Preschool Monkey with a Tool Belt by Chris Monroe A Visitor for Bear by Bonnie Becker Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett
Younger Elementary Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker and Marla Frazee Ivy & Bean series by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall Shredderman books by Wendelin Van Draanen and Brian Biggs
Older Elementary Magyk (Septimus Heap) series by Angie Sage Savvy by Ingrid Law
Middle School Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt Brett McCartney: A Work in Progress by Maria Padian Inkheart series and new Inkdeath title by Cornelia Funke
High School Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Mockingbird Books: A New Living Room for Young Readers
By Wenda Reed
Imagine your living room, only bigger, with 7,000 books lining the walls and cushions to flop down on, and low tables and chairs in the front with games and a big chalkboard, and baskets of toys for little ones to play with or chew. Oh, and there’s an espresso corner with pastries and sandwiches, and a nice lady on a big comfy couch reads to your kids during daily storytimes.
The Green Lake neighborhood has a new living room in Mockingbird Books, which opened this summer in the beautifully remodeled former Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) hall a block from the lake. The exposed brick on the walls, the bright white trim and the charcoal carpet make it a warm and inviting place to hang out, and the knowledgeable staff and great selection of classic, new and locally published authors make it a great place to shop for just the right book for each child. There’s a large middle reader and young adult section, as well as a small selection for adult readers and some parenting and wellness books.
The children’s bookstore is “part of a lifelong journey” for manager Geeta Teredesai. She was an attorney in juvenile and dependency courts, an elementary and middle school teacher and a stay-at-home mom to her two daughters. She was always a big reader, and began recommending books to a huge group of neighbors and her daughter’s school friends.
“Some of the boys, especially, didn’t like to read,” Teredesai says. “I can’t stand to hear that.” She asked them lots of questions about their interests and went to the public library to find books they might like – not necessarily high-brow volumes, but ones to get them started. Often humor books were a great opening. “No one asked me to pick up books, but I couldn’t help myself,” she says with a laugh.
Teredesai jumped at the chance to manage the new children’s bookstore when she was approached by her friend, Alyson Stage, the building’s owner. Stage shares a lifelong interest in children’s literacy and is a former president of Page Ahead, a nonprofit organization that provides books and promotes reading for at-risk children. When the owner of All for Kids Books & Music retired and closed the University District store this summer, two experienced staff members, Linda Spoor and Sue Nevins, moved to Mockingbird Books. All share a passion for working individually with children, on their own levels, to spark their interest in reading. Nevins is a specialist in working with reluctant readers.
During the summer, staff members did some impromptu storytimes at the Green Lake playground, and this fall they hope to do book fairs and outreach to local schools and invite local authors in for readings. Teredesai is excited about using the huge performance space upstairs for readings, musicals, poetry slams and popcorn and movie nights, so that the living room expands into the whole community.
Although the bookstore is geared toward children, Teredesai wants it to be just as welcoming to parents, grandparents and caregivers. “Readers raise readers,” Teredesai says. “We want to have something for all ages.”
