There are two great new books about ladybugs that we just love, so what better better way to show them off than a special story time all about our favorite spotted insect friend? We’ll make ladybug antennae and wings to wear while we listen to the stories and enjoy other fun, creative activities. Free. Suggested for ages 3 to 8. Limited to ten kids. Please call, email, or come by to reserve a space ahead of time.

Brand New Ladybug Girl adventure: Ladybug Girl at the Beach, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. Lulu loves the beach. Well, she’s never been there before, but she knows she will love it. And then she sees the ocean and it is big and loud and rough. That’s okay-Lulu wanted to build sand castles and fly her kite with Bingo anyway. But while they are building their sand castle, the sneaky ocean comes in and tries to steal Lulu’s favorite pail. This is a job for Ladybug Girl!

What the Ladybug Heard, by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Lydia Monks. Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have a cunning plan: they’ll sneak past all the animals and steal the farmer’s fine prize cow. But they forget all about the tiniest, quietest creature on the farm-the ladybug. She has a plan of her own.

Julia Donaldson (author of  The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and many other favorites) turns her literary expertise to a farm setting, and comes up with a rollicking barnyard mystery. Lydia Monks’ colorful collage illustrations go perfectly with the story for a winning combination. Readers will quack, neigh, moo, and cheer for the ladybug all the way through!

The Jungle Grapevine
by Alex Beard
Suggested for ages 4 to 8
$16.95

Artist Alex Beard talks about his new picture book, The Jungle Grapevine. In the book, Beard brings to life an African savanna filled with humor and misunderstandings.

When Bird mixes up something Turtle says, he accidentally starts a rumor about the watering hole drying up. One misunderstanding leads to another, with animals making their own hilarious assumptions. No one is hearing anything right, and soon the animals are in an uproar from one end of the jungle to the other. Elephant is trumpeting, Croc is snapping, and the Flamingos are fleeing! Beard’s story will have every child wondering if peace can ever be restored in the animal kingdom.

Named one of the Best Books for Children 2009 by the Association of Booksellers for Children, The Jungle Grapevine is available now. $16.95. Suggested for ages 4 to 8.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is a must-read for fans of Twilight. Named one of the Best Books for Children 2009 by the Association of Booksellers for Children, Shiver is available now for $17.99. Suggested for ages 13 and up.

Read our review on the Book Witches blog.

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal was named one of the Best Books for Children 2009 by the Association of Booksellers for Children and is available now for $16.99. Suggested for ages 4 to 8.

Read our review on the Book Witches blog.

Author Michael Buckley, of Sisters Grimm fame, describes his new series NERDS. (Long-time customers may recall meeting Michael at Spellbound a few years ago when he was promoting Sisters Grimm #3: Problem Child!)

NERDS has been chosen one of the Best Books for Children  2009 by the Association of Booksellers for Children. NERDS, Book One is available now for $14.95. Suggested for ages 8-12.

Wear your favorite fancy outfit to a special story time featuring the new holiday book Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas. We’ll be dressed up, too!

Free stories and holiday activities. Recommended for ages 3 to 93.

RSVP (That’s a fancy way of saying “Please let us know that you’re coming so we have enough stuff for everyone.”) Call us at 828-232-2228.

Author & illustrator Nick Bruel will be at Spellbound on Saturday, November 7 at 5pm to read and sign books! You probably know his nationally bestselling picture books Boing! and Bad Kitty.

His new book is Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty, a heavily illustrated early chapter book. Nick will be in the Tarheel state to accept the 2009 North Carolina Picture Book of the Year award for Who Is Melvin Bubble? We’re thrilled to be hosting Nick for the second time at Spellbound. If the company he keeps tells you anything, in October Nick appeared with 5 real luminaries of the children’s book world at a group signing in New York’s largest bookstore for kids: LANE SMITH, MARK TEAGUE, ROBIE HARRIS, MAC BARNETT, and the Children’s Book Laureate himself JON SCIESZKA.
 
Best to have the kids in the door by 5:15 at the latest for a reading, though Nick will be here to talk with readers and sign books until 7:oopm.

 It’s Bad Kitty’s birthday, and you’re invited! Bad Kitty’s second illustrated novel is packed with deadpan humor, rich tidbits of cat information — and even some suspense! Who took Kitty’s presents? Why are Kitty’s friends so bizzare? Readers will laugh out loud at Kitty’s feline mood swings, and they’ll be touched by the heartwarming visit from a surprise guest. Follow-up to Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, now available in paperback.

Who is this kid with the funny name? Well, that depends on who you ask. Everybody who knows Melvin—his mom, his dad, his best friend Jimmy, his dog—even Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the big ugly monster with three eyes who lives in his closet have a different opinion.  This original and riotous picture book has a lot to say—not only about Melvin, but also about perspective, point of view, and a six-and-a-half-year-old’s place in the world.

Sunday, September 13 at 1:00pm

Book Making Workshop
Learn how to make four small handmade books from one paper grocery bag. Great idea for Grandparents Day gifts. Free, but please call ahead. All materials provided, but feel free to bring any favorite stickers or mementos for pasting into the books. Ages 5 and up.

Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with Peeta Mellark. But it had been a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. $17.99 hardcover

14-year-old Will shares a passion for archaeological excavation with his eccentric father. When Dad mysteriously vanishes, Will is compelled to dig up the truth and unearths a secret subterranean society ruled by a cultlike overclass, the Styx. Before he can find his father, Will is their prisoner.  $7.99 paperback (Sequel: Deeper, $18.99 hardcover)