This week in the Unshelved Book Club you'll find books about a blood libel, road rage, the last druid, a fake romance between two TV stars, counting, a low-class girl with unexpected and dangerous gifts, a time traveler, and Watergate.

We're happy to announce that, for the fifth year running, we'll be part of the fun at BookExpo America, June 4-6. Gene and I will debuting our newest talk How to Ban a Book, a funny and helpful take on the serious subject of intellectual freedom. We also plan to do a few signings, and generally make trouble. More details soon. Hope to see you in New York!

Fast forward to April 2013, when Gene will be delivering the keynote to the joint Washington Library Association/Oregon Library Association conference in Vancouver, WA. I think this is the first time Gene will be giving a talk without me. Will he burst into tears onstage? There's only one way to find out.

(As you can see from our talks & appearances page we already have three talks booked for Spring 2013. If you are interested in hiring us for this Fall, this is the time to let us know!)

Today I'm proud to announce my new kids book, Poopy Claws. It's a short, all-ages graphic novel by me and cartoonist Sophie Goldstein(NSFW), co-creator of Darwin Carmichael is Going To Hell(NSFW).

As the cover suggests, it's about a boy and his cat and his cat's poop. But that's just mud on the cover.

I really love independent, creator owned comics. I like going up to an artist's table at comic conventions like Stumptown, ECCC, or APE and finding comics that surprise me. These books are things I know I'd never find at a store, and they feel very personal. And they made me want to create something similar.

I grew up on my grandmother's hospital stories. Her poop stories were the best (by which I mean the worst, but also the funniest). Her cats had an overflowing box. I got to thinking about my cat, Tokyo, and the fact that he almost never cleans his paws...

So I wrote a story about a boy and his cat that won't poop in its box. I waited until I met Sophie, who had the the perfect style to illustrate it. And now, after all of her hard work, the book is on its way.

It's a beautiful hardover complete with colorful endpapers and pictures of our cats.

We're also creating 100 signed and numbered artist's editions with a custom drawing by Sophie, who I believe is destined to take over the cartooning world.

Please head over to the Poopy Claws page for more information on the book, including a preview, as well as links to Sophie's work.

Our old friends, I mean old like I've known them forever, because clearly they are young as Spring chicks, really adorable and yet steely competent spring chicks, Talia and Ali from Macmillan Library have your Spring reading curriculum all set out. It includes the new Trylle book by the famous Amanda Hocking and a companion for a little blockbuster-series-soon-to-be-blockbuster-movie called The Hunger Games. It also includes novels about time travel, the end of the world, and more. There's something for everyone, assuming everyone is "awesome readers with great taste in books", and you can find out more, and get a free poster, at their website.

I can't promise that signing this White House petition will turn around America's school libraries, but it can't hurt, and maybe, just maybe, it will help. (via @jaimebc)

Feb 20 morning Spartanburg, SC
Spartanburg Public Library Staff Day (staff only)
Keynote (Gene & Bill)

Feb 20 7pm Columbia, SC
USC LISSA event
Program (Gene & Bill)

Mar 13-17 Philadelphia, PA
Public Library Association
Booth (Gene & Bill)

Mar 30-April 1 Seattle, WA
Emerald City Comic Con
Booth (Gene & Bill)

April 13-15 Chicago, IL
Chicago Comic Entertainment Expo
Booth & Talk (Gene & Bill)