John Chandler Griffin, author of Lt. Bill Farrow: Doolittle Raider (9781589804227, $24.95), has done much to increase the awareness of the WWII hero. A letter from the governor of South Carolina called Griffin’s book "a critical contribution to the history of South Carolina." In February, Bill Farrow was posthumously inducted into the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame. Farrow had previously been considered unqualified due to his short term of service. (He was executed at the age of 24). After the book’s publication in January 2007, Farrow’s induction was reconsidered. John Chandler Griffin spoke at a Memorial Day ceremony at the 82^nd Airborne Division Museum in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

A painting by Rolland Golden will appear on the cover of the July issue of Harper’s Magazine. Rolland Golden: The Journeys of a Southern Artist (9781589802902, $60.00), written by John Kemp, portrays a range of geographic sites from the rural South, the streets of New York, the New England woods, and the villages and meadows of southern France. Golden’s work appears in numerous private and public collections, including those of Columbia Pictures, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the National Arts Club, and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

Richard Trout’s Cayman Gold: Lost Treasure of Devils Grotto (9781589803237, $15.95), the first novel in his MacGregor Family Adventure Series, was chosen by National Geographic as a JASON literature selection. The author spoke at the Washington, D.C., JASON Action Summit in July 2006 as part of JASON’s Monster Storms curriculum. Based on research from National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and NASA, the JASON Project’s standards-based curricular materials offer multimedia activities for grades five through eight and became available in summer 2007. Trout’s latest book in the series, Sign of the Dragon (9781589804760, $15.95), will be released in early August.

Robert G. Williscroft, author of The Chicken Little Agenda: Debunking "Experts’" Lies (9781589803527, $23.00), will give an interview with the online radio station, Internet Voices Radio. The interview will take place Tuesday, July 24, at 7:30 pm eastern standard time. A download will be available at www.internetvoicesradio.com.

On June 12, Bruce Davis, author of We’re Dead, Come On In (9781589803268, $18.95 pb) taped a program for his local PBS television station in Springfield, Missouri, regarding the events in his book. A Depression-era true crime, the book describes the Young Brothers Massacre in Houston, which represented the highest number of law enforcement officers killed on a single day until September 11, 2001.

An image from the cover of Janeen Mason’s book, Ocean Commotion: Sea Turtles (9781589804340, $15.95), is displayed on the Martin County (Florida) Library System’s library cards. The children’s title, published in fall 2006, is an Accelerated Reader Program Selection.

An illustration from Red, White, and Blue (9781589800557, $7.95 pb), written and illustrated by Laurie Lazarro Knowlton, is on display at the Huebner Museum of Children’s Illustration in the Toledo, Ohio, library.

 Awards

Richard G. Williams, author of The Maxims of Robert E. Lee for Young Gentlemen (9781589803107, $12.95 pb), received the Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal from the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Williams was presented with the award after addressing the Joseph W. Anderson Chapter of the UDC in Buchanan, Virginia, on June 9. The medal is the highest honor bestowed to a nonmember of the organization.

Randall Ivey, author of Jay and the Bounty of Books (9781589803725, $15.95), won the South Carolina Fiction Project Award for short fiction, sponsored by The Post and Courier and the South Carolina Arts Commission. This is the second time that Ivey has received this award.

Praise for Pelican Titles:

F Is for Firefighting (9781589804203, $15.95) by Dori Hillestad Butler with illustrations by Joan C. Waites:

"This up-to-date treatment of a high-interest topic is perfect for its intended audience, and children will soak up details like sponges."

—School Library Journal

Lt. Bill Farrow: Doolittle Raider (9781589804227, $24.95) by John Chandler Griffin:

—Ryan Short, www.DoolittleRaid.com

"This book presents a realistic view of the emotional difficulty of becoming a sibling."

—School Library Journal

Mergers (9781589801837, $15.99) by Steven L. Layne:

"Packed with action and excitement, the story moves along quickly."

—Signal Journal

"Spellbinding photography . . . offers more than 70 recipes while allowing us a peek into some of the Lowcountry’s most gracious homes . . . With the recipes and tips in Susan Mason’s Silver Service, the perfect party is just moments away."                                                                                —Southern Lady

Vanished Mississippi Gulf Coast (9781589803466, $22.95) by Jim Fraiser, photography by Rick Guy and Jim Fraiser:

"One thing that comes through time and again is the spirit of optimism and determination which characterizes the inhabitants of the region."                              —WTBF radio

Cayman Gold: Lost Treasure of Devil's Grotto (9781589803237, $15.95) by Richard Trout:

"[Trout’s] books are some of the most popular in school libraries just behind the Harry Potter Series."

—(Oklahoma City Community College) Connections