Secret Garden May Events

May is a busy month at Secret Garden Books...Check out the following events!!!


May 1:
Author/Illustrator Julie Paschkis shares her new book MOOSHKA: A QUILT STORY at 7 p.m.                                                      

Tonight's celebration is a benefit for Poject Linus, which gives blankets to children in need. We'll donate a percentage of profits from sales of MOOSHKA directly to the charity.  Additionally, you can donate fabric in the form of 1/2 yard or more of new cotton or fleece.  Also, we'll be raffling fat quarters from In the Beginning Fabrics, (designed by Julie!).   To top it all off, we invite you to bring a quilt and share your story about it in our Quilt Story Slam. Free event.

May 3:

Author Danika Dinsmore reads from her new book: BRIGITTA OF THE WHITE FOREST, BOOK TWO: THE RUINS OF NOE at 7 p.m.

Brigitta’s adventures continue when the balance of the White Forest is disturbed and the Elders lose contact with the Ethereals. Against their advice, High Priestess Ondelle asks Brigitta to accompany her to the old faerie ruins of Noe to find a way to reconnect with the Ancients. What they discover when they arrive is something they never learned from any faerie tale. Why had this dark secret been kept from them? Why in the name of Faweh had the Ancients left some faeries behind?

Danika Dinsmore is a writer, spokenword artist, and educator.  She teaches world-building and speculative fiction writing with a focus on literature for young adults and children. She lives and plays in Vancouver, B.C. Free.

May 4:

Double Dystopian: Stephen Wallenfels POD and Maureen Doyle McQueery, THE PECULIARS. This free event starts at 7 p.m.  

A couple of dystopian authors from two different publishing houses are coming.  They're best friends, so we're having them both come talk together about the worlds they've created. 

In POD, as alien spacecraft fill the sky and zap up any human being who dares to go outside, fifteen-year-old Josh and twelve-year-old Megs, living in different cities, describe what could be their last days on Earth.  Author Stephen Wallenfels lives in eastern Washington State.  THE PECULIARS, a dark and thrilling adventure with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy and romance. 

May 6:

Secret Garden books is thrilled to announce another great piece of programming due to our ongoing partnership with Seattle Children’s Theatre on May 6 at 12 p.m.

During the run of each show of the season, we will be hosting weekend Drama Story events with the AMAZING artists from Seattle Children’s Theatre.  This one is THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR & OTHER ERIC CARLE FAVORITES.This Drama Story, like the play, is best for people aged 2-8. Join us for a rollicking fun story time, filled with interaction with the theatre artists at the free event.


May 16:

Author Mary Jane Beaufrand visits at 7 p.m. to share DARK RIVER. 

When Ronnie moves from the city to a small town in rural Oregon, she feels secluded from everything and everyone -- except for Karen, a young girl whom she baby-sits. So when she discovers Karen's lifeless body in the river, Ronnie is compelled to uncover the truth and solve her murder. As she becomes increasingly obsessed with solving the mystery of Karen's death, Ronnie is led deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding the river and to the dark secret hidden within its midst.

Released in hardcover in 2010 as THE RIVER, DARK RIVER is the title now releasing in paperback. Mary Jane Beaufrand is the author of PRIMAVERA and THE RIVER, and several short stories. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Bennington College. 

May 19:

Announcing the first Seattle7Writers Book Mob from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Seattle7Writers, along with Secret Garden Books, will host the first Seattle Book Mob! A Book Mob is your chance to drop off your gently-used books for the Seattle7Writers pocket library program, which stocks bookshelves in homeless shelters, food banks, juvenile court waiting rooms, detention centers, and classrooms.  While you're there, you can also buy a book at 20% off for an underfunded elementary classroom reading program, or buy a book for yourself from the well-stocked shelves of the local and independent Secret Garden Books.  

Local novelist Erica Bauermeister and children's author Clare Meeker will be on hand to take your books.  Why?:  Because everybody deserves the joy of a good book of their own

What we need:

picture  and children's books

young adult

fiction and literary fiction

mysteries

westerns

science fiction and fantasy

poetry

biographies

memoir

how-to (parenting and self-help)

What we do NOT need:

travel guides

computer/software manuals

coffee table picture books

massive histories of the Crimean war (etc)

Reader's Digest condensed books

Interior decorating and lifestyle

May 20:

Author Stephanie Guerra reads from her new book: TORN at 5 p.m.

Stella Chavez, a self-described “white girl in Latina skin,” has all the good-kid flags: straight A’s, clean-cut dates, and a wall full of soccer trophies. But when a new girl, Ruby Caroline, arrives in South Bend, she’s like a bomb set off in Stella’s life. No one at Mishawaka High can get over Ruby’s confidence (some say arrogance), her sexiness (some say sluttiness), or her pure love of trouble. Many kids are drawn to Ruby’s charisma, but Ruby chooses Stella as her only friend.
This is the story of a dangerous friendship, and the way girls can support each other through challenges their parents often don’t know about.


Stephanie Guerra has an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame. She teaches children’s literature and a seminar in writing instruction at Seattle University.  She also teaches creative writing at King County Jail, and researches and speaks about literacy instruction for at-risk and incarcerated young adults.  She encourages donation of used books to juvenile correctional facilities.  

For more information on Secret Garden Events you can visit their website.