I Love My Local Bookstore: The Kings English Bookshop

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The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City
                     1511 South 15th East 

 I recently had the privilege of visiting The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was so excited with the wonderful gem I found, I wanted to share in hopes you will find your local bookstore and support it. The bookstore is located in the middle of a quaint Salt Lake neighborhood and maintains the charm of the community. It was evident by the number of customers on a Monday that the locals support and love the bookstore. I could easily see why.

Nathan and Vivian

Upon arriving, I explained to the employees at the desk that I was a local blogger and was interested in what their store had to offer for children, especially boys. I was introduced to Nathan Spofford, a national board certified teacher in early adolescence and English Language Arts. How cool is that? A bookstore that goes out of the way to hire somebody qualified in education. Nathan took me on a tour of the children's book area. When I told him I had a special interest in books for boys, he showed me whole section dedicated to what he liked to refer to as "the books for reluctant readers; boys and tomboys." What was especially cool is that you could pick up signed copies of many titles thanks to the wealth of local talented authors including, Brandon Mull, James Dashner, Michael Kirby, Ann Cannon, and Jennifer Nielsen. For a complete list of local authors from Utah click HERE.

Nathan gave me his picks on the best current books for boys and/or the reluctant reader. His picks are at the end of the post.

A whole table and section for "boy" books.

Children's Book Area

One of my favorite things about The King's English Bookstore is their eagerness to host children's activities. When I asked about what activities the bookstore offered, I was given an impressive list longer than my local library.

Some of the fabulous activities great for boys The King's English Bookshop is participating in:

• A guest appearance and signing by Christopher Paolini.
• A reading and book signing by debut author Keir Graff. 
• An appearance by the Salt Lake Acting Company for a sneak peek preview of the upcoming children's production of "How I Became a Pirate."
• Visits from Santa on Saturdays from 12-2 p.m.

Sue and Anne

Another great thing about The King English Bookshop is the awesome staff. Many of them have worked at the bookstore for years. They care deeply about their clients and know many of them by name. Anne spoke warmly of the many talented local authors and it was apparent she esteemed many of them as her friends. I was impressed with how the store promoted books by their local authors and how the authors in return loved to visit the store. The customer service is superb.

Want to learn more about The King's English Bookshop? Visit them online at www.kingsenglish.com


Nathan's Favorites for Reluctant Readers, Boys and Tomboys

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz


Return to Exile by E.J. Patton (not pictured)






H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden


Icefall by Matthew Kirby (not pictured)




                                           

   Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick                                                                                                                                                     
                                               





Check back as I will be reviewing and giving away an autographed copy of Utah author Matthew Kirby's, The Clockwork Three. Book was purchased by me through The King's English Bookshop.

Do you have a favorite local bookstore? Leave me a comment and tell me what you love about them.

**Disclosure: This is not a paid post. I went to the King's English Bookshop on my own with the idea to feature them on my blog. They did not give me any free product or payment of any kind. My impressions were based on my good experience in both past and current interactions with the staff.