Almost 20 years have passed, but we have not forgotten. 


Months away from the 20-year anniversary of the terror attacks of Pennsylvania, New York City, and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001, we're proud to launch Amanda Davis' new, inspiring picture book 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag. To make this virtual launch even more special, Amanda will be joined by Carolyn and Denny Deters, staff members of the National 9/11 Flag Tour, and Jeff Parness, founder and chairman of the New York Says Thank You Foundation. This isn't just another book launch: this is a special evening to reflect on the resilience and hope that came from real people after our national tragedy. 

More about 30,000 Stitches: 
Discover the inspiring story of the American flag that flew over Ground Zero, traveled across all fifty states as it was repaired, and returned to New York as a restored symbol of unity.
In the days following September 11th, a 30-foot American flag hung torn and tattered at 90 West Street, across from Ground Zero. A few weeks later, the flag was taken down by a construction crew and tucked away in storage, where it stayed for nearly seven years.

The flag was brought out of storage in 2008 when the New York Says Thank You Foundation headed to Greensburg, Kansas, a town nearly destroyed by a tornado. NYSTY brought the flag with them, sparking a grassroots restoration effort that traveled over 120,000 miles across all fifty states, bringing together thousands of people, and helping America heal and rebuild . . . hand by hand, thread by thread, one stitch at a time.

This book is the story of that journey, a journey that ended at the opening of the National September 11 Museum, where the flag remains today. Along the way, the flag was restored using pieces of retired flags from every state—including a piece of the flag that Abraham Lincoln was laid on after he was shot at Ford's Theater and threads from the original Star-Spangled Banner flag, which flew at Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. The pieces and threads were stitched in by military veterans, first responders, educators, students, community-service heroes, and family members of 9/11 victims, among others. At each stop, communities came together to remember, to heal, and to unite.


We're so proud to help launch this book. This is an event that you do not want to miss. Be sure to mark your calendar today so you don't forget. For the safety of our guests and audience, this book launch is a Zoom Webinar. You must pre-register to receive the link. You can do so by clicking here. 
 
 

Don't let the crowns fool you! This fractured fairy tale is princess power with a twist: STEM, problem solving, and doing what girls do--getting things done! 


We love a good picture book and we LOVE fairy tales! Launching Tracy Marchini's brand new picture book, Princesses can Fix It! is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate a this book, talk about simple machines, and vibe on some girl power for an evening! 

Here is more about Princesses Can Fix It! 

Three princesses take on their castle’s alligator problem in this funny fairy tale with a STEAM twist.
 

The castle is crawling with wayward alligators, and the clueless king doesn’t know how to fix it. Lila, Margaret, and Harriet have lots of ideas, but their father won’t listen! According to him, the Princesses should be focusing on proper pursuits like drawing, jewelry, and music. When the three girls start falling asleep during the day, the King sends the Prince to investigate …

What he discovers is that the three princesses are gathering at night to use their knowledge of the six simple machines to invent an ingenious alligator removal contraption in their secret workshop.


 

It's The Twelve Dancing Princesses for the modern girl! We can't wait to hear Tracy read the book, talk about it, and ask her questions! We hope you'll join us! Don't forget to preorder your book! All preordered books will be SIGNED by Tracy! You can preorder RIGHT NOW! 

For the safety of our guest and attendees, this virtual book launch is a Zoom Webinar. You must pre-register to receive the Zoom link. Please follow this link to register and then mark your calendar today! 

 

Springtime reading outside, carefree? What a treat! This month, Friday Fiction Book Club is reaching for a "lighter" read. Having you been wanting to join the club but perhaps not read something heavy? This might be the month for you! Join us May 7th as we discuss Lauren Wolk's Echo Mountain. 

When the Great Depression takes almost everything they own, Ellie’s family is forced to leave their home in town and start over in the untamed forests of nearby Echo Mountain. Ellie has found a welcome freedom, and a love of the natural world, in her new life on the mountain. But there is little joy, even for Ellie, as her family struggles with the aftermath of an accident that has left her father in a coma. An accident unfairly blamed on Ellie.

Determined to help her father, Ellie will make her way to the top of the mountain in search of the healing secrets of a woman known only as “the hag.” But the hag, and the mountain, still have many untold stories left to reveal and, with them, a fresh chance at happiness.


Friday Fiction Book Club meets for just 1 hour during the first Friday of the month so that working folk can have a "lunch hour" discussion and then get back to Zooming and emailing. We're a friendly group that loves to read and has a lot of fun! Please join us! If you'd like the URL for our May 7th Zoom, please email Kyra at Events@Silverunicornbooks.com. 

The weather has turned, things are opening up, folks are getting their shots, school is ending soon... it's time to stretch our legs, y'all! It's time to dance! We're delighted to welcome Connecticut author Valerie Bolling as she reads her beautiful, action word-filled picture book, Let's Dance! 

 
Tap, twirl, twist, spin! With musical, rhyming text, author Valerie Bolling shines a spotlight on dances from across the globe, while energetic art from Maine Diaz shows off all the moves and the diverse people who do them. From the cha cha of Cuba to the stepping of Ireland, kids will want to leap, dip, and zip along with the dances on the page!


You'll want to dance and twirl for the rest of the day after this one! 

For the safety of our young audience and author, this event is a Zoom Webinar format. To receive the link, please register here. Then mark your calendar! See you soon! 

 

One of Paul's favorite reads this year, we are SO excited that we get to LAUNCH G'Ra Asim's compelling book--a memoir, critique, and commentary-- Boys in the Void: A Mixtape to My Brother. This launch is NOT to be missed! 


Boyz in the Void has received a starred review from Kirkus, which says of the book, "Asim’s astute social commentary, poignant storytelling, wit, and solid music criticism will appeal to punk and non-punk readers alike." We're excited to host G'Ra and writer, critique, and educator Sasha Bonét for a conversation about this book and our culture. 

More about Boyz in the Void: 

How does one approach Blackness, masculinity, otherness, and the perils of young adulthood? For G’Ra Asim, punk music offers an outlet to express himself freely. As his younger brother, Gyasi, grapples with finding his footing in the world, G’Ra gifts him with a survival guide for tackling the sometimes treacherous cultural terrain particular to being young, Black, brainy, and weird in the form of a mixtape.

Boyz n the Void: a mixtape to my brother blends music and cultural criticism and personal essay to explore race, gender, class, and sexuality as they pertain to punk rock and straight edge culture. Using totemic punk rock songs on a mixtape to anchor each chapter, the book documents an intergenerational conversation between a Millennial in his 30s and his Generation Z teenage brother. Author, punk musician, and straight edge kid, G’Ra Asim weaves together memoir and cultural commentary, diving into the depths of everything from theory to comic strips, to poetry to pizza commercials to mapping the predicament of the Black creative intellectual.

With each chapter dedicated to a particular song and placed within the context of a fraternal bond, Asim presents his brother with a roadmap to self-actualization in the form of a Doc Martened foot to the behind and a sweaty, circle-pit-side-armed hug.



You've been reading White Fragility and How to be an Anti-Racist and all sorts of other books for the past 12 months. This is your next access point: an intimate telling on life and family, infused with culture, commentary, and critique. Yes, this is a launch you need to tune into. Yes, this is a book you need on your bookshelf (so preorder it today!)

For the safety of our guests and audience, this event is a Zoom Webinar. You need to register in advance to receive the link, which you can do by clicking here. Don't forget to mark your calendar! We look forward to seeing you on May 11th! 

In crazy times like these, friendship makes all the difference. That's why when our friend Debbi Michiko Florence reached out and said she wanted to share an event with her dear friend Jo Knowles to celebrate the paperback releases of their two books, we just had to say yes! Keep it Together, Keiko Carter and Where the Heart Is are out in paperback this Spring and we're excited! 

Got a middle-grade reader looking for great books to add to the summer reading pile? Look no further! 

More about Keep it Together, Keiko Carter (Out May 4th! Come pick it up before the event!): 

Seventh grade is supposed to be a game changer. And Keiko thinks she's got it covered, especially with Audrey and Jenna by her side to shop for a new look, pick out a prime lunch spot, and even hit up that cute new bubble tea place after school. Her trio is ready to tackle life as they always have... together.But when Audrey decides they need boyfriends before Fall Ball, it looks like things may be changing in all the wrong ways. Jenna is sick of caving in to Audrey's demands, and soon Keiko's besties are barely talking, leaving her caught in the middle. While she's been dreaming about triple dates, first kisses, and a boy she really shouldn't have a crush on, the friendship she's always thought was rock-solid is beginning to crumble.Keiko feels pulled in two directions. Should she try to help her friends -- even if it means losing one of them -- or follow her heart? When it comes to flirting, friendships, and fallouts, how is Keiko supposed to keep it all together?



More about Where the Heart Is (out April 13th! Come pick it up before the event!): 

It’s the first day of summer and Rachel’s thirteenth birthday. She can’t wait to head to the lake with her best friend, Micah. But as summer unfolds, every day seems to get more complicated. Her “fun” new job taking care of the neighbors’ farm animals quickly becomes a challenge, whether she’s being pecked by chickens or having to dodge a charging pig at feeding time. At home, her parents are more worried about money than usual, and their arguments over bills intensify. Fortunately, Rachel can count on Micah to help her cope with all the stress. But Micah seems to want their relationship to go beyond friendship, and though Rachel almost wishes for that, too, she can’t force herself to feel “that way” about him. In fact, she isn’t sure she can feel that way about any boy — or what that means.


We love hosting authors, especially when they are with their friends celebrating together. If you've seen any of our in-conversation events, you know this is going to be a great hour! Mark your calendar today and don't forget to get the books before the event at the store! For the safety of our guests and audience, this is a Zoom webinar event. Please register in advance by clicking this link, and then be sure to mark your calendar so you don't forget! 
 

Picture books are on a roll! Have you really flipped through one lately? They're gorgeous and full of great stories and even a little bit of math if you know where to look! We're delighted to welcome back Rajani LaRocca and Sara Levine, and welcome Carrie Finison for the first time as they celebrate their beautiful, math-joy picture books! 


A little bit of math, a whole lot of heart, and even more beauty, these three picture books are going to be the next favorite read-alouds in your home library! We can't wait to introduce you to Bracelets for Bina's Brothers, The Animals Would Not Sleep!, and Dozens of Donuts! 


More about Bracelets for Bina's Brothers (Available April 20th! Get it before the event!):

For the Hindu holiday of Raksha Bandhan, Bina is determined to make beaded bracelets for her brothers all by herself. She finds out which colors her brothers like and dislike and sets to work. Working with her every-other-one beading pattern causes Bina to discover something new about patterns—and her brothers.


More about The Animals Would Not Sleep! (Available now! Come get it at the store or order it!):

It’s bedtime for Marco and his stuffed animals, but the animals have other ideas. When Marco tries to put them away, they fly, swim, and slither right out of their bins! Can Marco sort the animals so everyone is happy? A playful exploration of sorting and classifying that combines math with empathy. The perfect bedtime book, featuring Latinx characters and a note about scientific classification.



More about Dozens of Donuts (Available now! Come get it at the store or order it!):

LouAnn (a bear) is making a doughnut feast in preparation for her long winter’s nap. But just before she takes the first bite, DING DONG! Her friend Woodrow (a woodchuck) drops by. LouAnn is happy to share her doughnuts, but as soon as she and Woodrow sit down to eat, DING DING! Clyde (a raccoon) is at the door. One by one, LouAnn’s friends come over—Topsy (an opossum) and then Moufette (a skunk) and then Chip and Chomp (chipmunks)—until it’s one big party. Louann welcomes her surprise guests and makes batch after batch of doughnuts, always dividing them equally among her friends. But she makes one BIG miscalculation. Soon LouAnn’s kitchen is bare, winter is near, and she’s had nothing to eat at all!



This is going to be so much fun. We're always happy when we host picture book authors! You want to mark your calendars now for sure! For the safety of our guests and attendees, this is a Zoom Webinar. You must preregister to receive the link. You can do so by clicking here.  

What we love about stories is they can be way out there or they can be devastatingly intimate. This event is for those who love the hauntingly personal. Jennifer De Leon shares her new book of essays, White Space, exploring identity, memory, and writing. Alex Marzano-Lesnevich writes their story of encounter with themself and the deeply human stories that become intertwined with true crime. 

These two authors, part of the famous Chunky Monkeys writing group, will be talking about their books, their craft as writers, and taking your questions! There is PLENTY of opportunity to pick up these books and read them before the event! It will make the discussion that much better!



More about White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing (available now! Come get it in store or order it!):

Sometime in her twenties, Jennifer De Leon asked herself, “What would you do if you just gave yourself permission?” While her parents had fled Guatemala over three decades earlier when the country was in the grips of genocide and civil war, she hadn’t been back since she was a child. She gave herself permission to return—to relearn the Spanish that she had forgotten, unpack her family’s history, and begin to make her own way.

Alternately honest, funny, and visceral, this powerful collection follows De Leon as she comes of age as a Guatemalan-American woman and learns to navigate the space between two worlds. Never rich or white enough for her posh college, she finds herself equally adrift in her first weeks in her parents’ home country. During the years to follow, she would return to Guatemala again and again, meet ex-guerrillera and genocide survivors, get married in the old cobblestoned capital of Antigua, and teach her newborn son about his roots.

More about The Fact of A Body (available now! Come get it in store or order it!): 

A young law student, an unspeakable crime, and a past that refuses to stay buried.
 

Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working on the retrial defense of death-row convicted murderer and child molester Ricky Langley, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, she is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment Ricky’s face flashes on the screen as she reviews old tapes, the moment she hears him speak of his crimes, she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, she digs deeper and deeper into the case, realizing that despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.

Crime, even the darkest and must unsayable acts, can happen to any one of us. As Alexandria pours over the facts of the murder, she finds herself thrust into the complicated narrative of Ricky’s childhood. And by examining the details of Ricky’s case, she is forced to face her own story, to unearth long-buried family secrets, to reckon with how her own past colors her view of Ricky's crime.

But Alexandria is not alone in interpreting the crime through her own life. The judge, the jury foreman, even the victim’s mother and the defense attorney—all see what happened through their own lens of experience. The trial that took place was about Ricky’s past, but also the pasts of everyone touched by the murder. In Alexandria’s hands, THE FACT OF A BODY becomes a book not only about how the story of one crime was constructed—but about how we understand our past, the nature of forgiveness, and if a single narrative can ever really contain something as definitive as the truth.


We're such fans of The Chunky Monkeys, so this is a special event for us! You want to mark your calendar right now so you don't forget to tune in for this conversation! This is a Zoom Webinar event for the safety of our guests and our audience. You must preregister to receive the link. Please click here to do so and then mark your calendar today! 

What's better than a beautiful day in May? A beautiful day in May with a Saturday Morning Story Time, of course! We're delighted to welcome local author Phaea Crede and illustrator Terry Runyan for a reading of the fun new book, Jet the Cat (Is NOT a Cat)! 

Jet the cat likes to swim. When the other animals tell her that cats actually hate water, she goes in search of her true identity. After failing to fit the description of a variety of animals, Jet finally learns to embrace her unique brand of catness. A timely tale that humorously challenges labels and celebrates defining one's own unique identity.

We're so excited for this beautiful (check out the illustrations!), fun, funny read aloud! We know you'll enjoy it! 

For the safety of our young audience, this is a Zoom Webinar. To receive the link, you need to register for the event by clicking here. 

If you're a fan of our store, you know how we feel about middle-grade. (If you're a new fan of our store, here's a hint: we love middle-grade!) That's why when Jenn Bishop wrote to us and said she'd like to do an event and bring two other middle-grade authors with her, we were like YES, THANKS, WHEN!? We can't wait to host Jenn, Laurie, and Tanya as they celebrate their spring releases! 

About Jenn Bishop's Where We Used to Roam: 

When Emma starts sixth grade, things finally begin to change. She may still be in the shadow of her older brother, Austin, the popular high school quarterback, but she’s made artsy new friends who get her way more than her bookish best friend, Becca.

But things are changing for Austin, too. After undergoing surgery for a football injury, Austin has become addicted to opioid painkillers. By the end of the school year, everything blows up with Austin—and Becca. When their parents decide to send Austin to rehab and Emma to stay with family friends in Wyoming for the summer, Emma seizes the chance to get away.

Wyoming turns out to be a perfect fresh start, especially after Emma makes friends with Tyler, a kindred spirit who doesn’t judge her—then again, he doesn’t know what she did to Becca. Still, Emma can’t hide forever…or go back to the way things were with Austin or with Becca. But can she find a way to confront the truth and move forward?


About Laurie's Saint Ivy: Kind At All Costs:

Thirteen-year-old Ivy Campbell has always been a good kid: She supports her soccer-star brother, bakes with her nana, and puts her friends’ needs before her own. So of course, Ivy is 100 percent supportive when her mom decides to be a gestational surrogate, carrying and giving birth to her friends’ baby. But when Ivy finds out the surrogacy treatment worked and her mom is pregnant—and has been for weeks—she’s shocked that she’s jealous and worried about what others will think. And most of all, she’s ashamed that she isn’t reacting to this news in the right way. The Ivy way. Ivy is determined to prove to herself that she’s just as unselfish as she’s always believed, and she gets the chance to do that when she receives an anonymous email from someone who needs her help. But the more Ivy dives into helping this anonymous person, the further she gets from the people she loves—and from the person who she wants to be.

About Tanya's All You Knead is Love: 

Sometimes you find home where you least expect it.

Twelve-year-old Alba doesn't want to live with her estranged grandmother in Barcelona. She wants to stay with her mom, even if that means enduring her dad's cutting comments to them both.

But in her new home, Alba forms a close relationship with her grandmother, gains a supportive father figure and new friends, and even discovers a passion and talent for baking. And through getting to know the city her mother used to call home, Alba starts to understand her mother better. When her beloved bakery is threatened with closure, Alba is determined to find a way to save it—and at the same time, she may just come up with a plan to make her family whole again.



Just in time for summer reading, this is the perfect panel for anyone who has an established, yet younger reader in their life who is looking for books to put on the pile! We can't wait!


For the safety of our guests and audience, this event is a Zoom Webinar. You must register in advance to receive the link. Do so by clicking here. Don't forget to mark your calendar!