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Cathy Berner from Blue Willow Bookshop

 


By Margaret Lea   

Cathy Berner, the event coordinator/kids' book specialist from Blue Willow Bookshop, will be speaking at our chapter meeting August 3, 2026 at 6:30 PM at the Tracy Gee Community Center, and also on Zoom. She will present "A Bookseller's Look at the Kids' Book World." Below is my email interview with Cathy. 


Also, check out bluewillowbookshop.com, or stop by the shop at 14532 Memorial Dr., Houston, 77079. 


1) What’s the best thing about working at a bookshop?


The best things about working at Blue Willow are discovery and connection. Discovering new books and authors and connecting those books and authors with readers fills my cup.


2) What's the worst thing about working at a bookshop?


All the unglamorous details of retail: fixing the toilet handle, vacuuming, dealing with technology and stressing about the temperature at an event when it's warm outside. 


3) How do you decide which books to stock, and do you stock books by self-published authors too?


Valerie Koehler, who owns the shop, is the chief buyer and I have input in kids books (picture books, middle grade and teen) and women's fiction. We have a limited consignment program for self-published authors that my colleague Aerie oversees. We look for well crafted books that will resonate with our customer base and reflect the deep diversity of Houston.


4) What are some of your all-time favorite children’s books in picture books, middle grade and YA, and what new releases are you most excited about?


Picture Book 

Favorites: Have You Ever Seen a Flower by Shawn Harris, The Old Truck by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett, and Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan. 

New Releases: The Wise Pickle by Sarah Howden, and Duel (coming this fall) by Shawn Harris.


Middle Grade 

Favorites: Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake (illustrated by Jon Klassen), The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, The Track Series by Jason Reynolds, The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri. 

New Release: Absent by Rex Ogle (coming in September 2026)


Teen 

Favorites: Heist Society by Ally Carter, The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. 

New Release: I'm really looking forward to Anger is a Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo, and It's Only Dancing by Jasmine Guillory, both coming this fall.


5) Approximately how many author or illustrator events does Blue Willow organize in a typical year?


Blue Willow hosts close to 350 events per year. 200 of those are author events, either in person, virtual or school visits.


6) Do you have a unique story (fun, inspiring, terrifying, or whatever) that’s somehow related to books/your bookstore?


I think it goes back to discovery and connection. I'm really lucky that my career is something I love so much. In conjunction with educators in the greater Houston area, we host three literacy festivals each year— Bookworm (picture books), Tweens Read (middle grade books) and TeenBookCon (teen books). Those three days are some of the best days of the year! By the time I speak with you in August, I will have returned from the American Bookseller's Association, where I will have met with and learned from my very wise bookselling colleagues and I will have appeared in conversation with the legendary Lois Lowry. I don't know if teenage me could comprehend how much joy my career has given me. 


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