Paradise Pawn Author Event: Meg Richardson celebrates Paradise Pawn

Featured Book

Paradise Pawn

A dazzling debut novel about best friends, adolescent longing, and the Florida pawn shop that promises to make their dreams come true—if it doesn’t break them apart first. Teenage best friends Jackie and Kayla can sell anything. Alongside their fathers, they work at a pawn shop in Cherry Beach, Florida, handling everything from luxury jewelry to chainsaws and more. When the girls learn that Kayla’s family can’t afford a private school opportunity that Jackie’s can, Jackie becomes distraught about losing her best friend. With their sharp minds but youthful lack of foresight, they scheme a way to embezzle money from the pawn shop. As the hot Florida summer unfolds, the girls steal thousands of dollars from the shop. But when their heist is discovered, Jackie is faced with a situation that no amount of negotiating or charisma can fix. With incredible heart and wit, and based on Richardson’s own experience working behind the counter of a pawn shop, Paradise Pawn navigates current-day themes of trust, familial love, female friendship, and class differences, and asks us how far we would go to protect the ones we love most

This book will be available for purchase at the event.

About This Event

Author Event: Meg Richardson celebrates Paradise Pawn
Thursday Jul 23rd, 2026
6:30 PM 7:30 PM

Join author Meg Richardson to celebrate her debut novel, Paradise Pawn! There will be a reading and conversation with Meg followed by book signing.

Featured Author

Meg Richardson

Meg Richardson is a writer, translator, and cartoonist from Iowa. She currently lives in Vermont. She holds a BA from Williams College and an MFA in fiction writing from Columbia University. Her debut novel, Paradise Pawn (Tin House/Zando), is based on her experiences working behind the counter of a pawn shop.

About the Venue

City Lit Books

Located in the heart of Logan Square, City Lit specializes in contemporary fiction and non-fiction, with a richly curated collection of children's literature, speculative fiction, poetry, and more. Our store is a literary hub for the community, hosting many book clubs, poetry readings, and author events.

Visit store page

More at City Lit Books

Sep26

Story TimePicture BooksLogan Square

Bilingual Storytime: 'Tis the Season for Tamales

10:30 AM • Saturday, September 26, 2026City Lit BooksFree

Bilingual Storytime with Andrea Campos, author and illustrator of 'Tis the Season for Tamales Saturday Sept 26th, 2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Storytime City Lit Books Join us for songs, stories, and activities with author and illustrator of 'Tis the Season for Tamales, Andrea Campos! ¡Acompañanos a cantar, contar cuentos y otras actividades con la autora e ilustradora de 'Tis the season for Tamales Andrea Campos! Every season is the season for tamales, and Andrea’s new picture book is a joyful ode to the delicious food and the family you get to share it with. With backmatter on the history of tamales and the different types of tamales across the world, this book features adorable tamales singing as a family comes together to cook. ANDREA CAMPOS is a New York Times bestselling illustrator and visual artist based in Los Angeles who specializes in creating expressive and upbeat work. Her playful-with-purpose style has led her to work on a variety of projects including marketing campaigns, books, toys, and Con Pollo, a bilingual children's book co-authored by Jennifer Lopez and Jimmy Fallon.

Visit City Lit Books Page