Although the 8th annual Children's Institute, originally scheduled for June 22-24 in Tucson, Ariz., was cancelled, the American Booksellers Association is holding a virtual children's institute July 15-16, according to Bookselling This Week. Programming will feature a day of education--including three education sessions, an Indies Introduce presentation, a keynote and a virtual gathering--and a day dedicated to connecting with publishers.

The event is open to all member booksellers. The ABA will have details about programming and links to participate soon. Questions about the institute should sent via e-mail to the ABA.

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing is splitting into "two core publishing entities," according to Jon Anderson, president & publisher, as outlined in a memo sent to staff yesterday.

Justin Chanda

One group will focus on traditional trade publishing, concentrating on picture book, middle grade and teen publishing. Leading the Trade Publishing Group is Justin Chanda, senior v-p & publisher, trade publishing. In addition to his current responsibilities overseeing the S&S Books for Young Readers, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, Salaam Reads and Denene Millner Books imprints, he will add the editorial staff of the Simon Pulse teen imprint, which is joining the Trade Publishing Group.

Paula Wiseman, v-p & publisher, Paula Wiseman Books, and Allyn Johnston, v-p & publisher, Beach Lane Books, will continue to manage their respective imprints within the trade group, reporting to Jon Anderson.

Valerie Garfield

The other group will focus on branded publishing, a growing area that encompasses preschool, beginning readers, chapter books, graphic novels, licensing and middle grade brands, as well as IP publishing efforts. Heading the Branded Publishing Group is Valerie Garfield, v-p & publisher, licensed, novelty and branded publishing. In addition to her current responsibilities overseeing the Little Simon and Simon Spotlight imprints, she will take on responsibility for the Aladdin Books imprint, as well as the entire Aladdin staff. As part of the reorganization, she will be hiring a manager of global brand strategy.

Liesa Abrams, v-p & editorial director of Simon Pulse, will take on the new role of v-p, executive editor-at-large, focusing on her core Aladdin authors and continuing to find new middle grade authors to join their ranks. She will report to Valerie Garfield.

With the reorganization, Mara Anastas, v-p & publisher, Aladdin and Simon Pulse, will be leaving the company. She has had what Anderson called "a long and storied career at Simon & Schuster, serving over the past 20 years in almost every capacity imaginable ranging from sales, to subsidiary rights, to deputy publisher, and publisher. We're all deeply grateful for the many ways Mara has contributed over the years and wish her the best in her next endeavor."

Anderson added, "I am certain with this new structure in place, our Children's Publishing Division will be even better positioned to serve our authors and brands, to publish with the creativity and skill for which we are known, and to compete and succeed in the constantly evolving marketplace."

The Mitten Word Bookshop, Marshall, Mich., has new owners as of May 15. Ginny and Jim Donahue, who opened the bookshop in 2018, announced on Facebook that they have transferred ownership of the business "to the capable hands of Kimberly & Tom Batterson. It's been a plan in the works for several months, well before the recent unsettling events. Tom is a true professional in the field, having served over 15 years as a local bookseller, the last five as senior manager of the Battle Creek Barnes & Noble in the Lakeview Mall. Kimberly brings her expertise as a pre-school teacher and love of childhood literacy to the store. They have three teenagers with a love of books and storytelling! We are extremely proud of what we have done to bring the Mitten Word Bookshop to life and are incredibly grateful to the people of Marshall, Battle Creek, and surrounding areas for their support to date. We are confident support for the store will only increase!"

The Donahues added: "This change is clearly for the best. We are staying in the area, helping out at the store, and our incredible staff will continue to serve with their talents and enthusiasm. Stay tuned for exciting ways the store will better serve our community! Keep READING! See you soon. We love you!"

Noting that they have lived and worked in Calhoun County for several decades, Kimberly and Tom Batterson said: "All of the relationships we have formed with so many of you is what brings this sense of community and we are so lucky to have you all here with us! We are passionate about literacy and for many years our entire family has worked in one way or another to get books in the hands of people in our community....

"You know how some people have religious callings? This is our calling. We have been readers for as long as each of us can remember. It's always been there and we want to share it with all of you. It is with great excitement and a bit of trepidation that we lean into our new role as your independent booksellers. Look for big changes in the coming weeks and months and yet please rest assured many of the things you love about the Mitten Word Bookshop will still feel the same."

Gibson's Bookstore in Concord, N.H., will start offering shopping by appointment on May 26. Individuals or small groups will be able to register for 50-minute appointments, with appointment times running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the half-hour. To confirm appointments, customers must buy a $25 gift card, which can be used during the appointment or anytime afterward. Everyone in the store, including all shoppers and all booksellers, will be required to wear masks, and a personal bookseller will be assigned to each party during the appointments. Parties will be limited to three adults with up to three children, with no children under 5 admitted as they can't reliably wear masks.

In Washington, D.C., Politics & Prose resumed curbside pick-up service on Tuesday. Customers can once again place orders by phone or online, and pick up books, puzzles, games and more at any of P&P's locations. P&P has extended its phone hours to 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Monday, and pick-up hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Monday. The store is asking customers to wear masks and maintain six feet of space from other customers when they arrive for pick-up, and not to arrive until they've been notified that their orders are ready.

At Riverstone Books

In McCandless, Pa., Riverstone Books reopened to shoppers on Monday. All booksellers are wearing masks, and all shoppers are being asked to wear them as well. There are gloves and hand sanitizer available for use, and there is a table set up for people to place books, games and other items that they've picked up but decided not to purchase. The store is limiting shoppers to 20 at a time and asking everyone to be mindful of social distancing. This week the store will also receive a medical grade air purifier to supplement cleaning efforts and help remove particles from the air.

In Hardwick, Vt., The Galaxy Bookshop has expanded its curbside pick-up hours and is now offering shopping by appointment. Shoppers can make appointments by phone for 25- or 50-minute time slots between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Up to two people in a family group can come into the store for a shopping appointment, and no other shoppers will be allowed inside during that time. Shoppers are required to wear masks as well, and hand sanitizer will be provided at the door.

Gramercy mascot Wally awaits.

Gramercy Books in Bexley, Ohio, reopened earlier this week. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and face masks are required for all booksellers and customers. Hand sanitizer is available at the entrance and at the cashwrap and, to keep contact to a minimum, the store is accepting only credit and debit cards at this time. The number of shoppers is limited, and customers are asked to limit browsing to one person per aisle and only two people at a time in the children's section.

Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt., has reopened for browsing. All booksellers are wearing masks, and customers will not be allowed in without one. Hand sanitizer is available at the door, and customers who forget their masks will be provided with one. The store has been reconfigured to facilitate distancing, powerful air purifiers have been set up, and the staff is doing frequent cleaning.

Waterstones "is preparing to put books into quarantine after they have been handled by browsing shoppers as part of plans to reopen its stores when allowed," the Guardian reported. The British bookstore chain will ask shoppers to set aside any book they touch on carts, which will be taken into storage for at least 72 hours before the books are returned to shelves in an effort to protect customers from the spread of Covid-19.

Although Waterstones had been advised that the virus cannot survive for long on cardboard or paper, CEO James Daunt (who is also CEO of Barnes & Noble) said the company will be taking extra precautions to give books time to "self heal."

Other social distancing protective measures being taken by Waterstones include plastic screens in front of POS stations, limits on the number of shoppers, a one-way traffic system in stores and the closure of cafes.

With online sales having risen more than 300% since the closure of all bookstores at the end of March, Daunt said classics, including lengthy "bucket list" titles, and pandemic-inspired literature had all been popular, though the bestseller in Waterstones has been Rutger Bregman's Humankind, "which argues that most people’s instincts are good," the Guardian noted.

"Reading was quite robust before lockdown and if anything this has been positive [for promoting reading]. But there has been an extraordinary subtle change in what people are reading," said Daunt, adding that the closure of stores had generally hit sales of new books as it has made browsing and picking up on staff recommendations more difficult.

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The Australian Booksellers Association, which cancelled its 2020 National Conference, originally scheduled for June 21-22, is planning to hold some sessions online on Monday, July 6. They include the original international keynote speaker, Nic Bottomley, owner of Mr B's Emporium, Bath, England, and former president of the Booksellers Association of the U.K. & Ireland. Thanks to the new format, he will be in a q&a with BA CEO Meryl Halls, who was the 2019 conference keynote speaker. In addition, David McCallister and Richard Flanagan will discuss their upcoming books. More information about guests and sessions will be made in the near future.

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Gulshan Books donated 1,000 books to quarantine centers.

"When a book carton was delivered to engage students and scholars in different quarantine centers of Kashmir during the initial phase of pandemic, it became a spur-of-the-moment community response towards the health crisis--creating a new order and routine in the lockdown-laden society. The man behind the move was the fifth generation proprietor of the heritage Gulshan Books of Kashmir, Sheikh Aijaz," the Kashmir Observer reported. Highlights from a q&a with the chairman and CEO:

As top bookseller in town, who interacts with readers, do you believe that pandemic lockdown is improving readership in Kashmir today?
Obviously, the readership is growing, but sadly, due to the lockdown, it isn't benefiting the book business. Due to the recurrent lockdowns in Kashmir, our trade is running in huge losses. There's a clear indifference towards the trade. Even in the recent stimulus package announced by New Delhi, there's nothing for book business. We may be forced to shift to other line, if we continue to face this situation...."

But then, people would still ask, what’s stopping the valley’s heritage bookshop to digitalize itself and cater to the evolving online market?
Let me tell you, it's a work in progress. Idea is to digitalize some rare and historic books by our unsung Kashmiri authors. People can buy Classics from Amazon, but they can't get some rare books written by our Kashmiri authors there. We're working on this thing for last one year. Once done, our books will be available for readers in the PDF form. We want to maintain a complete database on books. But, for everything in life, you need some certainty. Let's not forget that we live in the place where internet often becomes the situational casualty.

Coming back to Pandemic readings, how are you catering orders these days?
We may not be able to sell books during the current lockdown, but we are receiving overwhelming queries on phone. The callers are mainly enquiring about the general books, but there's definitely a surge in the demand of the local writers. Much of this has to do with the current indoor routine. Although these calls are nothing new for us, but in pandemic they've increased, which actually tells you that there's a growing reading appetite in the society these days.

Posted on Facebook by Schuler Books, Grand Rapids and Okemos, Mich.: "Julie, who works in our Okemos Chapbook Café, shared her puzzle love with friends by sending one of our puzzles around the country from friend to friend. When she shared this photo, the puzzle was on its way to Seattle!

"You can pay it forward too by sending a book or a puzzle to a friend or loved one. It's a fun way to keep in touch. Post about it on social media with the hashtag #ReadIndieForward and tag us so we can see where it is headed!"

Posted on Facebook Monday by Green Apple Books on the Park, San Francisco, Calif.: "That's a wrap for day one! We were visited by Mayor Breed this afternoon who ordered Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams for pick-up. We appreciate you all for shopping local, and especially appreciate your patience as we try and process your orders as quickly as we can. Thank you!"

Regarding Green Apple's socially distanced curbside pickup service, co-owner Pete Mulvihill told KGO News: "Our whole business model changed to sort of a warehouse fulfillment, picking and packing. We're e-mailing and calling, instead of talking to people directly.... It's very strange to change from a store that I think existed because people like to browse and interact with other people."

On Friday, May 29, from 1-3 p.m. Eastern, ReadingGroupGuides.com will host its Ninth Annual Book Group Speed Dating Event virtually. (Until this year it's been held in person at BookExpo.) Representatives from 25 publishers of all sizes will share selections from their publishing houses in a speed-dating format designed to give booksellers, librarians and book group leaders an inside look at new and upcoming titles that book groups will want to know about--and discuss. E-galleys will be available for selected titles from Edelweiss and/or NetGalley. Leave behinds will be made available in Powerpoint and Excel formats. Advance signup is required.

Attendees will receive non-transferable instructions to access the program the week of the event.

Ingram Publisher Services is providing U.S. distribution and sales for Popular Book Company, beginning this spring.

Popular Book Company (USA) Ltd. publishes workbooks and other learning materials for preschool and elementary school children. The current series published last year include Complete Math Success, Complete Curriculum Success, and 365 Fun Days. Popular is a subsidiary of Popular Holdings, which has headquarters in Singapore and publishing operations in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic and other countries. It also operates more than 150 bookstores in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Joe Mastrogiacomo, COO of Popular Book Company (USA) Ltd., said, "Given the strength of our content coupled with the strength of Ingram's selling ability, we are confidant to truly expand sales within the U.S. market."

Mark Ouimet, v-p and general manager of IPS, Publishers Group West and Consortium, said, "Popular Book Company is committed to providing workbooks and resources to students, and we are honored to begin distributing their high-quality products, which help children learn and prosper."

Little Monster Trucks Go! written and illustrated by Doug Cenko (blue manatee press).

Today:
Fresh Air: Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time (Picador, $18, 9781250062383).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday 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, May 23
2:15 p.m. A virtual panel discussion on parenting during a crisis, recorded as part of the 2020 Bay Area Book Festival.

3:25 p.m. James Patterson, co-author of The House of Kennedy (Little, Brown, $29, 9780316454483). (Re-airs Sunday at 11:30 p.m.)

5 p.m. Robert Reich, author of The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It (Knopf, $24, 9780525659044), at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass.

6 p.m. Heather Cox Richardson, author of How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America (Oxford University Press, $27.95, 9780190900908). (Re-airs Monday at 1:45 a.m.)

7:15 p.m. Brad Meltzer, co-author of The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President--and Why It Failed (Flatiron, $29.99, 9781250317476). (Re-airs Sunday at 10:15 a.m.)

8:55 p.m. Molly Ball, author of Pelosi (Holt, $27.99, 9781250252869), at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C. (Re-airs Sunday at 4:30 p.m.)

Sunday, May 24
12:30 a.m. William Darity and Kirsten Mullin, authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century (University of North Carolina Press, $28, 9781469654973).

1:50 a.m. Douglas Murray, author of The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity (Bloomsbury, $28, 9781635579987). (Re-airs Sunday at 2:10 p.m.)

2:40 a.m. Rebecca Henderson, author of Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire (PublicAffairs, $28, 9781541730151).

1 p.m. A virtual panel discussion on voter diversity and voter suppression in the United States, recorded as part of the 2020 Bay Area Book Festival.

10 p.m. Cecilia Munoz, author of More than Ready: Be Strong and Be You... and Other Lessons for Women of Color on the Rise (Seal Press, $28, 9781580059480).

The winners of the 30th Annual Reading the West Book Awards, sponsored by the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association and honoring the best books "created by an author or artist living or working in the region, or whose subject relates to the region," have been announced. This year more than 5,000 bookseller and public votes were cast to choose winners from the shortlisted titles. This year's winners and runners-up are:

Fiction Winner: Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Fiction Runner-up: The River by Peter Heller

Narrative Nonfiction Winner: Lakota America by Pekka Hamalainen
Narrative Nonfiction Runner-up: The Rise of Wolf 8 by Rick McIntyre

Illustrated Nonfiction Winner: Atlas of the National Parks by Jon Waterman
Illustrated Nonfiction Runner-up: Fire Ghosts by Philip Metcalf and Patricia Galagan

Young Adult Winner: The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
Young Adult Runner-up: The Great Unknowable End by Kathryn Ormsbee

Young Reader/Middle-grade Winner: Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy
Young Reader/Middle-grade Runner-up: Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

Picture Book Winner: The Little Snowplow Wishes for Snow by Lora Koehler, illustrated by Jake Parker
Picture Book Runner-up: The Day Punctuation Came to Town by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Sandie Sonke

Eating the West (Culinary/Cookbook) Winner: The Prairie Homestead Cookbook by Jill Winger
Eating the West (Culinary/Cookbook) Runner-up: Centennial Celebrations Cookbook by Junior League of Denver

Advocacy Award Winner: Deep Creek by Pam Houston
Advocacy Award Runner-up: Migrating to Prison by César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández

Spirit of the West Literary Achievement Award 2020 Honoree: Larry McMurtry

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, May 26:

Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution by P.W. Singer and August Cole (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28, 9781328637239) takes place in a near future where an FBI agent and a police robot hunt a high-tech terrorist.

Truth and Justice by Fern Michaels (Kensington, $28.95, 9781496714558) is book 31 in the women's mystery Sisterhood series.

The First Actress: A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt by C.W. Gortner (Ballantine, $28, 9781524799076) is historical fiction featuring the iconic French actress.

Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith (HarperCollins, $18.99, 9780062943170) is a coming-of-age YA novel about a trans boy going stealth at his new high school.

Orphan Eleven by Gennifer Choldenko (Random House/Lamb, $16.99, 9780385742559) features four children who escape the Home for Friendless Children and join the circus.

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

Hardcover
Sea Wife: A Novel by Amity Gaige (Knopf, $26.95, 9780525656494). "Wherever you go, your anxieties go with you--even (or especially) if you go live on a boat to sail the world with your spouse and small children. Nothing will ever be the same for Juliet, Michael, and their family after their harrowing year at sea, and no reader will be the same after reading this taut, brilliant novel. I can't stop thinking about it." --Mary Laura Philpott, Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tenn.

Take Me Apart: A Novel by Sara Sligar (MCD, $27, 9780374272616). "In this delicious psychological thriller, we learn what it means to take on the job of archiving a famous person's memories as found in papers, photos, and diaries. As Kate begins the daunting task, it does not take her long to find an uneasiness creeping into her heart and mind concerning how Miranda Brand died years before. And when she begins to wonder about Miranda's son, Theo, and his potential involvement in the death, things get very scary, indeed. This is a grand debut that will give you chills and thrills, and a chance to hone your investigative skills. Have fun!" --Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, Wash.

Paperback
The Tenth Muse: A Novel by Catherine Chung (Ecco, $16.99, 9780062574084). "Catherine Chung's female protagonist is a mathematician, and it is thrilling to have a woman scientist who is a complex character in an even more complex novel. In trying to solve a math riddle, she ends up exploring the riddle of her own childhood, which is inextricably linked to one of the darkest episodes in human history. Catherine Chung has woven a rich tapestry mixing present and past, ambition, identity, and gender issues. A beautiful book." --Francoise Brodsky, Shakespeare & Co., New York, N.Y.

For Ages 4 to 8
Cat Dog Dog: The Story of a Blended Family by Nelly Buchet, illus. by Andrea Zuill (Schwartz & Wade, 9781984848994, $17.99). "This is a refreshing and innovative take on a subject that kids don't get to have agency over in real life. Buchet and Zuill use humor and accessibility as tools to allow young children to command the narrative on their own terms. Zuill's zany and unconventional perspective is a perfect match for the simplicity of Buchet's narrative. Bravo!!" --Jane Knight, Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, Vt.

For Ages 9 to 12
Aster and the Accidental Magic by Thom Pico, illus. by Karensac (Random House Graphic, $12.99, 9780593118849). "This book is perfect for fans of Hilda, with the simple design of Adventure Time and the guileless charm of Steven Universe. Aster is NOT happy to be moving into the boring old woods, but she quickly learns that there is more in this valley than meets the eye when she stumbles into the truth at the core of every local legend." --Stephanie Heinz, Print: A Bookstore, Portland, Maine

For Teen Readers
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed (Balzer + Bray, $19.99, 9780062937049). "A canvassing rom-com for our time! When Jamie meets Maya at a local political event and they get roped into going door-to-door together, a friendship blooms into romance. But navigating cross-cultural relationships amid the turbulent politics of 2019 is no easy feat. This book is funny, romantic, and sweet, and it will inspire both empathy and activism in readers of all ages." --Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven, The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, Utah

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

"In Guatemala, almost everyone has lost someone they love to murder," writes Rosayra Pablo Cruz in The Book of Rosy, a heartrending memoir of her harrowing journey through Mexico and into the United States. "We are a nation whose ghosts hover in the air around us, a country of walking dead."

Like many people living in Central American countries ravaged by unending war and a proliferation of drugs, unemployment and violence, Rosy knew that the U.S. offered opportunities to escape "the cloud of fear creeping across the horizon" of her life.

Rosy survived two arduous trips across the border. She first immigrated to the U.S. in 2014, but threats to her family in Guatemala necessitated a return. "Life is like this in Guatemala. Once the wheels of violence are set in motion, they don't stop.... Once you are in its sights, you can do little--maybe nothing--to save yourself... unless you see a door and you run through it." In 2018, Rosy risked a second border crossing, this time accompanied by her sons, 15-year-old Yordy and five-year-old Fernando. Daughters Britny and Dulce remained in Guatemala. "Among the many things that people don't understand about migration is this: No one wants to leave the people they love." Unaware of the Trump administration's newly enacted and harshly enforced "zero tolerance" policy, Rosy was sent to Eloy Detention Center in Arizona with bond set at $12,000. Yordy and Fernando were taken from her and placed with a foster mother thousands of miles away in the Bronx, N.Y.

Ultimately inspiring and hopeful, The Book of Rosy offers an intimately detailed and personal account of two mothers' determination and strength. Rosy's poignant writing of the struggles facing Guatemalans and her firsthand experience of being in a "literal and psychological prison" are bookended by the powerful advocacy efforts of another mother, Julie Schwietert Collazo. A former social worker, Collazo was horrified to learn of the separation at the border. After contacting a New York City attorney and mobilizing a volunteer network of friends and strangers, Collazo launched a campaign, Immigrant Families Together, to raise thousands of dollars to free several mothers at Eloy Detention Center--including Rosy.

The Book of Rosy is a powerful, emotional perspective that demonstrates how one family's immigrant experience can transcend inflicted pain and trauma in order to become an example of abundant generosity and love. --Melissa Firman, writer, editor and blogger at melissafirman.com

Shelf Talker: A timely, insightful and moving memoir about an immigrant mother's separation from her children and how the advocacy of strangers gave them the chance for a new life.