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The Bookies Monthly Newsletter
| March 2015
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Spring is coming!
Friday, March 20th, heralds the start of spring and at The Bookies we're already excited about Easter and Passover! Our science section has innovative ways to help you enjoy the bright weather and check out our Paperback Roundup to see which of our favorite books are now out in paperback - much easier to hold while soaking up the spring sunshine on your porch. Awards season is in full swing too, and we've included a summary of recent winners below. And don't forget our monthly selection of some of the best new publications around - scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter to find our March Magnificents!
Celebrating Spring
Just walk into the store for that instant spring feeling!
It might still be cold outside, but we're ready for Easter and Passover. We've got lots of books, for all ages, including stories, both traditional and modern, cookbooks for holiday treats and parties, and colorful picture books for the youngest members of the family. Plus lots of wonderful gifts, including soft toys, games, stationery and all kinds of surprises.
Come on in and warm up for spring with us!
Your Chance to Hold an Award in Your Hand!
We won't all hold an Oscar, but you can hold an award-winning book!
 Winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
How can you make poetry appeal to children? Use it for a fast-moving book about basketball and family! Our narrator is junior high school basketball star, Josh Bell, who wrestles with the change in his relationship with his twin brother, Jordan, when Jordan falls in love. Meanwhile, the twins' father's blithe attitude to his own health threatens the stability of the family. Josh narrates the book in varied styles of verse that hustle this compact story forward. Poetry is nothing to be afraid of here, quite the opposite.
The Newbery embraced different narrative styles this year, with Jacqueline Woodson's free-verse autobiography Brown Girl Dreaming taking one of the runner-up spots, and Cece Bell's graphic novel memoir El Deafo taking the other. El Deafo is now out in paperback - see our roundup below for more details.  Winner of the 2015 Caldecott Medal for the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat. This magical story begins on an island far away where an imaginary friend is born. He patiently waits his turn to be chosen by a real child, but when he is overlooked time and again, he sets off on an incredible journey to the bustling city, where he finally meets his perfect match and at long last is given his special name: Beekle. The Caldecott Committee honored six other books: Nana in the City, written and illustrated by Lauren Castillo The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art, illustrated by Mary GrandPré and written by Barb Rosenstock Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, illustrated by Jon Klassen and written by Mac Barnett Viva Frida, illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant This One Summer, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki and written by Mariko Tamaki. This One Summer is a graphic novel for young adults and was also an honor book for the Printz awards. This has just come out in paperback, see below for more details.  Winner of the 2015 Michael L. Printz Award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Jude and her brother, Noah, are incredibly close twins. At thirteen, impassioned, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude surfs and wears red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and divisive ways...until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy as well as a captivating new mentor, both of whom may just need her as much as she needs them. Life before the event that divides them is Noah's story to tell. Life after it is Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that each only have half the story, and if they could find their way back to one another, they'd have a chance to remake their world.Honor books in the Michael L. Printz awards were: And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. See our paperback roundup below for more details on these!
Denver: Center of the Book World 2016!
 The American Booksellers Association (ABA) has just announced that its 2016 Winter Institute will take place in Denver. The institute is a three-day educational event for owners and staff of ABA (independent) bookstores. Sessions include innovative education groups, roundtables, author events, and networking opportunities with booksellers, publishers, and industry vendors.
Independent bookstores like The Bookies are still thriving, and some are expanding, even in the digital reading age - find out more in this article.
Now in Paperback! Some of our favorite books have recently come out in paperback. Check out our roundup for anything you've been waiting for - or enjoy our recommendations!
 The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer - Picked by Larry
The latest from one of the greats in spy fiction came out in paperback in January. When her husband is assassinated, Sophie Kohl calls on former lover, Stan Bertolli, a Cairo-based CIA agent, to find out why. Olen Steinhauer's masterful manipulations slowly unveil a portrait of a marriage and a jigsaw puzzle of loyalty and betrayal, against a dangerous world of political games where allegiances are never clear and outcomes are never guaranteed.
 Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan - Picked by Ryan
A hugely popular book for ages 10 and up. As a quirky and awkward genius, Willow Chance has never found it easy to relate to others, except the loving parents who adopted her when she was a baby. But when they die in a car crash Willow is left alone. As she struggles through her grief, she brings together a diverse surrogate family: her underachieving guidance counselor; a struggling nail salon owner and her two teenaged kids; and a taxi driver who believes Willow may be his guardian angel. This unlikely group gives Willow the thing she needs most - a place to be herself.
 El Deafo by Cece Bell - Picked by Shona
A wonderful graphic novel for third grade and up. Going to school and making new friends is extra tough when you have a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest. In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, Cece Bell chronicles her experiences with the Phonic Ear, a powerful, but awkward, hearing aid, which helps her hear, but also isolates her. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend. In the end, she harnesses the power of the Phonic Ear and becomes "El Deafo, Listener for All." And more importantly, she finds her place in the world and the friend she's longed for.
 Redeployment by Philip Klay - Picked by Dona
Winner of the National Book Award, these gritty and unsparing stories take readers to the front lines of the war in Iraq and back, asking us to understand what happened there and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Whether in the combat zone or on the home front, they face life at the extremes, where happy stories and easy answers provide no guidance or comfort. Brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival - the characters in this collection struggle to make meaning from chaos.
 This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki - Picked by Ryan
A graphic novel for teenagers about change and growing up.
Every summer, Rose goes with her parents to a lake house, where she hangs out with her friend, Windy. But this summer, Rose's parents keep arguing, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction, they find more problems. One of the local teens is caught up in something bad. Something life threatening. It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up. A Printz and Caldecott 2015 honor book.
 The Polar Bear Scientists by Peter Lourie - Picked by Shona
Follow scientists as they scan the vast Alaskan wilderness for polar bears - the amazing creatures that have become the face of global warming.What has this information been telling scientists about the bears and our changing global climate? Find out in this great entry in the Scientists in the Field series!
 The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley - Picked by Shona
In 1993, sixteen-year-old Maggie Lynch is uprooted from big-city Chicago to a windswept town on the Irish Sea. She wonders if she'll ever find her place in this new world. When first love and sudden death simultaneously strike, a naive but determined Maggie embarks on a forbidden pilgrimage that will take her to a seedy part of Dublin and on to a life-altering night in Rome to fulfill a dying wish. Through it all, Maggie discovers an untapped inner strength to do the most difficult but rewarding thing of all, live. A Printz 2015 honor book.
 Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith - Picked by Shona
In the small town of Ealing, Iowa, Austin and his best friend, Robby, have accidentally unleashed an unstoppable army. An army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises that only want to do two things. Funny, intense, complex, and brave, Grasshopper Jungle brilliantly weaves together everything from testicle-dissolving genetically modified corn to the struggles of recession-era, small-town America in this groundbreaking coming-of-age stunner. A Printz 2015 honor book.
 The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert - Picked by Dona
 Where is Mount Rushmore? by True Kelley, John Hinderliter, David Groff - Picked by Jeanne
The 'Who Is' and 'What Is' series have been incredibly popular and we're delighted to see that the publishers are launching a new, complementary series: 'Where Is'. In addition to Mount Rushmore, the series so far features: Where is the White House? Where is the Grand Canyon? and Where is the Great Wall? More titles will come in the next few months. Fun and fascinating books for eight to twelve-year olds!
 Citizen by Claudia Rankine - Picked by Jessica
This bold book recounts mounting racial aggressions in ongoing encounters in our daily life and in the media. Some of these encounters are slights, seeming slips of the tongue, and some are intentional offensives in the classroom, at the supermarket, at home, in sport, online, on TV - everywhere, all the time. In essay, image, and poetry, Citizen is a powerful testament to the individual and collective effects of racism in our contemporary, often named "post-race" society.
Finally, here are a few favorites that will be out in paperback in the next few months...
 And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard (May)
Senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school with a stolen gun, threatens his girlfriend, Emily Beam, and then takes his own life. Sent to a boarding school, how is Emily to recover? A Michael L. Printz 2015 honor book.
 Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman (April)
In 1875, a wealthy Manhattan couple come across a wild girl, supposedly raised by wolves. Cleaned up, the girl is blazingly smart and darkly beautiful; as she takes steps toward her grand debut in Manhattan, a series of suitors find her irresistible - and begin to turn up murdered.
 The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (April)
Theo survives an accident that kills his mother and is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his loss, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small painting that ultimately draws him into the underworld of art. Winner of the Pulitzer prize for distinguished fiction by an American author.
Spring into Science!
 Forget the Smithsonian, The Bookies has everything a young (or old) scientist needs! Our huge range of books, models and science kits covers almost every topic you could imagine. With spring just around the corner (we hope), we've got lots of science kits to take you outdoors, plus a few to keep you busy inside if the weather doesn't cooperate. Your youngest scientists will have fun  learning about how plants grow with our Plant & Grow set from Primary Science. This pack includes what you need to start growing different types of plant, plus clear instructions printed on bright, fun cards.  Insect fans will love our Real Ladybug Hatching Kit from Insect Lore. This includes a voucher for delivery of live baby ladybugs to bring up in the ladybird habitat provided. Watch them grow and then set them free in your own yard to help protect your plants from pests.  Bigger kids might like to take advantage of Spring sunshine to explore solar thermal energy with our Solar Science kit from Green Science. Make your own solar oven and solar water heater! We carry a number of kits from Green Science - this popular line of kits mixes science and fun in a way that appeals to even the science-challenged!  When it comes to equipment, we have all the things your curious young scientist needs to make their own investigations, including magnifying glasses, chemistry sets, binoculars, models and  more! For your young woman in science, we're now carrying Nancy B's range of scientific equipment - including the Microscope and Activity set pictured.  And let's not forget the books! Our selection ranges from picture books to textbooks, with everything in between. Here are a few of our favorites about nature and the seasons. Starting with young readers, As an Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas is a beautiful picture book about the two-hundred year life of an oak tree, watching as the world changes around it. As the land transforms from country to city, the tree stands tall on every page. Some changes in its environment are obvious, others need a careful eye to spot gradual change from page to page. The perfect book for young nature lovers and historians alike!  Seed to Plant by Lisa M. Herrington is a great step-by-step introduction to plant growth for young readers. For middle grade  readers with an interest in nature, The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns is a fascinating addition to the Scientists in the Field series, investigating the decline in American honeybees - and why they matter so much to our world. Beautiful photographs accompany the text.  The Weather Identification Handbook: The Ultimate Guide for Weather Watchers by Storm Dunlop is ideal for teen meteorologists, or any weather watcher, who wants to learn more about the hows and whys of our skies. Filled with illustrations and photographs, it shows how cloud formations and other phenomena can help you to predict the weather. In handy paperback format, this book is easy to carry along on outdoor trips as well as to prop up on your bedroom windowsill. This is only a tiny fraction of what we carry in our science section - whatever your scientific interest, be sure to check it out next time you are in the store! So New It's Not Even Out Yet... 
The new book features many of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird some twenty years later. Returning home to Maycomb to visit her father, Jean Louise Finch - Scout - struggles with issues both personal and political, involving Atticus, society, and the small Alabama town that shaped her. Exploring how the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird are adjusting to the turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America, Go Set a Watchman casts a fascinating new light on Harper Lee's enduring classic. Moving, funny and compelling, it stands as a magnificent novel in its own right. The book doesn't go on sale until July 15th, and with so many readers eagerly anticipating its release, we're expecting it to sell fast. Don't miss out - call us on (303) 759-1117 so we can reserve a copy for you!  Younger children might be more excited to learn that a new Dr. Seuss will also be coming out in July. The text and illustrations for What Pet Should I Get were found among the late author's papers. What happens when a brother and sister visit a pet store to pick a pet? Naturally, they can't choose just one. The tale captures a classic childhood moment - choosing a pet - and uses it to illuminate a life lesson: that it is hard to make up your mind, but sometimes you just have to do it What Pet Should I Get is not due out until July 28th and we'll have more information closer to the time.
What We Were Up To in February ...Black History MonthFebruary was Black History month and our display featured many classics in African-American literature, plus some newer titles. We also came across this amazingly comprehensive list of African-American titles for children and young adults, all published in the last five years. If you are looking for contemporary African-American reads, this is a great place to start. Behind the Counter... We're all talking about this little book, The Miracle Morning, which claims to change your life before 8 a.m. in the morning. Bookie Barb has been following its suggestions for the last month and claims to be more energetic and inspired because of it! Haiku You! Game Event Coming Up!
 In our quieter moments, we've been trying out our poetry talents on a new game - Haiku You! Can you complete a Haiku using only the first line as a clue in under a minute? Can you beat your friends? Ask us for a demonstration! Or drop into the store on Saturday, March 14th, from 1:30-4:00 p.m., when the game's creator, Sandy Brudos, will be playing with us in the store!
Reading is Hot!
Just for fun, take a look at this series of men reading on trains, which was trending on Instagram in mid-February! Or, if you prefer to read with your partner, you're doing the right thing, according to some researchers, who have found it can bring couples closer together. Of course, there is nothing wrong with reading alone - and here are some suggestions that the Huffington Post thinks might make it even better. (NB we plan to ignore the advice not to read in bed - are they kidding?!)
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Storytime!
Join us each Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. for Preschool Storytime. We choose awesome picture books to share with our young readers!
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Coming out this Month - our March Magnificents!
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by John Schindel, Molly Woodward$7.99, HMH Books for Young Readers Board book When you stop and think about it, babies and doggies do many of the same things. They squirm, sniff, sit, and splash. They play ball and cuddle. This board book explores all of the similar actions shared by baby and baby's best friend. Illustrated with beautiful, full-color photographs featuring an array of dog breeds and a diverse cast of babies, The Babies and Doggies Book is a visual feast for infants, a fun read-aloud for parents, and treat for baby- and dog-lovers. |
As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of the publication of Click, Clack, Moo! in 2015, the team of Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin bring us the latest Click, Clack book in the award-winning series.
There's a new critter on the farm. He's an adorable (but loud) duckling and he's keeping everyone awake. The cuteness is just in time for Easter, but this makes for a heartwarming story year round.
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by Deborah Ruddell, Joan Rankin$17.99, Margaret K. McElderry Books Picture book Take a bite out of the calendar with these delicious seasonal poems, all odes to food. Ruddell and Rankin deliciously capture the flavors of the seasons - both figuratively and literally. With odes to hot cocoa, birthday cake, mac and cheese, apples, popcorn, brownies, milk shakes, and more, kids everywhere will enjoy discovering these delectable verses.
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by Avi $16.95, Algonquin Young Readers Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / United States From Newbery Medalist, Avi, comes this suspenseful story of an ordinary American family who fall under suspicion. It's 1951, and twelve-year-old Pete Collison is a regular kid in Brooklyn, New York, who loves Sam Spade detective books and radio crime dramas. But when an FBI agent shows up at Pete's doorstep, accusing Pete's father of being a Communist, Pete is caught in a real-life mystery. Could there really be Commies in Pete's family? As Pete follows the quickly accumulating clues, he begins to wonder if the truth could put his family's livelihood, and their freedom, at risk.
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$23.99, Minotaur Books Fiction / Espionage Six years ago in Vienna, terrorists took over a hundred hostages, and, despite the presence of a CIA agent on the inside, the rescue attempt went terribly wrong. Had the agent been compromised, and, if so, how? One of the watching CIA case officers on that night was Celia Harrison. That was the night Celia decided she had had enough and left the agency. Now she is married and living with her family in the idyllic town of Carmel-by-the Sea. Her lover and fellow CIA officer, Henry Pelham, stayed in Vienna. Now Henry has traveled to California to see Celia for one last dinner, to relive the past, or to put it behind him once and for all. But neither of them can forget that long-ago question: had their agent been compromised? Each also wonders what role tonight's dinner companion might have played in the way the tragedy unfolded six years ago.
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Erik Larson $28.00, Crown History / Military / World War I On May 1, 1915, a luxury ocean liner carrying a record number of children and infants sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool. Although Germany had declared the waters around the UK to be a war zone, the passengers of the Lusitania took comfort in a century-old gentlemanly code of warfare that kept civilian ships safe from attack. Unfortunately, Germany was determined to change the rules, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and small - hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more - converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.
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by Emma Hooper $26, Simon & Schuster Fiction Etta is losing her memory, and before it's gone she wants to walk eastward from Saskatchewan to the sea, so she leaves her husband Otto and their farm, and their neighbor and best friend Russell, and sets out. As her journey goes on, we follow her memories into the past, all the way back to a happy childhood with a loving sister later lost, into a young adulthood teaching rough farming kids in rural Saskatchewan, into the years of war with Europe, then courtship and marriage (to the right man?) and the long slow slide into old age. Like TINKERS or THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, this is a novel of looking backward across a life, a summing up, a putting to rest.
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The Bookies, A bookstore like no other
4315 E. Mississippi Ave. | Denver, CO 80246
(303) 759-1117 | www.thebookies.com
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