The "eighth Harry Potter story," a script of a stage play called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II, will be published in the U.S. and Canada by Scholastic at 12:01 a.m.--aka bookstore party time--on Sunday, July 31, the day after the play by Jack Thorne makes its world debut in London. The play is based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.

The "special rehearsal edition" book, called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will be priced at $29.99 in the U.S. and $39.99 in Canada and published under Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books imprint. The book will be published in the U.K. by Little, Brown Book Group, and Pottermore.com will publish the e-book version.

Ellie Berger, president of Scholastic Trade, said, "As the U.S. print publisher, Scholastic introduced Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World to American readers nearly 20 years ago and experienced firsthand the anticipation and excitement of the publication of each of the books over the years. We are thrilled to publish Harry Potter and the Cursed Child this summer."

As for the story, Scholastic said this: "It was always difficult being Harry Potter, and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus, must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places."

The first seven Harry Potter books have sold more than 160 million copies in the U.S. and more than 450 million copies worldwide. They've also been turned into eight blockbuster films. 

Bad news from the University of California at Irvine: the school has issued a Request for Proposal to privatize the operations of its bookstore, the Hill.

The store says it will "continue to perform to the best of our ability and seek support from our campus partners, student body, faculty, and staff." It also said that it would "appreciate any advice or strategies that our fellow independent stores can provide in this tumultuous time."

The store was founded in 1981 as the University Bookstore. After several moves on campus, in 2012 it was renamed the Hill. The store is a not-for-profit, self-supporting organization owned by UC Irvine, employing more than 100 students with many alumni on staff. Any surplus is used for programs in the division of student affairs. The store manager is Kimberly Vater.

Keynote speakers at the American Booksellers Association's Children's Institute, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., June 21-23, are authors Julia Alvarez, Dave Barry and Kate DiCamillo, according to Bookselling This Week.

DiCamillo, whose latest book is Raymie Nightingale, will talk about her role as ambassador emeritus for young people's literature and "some of the opportunities for bookstores to grow their business and programming around community and summer reading initiatives." Barry's latest book is You Can Date When You're 40. Alvarez's next book is Where Do They Go?, illustrated by Sabra Field.

The schedule also includes a book swap and a range of panels, breakout sessions, rep picks and small press luncheons, an author reception, round-table discussions and more.

On November 21, children's author Laura Scott Schaefer opened Scattered Books, an approximately 1,000-square-foot general bookstore in Chappaqua, N.Y. Though Schaefer has sold her own books before and participated in many bookstore events as an author, she'd had no previous experience in retail bookselling. For a plethora of reasons, including the plateauing of once-explosive e-book sales and the lack of a bricks-and-mortar bookstore in Chappaqua, Schaefer felt like the time was right to open a store.

"I've always been very entrepreneurial, and I've always been a big book person," explained Schaefer, whose books include The Crumbles Chronicles and Pugbug and the Ticklish Garden. (She's also a former lawyer.) "It seemed like people are coming back to physical books and away from reading on devices," she added. "I had kind of a hunch that maybe it's time to take a chance and give it a shot."

Schaefer found what she calls an ideal location in Chappaqua last fall, and was able to open in time for Thanksgiving and the holiday rush. The bookshop's inventory is split roughly in half between kids books, ranging from picture books to YA, and adult titles. The inventory is around 95% new, with a limited selection of used books available for $1. The kid's section features a train table where kids can play, and adult shoppers can bring coffee in from outside and relax in store. As for sidelines, Schaefer carries a strong selection of toys and gifts. Schaefer reported that since opening, the size of her inventory has increased by about four-fold.

Owner Laura Schaefer helps local resident Bill Clinton.

"We wanted to fill the need for a bookstore, because [Chappaqua] is a very educated, literate area, but we also wanted to be a place for ideas and for creativity," recalled Schaefer. Beloved indie bookstore Second Story and a beloved independent toy store both closed in Chappaqua in the past several years, and in many ways Scattered Books is addressing the needs left by their absence. After Schaefer decided to open a bookstore but before she found the right storefront, she posted on a Chappaqua Moms Facebook group and asked what people thought of a new bookstore in town.

"I got 500 comments back in two days," said Schaefer. "There was definitely a need."

Since the opening in, Schaefer and her staff have been building up the inventory based on community feedback and running an increasing number of author and group events. There are book clubs for both children and adults, story time sessions (some featuring a bunny), writing workshops and children's birthday parties. Schaefer has hosted several non-book related events with local groups, including a Girl Scouts "take over" of the store on February 5, during which a local troop ran the store for two hours, and a reception with the Northern Westchester Artists Guild on December 10.

Lee Child and Andy Martin book signing

Scattered Books has also hosted a few high-profile author events, including a signing with authors Lee Child (Make Me), Suzanne Chazin (Land of Careful Shadows) and Andy Martin (Reacher Said Nothing: Lee Child and the Making of Me). And though they haven't been involved in any official events, the Bill and Hillary Clinton are residents of Chappaqua and have stopped by on multiple occasions.

Schaefer hopes to continue to experiment with additions to the store. She said she doesn't want something as extensive as a full-service cafe, as there is a great one down the street, but would like a small "book barista" area for coffee and light refreshments, possibly available free of charge. Longer term, Schaefer would love to have a dedicated events space, but that would involve major reconfiguring of the store.

So far, Schaefer said, she's been thrilled by the enthusiasm with which the Chappaqua community has embraced her store. "I think the best surprise has been how much people want the store here," she said. "People go out of their way to order a book from me instead of Amazon. It's been very nice. The community participation has blown me away." --Alex Mutter

John Hirst, "author of many books that detailed the early days of Australia, the character of Australia's democracy and its place in the wider world," died February 5, the Age reported. He was 73. Hirst was co-editor of The Oxford Companion to Australian History and in 2014 published his final book, Australian History in Seven Questions. His other books include The Shortest History of Europe and Sense and Nonsense in Australian History.

The Floating Library has "set sail in California, allowing visitors to pick out tomes from its waterproofed shelves," the Huffington Post reported. Originally created by Sarah Peters, and facilitated by local arts group Machine Project, the library, which is afloat today through Sunday, features laminated copies of art books that "will be available on the raft in Echo Park, Los Angeles, where visitors can arrive via pedal boat."

According to Machine Project, "You can peruse the finest selection of raft-bound artist books the high seas have to offer. Bring your reading glasses, grog, sea chanties and a bookmark--the Library's come to town!"

Children's author Amy Plum, who lives in Paris, told the Guardian that a bookseller at London's Village Bookshop in Woodford Green "helped restore her faith in mankind" after delivering a package to her friend in hospital. "Not only did employee Catherine Marcus agree to help select the books, she also offered to deliver them to the hospital with some flowers later that day," the Guardian wrote.

"Catherine was truly amazing," Plum said. "She was so positive, helpful, and good-hearted.... I live very near both Charlie Hebdo's old offices and the Bataclan in Paris, and have suffered a real blow to my belief in mankind after the terror attacks last year. People like Catherine help restore my faith in the goodness and compassion of man, or in this case, womankind."

Marcus said she "felt like crying when I heard Amy's kind words, I am so touched. It wasn't really a question of trying to be a nice person. I thought Amy was the [one] doing that, preparing a care package for her friend who was going through a very scary and challenging time. I feel very lucky and privileged to be part of her good deed."

Bookshop owner Saba Rais added: "What Catherine did was wonderful--she really went over and beyond with the way she helped Amy and her friend, she is a real asset to us. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for our community's support so I am always glad when we can give something back like this."

In the children's division of HarperCollins:

Nellie Kurtzman has been promoted to v-p, marketing, and will oversee the marketing, online and ad/promo departments. She has worked in publishing for 15 years and joined HarperCollins in 2014 as director, integrated marketing.

Cindy Hamilton has been promoted to senior director, publicity, and will oversee the school & library marketing team and the company's participation in all trade and consumer book conferences, conventions and festivals in addition to her current responsibilities as leader of the publicity team. She has been with HarperCollins for 13 years.

Bookmasters has begun distributing the following publishers:

Bonnie Meadow Publishing, a publishing-start up created by author Andrea Kane and management consultant Bradford Kane aiming to "emphasize author brands rather than publisher brands." Its first book is a psychological thriller by Andrea Kane, The Murder That Never Was. Bookmasters will distribute its print and e-book titles in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Purposeful Goods, San Jose, Calif., a children's picture book publisher founded by Christine Burger, creator of the Noodle & Boo skin care line. It will publish four books in 2016 designed to help children address real-life topics guided by a monkey called Your Buddy Boodles. Bookmasters will provide distribution in the U.S., Canada, the U.K, Europe and Australia.

Spring Publications, which began as part of the Analytical Psychology Club of New York during World War II, publishes niche titles that mix art, philosophy, the history of ideas, psychiatry, mythology, literature and religion. Bookmasters will provide print distribution in the U.S., Canada, the U.K, Europe and Australia.

Compass Productions, publisher of Christian quote books, gift books, planners and calendars, Bible study books, children's Bibles and board books. Bookmasters will provide distribution in North America, the U.K and Australia.

CrossLink Publishing, part of the CrossLink group of ministries, publishes Christian fiction, Bible studies, meditations and spiritual growth titles. Bookmasters will provide exclusive worldwide distribution.

Auxano Press, Tigerville, S.C., is owned by Ken Hemphill, former president of the world's largest evangelical seminary. It provides material for churches, from small group study aids to educational books and pamphlets on particular Biblical teachings. Bookmasters will provide exclusive worldwide distribution.

Alive Publications, Concord, N.C., part of the Alive Ministries: Project Pray and owned by ordained bishop P. Douglas Small. It publishes audio-visual spiritual teaching materials. Bookmasters will provide exclusive worldwide distribution.

Revival Waves of Glory Books & Publishing, has published 40 books by Bill Vincent since 2012 related to Christianity and Biblical teachings. Bookmasters will provide exclusive worldwide distribution.

In this video for Morning Star: Book III of the Red Rising Trilogy (Del Rey), author Pierce Brown gives a hilarious "Last Minute Book Report" on Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is coming to Broadway. The New York Times reported that producer Scott Rudin has acquired stage adaptation rights for the novel and has hired screenwriter Aaron Sorkin to adapt the story. Tony-winner Barlett Sher (South Pacific) will direct the play, which is scheduled for the 2017-18 season.

"To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most revered pieces of 20th century American literature," Sorkin said. "It lives a little bit differently in everybody's imagination in the way a great novel ought to, and then along I come. I'm not the equal of Harper Lee. No one is."

"The Atticus we do is going to be the Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird," said Rudin. "He's one of the greatest characters ever created in American literature."

Tomorrow:
Today Show: Stephen King, author of 11/22/63: A Novel (Pocket, $9.99, 9781501120602). He will also appear on the View.

Morning Joe: Richard Engel, author of And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East (Simon & Schuster, $27, 9781451635119). He will also appear on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.

The View: Chris Harrison, author of The Perfect Letter: A Novel (Dey Street, $15.99, 9780062305237).

Tavis: Ben Ratliff, author of Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical Plenty (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26, 9780374277901).

Diane Sawyer ABC Primetime Special: Sue Klebold, author of A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy (Crown, $28, 9781101902752).

Italian company Wildside "is ramping up production of TV series for the international market with a trio of high-profile projects based on hot literary properties," including the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, Variety reported. Wildside is also working on serial adaptations of Emmanuel Carrere's novel Limonov and Niccolò Ammaniti's Anna.

The plan "is for each of Ferrante's four tomes, all centered around an intense female friendship set against Italian societal changes from the 1950s to the present, to become an eight-episode series, for a total of 32 episodes dedicated to the multilayered feminist epic of Lena and Lila."

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Tuesday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, February 13
9 a.m. Live coverage of the ninth annual Savannah Book Festival in Savannah, Ga. (Re-airs Sunday at 12 a.m. and Monday at 2:30 p.m.)

5 p.m. Jacob Weisberg, author of Ronald Reagan: The American Presidents Series: The 40th President, 1981-1989 (Times Books, $25, 9780805097276), at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C. (Re-airs Sunday at 10 p.m.)

7 p.m. David Rieff, author of The Reproach of Hunger: Food, Justice, and Money in the Twenty-First Century (Simon & Schuster, $27, 9781439123874).

8:45 p.m. Steven Salaita, author of Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom (Haymarket, $22.95, 9781608465774). (Re-airs Sunday at 10:45 a.m.)

10 p.m. Barry Latzer, author of The Rise and Fall of Violent Crime in America (Encounter, $27.99, 9781594038358). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m. and Monday at 12 a.m. and 3 a.m.)

11 p.m. John Donvan and Caren Zucker, authors of In a Different Key: The Story of Autism (Crown, $30, 9780307985675). (Re-airs Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 6:15 a.m.)


Sunday, February 14
7:15 p.m. Sherie Randolph, author of Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical (University of North Carolina Press, $30, 9781469623917). (Re-airs Tuesday at 1:15 a.m.)

11 p.m. Greg Jobin-Leeds, author of When We Fight, We Win: Twenty-First-Century Social Movements and the Activists That Are Transforming Our World (The New Press, $17.95, 9781620970935), at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C.

Frugal Innovation: How to Do More with Less by Navi Radjou and Jaideep Prabhu was named CMI Management Book of the Year at a ceremony hosted by the British Library. It was chosen from among five category winners.

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A 12-book longlist, including 11 works of fiction, has been released for the A$50,000 (about US$35,260) Stella Prize, which honors writing by Australian women. The shortlist will be announced March 10 and a winner named April 19. View the Stella Prize longlist here.

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The finalists for the second annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics are:

Andre the Giant Closer to Heaven by Brandon Easton (writer) and Denis Medri (artist) (IDW Publishing)
Fresh Romance edited by Janelle Asselin (Rosy Press)
Moon Girl and the Devil Dinosaur by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder (writers) and Natacha Bustos (artist) (Marvel Entertainment)
Ms. Marvel by Willow Wilson (writer) and Adrian Alphona (artist) (Marvel Entertainment)
Zana by Jean Barker (writer) and Joey Granger (artist) (Emet Comics)

The winner will be announced on February 20 at a ceremony during Long Beach Comic Expo in Long Beach, Calif.

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, February 16:

A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold (Crown, $28, 9781101902752) is the memoir of the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two Columbine shooters. (February 15.)

Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man by William Shatner and David Fisher (Thomas Dunne, $25.99, 9781250083319) chronicles the relationship between Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner.

United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good by Cory Booker (Ballantine, $27, 9781101965160) is the memoir of the current New Jersey senator and former mayor of Newark.

Cometh the Hour: A Novel by Jeffrey Archer (St. Martin's Press, $27.99, 9781250061621) is the sixth book in the Clifton Chronicles suspense series.

Midnight Sun: A Novel by Jo Nesbo (Knopf, $23.95, 9780385354202) continues the Norwegian noir Blood on Snow series.

Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body by Kate Hudson (Dey Street, $26.99, 9780062434234) gives health and body image advice.

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
The Yid: A Novel by Paul Goldberg (Picador, $26, 9781250079039). "When Solomon Levinson escapes arrest in the final days of Joseph Stalin's regime, he embarks on a quixotic attempt to kill the leader of the Soviet Union. Along with Friederich Lewis, an African American who has left Omaha for the Soviet Union, and a ragtag crew of Soviet dissenters, Levinson races to thwart a monstrous plan to unleash a second Holocaust against the Jews of Russia. The Yid is a very serious farce, a philosophical novel larded with pitch black comedy. Fans of City of Thieves and Absurdistan will love Goldberg's ambitious new novel." --David Enyeart, Common Good Books, St. Paul, Minn.

The Things We Keep: A Novel by Sally Hepworth (St. Martin's Press, $25.99, 9781250051905). "Anna Forster is facing everyone's worst nightmare--early onset Alzheimer's disease. Anna may not remember the people she meets, but readers will not forget Anna. With startling insight and intense compassion, Hepworth creates a character who watches her intellectual world implode while at the same time, experiencing a new romance. The Things We Keep is a love story and a tribute to life, a rare gem that shows that what the heart knows cannot be forgotten. Bravo!" --Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, Minn.

Paperback
Where the Dead Pause and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey by Marie Mutsuki Mockett (Norton, $16.95, 9780393352290). "Mockett's journey begins in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, near the site of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and encompasses a nation's grieving as well as her own. Through her beautiful descriptions of traditions, rituals, conversations, and quiet moments, she shows the nuances of a people picking up and moving on. By seeking out the cultural context of her subject's very human reactions and emotions, Mockett walks a fine line that globalization has tried to erase entirely, and our understanding of the events and their aftermath is richer for it." --Rachel Cass, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Mass.

For Ages 4 to 9: Revisit & Rediscover
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (HarperCollins, $17.99, 9780062051851). "Who cannot delight in the hilarious words and artwork of Jules Feiffer? George does not bark. His mother is distraught. He quacks, he meows, he moos. After a trip to the intrepid vet, everyone is sure that he is well. The last page is the perfect ending, and this much-beloved picture book should be a storytime staple for any store." --Valerie Koehler, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, Tex.

For Ages 9 to 12
Fortune Falls by Jenny Goebel (Scholastic Press, $16.99, 9780545811903). "This is a charming middle-grade read about a girl who lives in a town where you are born either 'Lucky' or 'Luckless.' On your 12th birthday, you must take a test to determine your fate. Despite all the signs pointing to being a Luckless, Sadie attempts to buck fate and superstitions and change her luck around." --Jenny Siegel, Anderson's Book Shop, Larchmont, N.Y.

For Teen Readers
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman (Viking, $18.99, 9780670785476). "A Regency-set, supernatural adventure with a reluctant heroine, a broody dark 'hero,' an unwanted destiny, family drama, the world's best lady's maid, court presentation gowns, and one really fabulous fan all had me tearing through this book like it was a box of bon-bons. Much as she did in Eon and Eona, Goodman has created a richly detailed, immersive world for her oh-so-human characters--with all their flaws and insecurities on brilliant display. Fans of Libba Bray and Gail Carriger--or Buffy the Vampire Slayer--will find much to love here." --Billie Bloebaum, A Children's Place, Portland, Ore.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

From an early age, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has been enthralled with the natural world and she shares her keen observations from a lifetime of study in her memoir Dreaming of Lions. Her parents, particularly her father, wanted Thomas to experience life fully, which is why she fondly remembers hiking through the Wapack mountain range in New Hampshire with him as a young child and working alongside him as they built stone walls from the rocks they pulled from their farm's fields. But the biggest influence on her life was when her parents took the family to live in the Kalahari Basin in Africa in 1951. Thomas has written many articles and two books about her time in the Kalahari and she continues the narratives here.

She carefully intertwines memories of her African experiences as her family followed the ways of the local Bushmen, or Ju/wasi, who lived near various waterholes in the Kalahari, with her adult life in the U.S. with her husband and children, their own journeys to Africa and their interactions with the Dodoth tribes. On these later trips, she encountered elephants and lions, hostility for being a woman and the violence of Idi Amin's regime.

Thomas deliberately doesn't follow a timeline as she tells her life's story, grouping by subject matter and themes rather than chronologically, which gives readers an interesting perspective on how this woman's creative mind works. She talks of her writing process and recalls the first book she wrote as a child, about a Siberian tiger. Forbidden by the school librarian to check out any more books on animals, Thomas writes, "The only books I would be allowed to read henceforth would be about people. Her decree was like a death. With those terrible words, she cut me off from what I cared about the most." In direct response to the librarian's declaration, that very afternoon Thomas wrote Shege the Tiger, and she's remained fascinated by animals and writing her whole life. From microscopic waterbears living in a drop of swamp water to the leopards that prowled next to her as she slept near a waterhole to the cougar that killed a doe in her yard, Thomas shares her awe of nature with readers, providing insight into the ways of animals that is obtained only after years of careful scrutiny. Candid revelations about her own struggles with alcohol and the medical traumas endured by her family round out this undeniably powerful narrative of life that is reminiscent of The Flame Trees of Thika and Out of Africa. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer

Shelf Talker: In this fascinating memoir, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas tells the story of her upbringing and family and details her knowledge and love of animals.