Merit Badge Books

09/15/2026

Another awesome week for new releases. I’m three chapters in on WE CHASE SHADOWS, Richard Osman’s follow-up to WE SOLVE MURDERS. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a side of murder in my found family stories!🔪❤️

09/11/2026

Fall book fairs are my favorite! Put this on your spooky season schedule! 🎃

Join us + Merit Badge Books for a tipsy twist on book fairs, featuring boozy beverages and literary delights including Spooky season books!

Register for this FREE event here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boozy-book-fair-spooky-edition-tickets-2000630441506?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/10/2026

MBB got a colorful art installation! Fab customer Elyse asked me earlier this summer if I was interested in having her decorate our front window pole with a yarn design. My answer was, “Absolutely I am!” And today she brought her completed yarn masterpiece to the shop for install. Come check out her amazing work and peep the Hungry Caterpillar turning into a butterfly! 🐛

The world can always use more whimsy and Elyse delivered! We are so lucky!

09/01/2026

There’s always space for children’s books in our lives no matter how old (and wise!) we get!

Katherine Rundell has TWO books out today! Why You Should Read Children’s Books Even Though You Are So Old and Wise and The Neverfear—book three in her Impossible Creatures series. Plus a new fantasy picture book by Suzanne and Max Lang, the duo behind Grumpy Monkey, as well as Erin A Craig’s story inspired by The Phantom of the Opera and the latest in the Press Start series.

Come pick up something new and read it with a kiddo in your life—or for the pure pleasure we all get from story magic. ✨

08/31/2026

Hooray! It’s freshly sharpened pencils season! ✏️

As we make the transition to school days and a fall schedule, we are keeping our weekly story time consistent: 11:30 AM every Thursday. Come when you can to give your little ones low stress social time!

We posted about book bedazzling last week and there are still seats left! Come get crafty with us on 9/15. Not sure you can finish in 2 hours? We’ll send you home with gems so you can keep going! Tix for this event are in the first comment!

And how great is it that we’ll have author Mindy Nichols Wendell stop in on Saturday 9/26 to chat with customers and sign copies of her new book, CALIFORNIA OR DUST. If you have a middle grade kiddo who loves historical books like Esperanza Rising, they will love Lark’s story in California or Dust. Teachers: this is a great one to have in your classroom! Come see Mindy on the 26th!

Have you been meaning to ask about our book club? Now is a great time to join us! We’re discussing WOODWORKING by Emily St James for September 30th and you’ve got plenty of time to read. Need a copy? Come grab one from the shop!

08/28/2026

We said we’d bring bedazzling back in the fall and we’re good for it! 💎 We realize 9/15 is right in the thick of things for parents and teachers with back to school, but that’s exactly why we picked the date. Take 2 hours out of the chaos for yourself. ❤️

Everyone who has attended this workshop has remarked on meditative it feels to get in the groove of gemming. So come out and bring your favorite book (or DM to order something special at 20% off cover price!).

We may open up a bedazzle night later in the season for a wider range of ages but this one is 18+ only. It’ll give grown ups an evening to recharge! Reserve a spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-bedazzling-night-at-merit-badge-books-tickets-1999059866875

08/24/2026

So sorry for the late open tomorrow, Tuesday August 25th. I have a late morning medical appointment (and you know sometimes those are take whatever time slot what you can get!). I’m headed straight to the shop after so we’ll be open likely between 12-12:30 pm!

08/21/2026

I love anthology books because you can pick them up and put them back down after reading a story or two. Which means you can stretch NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT: BACK FOR BLOOD over the whole of the late summer and fall season. You’re gonna want to savor these dark, twisty stories written by indigenous authors. And maybe sleep with a light on.