My Delightful, Unexpected, Dream-Like Meeting With Norman Juster, Author of 'The Phantom Tollbooth'
On Wednesday night I attended the annual Authors Guild gala, which helps raise money for literacy awareness, copyright enforcement and writers’ rights. I went as the date of a friend who is a big macher in children’s literature: There’s no way I could have been there under my own steam since tables went for as much as $50,000, and the cheapest individual ticket was $600.
For the first time, the event honored creators of children’s literature. The Guild gave its Distinguished Service Award to Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy (which, ahem, explores some very High-Holidays-worthy themes), and Collins chose three other beloved authors who write for young people to share their thoughts about why they do what they do.