JENNIFER LISS & MAE RESPICIO

SANTA ROSA --

"A whimsical middle-grade adventure about a young girl, a wacky museum, and a local monster, exploring the transformative power of imagination."

Copperfield’s Books is delighted to welcome author Jennifer Liss, in conversation with author Mae Respicio, to Santa Rosa in celebration of her new kids chapter book,

Join us for a reading and conversation, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

This event is free and open to the public, registration recommended for seating.

For kids ages 8-10 who love Rebecca Stead and Dan Gemeinhart!

Every year, 10-year-old Meridian spends her summer with Grandpa Frank on Wide Eye Lake, where she helps out at his quirky museum dedicated to the mysterious Wide Eye monster.

But this year, something is different. Tasked with organizing the museum's old files, Meridian stumbles across more than just faded photos and scribbled sightings of mysterious paw prints. Hidden among the clutter are some old mementos that unlock a long-buried family secret--one that turns her entire world upside down.

Not only does Meridian have a family mystery to solve, but this summer she has to avoid 2 prankster classmates who just so happen to be vacationing nearby. Summer at Wide Eye Lake really isn't turning out to be the magical escape it used to be. Can Meridian rediscover the magic of the lake and the local stories she once loved, or will her family be forever changed?

Wide Eye is a heartwarming, family-focused middle-grade adventure that explores the power of imagination and the healing nature of friendship.

Author: Jennifer Liss has worked in educational publishing for 20 years. She has written dozens of books for struggling readers, and is the 2022 recipient of the merit-based Highlights Foundation Lee Bennett Hopkins Scholarship. Jennifer lives in California and enjoys spending time in small, out-of-the-way towns like Wide Eye, that harbour lots of secrets.

Mae Respicio writes novels full of hope and heart. Her debut, The House That Lou Built, received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award in Children's Literature and was an NPR Best Book of the Year. She's also the author of the acclaimed Any Day With You and How to Win a Slime War.

Praise:

Heartfelt and mysterious - a monster success!"
--Ross Welford, author of Time Traveling with a Hamster

"A gentle and thoughtful exploration of family secrets, grief and the nature of urban legends. It's funny, charming and filled me up with nostalgia for those long, soporific summers in childhood."
--Philippa Leathley, author of Inkbound

"Warm, fun and thoughtful... it was a joy to spend time with these rich, vivid characters and the legend of the Wide Eye monster."
-- Rebecca Orwin, author of The Monsters at the End of the World

"A beautiful book that explores family, friendship and the ways in which stories and belief in the unknown can help us see the world in new ways and from different perspectives."
--Eilish Fisher, author of Fia and the Last Snow Deer