When eleven-year-old Stella Rodriguez shows up at NASA to request that her recording be included in Carl Sagan’s Golden Record, something unexpected happens: A black hole follows her home, and sets out to live in her house as a pet. The black hole swallows everything it touches, which is challenging to say the least - but also turns out to be a convenient way to get rid of those items that Stella doesn’t want around. Soon the ugly sweaters her aunt has made for her all disappear within the black hole, as does the smelly class hamster she’s taking care of, and most important, all the reminders of her dead father that are just too painful to have around.

It’s not until Stella, her younger brother, Cosmo, the family puppy, and even the bathroom tub all get swallowed up by the black hole that Stella comes to realize she has been letting her own grief consume her. And that’s not the only thing she realizes as she attempts to get back home.


Led by local author Rebecca Caprara (The Magic of Melwick Orchard) -- readers can enjoy and discuss great mid-grade reads. Rebecca will also challenge participants to talk about their own stories and story ideas, and engage with them in writing exercises as well.

We are excited to welcome author-illustrator Ioana Hobai to our store! She is going to read her brand new book, Lena's Slippers, which has just been released! 

Lena can’t wait to twirl and leap onstage at her school dance recital, but her family does not have the money to pay for new ballet slippers. As the day of the recital draws closer, Lena struggles to come up with a creative solution to reach her shining moment on stage, learning along the way that what you do is more important than what you wear. 

Ioana is the illustrator of Before You Sleep, which launched here at the Silver Unicorn in October 2018. Ioana grew up in Romania and lives in Massachusetts. After working as an architect for eleven years, she decided to return to her love of art and pursue children's illustration.

Jeff Idelson, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is going to be in our store with author/photographer Jean Fruth. They are co-founders of a new project, Grassroots Baseball.  Grassroots Baseball’s mission is to promote and celebrate the amateur game around the globe, with a focus on growing interest and participation at the youngest levels. The overarching goal is to give back by providing inspiration, instruction and equipment to help ensure more children have the opportunity to learn, play and enjoy the game.  

Jeff and Jean have released a new, gorgeous photobook called Grassroots Baseball: Where Legends Begin. Featuring 250 of Jean's best images from all levels of the amateur game in the US and around the world, the book is a stunning tribute the sport and will be deeply loved by any fan of the game. Each chapter opens with a portrait of a baseball legend and a first-person essay recounting his early memories of playing the game. There is a photo essay of Cape Cod, an essay from Red Sox Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, and essays from other famous players including Hank Aaron and Ichiro Suzuki. 

Ken Griffey, Jr. says of the book, "Photography and baseball are both arts. Jean beautifully captures the youthfulness and charisma of the game of baseball." 

Jeff and Jean will be here to answer your questions of the sport, share even more photos of the sport, and share some of the stories behind the legends and the photos. It's going to be a great night for any fan of baseball!  

 

Massachusetts authors Elizabeth Bear and Cadwell Turnbull will be in our store talking about their new books and the craft of science fiction and fantasy! Cadwell will be sharing his debut novel, The Lesson, which is out June 18th. Elizabeth will be talking about Book Two of her epic fantasy Lotus Kingdoms series, The Red-Stained Wings. 

Elizabeth Bear is the two-time Hugo Award winning author of The Eternal Sky Trilogy and the Lotus Kingdoms series.  The first book in the series, The Stone in the Skull, has been described as a "glorious and dramatic story" by Publishers Weekly and "vivid, absorbing and thrilling" in a starred review by Kirkus Review. 

Debut novelist Cadwell Turnbull is the author of new sci-fic novel, The Lesson, one of the first science fiction novels to be set in the Virgin Islands. In their starred review of the novel, Publishers Weekly describes The Lesson as a "rich debut novel about family, love, and loyalty in turbulent times." The Library Journal takes it a step further by saying The Lesson is " a compelling tale of invasive occupation and emotional uprising, Turnbull's debut is complex and enthralling. It's a must for all libraries, and the writer, who crafts speculative stories with black characters on par with Octavia Butler, is definitely one to watch." 

Scott Magoon is coming and he's bringing lots of cool things with him! Join us as Scott reads his newest story, Linus the Little Yellow Pencil. 

Linus and his eraser, Ernie, don't always see eye to eye. But with the family art show drawing near, these two will have to sharpen their collaboration to make something neither one could do on their own!

Scott will be drawing and signing his books while he is at the store. He will also have Linus & Ernie action figures and bookmarks for giveaways! This will be a fun way to spend a Saturday morning!  

We are happy to collaborate with First Connections Acton to provide a supportive playgroup for working parents in our area. This playgroup is for working parents with a child up to 24-months old.

This playgroup has been tailored to promote parental resilience, social connections, parenting skills and child development knowledge. The current trend toward shorter maternity leaves and higher cost of living in our region makes for a unique set of stressors facing full-time working parents. Finding a supportive community and being able to participate in parent & child activities in the early developmental years is difficult for those working Monday-Friday. In recognition of this new reality, First Connections has partnered with a group of experts in the field of the first year of life to provide a nurturing space for families to grow and learn along with their children. We are delighted to host this group at the story!

Each meeting will feature Parent discussion, developmentally-appropriate playtime, group circle time with songs, and storytime. 
 

We're welcoming local author Gisela Hernandez-Skayne for a fun bilingual storytime event! Learn the alphabet in Spanish with Gisela's beautiful new book Aventuras con el Abecedario Book. 

Using alliteration as a fun learning device, each letter in this book features a story in Spanish and a beautiful illustration. Parents and kids alike can learn more about the Spanish language and work on pronunciation together! 

A native of Mexico, Gisela was educated in a German immersion program at a Swiss school in Mexico City, and is a fluent speaker of Spanish, English, German, French, and Polish.  For almost two decades, Hernandez-Skayne brought Spanish to life for all her students at the Fenn School in Concord, Massachusetts. Now, as the principal at Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Hernandez-Skayne continues to share her passion for language learning, as it broadens the understanding and acceptance of the varied cultures of the world.
 

Massachusetts Author/Illustrator David Biedrzycki will be reading his newest book, SumoKitty for Saturday Morning Storytime! We're excited to welcome him to the store!

A stray kitty gets a job in a sumo stable, chasing mice in exchange for food. But when eating like a sumo wrestler slows our feline hero down, he realizes he must train like a wrestler, too. Through hard work and perseverance—and with a little help from a big buddy—SumoKitty is born!

This fun and funny book will be the perfect read-aloud to keep everyone giggling through the final weeks of summer!   
  

Romance novels aren't only for Valentine's Day! Our Romance section is filled with books every month of the year! When was the last time you took a look? 

We're proud to particpate in the 1st annual Bookstore Romance Day, a celebration of the great Romance novel! 

Check back for more details soon!