I live in Baltimore and have been a member of the Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) for most of my life. As a child, I spent a lot of time completing the summer reading challenges and got extremely competitive with it! As a young adult, I started exploring genres more & checking out different BCPL locations. As an adult, I have been obsessively using the Libby app, encouraging anyone will listen to get a library card & use it, and am now looking into the different events and book clubs hosted by various library branches.
I saw a post on Facebook for a suggested event – a free book signing and conversation with Lois Lowry, the author of the famed book “The Giver”. This was one that I absolutely did not want to miss. I typically don’t go to events alone, but I mustered up the courage to go by myself.
On Sunday, April 27th, I went out to breakfast with my dad and brothers at Zeke’s Coffee, next to Snug Books in Baltimore. We enjoyed our coffee and bagels, then popped next door to check out the selection of books as usual. I had a list of books I was searching for. The girl who was working assisted me with finding one of the ones I was looking for, but let me know that all of the Lois Lowry books were already on their way to the book signing!
In the afternoon, I drove out to the Owings Mills Library Branch. The signing began at 2pm and I believe I arrived around 1pm. They gave each patron a card with a number – I was number 165. I believe that they had between 200-300 people in attendance at this signing! It was interesting to see the range of ages as well – this was advertised as an adult event, but there were still some kids that attended, and even asked some questions.
As promised, Snug Books, LLC. was on site selling The Giver series & the graphic novel. I brought one copy of The Giver and bought a second, as well as the graphic novel and the rest of the series. We were able to purchase books before the event started and while waiting in line for the signing. I think they sold out of most of her books! The second copy of The Giver that I got was used in a giveaway on my Instagram that a close friend from Florida ended up winning. It provided the perfect opportunity to provide a signed book for someone who otherwise may not have ever gotten the opportunity.
It was such an honor to listen to Lois Lowry speak. She was so funny and down to earth. When asked who she writes for, she said that she writes to please herself and the younger versions of herself. How the question “What if?” always leads to a story. This has been stuck in my mind ever since.
In discussing The Giver, she said that she used the experiences of her children to create the tiers of things that children were able to achieve or items children were given at certain ages in the book. Like the 7 year olds getting a jacket with buttons in the front. She also explained that the original picture on the original book cover was a picture that she had taken for a magazine of a man who had no family. This became the image of The Giver, the story about losing the humanities.
I also loved that she talked about the emails and letters she’s received over the years. She received a rude email from a teenage boy, telling her to never write another book & she may not have time to write another because she’s old. She decided to have some fun with her response – she told them she assumed they must be a third grader or between 8-9 years old and that the book was meant for more mature audiences.
The line for the signing was incredibly long but I was in the first hallway leading up to the signing room. They told us that she would sign 3 books per person. In talking to some librarians, they let me know that if we wanted to get other copies signed, we could rejoin the end of the line as Lois Lowry had said she was planning on staying late. I got my 3 books signed, got a picture with Lois Lowry & scoped out the line. I didn’t have any other plans for the rest of the day and was enjoying my conversations with said librarians, so I decided to stick around to get all of mine signed.
It was a lovely day with a phenomenal author and a bunch of kind librarians. I’m grateful that our library system is able to host events like this and can’t wait to attend more in the future! Shoutout to Snug Books, LLC. as usual for being such a great shop. Pictures included below of my purchases before and during the event, the gifted sweatshirt from a work friend, and the event pics.
Questions to think about:
- Did you have to read The Giver in school?
- If you didn’t read it in school, did you read it at a younger age?
- Did you realize that The Giver is a part of a series? If so, did you read the rest of the series?
- Have you read any other Lois Lowry books?
Bluntly Bookish in Baltimore 