Judy Blume is coming to Pittsburgh on July 12th and we’re freaking out!*
Below are some of Littsburgh’s childhood favorites, inspired by Pittsburgh’s Arts and Lecture’s Words & Pictures series (“presenting acclaimed children’s authors to readers of all ages”) and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s 90,000-book reading challenge.
If you’re in the market for more recommendations, check out some amazing excerpts from local and visiting authors — including an excerpt from Judy Blume’s latest novel for adults, In the Unlikely Event — right here on Littsburgh!
* This event is sold out!
Nick recommends The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater
I’m on record saying that “Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death is the Great American Novel.” I stand by that claim.
From the publisher: “There’s a crime. There’s a master criminal. There’s a fat man in a fez. Fans of Lizard Music, take note: Chicken Man is here, and his chicken dances while Daniel Pinkwater defies gravity to bring you a mind-boggling feast. As the Wizard of Comedy transports the Snarkout Boys and Rat through the tunnel under North Aufzoo Street to the warmth of Beanbenders and into a sci-fi mystery adventure that is like a dream (but no one is sleeping), you will meet some strange characters, and learn much about the versatile avocado.
Daniel Pinkwater has been quietly, subversively producing books for the most intelligent and creative children and young people in America for more than twenty-five years. (Adults may know him as a frequent commentator on National Public Radio, essayist, book reviewer, and the author of The Afterlife Diet). Well over a million copies of his books have been sold since the first, The Terrible Roar, was published in 1970.”
Rachel recommends Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren
I convinced my mom to buy this for me at a school book fair after a classmate told me it had a “bad word” in it (I think it was “hell”). My favorite book… even without the cussing. Gray dwarfs all, bite and strike!
From Wikipedia:
“Ronia is a girl growing up among a clan of robbers living in a castle in the woodlands of early-Medieval Scandinavia. As the only child of Matt, the chief, she is expected to become the leader of the clan someday. Their castle, Matt’s Fort, is split in two parts by a lightning bolt on the day of Ronia’s birth. Ronia grows up with Matt’s clan of robbers as her only company, until a rival robber group led by Borka moves into the other half of the castle, exacerbating the longstanding rivalry between the two bands.
One day, Ronia sees Birk Borkason, the only son of Borka, idling by the chasm. He is the only other child she has ever met, and so she is sorry that he is a Borka. He engages her in a game of jumping across, which does not end until Birk almost falls down. Ronia saves him, and they later on become friends…”
Katie recommends A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle
I read this book when I was 11 during my “marine biology” phase—in which I proudly wore dolphin print t-shirts and covered my bedroom walls with whale migration maps. Most people think of L’Engle’s fantasy books, but I loved this realistic fiction of a girl dealing with first love AND helping do research on dolphins. What else do you need in a YA novel?
From the publisher:
“After a tumultuous year in New York City, the Austins are spending the summer on the small island where their grandfather lives. He’s very sick, and watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate matters, she finds herself as the center of attention for three very different boys.
Zachary Grey, the troubled and reckless boy Vicky met last summer, wants her all to himself as he grieves the loss of his mother. Leo Rodney has been just a friend for years, but the tragic loss of his father causes him to turn to Vicky for comfort—and romance. And then there’s Adam Eddington. Adam is only asking Vicky to help with his research on dolphins. But Adam—and the dolphins—may just be what Vicky needs to get through this heartbreaking summer.”
“A relevant, harrowing mystery with page-turning suspense.” ―Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Just the Nicest Couple From Read more
Littsburgh’s co-founder Rachel Ekstrom Courage (also a literary agent and author) joined Heather Abraham on Talk Pittsburgh again this week Read more
Littsburgh’s co-founder Rachel Ekstrom Courage (also a literary agent and author) joined Heather Abraham on Talk Pittsburgh again this week Read more
“Sidle Creek is one of the best story collections I’ve read in a long time.” –Ron Rash, New York Times Read more
Littsburgh’s co-founder Rachel Ekstrom Courage (also a literary agent and author) joined Heather Abraham on Talk Pittsburgh again this week Read more
From the Publisher: "For more than fifty years, we have been waging, but not winning, the war on cancer. We’re Read more
"Myriad has been in so many time streams she’s lost count – hiding from her feelings about her brother’s death Read more
“Beautiful, vivid writing and a power-packed plot . . . I truly loved it.” –Lauren Tarshis, bestselling author of the Read more
Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off in this fantastic space opera You Sexy Thing from former SFWA President, Cat Read more
About the Author: "Ken Gormley is president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. A lawyer, constitutional scholar, and author, Gormley's work Read more
"Living in Pittsburgh, and truth be told at loose ends since the blue jays, how could we expect to hold Read more
From the Publisher: The land surrounding the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers has supported communities of humans Read more
From the Publisher: The confluence in the title of this debut collection from Samantha DeFlitch describes the meeting of three Read more
"From her bench in the park near her house, the woman who Rebecca so beautifully and poignantly portrays quietly carries Read more
"Slam came to Pittsburgh in the early ’90s, and it still has a home here. But two long-time practitioners also Read more
Selected by Cheryl Strayed for the Kore Press Institute Memoir Award From the Publisher: "Certain and Impossible Events orbits the Read more
"Sewickley, the Shawnee word for sweet water, derived from the tribe’s belief that the borough’s shores were a little sweeter Read more
"After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with an English degree, Sharon Flake could have concentrated on fiction for adults, Read more
From the publisher: "Soon after her husband's tragic death, Robin Besher makes a startling discovery: He had recklessly blown through Read more
From the publisher: "'Other people locked themselves away and hid from their demons. Townes flung open his door and said, Read more
