Sandra McLeod Humphrey

We were saddened to learn today of the death of local children's author Sandra McLeod Humphrey and her husband Brian Humphrey, who both died in a house fire on Nov. 23rd.

You may remember that Sandy was one of the authors who was at our grand opening in September.  Brian was there as well, and they were two of the nicest, kindest people.  We were also lucky enough to spend time with Sandy earlier this month at the Teen Literature Network kickoff.  

Both Sandy and Brian loved animals very much, and for their memorial service it was asked that donations be made to the Hennepin County Humane Society in lieu of sending flowers. We would like to do our part to honor the memory of the Humphreys, so 100% of the proceeds from Sandy's books purchased from our store will be donated to the Hennepin County Humane Society.  We have the following books available:

Brian and Sandy's children wrote a touching tribute to their parents on Sandy's blog that describes beautifully just how many people's lives are better for having met them. 
 

Book Recommendations

The very kind people at House of Hope on Summit Ave. asked us if we would come by today after their service to give our book recommendations for the holiday season. 
 

We arrived with several young adult, middle grade, and picture books, gave a brief description of each, and explained why we thought they would be good selections for a gift list. 
 

The picture books we brought were: I Want My Hat Back and This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen, Squid and Octopus, Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu, and Black Dog by Levi Pinfold.

For the middle grade books we chose: Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Ungifted by Gordon Korman.

And for our young adult selections we picked: Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and the Matched Trilogy (Reached, the third and final installment, was recently released) by Ally Condie.
 

We had so much fun giving this presentation, and loved that some members of the congregation stopped by the store immediately after to look at the books we have at Addendum.  Thanks to House of Hope for giving us this opportunity!

If you have a group or organization you think would enjoy receiving book recommendations from our store, please get in touch. We'd love to do something like this again!

Update: We have continued to have members of the House of Hope drop by our store, and it has been a pleasure talking with all of you - thank you!

Event with Andrea Cremer

Andrea Cremer at Addendum

New York Times Bestselling author (and former MN resident and Macalester College professor) Andrea Cremer was back in town for Thanksgiving and did an event with us this evening. 

Signed copies of Andrea's books are available at Addendum!

The event was held at the beautiful Dayton Ave. Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. 
 

The image we used of the wolf is from here.

We chose the location (and lit a lot of candles!) to evoke the medieval feel of the setting of Andrea's newest book, Rift.
 

 Andrea read from Rift while her audience sipped hot cider. 
 

 After the reading, Andrea answered questions about her books, teaching career, writing process, and what's next for her.
 

Then she signed books for her fans (including one who drove all the way from WI for the event!). 
 

Thanks to Andrea for taking time out of her busy schedule for this event, and thanks to everyone who joined us on this cold holiday weekend! 

Webinar with Patrick Ness

Today we had the opportunity to join author Patrick Ness online for a live webinar. Ness wrote the Chaos Walking trilogy (The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men). This is an amazing trio of books, and one we highly recommend when customers ask for books they won't be able to put down! These are three of our all-time favorite books.

 

Ness also wrote the book A Monster Calls, illustrated by Jim Kay. The book was started by author Siobhan Dowd, but was not completed before her death. Patrick Ness was asked to finish the story, and has done so in a compelling and poignant way. The illustrations make the book all the more haunting.  Ness won the Carnegie for A Monster Calls and Kay won the companion award, the Kate Greenaway Medal, making it the first time that one book has won both awards!   

 

We had the chance to see Patrick Ness when he was in town a few years ago. It was great to connect with him again online, hear the live discussion about his books, and then be able to send in questions which he answered at the end of the webinar.  Thank you to Booklist Online for making this possible!  

Mem Fox Visits Minnesota!

Tonight Mem Fox (children's picture book author and education and literacy expert) spoke at the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota.

Her talk covered a number of different topics, including her native Australia, how becoming a grandmother has given her many new ideas for her books, and the importance of reading aloud to children.  

Mem is such a charming, funny, interesting person. She kept the audience captivated and laughing, and we hung on her every word. 

She also read aloud from several of her books. It was wonderful to hear her words and stories in her own voice. She has been involved in theater, and it showed in the way she read - she has such stage presence! 
 

Her most recent book, Tell Me About Your Day Today, is illustrated by our own MN author/illustrator Lauren Stringer!

After the talk, both Lauren and Mem signed copies of Tell Me About Your Day Today.  They were joined by Allyn Johnston, publisher and vice president of Beach Lane Books.  
 

It's not often that the author, illustrator, and editor of a picture book are all in the same city at the same time. Because this was such a special occasion, local author Debra Frasier hosted a party at her home last night to celebrate these three talented women!  

Debra Frasier and Lauren Stringer

It was a wonderful evening, and Debra's home is lovely and inviting. Thank you, Debra, for hosting such an enjoyable get-together!  

Mem Fox

The new book!