📚 New Books from Rick Riordan, Lynn Painter, and more

What’s New at Linden Tree

Friends,

At the risk of turning this newsletter into Craigslist... we are giving away the small house/bookshelf (pictured) that has housed our Klutz activity kits for the past few years. Charming, yet slightly too big for the space–everyone who has steered a stroller on the way to our bathroom nods in agreement–it will be replaced by a shiny red spinner.

But it could be yours for the low, low price of... free! All you have to do is come to the store, pick it up, and haul it away. Imagine this conversation piece in your child's bedroom, or perhaps your own living room! And did you know this bookshelf has spent time in two legendary Bay Area bookshops (we acquired it from our friends at Kepler’s). Interested? Email shop@lindentreebooks.com.

📚 Books I’m looking forward to this week: Anyone who’s read The Wolf Suit or Bog Myrtle knows Sid Sharp is one of the most talented picture book creators around and their new book, Midnight Manor, is perhaps their best yet. It’s about a bunch of kids, ghosts, and goblins who sleep all day and have fun all night: counting caterpillars on the curtains, gossiping with the gargoyles, and dancing until the dawn. Like a quirky, creepy Goodnight Moon, this one is perfect for Halloween, but will be a fun bedtime read year-round.

See you at the shop,

Chris

📅 Upcoming Events

Story Writing Workshops

Sunday, October 4 at 2:30pm (ages 7-11)

Sunday, October 4 at 3:30pm (ages 12+)

Story writing workshops are back! We’ll provide a story game to jump start our imaginations, tips for creating unique characters and plot twists, two writing coaches for brainstorming and feedback, and a welcoming, creative space.

These free meet-ups are led by Shu-Hsien Ho and Royd Hatta of Beyond the Box Learning (both are former Linden Tree booksellers!). We will meet in the back of the store where there will be comfortable seating and tables. Please bring your imagination, enthusiasm, notebook, pencils/pens, and erasers.

Space is limited! To RSVP, please email shuhsienho@gmail.com.

Marley Rose-Teter

In conversation with Samantha Chong

Friday, October 9 at 6pm

Join us as we welcome local author Marley Rose-Teter to celebrate the launch of her YA debut, The Bone Brides. Marley will be in conversation with author Samantha Chong.

Nola James can handle it. She can handle that her father is dead. She can handle that her friends, bored with her grief, left her behind. Nola James has to handle it because Lumi—the love of her life and a faery changeling—is in danger. Not only is Lumi's human mother trying to kill her, but she’s being hunted by veiled monsters that want to return her to the fae. Hiding out in an abandoned cabin with only a skeleton-rabbit for company is hard, but Nola can handle it. And she does... until Lumi is abducted.

To save her, Nola must enter the faery realm: a world in which eyeless horses parade as brides, ghost-bees produce transformative honey, and skeletons dance in skin-colored cloaks. Aided by a witch-girl with uncertain motives, Nola uncovers the realm’s terrifying power over changelings. If Nola can’t outplay an abyssal faery queen and find the courage to let the world see her own pain, Lumi will be trapped—not only in faeryland but in a skin that’s not her own.

Dr. Jenny Wang

Sunday, October 11 at 10:30am

Join us for a special storytime as author Dr. Jenny Wang shares her debut picture book, Too Much Tony, about a boy who has been told all his life that he is “TOO MUCH!”

Tony tries to shrink himself to fit in, but that leaves him feeling lonely and unseen. To cope, he retreats into his imagination, until a chance meeting changes everything. For the first time, Tony realizes that being “TOO MUCH” may not be so bad after all. Through a new friendship, Tony learns to use his own big energy to connect with other kids and help them feel seen. Together, Tony and his friends make the world a little less lonely for everyone.

This tender, empowering picture book is a reminder that self-acceptance is an act of courage, and everyone deserves to feel they belong. Rooted in the psychological insight and everyday parenting truth that “children don’t need to be fixed, they need to be understood,” Too Much Tony is a warm, affirming book about friendship, neurodiversity, and the healing power of being ourselves.

📅 Mark Your Calendar

Sunday, October 4 at 2:30pm: Story Writing Workshops (ages 7-11)
Sunday, October 4 at 3:30pm: Story Writing Workshops (ages 12+)
Friday, October 9 at 6pm: Book Launch with Marley Rose-Teter, in conversation with Samantha Chong, The Bone Brides
Sunday, October 11 at 10:30am: Storytime with Dr. Jenny Wang, Too Much Tony
Friday, October 16 at 5pm: Book Launch with Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura, Bathtime for Snow Monkeys
Saturday, October 17 at 6pm: Book Launch with Kyla Zhao, Heirs of Infamy
Sunday, October 18 at 10:30am: Storytime with Alan Barillaro, Today We’ll Be Eaten