Susan Patron --Author Luncheon
Thursday, 01 May at 12:15 p.m.
Susan Patron specialized in Children's Services for 35 years at the Los Angeles Public Library before retiring in 2007, the same year her novel The Higher Power of Lucky was awarded the John Newbery Medal. As the library's Juvenile Materials Collection Development Manager, she trained and mentored children's librarians in 72 branches and helped them develop and maintain their collections of books, magazines, audios, and DVDs. She launched an ongoing project, Meet the Author, in which local authors and illustrators interacted informally with children in community branches. Patron served on many book award committees, including the Caldecott and Laura Ingalls Wilder Committees of the American Library Association and the PEN Literary Award Committee. She also reviewed children’s books for Publisher’s Weekly and School Library Journal, and serves currently on the Advisory Board of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
Patron's previous books for children include the Billy Que trilogy of picture books; Dark Cloud Strong Breeze; and a chapter book, Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe. All earned starred reviews, and the latter was named an ALA Notable book. The Listening Library audio edition of The Higher Power of Lucky is an ALA Notable Recording; the book will be translated into ten foreign languages and has been optioned for a motion picture. A sequel will be published early in 2009. Married to a rare book restorer from the Champagne region of France, Susan hopes this year to complete a gigantic wall mosaic made entirely of champagne capsules.
Susan has a Wikipedia page for her book "The Higher Power of Lucky".