Middle Grade Book Club: A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes
Sunday, May 31 at 4pm

It’s the next meeting of our middle grade book club for ages 9+! Led by bookseller extraordinaire Lorilee, we hope to introduce interested readers to amazing new books and the opportunity to talk about them in a fun, relaxed group setting.

This month’s book is A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski, an immersive middle grade fantasy adventure that follows a girl who must use her remarkable sense of smell to save the world from a terrifying plague. Please email [email protected] to RSVP. 

The last thing Nia wants is to be branded a “Sinsory.” Where she comes from, that's just as deadly as the plagues that arrive and ravage every generation. That's why she keeps her unusually keen sense of smell a secret. Only two people in the city of Yerat know of her special abilities: her beloved Auntie and her best friend, Fox. But once the worst plague in a century hits their desert continent, all of that suddenly changes.

That’s when an invitation arrives in the shape of a jar of blackcurrant jam. Nia is asked to join the Cloister, a select and secluded school for children with heightened senses. There she meets Scentiers, like her, but also Gazers, Whisper-Gatherers, and many more, whose sensory powers go far beyond what regular folk can smell, see, or hear.

It's there that Nia learns her nose knows far more than she ever dreamed . . . maybe enough to find the cure for the plague. Or even sniff out the sinister secrets hiding in the Cloister's walls . . .

Storytime with Suzanne Lang
Saturday, June 6 at 11am

We’re excited to welcome New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Lang to share her latest Grumpy Monkey adventure, Grumpy Monkey: Father’s Day Fuss!

The latest book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Grumpy Monkey series celebrates fathers and grandfathers - plus we learn where Jim gets his grumpiness from!

It’s Father’s Day and Jim’s dad is all about it. He LOVES having a day where he is the center of attention. But when Jim asks his father what he does for his father on Father’s Day, he learns that Grandpanzee thinks the holiday is “a bunch of malarkey!”

Storytime with Judy Campbell-Smith
Sunday, June 7 at 10:30am

Join us for a special storytime with author Judy Campbell-Smith as she shares her new picture book, Baseball for Breakfast.

Jimmy’s family loves going to Milwaukee Brewers games together, but all that changes during World War II when Pop goes overseas to fight and Ma starts working nights in a factory. Then Jimmy has a chance meeting with the team’s owner and helps inspire a new idea: morning baseball games!

Jimmy is about to experience baseball in a whole new way (it may involve Cornflakes). A perfect solution so night shift workers can end their day with a game while others begin theirs.

Book Launch with Gordon Jack
Tuesday, June 9 at 6pm

We’re excited to host local author (and Los Altos High librarian) Gordon Jack for the launch of his new novel, Poppy Montgomery Gets Even!

Eighty-year-old Poppy Montgomery has always taken a negative view of her life. Her father? A bully. Her husbands? Losers. Her daughter and grandson? Well, they’re probably her fault. And now the police have taken away her license, her daughter wants to put her in a retirement home, and the bossy new fitter-than-thou attendee at water aerobics is taking over her favorite class.

But enough is enough, and when her new friend, Ginny, is scammed on a dating site for seniors, Poppy decides it’s time to finally get even. With the help of Jeremy, her tech-savvy grandson, Poppy launches a vindictive little caper, scamming the scammers that prey on the elderly online. But when two women at Ginny’s retirement home seemingly meet unnatural ends and her newest target is implicated in the murder, suddenly Poppy’s fun online con job becomes a matter of life or death. It’s going to take the whole gang—Poppy’s two new best friends, her in-recovery daughter, and her basement-dwelling grandson—to pull off one last job, before one of them becomes the next victim.

A charmingly cozy crime story brimming with laughs and heart, Poppy Montgomery Gets Evenshows that it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf, make new friends, and scam an international crime ring while solving some murders along the way.

Storytime with Sharon Rose
Sunday, June 14 at 10:30am

Join us for a special storytime with author Sharon Rose as she shares her magical new picture book, Through the Garden Gate.

When Miles stumbles upon a neighbor’s mysterious gate, he steps into a world of wonder—where talking animals, fluttering fairies, and extraordinary plants await. Inspired by native ecology and brought to life through lush, timeless illustrations, this gentle adventure encourages children to look more closely at the natural world around them.

Illustration Workshop with Christy Hale
Sunday, June 14 at 4pm
RSVP Now »

Calling all young artists ages 10-13! Join us this summer for a series of hands-on art workshops led by a trio of talented, published illustrators: 

• Sunday, June 14 at 4pm: Christy Hale, author-illustrator of Reaching Across the Sky, Serious Fun!, and more
• Sunday, July 19 at 4pm: Laura G. Lee, author-illustrator of Soy Sauce!
• Sunday, August 16 at 4pm: Cindy Chang, author-illustrator of How to Draw a Secret 

Each workshop lasts 90 minutes and costs $75. Materials (paper, pens, etc) will be provided and, at the end of each workshop, students will receive a signed copy of one of the featured illustrator’s books. Space for each workshop is limited so sign up now!

Outdoor Storytimes
Sundays at 10:30am

Join us every Sunday morning at 10:30am in front of the store as one of our booksellers (or perhaps a local author) shares some of their favorite read-alouds. (Grab a tasty treat from our neighbors at Manresa Bread while your kids enjoy the stories!) All storytimes feature picture books and are appropriate for all ages.