John Grisham paid us another visit last week, signing copies of his new book for young readers, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. He was running a bit late this year as the publication of this new book was fighting with a deadline for the next, The Confession, a thriller due this fall that may be one of his longest novels yet. The Confession follows a killer as he watches the court try an innocent man for the murder he committed. (We first heard Grisham speak about his new thriller at Book Expo America, on a panel with Condoleezza Rice and Mary Roach, moderated by Jon Stewart. You can view the program in its entirety on BookTV's website. Grisham is about mid-way through the hour-long presentation, but be sure and catch Stewart's hilarious opening monologue and Q&A session at the end.)
John promised to return in the fall to sign The Confession, and at this time he'll sit down to lunch with the winner of our Theodore Boone Story Contest, open to kids 14 and under who purchase their signed copy of Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer at Turnrow. Deadline for submissions is September 17, 2010.
The novel's title character is the 13-year-old son of two lawyers, and he quickly finds himself in a great predicament: he finds a secret witness to the murder at the center of a sensational courtroom trial in his hometown. How can he serve justice while protecting the identity of his secret source? Boone finds an unlikely ally to help him maneuver the legal and ethical byways in this fast-paced and compelling mystery story — the first, Grisham assured us, in a series.
The idea for our contest is to have kids write their own mystery story (2-5 pages) in which they cast themselves as the hero, solving the case using their own unique talents and interests, whether they be athletic, academic, musical, scientific, or otherwise.
To help get the creative juices flowing, we've enlisted our pal Deborah Wiles (Love, Ruby Lavender and Each Little Bird That Sings among others) to host a creative writing workshop for young writers at Turnrow on August 24. We just read her excellent new book, Countdown, and were reminded why she's one of the best writers of children's literature out there. We're so lucky to have her come in and guide young writers through the basics of creative storytelling.
Entry forms for the contest are available at Turnrow when you purchase a copy of Theodore Boone. If you order online, make a notation that you'd like to enter and we'll see that you get a form. For questions, call or write.
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