Join beloved local authors Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple for this community interfaith holiday celebration. Families are invited to make light-inspired crafts provided by BOMBYX in-house congregations, Beit Ahavah, The Reform Synagogue of Greater Northampton, and Florence Congregational Church.

Jane and Heidi will read their new picture book WE CELEBRATE THE LIGHT, and Little Roots will provide musical accompaniment. A community fire will cap off the twinkly evening!

High Five Books will have all of Jane and Heidi's books for sale, and families are welcome to bring their own copies for signing.

Registration

This event is sliding scale, with a $10 suggested donation.

Click/tap button below for more information and to purchase tickets.

Little Roots, Bombyx, Art Always, & High Five Books are excited to present a Winter Kids' Makers Market featuring kids as the makers, ranging from 6-18 years old!

Come purchase gifts for yourself, your friends, or family - for the holidays, birthdays, fun surprises, or just because. You'll find jewelry, soaps, note cards, art, candles, food and more.

Participants will be able to engage in arts and crafts by Art Always, with music by Little Roots students and teachers, and books by High Five Books. Spread the word! Hope to see you there! Interested in having your child participate?

Register at: bit.ly/kidsmakersmarket2024

Registration

This is a FREE event.

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Cat’s out of the bag: This November, High Five Books is hosting graphic novelist Colleen AF Venable for a KATIE THE CATSITTER party!

In celebration of the release of book no. 4 in the series, THE PURRFECT PLAN (out Oct. 8!), we’ll gather at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity here in Florence on Sunday, November 17, 3-4:30PM.

Colleen will discuss her creative process, demonstrate how to draw characters from her books, and answer questions about everyone’s favorite superhero sidekick series! There will be treats, of course.

Readers are welcome to bring their own book copies for signing, and we’ll have all her titles for purchase.

Registration

Tickets for this purr-fect afternoon are pay-what-you-will

Click/tap button below for more information and to get tickets to the event!

Lander-Grinspoon Academy is proud to announce its inaugural festival celebrating children’s books, authors, and their readers!

They are delighted to host a stellar group of award-winning, renowned authors: Adam Gidwitz, Jeanne Birdsall, and Lesléa Newman. The event will take place on Sunday, November 10th at Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA, starting at 10am.

This event is geared towards readers ages 4-14 and open to all. Families are invited to bring their own copies of the authors' titles to be signed, and High Five Books will have them for sale, too.

Registration

Click/tap button below for more information and to get tickets to the event!

Directed by local filmmaker and educator Kate Way, Banned Together follows the recent wave of book bans in the United States. The feature length documentary film follows the courageous efforts of three students from a small South Carolina community who take a stand when almost 100 books are abruptly removed from their school libraries. As the students rise to become national voices in the fight against censorship, the film captures the broader narrative of book banning and curriculum censorship across the United States.

Featuring interviews with best-selling authors whose works have been banned, including Juno Dawson, Jodi Picoult, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Ellen Hopkins, and Erica L. Sánchez, the film also includes insights from Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, constitutional scholars, educators, librarians, parents, and student activists from across the country.

The 90-min screening will be followed by a brief panel discussion. High Five Books will have banned books for sale.

Registration

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A casual monthly book club for trans, nonbinary, & gender-creative youth, ages 8 - 12! Next month they're reading spooky graphic novel, THE WITCH BOY by Molly Knox Ostertag!

Affirmations book club is held in person at High Five Books (at 141 N. Main Street in Florence, MA) monthly on 3rd Wednesdays.

To join the in-person group (or if you have questions for the High Five team) email kinsey@highfivebooks.org.

These groups will be co-facilitated by the awesome folks at High Five and Translate Gender.

Registration

Click/tap button below for more infomation.

Hooray, it’s Queer Kids Fest 2024!

On Saturday, October 5, 10:30am-2:30pm, Transhealth presents a joyful festival of music, art, books, and creativity for 2SLGBTQIA+ kids, families, and allies at the Northampton Center for the Arts!

Carrie Ferguson and the Grumpytime Club Band will perform. Special guest authors to be announced. Resilient Community Arts and Crooked Stick Pops will be there, and the High Five Books crew, too!

Youth ages 6 to 18 are invited to sign up for 5-minute open mic performance slots of songs, jokes, stand-up comedy, music and more. This event is 100% FREE!

Click/tap the button below for more information.

If you have a very young human in your world with capital-F Feelings, you won't want to miss this lively upcoming workshop: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions: A Conversation for Caretakers of Toddlers & Preschoolers.

Held in collaboration with the Northampton Parents Center at their space on Sunday, September 15, 3pm-4:30pm, High Five Books is excited to host expert Lauren Stauble, M.S, a researcher and teacher and the local co-author of TINY HUMANS, BIG EMOTIONS: HOW TO NAVIGATE TANTRUMS, MELTDOWNS, AND DEFIANCE TO RAISE EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT CHILDREN.

At this event, Lauren will lead a workshop about the specific transition needs families face this season: "The middle of September is about the time when the honeymoon period starts to end in new classrooms and caregiving relationships," she says. "As parents and teachers, we start to feel disequilibrium about the challenges that emerge related to behavior. "It's a great time to learn and practice strategies (for children *and* for adults) that interrupt—even prevent—the reinforcement of negative behavior and thinking patterns, and alternatively promote healing!" Supervised in-room kids' activities will be provided.

Participation is FREE, but please RSVP to the Facebook event, linked below.

Click/tap the button below for more information!

Come join High Five Books at the Easthampton Public Library for the unforgettable debut novel release of local author, Louangie Bou-Montes! Louangie will be talking about her spooky, swoony, queer YA contemporary fantasy novel, TILL THE LAST BEAT OF MY HEART—and she'll be in conversation with Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, New York Times bestselling author of ACE OF SPADES and WHERE SLEEPING GIRLS LIE (two High Five favorites!).

The evening will include crafts, cake, and time to chat with the authors. High Five Books will be there selling books from both authors! Recommended for youth and adults ages 12 and up.

Registration encouraged, email youthdept@ewmlibrary.org or call 413-527-1031.

Click/tap the button below for more information!

New fall experiences and changes in routine can feel tricky for young kiddos, to say the very least. High Five Book’s expert-guided Big Feelings Stuffy Sleepovers can help with those back-to-school transitions!

Join them and expressive arts-trained educator Gina Krosoczka, MA, CAGS, for an interactive, play-based workshop that addresses separation anxiety, coping skills, and resilience-building for preschoolers (August 30) and elementary-schoolers (September 6), in a sweet and engaging way.

Admission is $15/child.

Click/tap the button below for more information and to register!

New fall experiences and changes in routine can feel tricky for young kiddos, to say the very least. High Five Book’s expert-guided Big Feelings Stuffy Sleepovers can help with those back-to-school transitions!

Join them and expressive arts-trained educator Gina Krosoczka, MA, CAGS, for an interactive, play-based workshop that addresses separation anxiety, coping skills, and resilience-building for preschoolers (August 30) and elementary-schoolers (September 6), in a sweet and engaging way.

Admission is $15/child.

Click/tap the button below for more information and to register!

Trans, non-binary, and gender-creative youth (ages 8-12) are invited to join High Five Books and Translate Gender in-person at High Five Books each month for a casual, super-fun book club.

These groups will be co-facilitated by the awesome folks at High Five and Translate Gender.

Book choices to be announced soon!

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Admission is free. Donations are welcome.