Penguin Young Readers Cocktail Party

Saturday night was a busy night at #ala11. At the third event I attended I met Tomie DePaola, Sarah Dessen, Ingrid Law, Paul Volponi, Brenna Yovanoff, Franny Billingsley and Richard Peck. And I picked up some new books that you might want to know about:

• The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler (November 2011) This is the one I am reading first. It is about a couple of teens in 1996 who find themselves on Facebook 15 years in the future – interesting, huh?
• Secrets of the Sea by Richard Peck (October 2011) Includes: action, adventure and stow-away mice. All of the good stuff.
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (October 2011) Historical fiction set in London of 1888 – the time of Jack the Ripper – it is giving me chills already.
• The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff (November 2011) Set in a city in Hell – talk about fascinating.
• Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi (available now) Alan (the new kid in school who wears lipstick and would like to be called Alana)  vs. the football team – I just read the first page and I can’t wait to get to the rest of it.
• What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (available now) A teenage girl on a quest to find herself after surviving family troubles and several moves. This one will  be hard to put down.
• Chime by Franny Billingsley (available now) SIX stars!! What can I say? I think we all need to read it. Now.
• Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise by Tomie DePaola (available now) Check out the website for a taste of the beauty.

I wish that I had time to read all of these books right now and review them for you, but honestly it seems like they are all going to be wonderful. I am kind of excited about my flight tomorrow – lots of time to read.

I took too many photos to share here, but I have to show you Richard Peck’s shoes. Not only is he an outstanding author and charming person, but he also has an impeccable sense of style: