especially the first one. The drawings and the text are just perfect.  But they’ve become so hugely popular that I worried a little she might already have gotten them.  While I was trying to decide, my son came up and handed me Ferdinand the Bull.  ”You have to give her this,” he said.  ”It’s our story.”  (Ferdinand, for those who don’t remember, is the bull who would rather pick daisies than act like the other bulls.  And, yes, it is our story,)

I also got Jules Feiffer’s I Lost My Bear which is maybe the most fun book to read out loud ever, because the narrator/protagonist is wildly over the top emotional as she searches for her lost teddy bear.  It’s a fun, fun book and I’ve always loved pretty much anything Feiffer’s ever done, for kids or adults.

My memory being what it is, I can’t remember for sure but I think I also got another Kevin Henkes, Sheila Rae the Brave, because that was a real favorite of Annie’s.  So was Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse and Julius the Baby of the World.  Basically you can’t go wrong with Kevin Henkes.

I couldn’t buy every favorite book because there wasn’t money, time or world enough, and I won’t bore you by listing them.  But if you’re a mom or a dad, the next time you need to get a great baby shower gift, think about picking out your own kid’s favorite picture books and writing a little note about why each one was special to him or her.  Even better, take your kid along and let him pick the books out and dictate or write the note himself.   I can’t think of anything more special or more likely to get used over and over again.

Plus it gives you an excuse to go to the bookstore.  And we all like to do that.

Great minds think alike: Kim just reminded me she’s written about her own favorite baby shower book choices.  Check out her top picks.

There were some books with themes that I couldn’t find an excursion, but the Magic Tree House website has suggested activities for every book, plus computer activities, perfect for slow summer days.  In any event, it isn’t necessary to plan something for every book, just enough to create an atmosphere of fun around reading the books.  Here are some suggestions:

Dinosaurs Before Dark – Natural History Museum

Mummies in the Morning – Egyptian art in a museum

Night of the Ninjas – Shinto Temple, Japanese restaurant, Japanese grocery store

Afternoon on the Amazon – Conservatory or jungle type garden, zoo

Sunset of the Sabertooth – Natural History Museum with fossilized bones, zoo

Midnight on the Moon – any space exhibit

Dolphins at Daybreak – beach, aquarium, aquatic park

Ghost Town at Sundown – hoe down, square dancing, hay ride

Lions at Lunch Time – zoo

Polar Bears past Bedtime – zoo or aquatic park

Day of the Dragon King - Chinatown, Chinese restaurant or grocery store or cooking a Chinese recipe together

Tigers at Twilight – zoo

Revolutionary War on Wednesday – 4^th of July celebrations

Stage Fright on a Summer Night – kid’s theatre production, Shakespeare production

Good Morning, Gorillas – zoo

High Tide in Hawaii – Gidget movie

Once my kids started reading the series, they were addicted.  Written for beginning independent readers they are perfect for kids just ready to  enjoy reading alone and discover that the joy of reading isn’t limited to the book.  The series is truly gender neutral, both boys and girls enjoy it.  The books don’t have to be read in order, but there is a background story of Jack and Annie helping create a library of books found throughout history with Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s sister.  Some of the stories have accompanying Research Guides, so if a subject sparks a passion, explore the non-fiction companion.

Staying close to home for most of the summer shouldn’t mean boredom, add a spice of adventure with the help of Jack, Annie and their creator, Mary Pope Osborne.

My girlfriend, Jackie, sent me this link today.  I hadn’t heard of The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison until I viewed this video.  Normally, I wouldn’t recommend a book until I had read it.  However, I love the message of the video, that it’s the ordinary days that create the fabric of life.  One of my many Kim-isms it that, the moments in my life that are the most meaningful to me aren’t planned and they are frequently small.  I love our adventures, but I know that what binds my family together is the daily ride home from school, the family dinners, or the inside jokes.  Don’t get a romantic view of our life, those rides home can be sullenly silent, many dinners can be aggravating and the jokes can fall flat, but that’s part of creating the ties.   So, even though I haven’t read the book and knowing what my schedule it between now and Mother’s Day, I won’t be able to read it by then, the video itself is worth the time to watch.  Then, follow my example and buy the book and add it to the mix of what you plan to read, soon.

Wolf Hall Wins the Tournament of Books

My heart told me that I would love to see The Lacuna and Wolf Hall meet in the finals of the Tournament of Books, but my head said pick Let the Great World Spin and Wolf Hall with Let the Great World Spin receiving the Rooster.  Should have gone with my heart this time.  I didn’t think The Lacuna would beat out Let the Great World Spin, but I was wrong.  While none of the judges seemed passionate about either book (in one match up, Wolf Hall won because of the family dynasty chart), I loved them both.  In fact, I was glad I didn’t have to chose between them.  In the end, it was a close round with Wolf Hall just barely edging out The Lacuna.

I’m hoping The Morning News buys a rooster in England to send to Hilary Mantel rather than ship her an American version.  I shudder to think how long a rooster would have to stay in quarantine before it was let loose.

The Winners of the Indies Choice Book of the Year Awards

Yesterday, the American Booksellers Association announced the winners of 2010 Indies Choice Book of the Year winners:

Adult Fiction: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Adult Nonfiction: The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Adult Debut: The Help by Kathryn Stockett – The only surprise here is if she hadn’t won, now the five people who haven’t read the book should go and get it to know what everyone else is talking about
Young Adult: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – This helps make up for the grave mistake of not picking The Hunger Games last year.  In fact, why not just name Mockingjay as the 2011 winner right now and be done with it.
Middle Reader: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead – No surprise and richly deserved.
New Picture Book: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

I would love to attend an event with Kate DiCamillo (hello Los Angeles bookstores!) who won Most Engaging Author.  She won “both for being an in-store star and for having a strong sense of the importance of indie booksellers to their local communities.”

Three books were voted into the Indies Choice Book Awards Picture Book Hall of Fame:

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz – a phrase I use more now with teenagers than I did when they were young, I wonder if the authors would consider a YA edition.
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans – I still remember my daughter’s Madeline doll and the pictures of the little girls all lined up.
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson – A beautiful book about accepting people (and bulls) for who they are.

I’m kind of bummed that the two awards that are the most fun and bring a smile to my face are awarded in the same week.  Just 51 more weeks to wait . . .