Third Place Books to present Sonia Sotomayor for celebration of new picture book

On Friday, September 12, 2025, Third Place Books is honored to host U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor for a conversation about her children's picture book, Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You. 

Justice Sotomayor will be joined by a special guest for a conversation followed by an audience Q&A and a book signing.

Event details:
September 12, 2025 at 6pm
Third Place Books at Lake Forest Park
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155

General Admission tickets range from $5 to $21, on sale August 4th at 1pm Pacific Time. Tickets are available here

Illustrated by acclaimed artist Jacqueline Alcántara, Just Shine! tells the story of a little girl from Puerto Rico who had the incredible ability to see the unique qualities of others and help them shine their brightest.

“It’s a tremendous honor to bring Justice Sotomayor to our bookstore,” says Third Place Books author events manager Spencer Ruchti.

“Over our 27-year history we have hosted prominent thought-leaders, actors, Pulitzer Prize–recipients, and bestselling authors, but never a Supreme Court Justice. We are honored to welcome Sonia Sotomayor as she shares the remarkable story of her mother and the profound influence she had on her life.”

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is a Pacific Northwest institution that hosts nearly 300 author events a year.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Just Ask! comes a sweet and powerful story about being true to yourself and shining your brightest. How will you help people shine?

There once was a little girl who grew up in Puerto Rico with an incredible ability—she was able to make everyone around her shine. She listened, she understood, she worked hard, and she brought out the beauty in each person she met.

In a story inspired by her mother’s ability to help people see their own brilliance, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor shows readers how helping others shine makes the whole world brighter.

With art by award-winning illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara, Just Shine! will help readers find their own inner glow—and recognize that glow in those around them.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York. 

She earned a BA from Princeton University and a JD from Yale Law School. She served as assistant district attorney in New York County, and then as a litigator at Pavia & Harcourt. 

In 1991, President George H. W. Bush nominated her to the US District Court, Southern District of New York. In 1997, President William Jefferson Clinton nominated her to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. 

President Barack Obama nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on May 26, 2009, and she assumed this role August 8, 2009, becoming the first Latina to serve in this position. 

She is the author of My Beloved World, Turning Pages, The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor, Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, and Just Help! How to Build a Better World.