Connie Schultz’s ‘Lola and the Troll’ stands up to bullying | Book Talk

Does every neighborhood have a troll? Lola’s has one.

In “Lola and the Troll,” a storybook by Ohio journalist Connie Schultz, Tom the Troll bullies every child who walks past his house. Some of them have found alternate routes to school; others cross the street or walk as fast as they can.

Lola straightens her shoulders and walks right past Tom, bolstered by the support of her imaginary dog, Tank. But she can ignore his taunts (“You are boring!” “Ugliest coat in the world!” and worse) only so long before they begin to get to her. After Tom tells Lola her voice is too loud, she starts whispering. The bully has taken away her voice.

Though her parents notice the changes in Lola, it is not until a bookstore owner helps her that she is able to stand up to Tom. This simple book will help children and adults introduce the subject of bullying, but not the potential for direct adult involvement.

The illustrations are by London artist Sandy Rodriguez.

“Lola and the Troll” (40 pages, hardcover) costs $18.99 from Razorbill, a division of Random House, and is recommend for children aged 4-8.

Schultz won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary for her columns in the Plain Dealer, and also is the author of two memoirs and a novel, “The Daughters of Erietown.”

She will launch “Lola and the Troll” at 6 p.m. Friday at Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights. Schultz also will appear at Shaker Heights Public Library, 16500 Van Aken Blvd., 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday; register at shakerlibrary.org.

‘Digital Grace Notes’

“Digital Grace Notes: One Cellist’s Journey” begins when Akron native Greg Fiocca is in fourth grade and begins playing cello at the suggestion of a music teacher.

His talent takes him from the classroom to paid gigs at churches and to entry into a prestigious summer program for gifted young musicians. Held in Hudson, the Summer Music Experience prepared Fiocca for auditions with famous cellists and to attend the Juilliard School.

Fiocca’s description of his time at Juilliard in the late 1970s is intriguing, with his first residence at the YMCA and then with another cello student in an apartment that likely would cost $4,000 a month today. Carrying large instrument cases while trying not to get mugged and enduring classes with irascible professors is one thing; taking lessons with world-class musicians is another.

After graduation, Fiocca went back to playing at weddings and doing some teaching while auditioning for orchestra berths. The procedure can be disheartening, but Fiocca recalls hisdisappointment with humor instead of bitterness.

When orchestra jobs are not forthcoming, Fiocca finds a new career in electronics, becoming adept at working in information technology. This is when the book becomes a fine commentary on the process of interviewing and hiring, with the politics and the familiar disconnect between human resources department and hiring managers.

“Digital Grace Notes” doesn’t allow the reader to hear a cello concerto, but it does showFiocca’s entrepreneurial spirit and understanding of leadership.

“Digital Grace Notes” (270 pages, softcover) costs $14.99 from online retailers.

Events

Morley Library (184 Phelps St., Painesville): Angela Baldree, author of “Your Brother,” talks about her historical novel, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday. Register at morleylibrary.org.

Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): Nick Romeo, author of “The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy,” appears in a virtual talk at 7 p.m. Monday. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Ray Isle, executive wine editor for Food & Wine Magazine, talks in person about “The World in a Wineglass.” Register at hudsonlibrary.org.

Wadsworth Public Library (132 Broad St.): J.C. Raphael talks about “Monsters of Ohio,” 7 to 9 p.m. Monday.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.): Burt W. Griffin, Warren Commission assistant counsel and author of “JFK, Oswald and Ruby: Politics, Prejudice and Truth,” is joined by retired Cleveland Municipal Judge C. Ellen Connally and documentary producer Todd Kwait, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. From 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Shayla Lawson and playwright Siaara Freeman talk about Lawson’s memoir “How to Live Free in a Dangerous World.” Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Cleveland Public Library (South branch, 3096 Scranton Road): Susan Petrone talks about her novel “The Musical Mozinskis,” 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Register at cpl.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Fairview Park branch, 21255 Lorain Road): Wendy Koile talks about “Lake Erie Murder & Mayhem,” 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland): Jane Turzillo joins the Cleveland Stories Dinner Parties series to talk about “Wicked Cleveland,” 7 p.m. Thursday. Dinner is $25; the lecture is free. Register at musicboxcle.com.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Tessa Bailey, author of romance novels “It Happened One Summer” and “Hook, Line, and Sinker,” joins the Online Author Talk Series with “Spice, Spirit, and Swoon: A Guaranteed Happily Ever After,” 8 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Register at smfpl.org.

Black Cat Books & Oddities (420 S. Court St., Medina): A “Love You to Death” bash features romance authors Kris Renee (“The False Villain”), Amanda Bryk (“Between the Holidays”), M.A. Frick (“Forcing Frick“), Tasha Sheipline (“Dark Palace: The Whispers“) and Chelle Sloan (“Thirst Trap“), 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday.

Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Alex Alberto reads from “Entwined: Polyamory and Creating Home,” 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Connie Schultz writes children’s book ‘Lola and the Troll’