M

CHELSEA
CLINTON
CAPTAIN
UNDERPANTS

BOOKCON
S U N DAY J U N E 4
SHOW DAILY2017
Lemony Snicket BILL
GRAY
T H E O D O R E
NYE
CHILDREN

K W A M E
BOX CAR

ALEXANDER THE
S CIE N CE
G U Y

Do NOT turn the page.

CANDANCE BUSHNELL

Dont say we didnt warn you.

 SUNDAY, JUNE 4

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 2017
CONTENTS Chelsea Clinton
Persists

6
8 Lemony Snicket: Out
from the Shadows

20 Jenny Han and Morgan

Matson: Side by Side

22 Theodore Gray Makes

Science Explode

24 New Look for the

Boxcar Kids

26 Happy Birthday,
Captain Underpants!

28 Kwame Alexander Pays

Tribute to Rock n Roll

12
Kevin Hart: Fail,
Fail Again
Contributors
Editoral Director:
Jim Milliot
Executive Editor:
Jonathan Segura
Editor: Liz Hartman
Managing Editor:
Sonia Jaffe Robbins
Art Director:
Bobby Lawhorn

18
Contributing
Writers: Alia Akkam,
Jason Boog, Sue
Corbett, Lucinda
Dyer, Alex Green,
Hilary S. Kayle, Claire
Kirch, Beth Levine,
Charles
Shannon Maughan,
Judith Rosen, D.A.
Brandt:
Crime After

16
Stern, Wendy Werris
Production Crime
Manager: Michele Bill Nye and BookCon is owned by
Piscitelli Gregory Mone Reed Exhibitons and any
Published by Talk Geniuses of its marks used herein
Publishers Weekly are used under license
from Reed Exhibitions

4 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
 Amazon Charts
Congratulations to the authors, agents and publishers
on the inagural Amazon Charts Most Read Fiction list:

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

Introducing Amazon Charts, a reimagined weekly bestseller

list. Visit amazon.com/charts to see the first Top 20 lists.
 Nonfiction

First Picture Book

from a
First Daughter
Chelsea Clinton persists in praising great women
By Sue Corbett

T
he former first daughter makes her picture book
debut this month with She Persisted (Philomel), a
collective biography of 13 women whose deter-
mined perseverance paved the way for their
achievements. The book takes its title from an incident at the
February confirmation hearings for Attorney General Jeff Ses-
sionsperhaps the only picture book in publishing history
that can make that claim.

6 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017

This is an incredibly quick turnaround. Had you
been thinking about a book like this for a while when
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell uttered
his now-famous censure of Elizabeth WarrenShe
was warned. Nevertheless, she persistedin
February?
A | I was so affected, so many were, by what happened
when Senator Warren tried to read Coretta Scott
Kings words on the floor of the Senate, was silenced by Sen-
ator McConnell, and then read the entire letter in the hall-
way on Facebook Live. Arent the words of Coretta Scott
King always relevant? Talk about remarkable persistence. I
was thinking about how to explain an event like that to my
children, who are very young. Aidan is just 11 months old
and Charlotte is two and a half, but I talk to them about the
world and about the things that inspire me all the time. I
had been thinking in terms of writing something about how
Senator Warrens persistence turned an important moment
into something even larger. I talked it over with my won-
derful editor, Jill Santopolo, who was also struck by Senator
Warrens actions, and she suggested we could work on this
together as a picture book. Luckily, Alexandra Boiger, who
illustrates the Tallulah books [written by Marilyn Singer],
which I love, was free. So I wrote as quickly as I could.
I think you probably set a world record, especially
since I imagine one of the hardest jobs in writing this
book was culling the list of women to include. How
did you go about it?
A| The urgency with which we did this probably helped
me come to terms with the challenge of having to not
only quickly make a list but work to distill each womans
remarkable story into a few sentences that would convey
what was so inspiring about their lives. I thought a lot
about the womenand the girlswho inspired me when I
was a little girl in Little Rock [Ark.]. Ruby Bridges and
Claudette Colvin were just girls when they made important
contributions to the civil rights movement. I remembered
watching Florence Joyner breaking world records at the
Seoul Olympics. And then there were women like Virginia
Apgar, whose contributions I didnt know about until I got
pregnant myself and learned about the Apgar score, some-
thing she developed decades ago, which has become the
standard for assessing a [newborn] babys health.
I think many kids will be surprised to learn that
Claudette Colvin may have been the inspiration for
Rosa Parkss more famous refusal to give up her seat.
A| I remember learning about Claudette Colvin when I
was in school in Little Rock. I dont know if its
because I went to Horace Mann Junior High [which was the
all-black high school where the Little Rock Nine had been
enrolled before integrating Central High School in 1957],
so perhaps an awareness that young people were integral to
the civil rights movement permeated what we learned there.
But I knew at an early age that young people had shaped the
course of American history.
And even for those who made their contributions as adults,
what I was interested in was the connection between what
they had to go through as children and who they became.
Helen Keller, for instance. Think about the sheer persistence
it took to overcome being blind and deaf to go on to graduate
from college. That achievement would never have been pos-
sible if she hadnt already proved she could conquer the enor-
mous obstacles she faced as a child. She was drawing on a
reservoir most of us couldnt imagine. What happened when
she was young is a necessary part of her story.
Its like the quote from Sally Ride that I included:
Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers
they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing
those jobs someday. You cant be what you cant see. Its
hard for all of us to imagine what we cant see. We have to
close the imagination gap.
Has your mother seen the book? Did she like her
cameo?
A| She has seen the book and her first reaction was so
typicalshe wanted to know, What did Charlotte
think? I was happy to tell her that Charlotte loved it and
wants to read it all the time. She thought that was great.
Today, 11 a.m.noon. Chelsea Clinton will sign at the Penguin
Random House booth (1921).
W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 7
 Fiction

The Elusive Lemony Snicket

Out of the Shadows
Associating oneself with literature is the most
important assignment there is.
By Beth Levine

I
t is one of lifes bitterest truths that bedtime so often
arrives just when things are really getting interest-
ing. If you can identify that quote as belonging to
the mysterious Lemony Snicket, author of the perplex-
ing but bestselling series, A Series of Unfortunate Events
(HarperCollins), then we have a surprise for you. The elusive
author is appearing in person here at BookContoday! He
has a new childrens picture book coming out, The Bad Mood
and the Stick (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Oct.),
illus. by Matthew Forsythe, and those unlucky Baudelaire
orphans, the stars of the Unfortunate series, must relive their
tragic lives again in the new Netflix series based upon the
Unfortunate Events series. BookCon spoke with the mysteri-
ous wordsmith.

8 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
 Visit the Little Golden Books Bus!
Located at Booth #2627
Little Golden Book-Themed
Face Painting (Limited Event!)
Costume Character Appearances
FREE Giveaways*
Interactive 75 Years of
Little Golden Books Exhibit
Your Favorite Fun
Little Golden Books All A for
g
Available For Purchase! All D es,
ay!

Golden Books The Poky Little Puppy is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

VISIT BOOTH #2627 for Exclusive Giveaways and more!

GREAT READS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
Take your picture
5 years, Is your
5 million copies sold.
with Uni under the
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ALL DAY! Now more than ever,
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the world could use a little more kindness. looking for their next adventure? Get Into Game Day
with Magic Tree House!
How will you Choose Kind today?
Celebrate the magic FORGET
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randomhousekids *While supplies last.

 Fiction

You rarely appear in public. To what do we owe the

pleasure of your appearance here today?

A| An opportunity to stroll around the Javits Center is a

temptation not even the hardiest hermit can withstand.

What will you be doing at BookCon?

A| Sidling up to the independent presses, where the

future of art and literature is always lurking. The rev-
olution begins with Wave Books [an independent poetry
press in Seattle], et al.

This Daniel Handler fellow is still your spokesman.

Conspiracy theorists think that you and he might be
the same. What do you say to them?

A| Hello, conspiracy theorists. I was wonderingegad!

Look behind you!

What would one of your delightful fans be surprised

to know about you?

A| That I occasionally enjoy radish greens on salted

toast? That I once challenged Pam Munoz Ryan to a
duel? Who can say what surprises someone, particularly
someone delightful?

What books did you read as a child?

A| Let us light a candle here in a remote corner of Book-

Con for the recently departed author Zilpha Keatley
Snyder [author of the Newbery Awardwinning The Egypt
Game, The Headless Cupid, and The Witches of Worm], a child-
hood obsession and lifelong inspiration.

How do you feel about the Netflix series based on A

Series of Unfortunate Events?

A| Only a company that regards binge as a positive term

would regard orphan tragedies as entertainment.

How involved are you?

A| I once loved a woman, now deceased, who haunts me

to this day. I believe social media would label this
perhaps too involved.

How do the Beaudelaire orphans feel about having

to relive their traumas?

A| I have not heard from them. I assume they are some-

place weeping with Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is
the New Black.

What inspired you to write The Bad Mood and The

Stick?

A| As a frequent traveler, I was interested in the journeys

of emotions and objects.

10 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
 BOOTH #2602

Visit booth #2602 for author

signings, giveaways, and
discounted books!

SUNDAY, JUNE 4
10:00am
What do you hope readers will get from it? Tote Bag Giveaway*

A| The sneaking suspicion that we are all in life together. 11:00am

Author Signing: Fred Van Lente
Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery
What do you do when youre in a bad mood? (on sale: 7/11/17)
A| I make a pot of tea while listening to scowly music,
and then go out for a walk. 1:00pm
Tote Bag Giveaway*
If a Snicketer recognizes you in the street, should 2:00pm
they greet you, give a secret sign, or just pretend Author Signing: Jess Zimmerman
they dont know you for their own protection?
Basic Witches
A| We recognize one another by the quality of the read-
ing material we have with us.
(on sale: 8/29/17)

What is the sign?

A| Brandishing a volume of the new Morgan Parker col-

lection, or Matthew Rohrers new verse novel, or
Yiyun Lis memoirs lets me know I am in the company of a
companion.

Will you give them an important assignment?

A| Associating oneself with literature is the most impor-

tant assignment there is.
*While supplies last
Today, 12:451:45 p.m. Lemony Snicket skulks at the Kids
Books Blockbusters panel on the Main Stage.
Today, 23 p.m. Lemony Snicket signs in the Autographing quirkbooks.com | /quirkbooks
Area.

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 11
 Profile

Kevin Hart:
If at First
You Dont
Succeed,
Fail, Fail A
Again
gain Hang on tight to your dreams

E
By Beth Levine

ven though he is only five foot four, actor, comedian,

writer, and producer Kevin Hart has always lived
large. Now he is adding author to his list of mega-
accomplishments with the publication of I Cant
Make This Up: Life Lessons, cowritten with Neil
Strauss, (Atria/37 Ink). Candid, funny, reflective,
and heartbreaking, Harts book recalls how he over-
came the huge obstacles of his fathers drug addiction, his mothers rather inten-
sive style of parenting, and lots and lots of failure to become one of the hottest
comics in America.

12 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
 less heartache.
Failure was a constant com-
panion of Harts for a while,
which will surprise his fans,
who know him from his films
(Think Like a Man, Central Intel-
ligence, Get Hard, Ride Along, The
Wedding Ringer, The Secret Life of
Pets, and Soul Plane, among
many others), which have
earned more than $3.5 billion at
the box office; his standup com-
edy tours, which have sold out
arenas and stadiums; and as the
creator of the BET show Real
Husbands of Hollywood. Hart
explains how important his
early struggles were: Failure is
a necessary component of suc-
cess that people dont respect.
As long as you learn from mis-
takes and apply those lessons,
you will see that failure is the
greatest teacher. Its easy to
quit. Its easy to let your dreams
end. Its easy to let doubt
destroy.
As he says in his book, At
every moment in life you can
choose to go right or you can
choose to go left. Every right
you take leads you closer to your
best possible destiny; every left
leads you further away from it.
These forks on the road are not
This is not a celebrity tell-all or victory lap. Hart explains decisions that lead to actions like saying yes to a job offer, but
the lessons hes garnered in his long climb up. The inspira- thoughts that lead to beliefs, like blaming your father for
tion for this book comes from wanting to give people insight ruining your life. Your life today is the sum total of your
on my story to hopefully inspire or motivate individuals to choices. So if youre not happy with it, look back at your
hang on tight to their dreams, says Hart, to let people know choices and start making different ones.
that anything is possible. When you speak of fulfilling poten-
tial and striving for greatness, it is an overwhelming task. Today, 45 p.m. Kevin Hart appears on the Main Stage with
Giving what I think is some sound advice that I learned the Charlamagne tha God, author of Black Privilege: Opportunity
hard way allows readers to continue on their path with a little Comes to Those Who Create It.

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 13
 Nonfiction

New Science
Guys and Gal!
Bill Nye and Gregory Mone talk geniuses and snazzy dressers
By D.A. Stern

B
ill Nye has made a career of educating young minds
about science, with (most famously) his Emmy Award
winning PBS show Bill Nye the Science Guy. Now Nye
teams up with the childrens novelist and science jour-
nalist Gregory Mone, author of Fish and The Truth About Santa,
for a new series, Jack and the Geniuses (Amulet), that offers sci-
ence-themed mystery adventures for middle grade readers. The
series launched in April with Jack and the Geniuses at the Bottom of
the World, which introduces 12-year-old Jack and his older foster
siblings, Ava and Matt, who are orphans.
But these orphans are geniuses. Ava is fluent in multiple lan-
guages and builds robots as a hobby. Matt is a math whiz who
adores astronomy. In this first adventure, Jack, Ava, and Matt try
to spy on scientist Dr. Hank Witherspoon, and then start work-
ing for him in his lab. But when the trio and Hank travel to Ant-
arctica for a science competition, they find that another scien-
tistand all of her researchhas gone missing, and its up to
them to find her before its too late.
Antarctica appealed to the authors as a locale because, as Nye
explains, its hard to explore. And Nye and Mone did not have
to look far for inspiration for their characters. Jack is the every
kid, Nye says. I always felt like Jack. I didnt feel like a genius.
According to Mone, Nye also served as a physical model for their
lead character, at least in one sensefashion sense. Jack, like Nye,
wears a signature bow tie. Little things like that, Mone adds,
really helped the character take shape. All of a sudden, youve
got a 12 year old whos a snazzy dresser and takes his hair seri-
ously.
The authors were set on having a diverse cast, with a diverse set
of skills, in their series. For Jacks genius foster siblings, Matt and
Ava, real life once more served as inspiration.
I had a girl in my physics class who was so smart, likeAva,
Nye says, to which Mone adds, The things the kids do in this
first book, maybe it seems a little ridiculous, but Ive talked to
kids whove done this stuff in real life, referring to several teen
scientists hes written about, including one kid who built a
nuclear reactor in his own bedroom!

Today, 11 a.m.noon. Bill Nye and Gregory Mone discuss Real

Science, Big Adventure on the Main Stage.
Today, 12:151:15 p.m. Nye and Mone sign Jack and the Geniuses
in the Autographing Area.

14 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
 BE THE FIRST TO READ ZENITH!
Advance copies available only at BookCon.

Intergalactic
adventures.
Dangerous
bounty hunters.
A galaxy-wide war
to devour worlds.

1.16.2018
www.TheAndromaSaga.com

Meet #1 New York Times bestselling authors

Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings!

Signing in booth #2921

Sunday, June 4 1:30 p.m.*
*While quantities last.

Find Harlequin TEEN on

5991 HARL Zenith-Key Art-Full Page.indd 1 25/May/2017 3:53 PM

 MEET THE AUTHOR
Dont forget to stop by Abrams Booth #2007 for ex

10:15 11:00 AM
Thi Bui
author of The Best We Could Do talks with
fellow authors on The New Mainstream:
Diversity & Activism in Four Colors
DOWNTOWN STAGE

11:00 AM 12:00 PM
Thi Bui joins a panel discussion on
A Picture Tells 1,000 Words: Graphic Novels
ROOM 1E16

BOOK SIGNING 12:15 PM

The Best We Could Do
AUTOGRAPHING TABLE #6

11:00 AM 12:00 PM
Coauthors Bill Nye the Science Guy
& Gregory Mone
of the Jack and the Geniuses series
host Real Science, Big Adventure
to talk about their exciting
new middle-grade series
MAIN STAGE

BOOK SIGNING 12:15 PM

Jack and the Geniuses:
At the Bottom of the World
AUTOGRAPHING TABLE #5
ORS TODAY JUNE 4
or exclusive discounts and giveaways all day long!

12:45 1:45 PM
See Jeff Kinney
author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
talk with other childrens book authors
on the Kids Book Blockbusters Panel
MAIN STAGE

BOOK SIGNING 2:00 PM

The Long Haul and
The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: The Next Chapter
AUTOGRAPHING TABLE #10

12:00 1:00 PM 3:30 4:15 PM

Spotlight on Shea Serrano Susan Verde
The New York Times bestselling author discusses author of I Am Yoga discusses
his newest book, Basketball (and Other Things) Striving for Wellness with fellow authors
DOWNTOWN STAGE DOWNTOWN STAGE

BOOK & SAMPLER SIGNING 1:30 PM BOOK SIGNING 4:30 PM

Basketball (and Other Things) samplers and I Am Yoga
The Rap Year Book AUTOGRAPHING TABLE #3 ABRAMS BOOTH #2007

abramsbooks.com/BookCon
 Nonfiction

Charles Brandt:
Crime
After Crime
The mob, Hoffa, JFK, and more
By Hilary S. Kayle

H
ows this for vindication? There were skeptics when I Heard You
Paint Houses (Steerforth Press), Charles Brandts book about mob
hit man Frank The Irish Sheeran, came out in 2004 with Sheer-
ans claim he pulled the trigger on teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa. Two
years later, when mafia honcho Billy DElia turned states evidence, the FBI
asked him what happened to Hoffa. He told them to read Brandts book.
But wait, theres more. Brandt held back information from that first edition
because he feared for his life. He says, I purposely left out peoples namesI
didnt even mention their names in passingbecause they were difficult. When

18 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
youre dealing with people where murder is part of their arse-
nal, you dont mess with them.
Now that those folks are no longer alive (or in the case of
DElia, no longer a threat), Brandt included more information
in an updated version of I Heard You Paint Houses published
last June in anticipation of the movie, shooting this summer,
based on the book. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese and
written by Academy Awardwinning screenplay writer Steve
Zaillian, will feature Robert De Niro as Sheeran and Al Pacino
as Hoffa. Details about the meeting Brandt had with De Niro,
Scorsese, and Zaillian are also included, as well as the cor-
roboration of crimes Sheeran claimed he committed, includ-
ing the hit on Joey Gallo; Sheerans confession to Brandt is
captured in a photograph of the two men at a mob hangout
in 2000. How did Brandt, a former homicide prosecutor and
chief deputy attorney general of Delaware, get Sheeran to
confess to not only the Hoffa murder but others as well? The
FBI had put Sheeran in prison for labor law violations. Brandt
explains, They gave him 32 years of jail sentences. I got this
call from the Philly mob. Frank was about 70. He had health
issues and was in a wheelchair in jail. Would I get him out on
an early medical release? It was pretty easy. I took him before
the parole board and pleaded his case with his medical records
and got him out.
After the celebratory luncheon, Sheeran pulled him aside
and told him hed read Brandts first book, a novel based on
his cases, The Right to Remain Silent. He told me he liked it,
says Brandt, and that he was tired of being written about in
all the books on Hoffas disappearance. This was 1992; Hoffa
disappeared in 1975, so thered been about half a dozen books
about it and many articles as well. [Sheeran] was mentioned
in everything as having a role, but no one knew what role. He
wanted to tell his side of it, and he wanted me to tell it for
him.
Chip Fleischer, Steerforth publisher, took a risk when he
bought Brandts manuscript 14 years ago: He was putting
himself out there with claims and conclusions that ran con-
trary to some well-regarded books published by responsible
writers, but Charlie was drawing different conclusions and
other publishers were afraid to take the plunge.
Another shocking revelation included in the updated
57-page conclusion is about the mobs connection to JFKs
assassination. That will be the subject of Brandts next book.
Lets see what the skeptics say then.
Today, 24 p.m. Charles Brandt will sell discounted copies
of his new book and Steerforth will give away T-shirts at its
booth (1708).
W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 19
 Fiction
MEET BESTSELLING AUTHOR
THEODORE GRAY Fan Favorites
on Sunday,
June 4, 2:30 - 3:15PM,
Are Side
Downtown Stage! by Side at
This Fall, The Elements and Molecules
BookCon
come together, interact,
Have coffee and a nosh with
and make REACTIONS!
Jenny Han and Morgan Matson
By Liz Hartman

More than 500
photos
throughout!
Theo Gray continues to bring the
architecture of the universe into
focus in REACTIONSthe long-awaited
third volume in the Elements trilogy.
REACTIONS (On Sale in Hardcover and eBook 10/17/17;
ISBN 978-0-316-39122-1 | $29.99 US/$38.99 Can.)
www.theodoregray.com
Twitter @TheodoreGray Facebook/TheodoreGray
For more info, stop by our booth #2503
T
wo favorite YA authors, Jenny Han and Morgan
Matson, can be found side by side at events today at
BookCon.
Earlier this month, Jenny Han concluded her Song sisters
trilogy (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), which
began with To All the Boys Ive Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love
You, with Always and Forever, Lara Jean. The final installment
finds Lara Jean having the best senior year a girl could hope
for. But change is looming on the horizon. Lara Jean watched
her sister go through growing pains, but now Lara Jean is the
one wholl be graduating from high school, leaving for col-
lege, and leaving her familyand possibly the boy she
lovesbehind. Always and Forever, Lara Jean explores this
dilemma: when your heart and your head are saying two dif-
ferent things, which one should you listen to?
Also earlier this monthone day earlier than HansThe
Unexpected Everything, the newest novel from Morgan Matson
(author of Since Youve Been Gone), was published. Andie has a
plan. And she always sticks to her plan. Shes going to go to
a top-tier medical school; avoid her congressman father as
much as possible; stay loyal to her awesome friends; and
remember that any relationship with a boy is not worth more
than three weeks. But a political scandal costs Andie her sum-
mer pre-med internship, and lands both her and Dad back in
the same house, together for the first time in years. She is way,
way off-plan. Her friends tell her to embrace all the chaos,
but can she really let go of her control?
Today, 10:3011 a.m. Have coffee and cookies with Jenny
Han and Morgan Matson in the S&S booth (1420).
Today, 1:452:45 p.m. Join Han and Matson for the
panel Find Your Voice with Sarah Dessen, Shannon Hale,
Jenny Han and Morgan Matson, in Room 1E10/11.
Today, 34 p.m. Han signs at Table 6 and Matson signs at
Table 3 in the Autographing Area.

20 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
 gina stock
Maker Stations
at Family HQ!
TODAY
from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Create custom Boxcar Children buttons,
bookmarks, and more with your friends
from Albert Whitman & Company!
Come earlyspace is limited to 40 kids!

Visit booth #1913 throughout the

Matson day for exclusive Boxcar Children
giveawaystote bags, journals,
adam krause

Han
buttons, and more!

And ask about the new 5-book

Boxcar Children miniseries too!

www.boxcarchildren.com

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 21
 Nonfiction

Making
Science
Explode
on the
Page
Theodore Gray reacts to
our chemical world

T
By Liz Hartman

his fall will bring Reactions: An

Illustrated Exploration of Ele-
ments, Molecules, and Change in
the Universe by Theodore Gray
(Black Dog & Leventhal), the
long-awaited third installment
in Grays popular Elements
trilogy. The first two titles, Elements and Mole-
cules, have sold more than 1.5 million copies
worldwide. Reactions con-
cludes Grays epic story of
our chemical world. In Ele-
ments, Gray taught us about
the 118 elements; Molecules
showed us how they com-
bine; and in Reactions, he
demonstrates, through his arresting photogra-
phy and witty text, how molecules interact in
ways that are essential to our very existence.
The book begins with a brief recap of elements
and molecules and goes on to explain essential
concepts important for chemical reactions, such
as energy, entropy, and time. We then see reac-
tions that include the chemistry of color and
fire, as well as reactions that take place in the
kitchen, in the lab, and the factory.

Left and opposite are sneak peeks of Reactions

22 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
Today, 2:303:15 p.m. Theodore Gray joins Ella Morton (Atlas Obscura) and Doug Harris (My Name Is Stardust) on the
Downtown Stage for the panel Adult Education, where they discuss the importance of making science and history
accessible and interesting to people of all ages.

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 23
 Fiction

Kids Being Kids

Get a New Look
The Boxcar Children turn 75!
By Alia Akkam

I
n 1942, Gertrude Chandler Warner, a Connecticut
grade school teacher, unveiled The Boxcar Children, her
first bookshe wrote 18 morein what would become
a cherished series of more than 150 titles. Since the
1960s, Albert Whitman & Company has been publishing the
Boxcar Children, and for the series 75th anniversary, the
artwork attached to the precocious, mystery-solving Alden
brood has taken a contemporary turn.
In celebration of this years milestone, there is a new five-
book collection, the Boxcar Children Great Adventure, guided
by a continuous arc that takes the siblings to glamorous
locales around the globe in search of rare, stolen artifacts. And
the fall brings a refreshed, 20-book set, including all the titles
written by Warner, that will further amplify the Boxcar Chil-
drens present-day appeal, bolstered by an animated film adap-
tation of Warners second book, Surprise Island.
When The Boxcar Children debuted, illustrator L. Kate
Deals art reflected the era and the story perfectly in their
simplicity and wholesomeness, says Albert Whitmans cre-
ative director, Jordan Kost. This timeless design also under-

24 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
scores the books content about the family. One of the most
interesting things about the books is that theyre not terribly
action-packed, like what youd expect in a modern adventure
story. Theyre more like quiet observations of the Aldens
going about their daily lives and taking care of one another.
But its also what has given them such longevity. Even though
the clothing theyre wearing looks different and the technol-
ogy isnt there, kids today can still relate to them because they
are simply kids being kids.
The new books now flaunt colorful covers courtesy of illus-
trator Anthony VanArsdale, and are branded with a fresh logo
that still has nostalgic undertonesyou cant quite put your
finger on whether its the original or if its completely new,
says Kost. In the Boxcar Children Great Adventure books,
VanArsdales images depict the Aldens stepping off a private
train in New Mexico, riding camels through the Egyptian
desert, passing by elephants in a tuk-tuk in Thailand, landing
in snowy Antarctica via a helicopter, and taking in the spec-
tacle of Machu Picchu. Giving a distinct visual identity to
each of the protagonists was essential, Kost says, to the books
leap into modernity. This process was simplified, she says, by
Warners mindfulness in developing four unique characters,
each with their own personalities and strengths. All that we
needed to do was build upon what was there, enhance it, and,
of course, add smartphones.

W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 25
 Fiction

2 0 t h B i r t h d a y ,
Happ y a n t s !
t a i n U n d e r p
Cap
ature....
I am very imm of a
Its not much rite
to w
stretch for me nd
from a seco
of
graders point
view. Dav Pilkey

By Beth Levine

B
elieve it or not, those imaginative second-grade heroes
of Dav Pilkeys famed Adventures of Captain Under-
pants series, George and Harold, turn 20 years old this
year. Befitting their well-known status, they can also be seen
on the big screen. The 3-D animated version, Captain Under-
pants: The First Epic Movie, starring the voices of Ed Helms,
Kevin Hart, Nick Kroll, and Thomas Middleditch, just
opened. (Seriously, who wouldnt want to hypnotize their
mean school principal into thinking he was a tighty-whitey
caped superhero?)
The author, the books, and, yes, even the underpants will
be celebrated at Scholastics booth (1639). Nothing says fam-
ily fun more than the opportunity to take a selfie in front of a
giant four-feet-wide-by-two-feet-tall pair of underpants or
hugging a giant Captain Underpants inflatable.
The Captain Underpants book series has more than 80 mil-
lion copies in print and has been translated into more than 25
languages. Pilkey is also the author of the popular Dog Man
series, of which Publishers Weekly said, Readers (of any age)
will be giggling from start to finish. The first two Dog Man
books debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The
next Dog Man book, A Tale of Two Kitties, will be published
on August 29. Pilkey earned a Caldecott Honor for his picture
book The Paperboy and a California Young Reader Medal for
Dog Breath.
Not bad for a guy who started out with ADHD, dyslexia,
and behavioral problems when he was a kid. Pilkey was so
disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the
hall every day. He loved to draw and make up stories, so he
spent his time in the hallway creating his own comic books.
Thats when he created Captain Underpants and Dog Man.
We spoke with the former teachers nightmare who USA
Today called the savior of the reluctant reader.

26 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
We cant believe Captain Underpants has been
around 20 years. When you first started writing
the series, did you think it would become such a
touchstone in several generations childhoods?
A| I had no idea. My goal was, I wanted it to be perhaps
a trilogy. I had no idea I would be working on it 20
years and 12 books later. I was very surprised at how it took
off.
How were you able to tap into little kids psyches so
intimately?
A| I am very immature. There is a part of me that is still
a second grader at heart, so its not much of a stretch
for me to write from a second graders point of view. I was
not a lot of fun for the teachers, but a lot of fun for the class.
In the hallway, with nothing to do, I started drawing and
making comic books. It was a way for me to remain signifi-
cant to my class because I would share my stories with my
friends. I was diagnosed with extreme hyperactivity; they
didnt have the term ADHD back then. My parents were
keenly aware that I was struggling, but they were so encour-
aging when I came home. They encouraged me to make my
comic books. It meant everything to come home to such a
safe atmosphere.
You are the reason many struggling readers finally
learned to read. Why do you think kids love your
books so much?
Today, 10:30 a.m.noon. Dav Pilkey signs copies of the first book in each of the
Adventures of Captain Underpants and Dog Man series in the Scholastic booth (1639).
They identify with the characters, George and Harold, and
their friendship. George and Harold are the heroes, but they
dont have superpowers. They have their imagination and
ingenuity to save the world. Everyone can use their imagi-
nation and creativity.
Jerome Horwitz Elementary School is an homage to
Curly, one of the three stooges, whose real name is
Jerome Horwitz. Were you a big Stooges fan?
A| My local UHF station used to play The Three Stooges
every afternoon. Id run home to watch that. The slap-
stick humor really carried over into my work. They were so
joyfully ridiculous. That is Captain Underpants personality
as well. I got a lot from Larry, Curly, and Moe, and even
Shemp.
Now Dreamworks is releasing the movie. Were you
involved?
A| I was really involved in the beginning. I wanted to go
with Dreamworks because they preferred 3-D anima-
tion. They didnt want it to be live action. No one wants to
see someone running around in his underwear. I was
involved because I wanted to make sure they stayed true to
the books and the themes. When I was sure it was in good
hands, I stepped away and let the creative people do their
jobs.
W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M 27
 Profile

Kwame Alexander
Paying Tribute to Rock
and Rolland Ghana
Its a love letter to rock and roll music. Its a tribute,
an ode to my teenage years and how music was the
thing that sort of helped me stay sane.
By Shannon Maughan

28 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
New York Times Maureen Dowd in conversation with WLRNs Tom Hudson

NOVEMBER 12-19, 2017

AND ALL YEAR ROUND!

600+ AUTHORS A BOOK FOR EVERY AGE AND INTEREST

AUTHOR PANELS STREET FAIR &

& READINGS CHILDRENS ALLEY
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IN THE KITCHEN ON THE PORCH IN CHILDRENS ALLEY
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MIAMI BOOK FAIR: Building community, one reader at a time.
 Profile

D
espite our differences and our indi-
vidual struggles and successes in
life, music is the universal lan-
guage, says Kwame Alexander. It
can be the thread that connects us
all. Music is the catalyst for Alex-
anders new YA novel-in-verse, Solo (Harper/Blink,
Aug.), cowritten with his close friend, collaborator,
and poet, Mary Rand Hess. Its a love letter to rock
and roll music, he explains. Its a tribute, an ode
to my teenage years and how music was the thing
that sort of helped me stay sane and really got me on
a journey to understanding myself a little better.
Blade, the teenage protagonist of Solo, is on a path
to self-acceptance, too. Hes a talented musician in
his own right, but is living in the shadow of his
famous rock star dad, who is battling addiction. The
other curveballs in Blades life include the loss of his
mother several years earlier, a recent romantic heart-
break, and a newly revealed family secret. Hes in
an uphill battle trying to find himself, says Alex-
ander, and the journey hes on takes him from Hol-
lywood across the world to Ghana, to a whole other
culture where hes able to begin to understand his
place in the world.
Alexander says he wanted to include Ghana in Solo because proseand it moves between a contemporary setting and the
the country is near to his heart. He has been traveling there 1930s. Alexander has also completed Rebound, a prequel
for the past five years to work on a literacy initiative he novel-in-verse to his Newbery-winning The Crossover (HMH,
cofounded to help students and teachers, and to build a library April 2018).
in the village of Konko, in the eastern region of the country. Alexander and his writing group colleagues are headed to
I have spent so much time there, I wanted to write about that Ghana for a summer retreat. Its interesting that during the
experience, he adds. last week of July, well be in Ghana cutting the ribbon on the
Alexander shares his passion for Blades story with Hess. new library and brainstorming ideas for our future projects,
The pair had previously teamed up for a picture book (Animal and when we return from doing all that, Solo will be pub-
Ark, National Geographic) and are in the same writing group. lished, Alexander says. Its a wonderful time for the book
We are both hopeful romantics who are in love with love, and and for us. And the author is in the process of building a
we consider ourselves to be huge poetry enthusiasts, says writing studio, which, he explains, Ive built to the specifica-
Alexander. tions that will allow all of us to be able to be in there, have
Alexander and Hess recently finished a first draft of their our space, and enjoy our writing group in the truest sense of
second YA novel, Swing, which will also be published by the word.
Blink. We pay homage to jazz and baseballtwo of the
greatest things ever created by Americans, says Alexander. Today, 23 p.m. Kwame Alexander will sign in the
Swing is a hybrid of verse, poems, epistolary, and some Autographing Area.

30 W W W. T H E B O O K C O N . C O M | JUNE 4, 2017
 H A P P E N I N G T O D AY
DISNEY PUBLISHING WORLDWIDE BOOTH #1709
MEET
DHONIELLE CLAYTON
AUTHOR OF THE BELLES
AT 10:30 AM
Stop by for your signed
poster with excerpt.*

ON SALE
2.20.18

*WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

MEET
MATTHEW
REINHART ON
AT 11:30 AM SALE
11.21.17
Stop by to receive a signed
pop-up sample.*
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BOOK CON EXCLUSIVE

Stop by to purchase your signed copy of

BOOK TWO
THE DARK PROPHECY