The American Booksellers Association's 13th annual Children's Institute, held in Portland, Ore., wrapped up over the weekend. Nearly 600 people attended, including more than 330 booksellers (approximately 100 of them for the first time). The mood of the show was one of community and camaraderie. Many people arrived tired and angry and frustrated by current events, but left feeling refreshed and buoyed by being with their colleagues.

On the last day of the event, ABA CEO Allison Hill announced that the 2026 Children's Institute will be held in Chicago, Ill., June 26-29. Hill also gave a teary salute to ABA CFO PK Sindwani, who was attending his last Children's Institute before retiring in August: "We will miss him so much, but we know that our loss is his new granddaughter's gain."

Booksellers rocked some excellent book shirts for the Friday morning breakfast keynote. From left: Hannah Davis of Busboys and Poets Books in Washington, D.C.; Sarah Threlkeld from Island Books on Mercer Island, Wash.; and Dearsha Johnson of Story & Song Bookstore Bistro in Fernandina Beach, Fla.

Booksellers eagerly jumped behind the author table to pose with (front row) authors Taylor Namey (If We Never End, Bloomsbury YA), and Mac Barnett (Twenty Questions, illustrated by Christian Robinson, Candlewick). Standing, l.-r.: are Laura Leis, Paulina Springs Books, Sisters, Ore.; Kate Snyder, Plaid Elephant Books, Danville, Ky.; Alex Nowicki, Alice, Ever After Books, Buffalo, N.Y.; and Lisa Baudoin, Books & Company, Oconomowoc, Wis.

Nicole Brinkley of Oblong Books, Rhinebeck, N.Y., with authors (l.) Sonora Reyes (The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar, HarperCollins) and ND Stevenson (Scarlet Morning, Quill Tree Books).

Brothers and coauthors/illustrators Jerome Pumphrey (l.) and Jarrett Pumphrey (r.) signed an F&G of their upcoming picture book The Old Sleigh (Norton Young Readers) for Hannah Oliver Depp, founder of Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Md.

Authors Autumn Krause (Grave Flowers, Peachtree Teen) and Marker Snyder (First Kiss with Fangs, Holiday House) showed off the covers of their upcoming books with Anthony Gaetjen of BookPeople in Austin, Tex.

(l.-r.) Jasmine Valandani from Kepler's Books, Menlo Park, Calif.; Sarah Hutton, Village Books and Paper Dreams, Bellingham, Wash.; author/illustrator Matthew Forsythe (The Grammar of Fantasy by Gianni Rodari, translated by Jack Zipes; Enchanted Lion), and author Christine Alemshah (Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures, illustrated by Dream Chen; Free Spirit Publishing).

On the morning of Saturday, June 14, as "No Kings" protestors formed lines along the street outside the Portland, Ore., convention center, author Samira Ahmed announced to a hall full of booksellers and publishing professionals, "By the way, this speech will be political."

Leah Johnson of Loudmouth Books in Indianapolis, Ind., introduced Ahmed by discussing her recently released YA novel, The Singular Life of Aria Patel (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers). "More important now than ever," Johnson opened. "It's a phrase we're using a lot for marketing but, in a time when books are being banned now more than ever, when our friends and family are being disappeared off the street, Samira's work is more timely than ever. It's more than timely--it's urgent. And it should be required reading."

Samira Ahmed (r.) with bookseller Leah Johnson of Loudmouth Books in Indianapolis, Ind.

It's an honor, Ahmed said, to be given the opportunity to speak to indie booksellers. "You helped make my career. I was an Indies Introduce title and that was the first huge acknowledgment I received from the book community about my words being important." Ahmed's note of appreciation was followed by an energetic, passionate, and often frustrated speech about a question she keeps returning to: How can I be brave?

When Internment, Ahmed's YA novel about a U.S. internment camp for Muslim American citizens, was published in 2019, a teacher spoke with Ahmed about using the book in her classroom. The teacher hoped to include the title in a student directed reading program that allowed teens to pick their own books. Two other teachers said they felt it was an inappropriate choice because "there were no south Asians in their school." Scared of upsetting her colleagues and risking her job, the teacher decided not to offer the book to her students. "How," the teacher asked Ahmed, "can I be brave?"

"This week has been a lot," Ahmed said. "It feels like, in the 100 years since Trump's second term began, we have experienced so much. We are witnessing the rise to power of the worst bullies you knew in middle school and they're just as bad as you thought they were." But, what's so frustrating, Ahmed sighed, is "just how stupid they are--they are deeply uncurious people." But today, she said, "is No King's Day! And millions of Americans are marching, saying 'not in my name and not on my watch.' " We are a community, Ahmed said, and "I believe in community over kings. Community over kings is how we're going to be brave together."

That question, Ahmed said, "became the foundation of This Book Won't Burn, a YA novel about book banning." Ahmed asked the audience: "How can I stand up for something that is right even if I am scared? If I might face reprisals? How do I do this?" Bravery, she said, "is not a natural state of being. It definitely isn't for me." What bravery is, she explained, is a series of small choices brought on by three types of life-altering events: trauma, destiny, and chance. "No hero at the start of any book or any movie or any story starts out saying 'Yeah, I'm brave.' " An example? Star Wars. "Luke doesn't set out to be the leader of a rebellion. His 'want song' in the beginning is that he wants to go to the Tosche Station to pick up power converters."

"I don't think there's been a single day in my life when I felt that I was brave," Ahmed admitted. "But feeling that is the thing that makes us not assholes. There are a lot of people who think of themselves as big, beautiful, brave, patriots/fascists. But they're almost, to a person, cowardly bullies." For the rest of us, Ahmed said, "even if we don't think of ourselves as brave, deep down we want to think we could be the hero--that we could meet the moment. And that moment for all of us is now."

Booksellers, authors, publishers are meeting the moment by helping children and young readers find "the story they really want but don't know it's for them yet, that may live in their heart forever," Ahmed said. When a bookseller walks a child "over to a shelf and helps them find that story," the choice they're making to help that child in that moment is a brave choice. "You're not standing in front of a tank, you're not stopping a bullet, but we all know that stories can save lives. Maybe that book you just gave that kid is the book that will save their lives. It will be the book that makes them feel seen." This, Ahmed said, is power. This, Ahmed said, is bravery. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness

Tales & Tails, a bookstore and coffee shop with a prominent dog theme, has opened in Fredericksburg, Va., Northern Virginia magazine reported.

Located at 1010 Charles St., Tales & Tails debuted on May 24 and features an all-ages, general-interest inventory, with plenty of dog-related books available. There is a children's area complete with stuffed animals, as well as meeting and study rooms that customers can rent. 

Owners Christine Bowman and Hunter Burkin plan to host author events, book clubs, and animal adoption events in partnership with the Fredericksburg SPCA and Old Dominion Humane Society.

The coffee counter serves coffee and baked goods, along with pup cups and dog treats. There is a dog-friendly patio but, due to health department regulations, only service animals are allowed in-store. The patio includes water bowls, a "dog stick library," and more.

Caroline Ames Herter, the much-loved publishing industry veteran, died June 12 after a short illness. She was 70.

Caroline Herter

Herter's career began as one of the original booksellers at Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, Colo., after graduating from Colorado College with a degree in philosophy. She went on to work in sales, marketing, and publishing at Harper & Row, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, and Chronicle Books, where she was instrumental in developing the gift product line that redefined how non-book products were marketed and sold in the bookselling community and how books were sold in the gift market. She had a great eye for how books should look and feel, both inside and out.

Following her publishing career, she established Herter Studio and Caroline Herter Publications, where she developed and packaged books that inspired and educated women, brought on laughter, challenged authority and had a sense of playfulness. Her publications included Try Again, Fail Again, Fail Better; Body Drama; and The Book of Badges, among others. She was also the co-author of Photocraft: Cool Things to Do with the Pictures You Love. She was an original member of the women's publishing group "never ever got Roots on," one of the first "book clubs" created.

Herter was a mentor and helped many young publishing professionals get established in their careers. She was a director at the Stanford University Publishing Institute and worked closely with that team to bring publishing talent into the program. She touched many lives and at times was more than determined to get her point across.

As noted in her obituary, "She was an avid and adept downhill skier always ready to take on the next black diamond slope leaving her friends in a dust of snow. She was an adventurous kayaker and a nervous sailor, loved to drive fast (in more than a car), never turned down a chance to be on horseback, could dance up a storm, and was a nature lover extraordinaire. Caroline was most at ease walking in the woods at her family home on Pretty Marsh Harbor, Maine, with a pair of clippers in her hands, always searching to carve out the perfect water view from her porch perch. She was a practiced charades player egging on family and friends to get down and have a good time. Laughter was her medicine, books were her fuel, love was always in her heart--even when she was a challenge. Caroline was amazing as she overcame many obstacles, again and again--always challenging herself to "fail better." Her spiritual life blossomed after she returned to Maine from San Francisco where she developed a group of sage and interesting friends. Caroline was a passionate soul and touched many lives with infectious energy."

Besides family, she "leaves many loyal friends who loved her dearly and were honored to be loved by her in life. She will always live in our hearts."

[Thank you, Michael Selleck]

This past week, Shelf Awareness sent our Kids & YA Pre-Order E-Blast to more than 200,000 of the country's best book readers. The e-blast went to 224,973 customers of 48 participating independent bookstores.

The mailing features four upcoming titles selected by Shelf Awareness editors and three advertised titles, one of which is a sponsored feature. Customers can buy these books via "pre-order" buttons that lead directly to the purchase page for the title on each sending store's website. A key feature is that bookstore partners can easily change title selections to best reflect the tastes of their customers and can customize the mailing with links, images, and promotional copy of their own.

The pre-order e-blasts are sent the second Wednesday of each month; the next will go out on Wednesday, July 9. This is a free service for indies. Stores interested in learning more can visit our program registration page or contact our partner program team via e-mail.

Ad spots are also available in the Kids & YA Pre-Order E-Blast. For more information contact sales@shelf-awareness.com for details.

For a sample of the June Kids & YA Pre-Order E-Blast, see this one from Booklovers' Gourmet, Webster, Mass.

The titles highlighted in the pre-order e-blast were:

Another by Paul Tremblay (Quill Tree)
Snoop by Gordon Korman (Scholastic Press)
The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Dan Santat (Disney Hyperion)
A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek (Margaret K. McElderry)

The Curious Cat Bookshop's Pride celebration featured Kimm Topping, author of Generation Queer (Lee & Low). Stacy Whitman, who owns the bookstore located in Winstead, Conn., edited the book. Pictured (l. to r.): Topping's agent Lauren Scovel, Topping, and Whitman. 

Congratulations to Book Soup, West Hollywood, Calif., which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this coming weekend. Festivities begin on Friday, June 20th, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., with Glenn Goldman Day, honoring the late founder of Book Soup. The day features a "50th Anniversary Celebration," 5-9 p.m., with a special reception, video archive of "stories and memories from beloved friends of Book Soup," the "50/50 list" of books the store loves and that connect with its history, and speakers at 7 p.m.

Saturday is the all-day 50th Birthday Party, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., that will include food trivia, merchandise, and a goodie bag with a purchase of $75 or more while supplies last. And on Sunday at 3 p.m. the store hosts a celebration of Felix Farmer Press with publisher Sam Wasson, who will discuss Bruce Wagner's The Marvel Universe, Richard Schickel's The Famous Mr. Fairbanks, and the boutique press's most recent Book Soup bestseller, Aben Kandel's novel Rabbi Burns.

Jocelynn Pedro has joined the Random House Publishing Group publicity team as assistant director of publicity for One World. She formerly was at PublicAffairs.

Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould (Peachtree Teen).

Today:
Late Night with Seth Meyers: Barry Diller, author of Who Knew (Simon & Schuster, $30, 9781668096871).

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Steve Martin, author of Steve Martin Writes the Written Word: Collected Written Word Works by Steve Martin (Grand Central, $30, 9780306835735).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Elyce Arons, author of We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade (Gallery, $28.99, 9781668069073).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Nate Bargatze, author of Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind (Grand Central, $30, 9781538768464).

Late Night with Seth Meyers: Meredith Hayden, author of The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes for Everyday Luxury and Elevated Entertaining (Ten Speed Press, $35, 9780593835951).

Matthew McConaughey is "in talks to star" in a film starring hardboiled private investigator Mike Hammer, who has been featured in the longrunning book series by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins, Deadline reported. McConaughey would be reuniting with True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto, who has written the screenplay.

Skydance had acquired the rights to the books with the plans to develop and produce a movie. The company's David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger will produce the film along with Guymon Casady, Benjamin Forkner, and Ken F. Levin. Max Allan Collins will executive produce with Jane Spillane serving as co-producer. Carin Sage will oversee the project for Skydance.

The £30,000 (about $40,700) 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction was won by Yael van der Wouden for The Safekeep (published in the U.S. by Avid Reader Press/S&S). Organizers described the book as "an unsettling, tightly-plotted debut novel which explores repressed desire and historical amnesia set against the backdrop of the Netherlands post-World War II. The Safekeep is at once a highly-charged, claustrophobic drama played out between two deeply flawed characters, and a bold, insightful exploration of the emotional aftermath of trauma and complicity. Van der Wouden's universally resonant tale cements her as one of contemporary fiction's most exciting new voices."

The £30,000 (about $40,700) 2025 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction was awarded to Dr. Rachel Clarke for The Story of a Heart: Two Families, One Heart, and the Medical Miracle that Saved a Child's Life (published in the U.S. by Scribner). Organizers called this "a clear-sighted, vital exploration into the human experience behind organ donation. Interweaving two intimate family stories, we meet nine-year old Kiera who dies following a catastrophic car accident and Max, also nine years old, who faces imminent heart failure due to a viral infection. Through these individual tragedies, Rachel Clarke depicts the expertise and dedication of the countless medical staff who look after Keira in her final hours and those who offer Max a new life. The Story of a Heart is an inspiring and profoundly moving book which celebrates an indefatigable respect for life, the generosity and tenacity of the human spirit, and the sheer miracle of modern science."

Mariah Rigg, a Samoan Haole born and raised in O'ahu, presents Extinction Capital of the World, a masterful debut collection inspired by her own Hawai'ian history. In 10 interconnected stories, Rigg features multigenerational members--and their adjacents--of an extended family with overlapping Native and settler backgrounds.

Rigg begins with "Target Island," distilling a man's life forever affected by the U.S. government's 1948 bombing of Kaho'olawe. Rigg traverses through six decades when sexagenarian Harrison is back on Kaho'olawe, volunteering to make the island bomb-free, dreaming of a haven for the great-grandchildren he will never meet. His granddaughter, Lila, reappears in "Field Dressing," featuring Lila's father, Harrison's son, as he recalls Harrison's death while sharing a fishing trip with his hard-drinking friend Max. In "After Ivan," Max and his twin, Mason, are international kayaking champions until a horrific (maybe) accident ends their careers.

Max's daughter turns protagonist in "I Made This Place for You," as she considers leaving her island home--and, more importantly, her beloved grandmother Tutu--for a significant mainland opportunity at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The descendants of Tutu's "hānai sister," Hina, include her son, Pono, and his estranged wife, Tori, who remains particularly bonded to Hina in "Poachers."

Pono and Tori's now-adult daughter, Kira, takes the spotlight in the titular final story, which opens and closes with a collective "we" that are the very islands: "We were here before this story's beginnings," concluding with "We let them go, into the future that awaited them." In between, Kira arrives home, seeking solace from her broken life once shared with nature documentarian Sam, who was introduced as a teen in "Dawn Chorus." Reconnecting with her extended family, particularly her father, Pono, offers Kira possible peace. "Scientists call Hawai'i the extinction capital of the world," Pono explains. "We had the most biodiversity... and each year, we lose the most of it." Kira's marine biology research enables a new generation of hope, her work instrumental in potentially saving the world's reefs.

Each of Rigg's stories easily stands alone as a succinct narrative but to parse together the web of tangled relationships yields gratifying rewards. To do so requires deliberate commitment--Rigg often eschews names and direct associations, relying on seemingly casual details as clever bridges between characters and stories. Throughout her meticulous fiction, she skillfully intertwines Hawai'i's complicated history of military abuse, missionary usurpation, colonial legacy, invasive tourism, ecological destruction. That intricate collage of people and events creates a wondrous literary gift. --Terry Hong

Shelf Talker: Samoan Haole Mariah Rigg makes a debut with an electrifying, interconnected 10-story collection highlighting both Native and settler residents of Hawai'i in Extinction Capital of the World.