Ruth White, I bow down to thee

...Coming up soon is our big giant extravaganza Summer Reading Festival at World's Fair Park here in beautiful Knoxville, TN. I know I've reviewed at least two of the authors/illustrators who are coming to this insanely exciting (emphasis on the insane - - my colleagues and I are working the Kids Play Area)...event. Mo Willems, Merillee Liddiard, and now Ruth White. This week, I very extremely quickly read Tadpole and Memories of Summer, and let me tell you kids, this woman has a HUGE talent. She's won a Newberry Honor for Belle Prater's Boy in 1996, and I think her rich depictions of rural southern-Appalachian-American life in the 1950's rings true audiences around here. Go ahead and put her on the pedestal with Pam Munoz Ryan, for she is co-queen of the coming of age novel for youngfolks. And she's going to be at our festival! That means that's two Newberry honor winners. Rock. And throw in a Roll while you're at it.
So I work this weekend, so I'm missing Vestival. Which is a total bummer. They might even revoke my South Knoxville citizenship if I don't show up to next year's too. They can do that, you know.
But what I CAN do this Saturday and Mother's Day (yes, I work Mother's Day) is shop in my personal, secret used book store...I'm not sure this is a secret, or if I'm totally not supposed to be talking about this, but the Friends of the Knox County Libraries stores the 'zapped' books in the basement in the library I work in. There's also a new used book store upstairs in the Lawson McGhee that is really great and so much cheaper and easier to shop than McKay's...and you don't have to wait for the big Used Book Sale the Friends have just once a year. But since I am a library lady I can go down and buy stuff all the time. On my way to the restroom. On my way to get a Diet Coke. Before the public sees the books, I can snatch them up. And that, my friends and family, is where all your birthday and holiday presents are now going to come from. But it is seriously dangerous to let people who love books (people who work in the library system) have access to cheap, still in pretty good quality used books. We get lost. And broke.