Diane, let’s start by talking about who you are as an independent bookstore. You sit in the heart of Decatur, with a focus on children’s stories for almost 20 years now. Can you tell us more about what makes Little Shop of Stories special?
The thing that makes a children’s bookstore so special is that it grows up alongside and with its community. Little Shop is a common thread in the memories and lives of many Decatur families. We really take the time to get to know our youngest customers, beginning when they are babies coming to story time, new readers attending one of our summer camps or employing them before they head off to college — it’s a definite full circle kind of relationship we have with the kids in Decatur and their parents as well.
2. What is your favorite thing or hidden joy about independent bookstores?
Indie booksellers are a smart and passionate bunch. They are eager to share and recommend books in a way that no algorithm ever could. In a children’s bookstore there is a lot of joy in sharing a favorite book with a young reader. Their curiosity and passion for the world around them and how that translates into their reading lives is infectious and wonderful. It’s the best part of the job.
3. What are two titles folks should grab off your shelves now, and two upcoming titles they should pre-order?
Books to grab now:
Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot is a new classic and a great family read aloud. Told in short chapters, it’s the story of Roz, a robot stranded on an island, who comes to learn that the true key to survival is caring for others and the natural world. Dreamworks has adapted this book into a movie that premieres in September – everyone should read the book before seeing the movie!
I really enjoyed The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon; an edge of your seat read for ages 8-12. After stumbling upon a library with books that offer a portal to an EXACT moment in time, what starts off as a fun adventure for Dally becomes a journey into family history AND family secrets that may change her life. This book is a really great summer read!
Books to pre-order:
I love a good middle grade mystery, especially when there is an historical component. The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinken, which publishes this fall, tells the story of two siblings caught up in the British efforts to crack the Nazi’s Enigma cipher while searching for their missing mother. It’s a really smart, fun and thoughtful page turner!
This summer I had the chance to read an advanced copy of Somewhere Beyond the Sea, the follow up to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of my favorite books and one of the better moments that came out of the pandemic for me. You can’t feel anything but joyful when you read that book, and the sequel, which publishes in September, definitely delivers those same feel good vibes.
4. The Decatur Book Festival has been a treasured community event for almost 20 years. What makes it so special to Decatur?
Decatur has always been a community of readers so it makes total sense that we’d have such a robust and successful book festival. This town values books and literacy, and its embrace of the DBF proves that.
5. In an increasingly digital-age, why do you think it’s important for a festival that’s centered around books to exist?
Books make the world a better place. They help us to be inquisitive, introspective, empathetic and informed. For these reasons, books are to be celebrated.
6. When you think of the Decatur Book Festival, do you have a standout memory that comes to mind?
There are so many! Almost all these memories involve introducing a young reader to a beloved author or illustrator. I’ve seen middle schoolers cry when they’ve met a literary hero at the DBF. That really speaks to the power of books in a young person’s life.
7. What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival?
Inviting a new generation to experience the DBF!
8. What book would you most want to read again for the first time?
I’d love to experience Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, the first book in the Flavia de Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley, again for the first time. Eleven-year-old Flavia, an amateur chemist and gumshoe living in the post WWII British countryside, is a perfect combination of Agatha Christie and the precocious picture book character Eloise. She’s spunky and smart and often outwits the adults around her. This is a lovely start to a really delightful series!
What’s the last book you read, loved, and can’t stop recommending?
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley is a must read! It’s got everything for a top-notch speculative read – espionage and thrills, historical underpinnings and comedic bursts with a time travel romance that will make you blush. Imagine if Outlander’s Jamie Fraser traveled forward in time to our not-so-distant future!