Monday, April 11, 2016

THE LAST MONSTER Author Talks with Teens at Post Road Library

Ginger Garrett, author of The Last Monster, will talk with middle- and high-school students about her new book at a special after-hours signing party on Saturday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Post Road Library, 5010 Post Road, Cumming. The event is free, but advance registration is requested.

Participants will receive The Last Monster temporary tattoos and bookmarks, and even discover their own secret monster name. Teens are encouraged to wear monster costumes for a chance to win a Starbucks gift card and a signed copy of The Last Monster in the event’s monster costume contest.

Attendees can step into the monster lab to suit up in a selection of creepy props and accessories before snapping a pic in the monster photo booth. A makeup artist will also be on hand to give guests scary monster makeovers.

Garrett wrote several works of historical fiction, such as The Serpent Moon trilogy, Lost Loves of the Bible series, and The Chronicles of the Scribe series. She also authored or co-wrote several non-fiction books and devotionals for teens and adults.

The Last Monster is Garrett’s first fictional work for teen readers. But she was already an expert in the kind of stories teens want to read and the characters to which they can relate. In writing The Last Monster, Garrett drew on her own experiences as a parent, as well as feedback from other teens.

“I’d written a lot of books for the inspirational market but I knew the most important book I would ever write would be the one that gave a hurting kid hope,” says Garrett about her motivations for writing The Last Monster. “The teenage years can be tough. An encouraging word from a friend, parent—or a book—can be life-saving.”

The story begins with Sofia, a 7th grader and cancer survivor with a prosthetic leg and an estranged best friend, as she receives a mysterious and ancient book. Sofia learns that she is the next Guardian and must find a way to protect all the grotesquely beautiful, but eternally lonely monsters hidden in our world.

The Last Monster is a “story steeped magical realism about love, fear, and the thrill of discovering who we were born to be” says the book’s publisher, Delacorte Press/Random House. The book will be released April 12 to bookstores nationwide, but early reviews have been positive.

The School Library Journal said that while “the fantastical elements are compelling, it’s the real-world situations that make this book stand out. . . a perfect recommendation for introspective kids who feel like outsiders.”

“We’re so excited to have small part in the national launch of Ginger’s latest book,” says Lisa Echols, Youth Services Supervisor at the Post Road Library. “Ginger moderates our W3: Wednesday Writer’s Workshop, so several of our teen patrons have received the benefit of her professional feedback and literary critiques. Now a wider audience of teens will have an opportunity to talk with her about creative writing, and enjoy some monster-sized fun in the process.”

“Ginger will also be hosting a series of four writer’s workshops over the summer here at the Post Road Library,” adds Echols. More information about dates and times will be announced as part of the library system’s Summer Reading program and teens will be able to register for Garrett’s workshops later in the spring.

The library has several copies of The Last Monster on order for its collection and patrons can reserve a copy on the library’s website. National retailers, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, are taking pre-orders. Garrett will also have copies of the book on sale during the event and she will donate a portion of the proceeds to the FCPL Friends & Advocates.

Garrett will sign books purchased at the event, as well as those patrons purchased elsewhere.

For more information, or to register for The Last Monster Book Release Party, please visit www.forsythpl.org.

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