Book of the Week (8/17/2026)

Book Lovers' New England: A Guide to Literary Landmarks by Sheila Moeschen (Globe Pequot Publishing, 2026)

New England is one of the most storied regions of America, home to a host of literary icons. Who were the people behind the pages? Book Lovers' New England answers this question by bringing readers on a fascinating and lively tour of the places and locations that shaped the contributions of authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Sylvia Plath, Robert Frost, and more. Structured as an interactive, fascinating compilation of day trips and opportunities to experience regional travel in a new way, the book offers rich literary history of America as centered in New England coupled with sumptuous photography. Book Lover’s New England is a one-of-a-kind literary road trip designed to inspire book lovers, travelers, and anyone curious about the creators behind the creative art.

Book Lovers' will explore primary places associated with New England authors such as homes, estates, museums, and commemorative sites with a descriptive scoop on the surrounding towns and cities that shaped their lives and art. The book will feature interest-worthy locations such as notable bookstores or libraries holding important author papers or manuscripts and each sidebar will be dedicated to famous books set in New England sites and streets—a book lover’s dream! --Publisher's blurb

NHBF Author: M. T. Anderson

New York Times bestselling author M. T. Anderson writes books for children, teens, and adults, including Octavian Nothing: The Pox Party, winner of the National Book Award; Elf Dog & Owl Head, a Newbery Honor book; and Feed, winner of the LA Times Book Prize. His nonfiction book Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, was a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction finalist. His most recent book, Nicked, is a historical heist story set in the eleventh century. He lives in New England.

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026.

NHBF Author: Jeff Kinney

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and
the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six–time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for
Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the
World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, DC, area and moved to New England, where
he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

Jeff Kinney will deliver the Children's Keynote on Friday night and the Family Keynote on Saturday night. Tickets for the Friday night keynote are sold out. Tickets for the Saturday night Family Keynote are on sale now. 

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026. 

Ladybug Nominee Profile

The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho,  Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Dan Santat (Disney Hyperions, 2025)

Arnold didn't mean for the books to disappear—not exactly. It all started because he liked his book about airplanes best. Why would anyone want to read about tomatoes or ostriches or submarines (ew, the worst!) when they could read about planes, instead?

When Arnold realizes—POOF!—he can make the other books vanish, he goes a little too far. Before he knows it, all the books are gone…including his. Can Arnold figure out how to bring them back before it’s too late?

This book about books celebrates themes of empathy, interconnectedness, and the value of diverse and differing perspectives.

About Joanna Ho

Joanna Ho is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of many children's books, including Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, We Who Produce Pearls, and The Silence that Binds Us, her debut young adult novel, which received the Young Adult Honor for the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. She lives in the Bay Area, where she survives on homemade chocolate chip cookies, outdoor adventures, and dance parties with her kids. Her website is: https://www.joannahowrites.com/

About Caroline Kusin Pritchard

Caroline Kusin Pritchard is the author of Gitty and Kvetch and Where is Poppy, which School Library Journal called “a perfect story for all ages.” She has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Virginia with her family. Her website is: https://carolinekusinpritchard.com/

About Dan Santat

Dan Santat is the National Book Award-winning, Caldecott Medal–winning, and New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and the road trip/time travel adventure Are We There Yet? His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, including Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta series. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and many, many pets. His website is: https://sites.google.com/g.risd.org/dansantat/home

Activities & Links

• Check out this Read Aloud at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad3sUwCxxIw
• Here's an interview with Joanna Ho, one of the authors of "The Day the Books Disappeared": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e_87sHSkII
• Reflection exercise: Have students draw or write about how the main character Arnold felt when other people's books vanished versus how he felt when his own favorite book disappeared. 
• Design a Book Cover exercise: Provide a blank book cover template for children to illustrate their own favorite topic or story, celebrating what makes their personal reading choice unique.

Suggestions for Further Reading

• Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Books & Reading at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/01/ladybug-longlist-books-reading.html
• For more books by Joanna Ho, check out Eyes That Kiss in the Corners or A Room with a View. For another book by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, check out The Keeper of Stories. 
• For more stories about books, consider All the Books by Hayley Rocco and 
  The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers & Sam Winston, both 2025 Ladybug Longlist titles. 

This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.

NHBF Author: Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including most recently the #1 bestseller BY ANY OTHER NAME. Her landmark novel 19 MINUTES was recently deemed the most banned book in the Unites States in a recent report conducted by PEN America. It is estimated that there are 63.7 million books by Jodi Picoult in print. Jodi's books have been translated into forty languages. 
Picoult is the recipient of many awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the Alex Awards from the YALSA, a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America, the NH Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit and esteemed Sarah Josepha Hale Award. She was the recipient of the 2024 Free Speech Defender Robie Harris Author Award from the National Coalition Against Censorship. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of New Haven. She is a patron of the Carole Shields Prize for Fiction which is awarded to female fiction writers. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for PEN America. Picoult lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children and two grandchildren.

Jodi Picoult will deliver the NHBF Keynote on Friday night. Tickets are on sale now.

 

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026.

Mark Your Calendar!

Over the next couple months, Book Notes NH will be featuring the MANY authors who will be part of the 3rd annual NH Book Festival. which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026. 

Most of the festival programs are scheduled for Saturday, October 3 and will be free for everyone to attend. 

The following events require paid tickets to attend. These events help to fund the free Saturday programming at the festival.

On Friday morning, the festival kicks off with Jeff Kinney (New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series) giving the Children's Keynote (which is sold out!).

Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels (and a New Hampshire resident!), will give the Festival Keynote at 7pm, Friday, October 2, 2026. Tickets for this event are on sale now. 

On Saturday night, at 6:30 pm, Jeff Kinney will be giving the Family Keynote. Tickets for this event are on sale now.

All keynote speaker events will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH.

Book of the Week (8/10/2026)

Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots by J. W. Ocker (Quirk Books, 2026)

Embark on a guided tour of 30 of the most dangerous and mysterious locations that we simply cannot stay away from.

Have you ever visited a forest or an abandoned building and gotten a bad vibe? There are places that are rife with rumors of hauntings, monsters, and sinister phenomena that can’t be explained. And there are just as many sites that are the confirmed home of disasters, murders, and man-made mistakes. Everyone’s heard about the Bermuda Triangle, but do you know these chilling sites?

Roopkund: There's a lake tucked high in the frozen Himalayan Mountains . . . and it's full of skeletons.

Mount Shasta: This mysterious mountain in California inspired the I AM cult and is said to host UFOs, bigfoots, and lizard people.

Nahanni National Park: Called the "Valley of the Headless Men", this national park in northern Canada is famous for legends of a hidden gold mine . . . and a series of decapitated miners.

Pine Barrens: Best known as the home of the Jersey Devil, this desolate pine forest has also hosted pirates, the mafia, and moonshiners.

Ciudad Blanca: This fabled pre-Columbian "Lost City of the Monkey God" in Honduras doesn't want to be found, and explorers seeking it have met violent ends. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

J.W. Ocker is a nationally bestselling, Edgar-winning author of macabre travelogues, spooky kids books, and horror novels. His books include A Season with the Witch, Twelve Nights at Rotter House, The Black Slide, and The United States of Cryptids. He is originally from Maryland but has lived in New Hampshire for almost two decades.

Join J.W. at Toadstool Bookshop in Keene, NH on Sat., August 22, 2026 at 2:00 pm where he will be presenting and signing his newest book!