Even though it'll be Saturday morning, we will be discussing night-time rituals with Carol Gordon Ekster's You Know What and Before I Sleep, I Say Thank You.

You Know What tells the story of bedtime rituals and how kids delay the last step as much as possible in the most lovable way.

Before I Sleep, I Say Thank You, gives your child the chance to go to bed with a great attitude filled with gratitude.

Carol was a passionate elementary school teacher for 35 years before she became an author. She is grateful that her writing gives her another way to communicate with children. Carol lives in Andover, Mass., with her husband Mark.

Join us for this fun storytime! Carol will also have an activity for the kids to do afterward, which will buy you a couple of hours of peace at the end of the long school vacation week!

Kristine Asselin first came out to help us celebrate during our Grand Opening Week last April, and now we are happy to have her back to celebrate the launch of her young adult novel, Falling for Wonder Boy.  

When 16-year-old Kate Anderson signs up for the New Hampshire Junior State Golf Championship, she has no idea how important it is for her to win. But when she finds out her family’s beloved golf course is on the verge of going broke, the pressure is on to bring home the top prize. Because this year, if she can become the first girl to ever win the tournament, she’ll earn more than bragging rights and a college scholarship – she’ll become famous. And with fame comes a gigantic media blitz, and that type of hype is exactly the prize her family needs to bring back the crowds and chase away the threats of bank foreclosure. 

Unfortunately, golf is a game of focus and Kate’s distractions are mounting by the day: her growing crush on her best friend Scott and dealing with the local bully seem tough enough without the extra distraction of the cute British exchange student her dad hires for the summer. And when vandals damage the golf course and Scott is accused of the crime, the stakes suddenly become bigger than any tournament. To clear Scott’s name, Kate takes on the responsibility of finding the culprit before the course is vandalized again. Otherwise, winning the tournament won’t even be on the table  . . . and neither will a future with Scott. 
 

Kristine Asselin is the author of several books, including the middle-grade novel, The Art of the Swap -- which she co-wrote with Jen Malone, and was one of our bestselling childrens books of 2018 -- and the YA novel, Any Way You Slice It. She loves being a Girl Scout leader and volunteering with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in nearby Littleton with her teenage daughter and husband.

Join us on Friday, March 1st, for our next installment of Friday Fiction Book Club. We'll provide the croissants, you bring the coffee and the conversation!

This month, we'll be discussing The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, which is our buyer Kristin's favorite work by Moriarty, and earned almost universal praise.

Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not only the life you have built together, but the lives of others as well. And then imagine that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive...

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything—and not just for her. There are other women who barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they, too, are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

Join us to discuss this wonderful book!

 

Join us on March 2nd, as we celebrate Dr Seuss' Birthday during Story time! 

We will be joined by special guest readers, Kim Davis from Acton Cooperative School and Nancy Tang from the Acton Barn Cooperative Preschool.  They will read some of their favorite Dr. Seuss' books.

Started in 1998, the National Education Association dedicates March 2nd as Read Across America Day.  This annual reading motivation and awareness program calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading. 

Come and share your favorite Dr Seuss book, you may even be chosen to read it to others!  
 

We are thrilled to have Julie Dobrow to the bookstore to read from her new novel, After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America's Greatest Poet.

After Emily is a mother/daughter biography of Mabel and her only child, Millicent Todd Bingham and their journey in bringing the writings of Emily Dickinson to the world. Mabel had a long complex relationship with the Dickinson family, including a lengthy affair with Emily's brother Austin. It was after Emily's death when Mabel brought her writing to life. But she couldn't do it alone, and encouraged Millicent to assist her.

The multi-faceted passions in both Mabel and Millicent’s lives ultimately resulted in controversies over the editing and ownership of Dickinson’s poetry, in her papers being split up, and in battles over the right to define the so-called “Belle of Amherst.” This is a story that has never before been fully told.

Julie first become interested in the life of Mabel when reading a biography of Emily Dickinson. Soon she discovered over 700 boxes of Mabel's and Millicent's untouched papers, including journals, letters and thousands of pictures. Through these items, Julie is now able to share the untold story of these two fascinating women.

“The biographical material related to Emily Dickinson’s legacy is the work’s driving force, but Dobrow’s skillful account of Mabel’s and Millicent’s lives makes this page-turner a must-read for the poet’s most ardent fans.”- Library Journal

Julie Dobrow is Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.  She holds faculty appointments in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development and the Film and Media Studies Program in Tufts’ School of Arts and Sciences, as well as the Department of Public Health & Community Medicine at the Tufts Medical School. She is a contributing writer for Boston Globe Magazine and Huffington Post. 
She resides outside of Boston, where is she is an active member of the community. 


 

We are happy to welcome back local author Annie Cronin Romano to the bookstore. 

Last fall we were fortunate enough to launch her debut picture book, Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book of Gratitude. This winsome bedtime book has the makings to become a classic and an important part of families’ nightly rituals. Reflecting on various activities through each of the five senses, detailed poetic text and illustrations show memorable scenes.

Annie is a children's author and speech language therapist. She graduated from Boston College with a BA in English, then earned her teaching certification in high school English and a master’s degree in communication disorders. She lives in Hopedale, MA.   
Her second children's book, Night Train: A  Journey from Dust to Dawn comes out in April. 

Please join us for a lovely morning with Annie!

We are thrilled to welcome back middle grade author MarcyKate Connolly to the bookstore and excited she will be joined by fellow author  Monica Tesler.

MarcyKate will be reading from her new release, Comet Rising, the riveting conclusion of the duology Shadow Weaver.

Emmeline and Lucas are convinced they are safe from Lady Aisling and her soldiers…for now. But one night, Emmeline's imprisoned shadow, Dar, warns them that they will soon be apprehended. They try to ignore her, but the next night Lucas's parents are captured and Lucas, Emmeline, and Dar barely escape.

With nothing left to lose, Emmeline and Lucas recruit other children with magical abilities to march against Lady Aisling and free those she has taken captive. But then Dar escapes, and they find themselves watching their backs as they plan their attack.

Can Emmeline and Lucas use their powers to defeat evil once and for all?

MarcyKate Connolly is a NYT bestselling author living in New England with her family and pugs.   She is a self proclaimed caffeine addict and voracious reader.  She has also written the popular fantasy novels, Monstrous and Ravenous. 

Monica Tesler will be reading from, The Hereos Return, the fourth novel of her Bounders series. 

After escaping the Youli’s attack on Alkalinia, Jasper and Mira find themselves trapped with the lost aeronauts in the rift, a rip in space where time moves differently. For every minute they spend in the rift, they are losing days back home.

Just when Jasper fears they’ll be stuck in limbo forever, the most unlikely ally shows up: the Youli.

The Youli promise to rescue everyone in the rift, but their help comes at a price. First, Jasper must tell Earth Force that the Youli want peace. And second, Mira can’t return with Jasper. She has to leave with the Youli. 

Back home, almost a year has passed. The Youli war is public, Bounders are in space full-time, and Jasper’s pod is divided. Cole and Lucy have been promoted. Marco and Addy are missing.

Jasper delivers the Youli’s message, but the admiral isn’t interested in peace talks. Instead, she sends Jasper and the aeronauts on a publicity tour of Earth to build support for the war. At first, Jasper revels in the spotlight. But it soon becomes clear that if Jasper doesn’t convince Earth Force to stop fighting—and soon—there won’t be an Earth left to fight for, and he may never see Mira again.

Monica Tesler lives south of Boston with her husband and two boys.  She writes on the commuter boat, in coffee shops, and at her kitchen table. She tries to meditate every day but often ends up fantasizing about space, time travel, or strange lands, both real and imagined.

Join us this afteroon as we traveled out of this world into a world of magic and fantasy with these two amazing authors!


 

The next meeting of the Middle Grade Book Club will focus on The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. It received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, The Horn Book and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Calling it "powerful," The New York Times Book Review said of the book, "Johnson writes about the long shadows of the past with such ambition that any reader with a taste for mystery will appreciate the puzzle Candice and Brandon must solve."

The letter waits in a book, in a box, in an attic, in an old house in Lambert, South Carolina. It's waiting for Candice Miller. 

When Candice finds the letter, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, after all, who left Lambert in a cloud of shame. But the letter describes a young woman named Siobhan Washington. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. Grandma tried and failed. But now Candice has another chance. 

So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues in the letter. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the summer ends?

We are so excited to welcome New York Times bestselling author Karen M. McManus to celebrate her new release, Two Can Keep A Secret, with fellow YA author Sara Farizan. 

Karen's new YA thriller takes us to the small town of Echo Ridge, Vt., where secrets are everywhere. After hearing of missing teenagers and  a recent homecoming tragedy, Ellery now has to move there to live with her grandmother. Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she’s in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous—and most people aren’t good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it’s safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

Karen M. McManus is the author of the young adult thriller One of Us Is Lying, which spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into 38 languages worldwide.  She lives in Massachusetts and holds a master's degree in journalism from Northeastern University, which she uses to draft fake news stories for her novels.

Sara Farizan is an award-winning author of three YA novels, most recently Here to Stay. She is also one of the store's absolute favorite people, and it will be a joy to welcome her back!
 

The Silver Unicorn Bookstore welcomes Glenn Rifkin to discuss his new biography on Patrick McGovern, Future Forward.

Like Steve Jobs, Patrick McGovern built a worldwide multibillion-dollar industry by thinking differently, disrupting old business models, and embracing new technology trends. He drove the future forward and never looked back. With magazines such as Computerworld, PCWorld, and Macworld, his company, International Data Group (IDG), quickly became a global powerhouse with information technology publications in nearly 100 countries. 

In Future Forward, leaders will find 10 essential lessons that can be easily applied to any business, from small startups to giant corporations. These include: “Let’s try it. Encourage entrepreneurial behavior and back it up with serious commitment.” “Decentralize. When building a global empire, every market is local.” “Love your employees. Adore your customers.” Leaders at every level will discover outside-the-box approaches to employee engagement, entrepreneurial commitment, and radical innovation. These are the lessons of a true visionary. This is how successful leaders take risks, take charge, and take the future by storm.

•Patrick McGovern’s approach to leadership, disruption, and innovation can be applied to any industry, especially those looking to expand into new global markets.

•McGovern foresaw and leveraged the global reach and power of technology, and built a $3 billion company that was the voice of the information technology revolution.

•McGovern was the first Western publisher to set up shop in China. He made 130 trips to China during his lifetime and learned how to build a successful business there by staying ever present in the market. He also built the first venture capital firm in China, and turned it into the largest and most successful venture company in that exploding economy.

•Under McGovern’s leadership, IDG became a leading technology media, data, and marketing services company, operating in 97 countries and publishing such major publications as Computerworld, CIO, PCWorld, and Macworld. IDG created the “For Dummies” book series as well.

Glenn Rifkin has been a contributing writer for the New York Times business section for nearly 30 years and has written for dozens of publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Boston Globe, and Fortune. In the 1980s, Rifkin was a senior editor at Computerworld, IDG’s leading publication, where he got a firsthand introduction to Patrick McGovern’s remarkable leadership capabilities.  Rifkin has consulted with a variety of companies, such as Boston Consulting Group, Korn Ferry International, Mercer Consulting, WPP, HCL Technologies, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Please join us for a discussion of Future Forward with Glenn, followed by Q and A session.