Mary Boone and Nora Nickum — 'Unfathomable' and 'Twelve Daring Grays'

Third Place Books welcomes kids' nonfiction author Mary Boone and Seattle Aquarium ocean conservation expert Nora Nickum for a conversation about Mary's book and Nora's book !

This event is co-sponsored by the North Cascades Institute, a nonprofit conservation organization working to inspire environmental stewardship through transformative learning experiences in nature. Learn more at ncascades.org.

This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured books!

This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance.

Please note: While RSVP helps us anticipate attendance, your RSVP may not guarantee a seat. Seating is first-come, first-served, and all events at our Ravenna neighborhood store are free and open to the public. Only standing room may be available for events with high interest.

We are happy to accommodate any accessibility concerns. Please contact us at [email protected] or call our Ravenna store at (206) 525-2347.

Wrestle an octopus, swim through a sunken city, and discover 20 incredible-but-true stories from our unbelievable—and unpredictable—oceans. From acclaimed nonfiction writer Mary Boone comes an illustrated look at the fascinating stories that take place under (and above) the sea.
Did you know you can survive being swallowed by a whale? Or that octopus wrestling used to not just be a pastime but also an actual sport? Or, that once a town in Oregon didn't know what to do with a whale carcass that washed up on their beaches, so they...BLEW IT UP?
As strange as it sounds, those stories are 100% true. And the sea holds more secrets. Grab your snorkel and dive into 20 incredible-but-true tales of survival at sea, sunken treasures hiding under the ocean's surface, jellyfish that live forever, and so much more.
From accomplished nonfiction author Mary Boone comes an illustrated look at the unfathomable tales our oceans have to tell. Each chapter contains one story, with interview quotes and hands-on research that uncovers the science and history behind the event. You’ll get facts AND more!

"A stunning and unforgettable journey." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Follow a dozen brave gray whales in search of food as they take a high-risk, high-reward 170-mile detour off their already grueling migration route to the Arctic.
In February, some twenty thousand gray whales set off from Baja California on a long, hard journey north, toward food and survival. Hungry and thin, they push on week after week, past California, Oregon, and Washington to the tip of that state, where twelve of them peel off and make an eastward turn into the Salish Sea. There they will wait in the deep for the tide to rise, only to swim into the dangerously shallow waters of a mudflat, hurriedly plowing the bottom for food before the water recedes once more. Will their daring be rewarded? Will they survive to join their fellow whales in the Bering and Chukchi Seas? Elly MacKay’s fluid, saturated artwork sets the stage for the whales’ exciting journey, complementing Nora Nickum’s lyrical, factual narrative. Back matter takes a deeper dive into the intriguing habits of gray whales and offers resources for curious readers.

Mary Boone has written 70+ nonfiction books for young readers, most recently Unfathomable: 20 (Wild But True) Stories of the Ocean (a Junior Library Gold selection), Flying Feminist, Pedal Pusher, School of Fish, and Bugs for Breakfast. She loves stories that make readers say: WOW! Mary and her family live in Tacoma, WA, with a stubborn Airedale terrier named Ruthie Bader.

Nora Nickum leads the Seattle Aquarium's ocean conservation programs department and writes books for children about wildlife and STEM topics. She is the author of the middle-grade nonfiction book Superpod: Saving the Endangered Orcas of the Pacific Northwest, as well as picture books like This Book Is Full of Holes, illustrated by Robert Meganck. Her new picture book, Twelve Daring Grays: A Whale Migration Adventure, about a small group of gray whales that make a daring annual detour into Puget Sound, is another Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection. Nora lives on Bainbridge Island.

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.

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