This past weekend, Jessica and I had the privilege of attending the book release party for the new book of one of our favorite authors, Nikki Loftin. Having never been invited to a book release party before, probably because we didn’t really know any authors before, we were thrilled! All week long leading up to the event on Saturday, February 22, we were practically giddy.
We met Nikki a year and a half ago at my library conference, where she was a part of a panel of authors who performed in a reader’s theater. Though all the authors who performed that day were wonderful, Nikki stood out to me because of her energy and her amazing red shoes. We enjoyed getting to know her over the course of the day, and when it came time to book a speaker for the library conference this past year, I knew who I wanted. I needed someone who could engage, excite, and empower the librarians in attendance. Nikki was the perfect choice.
Nikki is truly a gifted storyteller. During her closing session at my conference, we laughed, we cried, we danced, and we were left feeling like we probably ought to go change the world or something. Her book release at Book People was no different. From the smallest children sitting on the floor in the front to the most veteran readers, Nikki had the audience in the palm of her hand as she read, spoke and answered questions. I could probably listen to her stories for hours! If you ever get a chance to have Nikki at your school, take it!!
Every detail was perfect at the event as well. Tiny cupcakes with a coconut nest and jelly bean eggs, Robin’s Egg candies, yogurt covered almonds that looked like eggs. And the fudge. Let’s just say we both earned good long workouts the next day thanks to all that fudge. There were nest kits for the young (and young at heart!) to build, and of course, a long line of people waiting to get their books signed.
(Side note about Book People: I had not ever been to Book People. I feel cheated. Had we actually told our husbands that this book release party was at a book store, they might not have let us go. At the very least, they might have taken our credit cards away before they sent us on our way. I have a new favorite book store and I will probably need to go several more times, just to make sure.)
We also got to go to the super-secret after-party at The Writing Barn, where we got to hob-nob with many important authors. Our to-read lists grew a mile long as we talked to authors who were eager to tell us about their current and impending books. We can’t wait to review some of them here! We had great conversations (as well as more of that great fudge!) and left with our heads full of ideas and excitement! We even got to snag a picture with the guest of honor!
The Book
Here’s the description of Nightingale’s Nest from Amazon:
Twelve-year-old John Fischer Jr., or “Little John” as he’s always been known, is spending his summer helping his father with his tree removal business, clearing brush for Mr. King, the wealthy owner of a chain of Texas dollar stores, when he hears a beautiful song that transfixes him. He follows the melody and finds, not a bird, but a young girl sitting in the branches of a tall sycamore tree.
There’s something magical about this girl, Gayle, especially her soaring singing voice, and Little John’s friendship with Gayle quickly becomes the one bright spot in his life, for his home is dominated by sorrow over his sister’s death and his parents’ ever-tightening financial difficulties.
But then Mr. King draws Little John into an impossible choice—forced to choose between his family’s survival and a betrayal of Gayle that puts her future in jeopardy.
Inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen story, Nightingale’s Nest is an unforgettable novel about a boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders and a girl with the gift of healing in her voice.
I’m only three chapters in, but I can already tell I’m going to love it because I LOVE fairy tales. I am immediately drawn to retellings of fairy tales, and I love that this one is set in Texas. I always love looking to see how the traditional tale and its characters and elements are translated to whichever setting has been chosen for the novel. I was not familiar with The Nightingale by Hans Christian Anderson, so I looked it up and I’m very intrigued to see how Nikki has translated this traditional Chinese folktale into Texan. You can find the text (with audio!) here for free: http://www.storynory.com/2009/08/17/the-nightingale/
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