Dave at Little Shop writes in…

The forecast for Friday evening is for cool temperatures and a clear sky — perfect weather for heading over to beautiful Presser Hall on the Agnes Scott College campus for the finale of the On The Same Page program and to hear author Kate DiCamillo.

This year’s book was Kate’s debut novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, which won a Newbery Honor. (Kate has also been recognized with two Newbery Medals, a National Book Award finalist, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor, and a Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Fiction. In the world of children’s literature, she’s about the best there is.)

As Kate is currently serving as the Library of Congress’ National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, she was the perfect fit this year’s On The Same Page and we are immensely honored to have her. She will be speaking to students at a couple of Decatur schools during  her visit, and this will be the opportunity for everyone to see her.

“When we read together—when a grandfather reads to a granddaughter, when a teacher reads to a classroom, when a parent reads to a child, when a sister reads to a brother, when everyone in a town reads the same book silently, together—we are taken out of our aloneness.
Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.
We connect.
And when we connect, we are changed.”

Friday, November 14^th at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. First come, first seated. There is no charge for this event. Free parking is available in the deck on South McDonough Street across from Presser Hall. (You can view a campus map here. Presser Hall is 5; the parking deck is P2.)

Little Shop is a DM Sponsor

Krista at Little Shop of Stories sends along this announcement…

I wanted to let you know about a special event at the Decatur Housing Authority on Friday, October 25th at 4 pm. (DHA Community Resource Center 481 Electric Avenue, Decatur GA)

On The Same Page will be hosting a party for the children in the Decatur Housing Authority, based on this year’s selected novel, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. We’ll have games, crafts, pizza, and prizes, and each child will receive a free copy of the book.

On The Same Page is a comprehensive community reading program serving families and schools around the Atlanta area. OTSP is a program of Little Shop of Stories, sponsored by the Decatur Book Festival, the Decatur Education Foundation, and the Decatur Rotary Club. Our goal is to foster a community of readers by bringing people together around the same book. For more information about OTSP, visit our website.

On The Same Page is running (pun intended) a two-part fundraiser to benefit Our House as well as On The Same Page, Decatur’s community-wide reading program.

This year’s book, Louis Sachar’s Holes, tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, a kid who seems destined to the whims of a family curse when he is sentenced to a youth detention camp after being wrongly accused of stealing a baseball star’s shoes — shoes that had been donated to a charity auction. The fundraisers are based on this theme.

First, there is a shoe drive. Please bring new and gently used shoes to Little Shop before November 3rd. Those will all be given to families at Our House. This is already off to a great start. (Thanks, Fleet Feet!)

In addition, On The Same Page is auctioning off shoes worn by Atlanta Braves players Freddie Freeman, Tommy Hanson, Chipper Jones, and Kris Medlen. Click here for details and links to the ebay auction sites. The shoes are currently on display at Little Shop. The auction ends this Sunday, November 4th.

Feel free to tell everyone you know!