Events

  We  are honored to partner with Adams Elementary School to create the ADAMS READS THE SAME BOOK program, of which this is the 5th Annual installation.     Beginning in 2007, Secret Garden events manager Suzanne Perry and Adams Librarian Marlene Friend began their collaboration to find a book so acclaimed, so good, so worthwhile, and so appropriate that all the families at Adams would benefit from reading it, and the entire school community would benefit from reading the same book together.  Since Adams is a K through 5th grade school, the chosen book had to hold the interest of 4th and 5th graders reading to themselves as well as be appropriate for the youngest students to listen to their guardians read it aloud to them.   A challenge, but Ms. Friend believed a challenge worth doing, especially at her arts-focused school.  Curriculum could be tailored around the book.  Students were invited to create a “book reaction” – a painting, poem, skit or other artistic expression to present the author on this night.   Ms. Friend procured the money to gift each family at the school with the new book via a PTA grant.    Just to add to the challenge, it was decided the chosen book would be written by an author who’d be willing to come to the school to do a public reading on a winter’s evening, after all the families had read it and students had studied it.  Ms. Perry put her publishing company publicity contacts into play to find an author planning a winter tour in Seattle.  (An author who had written a book to meet all the above criteria, that is!)  Local treasure Linda Johns and her great Hannah West series of books was our first  choice in 2008.  Multiple award-winning Julia Alvarez happened to be on a national tour-stop in Seattle in the winter of 2009, so her book How Tia Lola Came to Stay was chosen for the 2nd annual event.  In 2010, local poet and storyteller George Shannon’s Stories to Solve fit the bill for the 3rd annual, and last year, author Wendelin Van Draanen was in Seattle on a national tour for a new young adult novel, The Running Dream.  We knew her much acclaimed and bestselling Shredderman series would be the perfect answer to our criteria.  This year, Pt. Townsend author Patrick Jennings’ Guinea Dog is the deserving winner.  Guinea Dog tells the story of Rufus, who has been dreaming of getting a dog. His best friend has one. His worst friend has one. But his dad has a few objections: They whine. They gnaw. They bark. They scratch. They beg. They drool.  Rufus pays no attention when his mom offers her think-outside-the-box suggestion, because she can't be serious. She can't be.  She can be. And she actually comes home with a guinea pig. And if Rufus's dad thinks dogs are a problem, he won't know what hit him when he meets the Guinea Pig that Thinks She's a Dog. She barks. She bites. She'll eat your homework.  Patrick Jennings blasted onto the children's book scene with his critically acclaimed Faith and the Electric Dogs, which received numerous starred reviews and is now in film development. Guinea Dog was called "a very funny book...." by wired.com. Now that his children are middle-grade age, he has turned his focus to writing funny, easily accessible stories that will appeal to middle schoolers.  Guinea Dog is his 15th book for young readers. Upcoming are Lucky Cap (Egmont USA) in April, and Bat and Rat (Abrams Books for Young Readers) releases in May.  The author reading/Q&A/booksigning is open to the public.  Books will be for sale at the event.  Free.