Laura Resau

Vamos a Leer is a monthly book club meeting at Bookworks that reads and discusses literature of Latin America. Teachers, students, and other readers interested in Latin American literature are welcome to attend. For an event flyer featuring 2013-2014 reading selections, visit the Vamos A Leer website.

April's selection is What the moon saw by Laura Resau.

Clara Luna's name means "clear moon" in Spanish. But lately, her head has felt anything but clear. One day a letter comes from Mexico, written in Spanish: "Dear Clara, We invite you to our house for the summer. We will wait for you on the day of the full moon, in June, at the Oaxaca airport. Love, your grandparents."

Fourteen-year-old Clara has never met her father's parents. She knows he snuck over the border from Mexico as a teenager, but beyond that, she knows almost nothing about his childhood.

When she agrees to go, she's stunned by her grandparents' life: they live in simple shacks in the mountains of southern Mexico, where most people speak not only Spanish, but an indigenous language, Mixteco.

The village of Yucuyoo holds other surprises, too-- like the spirit waterfall, which is heard but never seen. And Pedro, an intriguing young goatherder who wants to help Clara find the waterfall. Hearing her grandmother's adventurous tales of growing up as a healer awakens Clara to the magic in Yucuyoo, and in her own soul.

What the moon saw is an enchanting story of discovering your true self in the most unexpected place.

Location: Street: 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW City: Albuquerque, Province: New Mexico Postal Code: 87107-3157 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Join us for a very special evening with middle grade fiction authors Jeannie Mobley (Katerina's Wish), Laura Resau (What the moon saw), Melanie Crowder (Parched), and Jenny Goebel (Grave Images) as they talk about and sign their new books on Thursday, October 3rd at *6:30pm*.

About the books:

Melanie Crowder, author of Parched In Parched, a haunting, lyrical novel told from three perspectives, Sarel has just witnessed the murder of her parents. But she is not completely alone on the drought-ridden land. Nandi is the leader of a pack of dogs who looks out for her pups and for Sarel-girl. Nandi knows they are in trouble, and she knows, too, that a boy is coming—an escaped prisoner with the water song inside him.

Laura Resau, author of What the moon saw Clara has never met her father's parents. When she stays with them, she's stunned by their life: they live in shacks in southern Mexico. The village holds other surprises, too—like the spirit waterfall, which is heard but never seen. And Pedro, a goatherder who wants to help Clara find the waterfall. What the moon saw is an enchanting story of discovering yourself in unexpected places.

Jenny Goebel, author of Grave Images In Grave Images, Bernie's family runs a monument company, and her backyard is littered with tombstones. When her father hires a new artist, Mr. Stein, to engrave headstones, she snoops around his cottage and finds a portrait of their neighbor—who dies the next day. Bernie realizes that Mr. Stein is engraving headstones before people die, which forces Bernie to ask: Is Mr. Stein predicting the deaths—or causing them?

Jeannie Mobley, author of Katerina’s Wish In Katerina’s Wish, Katerina’s family came to America to buy their own farm. But a year later, Papa is still working in the dangerous coal mine. Then Katerina is reminded of the carp that granted three wishes in an old folktale. When her younger sisters hear the story, they immediately make wishes. Trina doesn’t believe in such silliness—but what is she to think when her sisters’ wishes come true?

This is a FREE children's event, open to all!

Location: Street: 1107 Pearl St City: Boulder, Province: Colorado Postal Code: 80302 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Kids ONLY book club for ages 8 to 12 meets monthly to discuss two books. Kids Get 15% Off Selections! Sign up with a bookseller at the store or by calling (970)926-7323

Book selections for August 12th meeting: Star in the Forest by Laura Resau The last of the really great whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards

Location: Street: 295 Main Street C101 City: Edwards, Province: Colorado Postal Code: 81632-7932 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Amy Kathleen Ryan discusses Glow.; Todd Mitchell discusses The Secret to Lying.; Laura Resau discusses The Jade Notebook .

Join acclaimed authors Amy Kathleen Ryan, Todd Mitchell, and Laura Resau for a fun, informal discussion of their young adult books, writing processes, and journeys to publication. About the books: The Jade Notebook (book 3 in the Indigo Notebook series) Zeeta and her mom have spent years traveling the globe and soaking up everything each new culture has to offer. Now they've settled in Mazunte, Mexico, where Zeeta's true love, Wendell, has an internship photographing rare sea turtles. At first glance, Zeeta feels sure that Mazunte is paradise. And she is determined to make Mazunte her home...for good. But as she and Wendell dig deeper to unearth her elusive father's past, Zeeta finds that paradise has its dark side. The Secret to Lying When James gets into an academy for gifted students, he decides to leave his past behind. In a boarding school full of nerds and geeks, being cool is easy. All it takes is a few pranks to invent a new James: fighter, rebel, punk. Everyone’s impressed, except for "Ice Queen" Ellie Frost and the mysterious ghost44, an IM presence who sees through his new identity. As he’s drawn deeper into his lies, James begins to wonder: What’s the price for being the coolest guy around? Glow The Empyrean is the only home 15-year-old Waverly has ever known. Part of the first generation to be conceived in deep space, she and her boyfriend Kieran will be pioneers of New Earth. Waverly knows she must marry young in order to have children who can carry on the mission, and Kieran, the captain-to-be, has everything Waverly could want in a husband. But Waverly’s dreams are interrupted by a violent betrayal by the Empyrean's sister ship, the New Horizon. This event is FREE and open to all! (jpmoore)… (more)

Laura Resau promotes The Jade Notebook and The Ruby Notebook.

With a background in cultural anthropology and ESL-teaching, Laura Resau has lived and traveled in Latin America and Europe - experiences that inspired her books for young people. Her latest novel, The Queen of Water (cowritten with María Virginia Farinango) was praised as "riveting tale... by turns heartbreaking, infuriating and ultimately inspiring " in a starred review by Kirkus. Her previous novels - Star in the Forest, The Ruby Notebook, The Indigo Notebook, Red Glass, and What the Moon Saw - have garnered many starred reviews and awards, including the IRA YA Fiction Award, the Américas Award, and a spot on Oprah's Kids' Book List. Acclaimed for its sensitive treatment of immigration issues, Resau's writing has been called "vibrant, large-hearted" (Publishers' Weekly) and "powerful, magical" (Booklist). Resau lives with her husband and young son in Colorado. She donates a portion of her royalties to indigenous rights organizations in Latin America. (jpmoore)… (more)

Pat Mora, Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico! Americas' Sproutings.; Laura Resau, Red Glass.

This presentation recognizes "U.S. works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction published in the previous year in English or Spanish that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States". The 2007 honorees are author Pat Mora and illustrator Rafael Lopez for the picture book Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: AAmerica's Sproutings, and author Laura Resau for the YA novel Red Glass. A continental breakfast at 9:30am will precede the ceremony, which takes place in the James Madison Building. Free, but reservations are required. 202-707-2013. (SqueakyChu)… (more)