So, after collaborating with director Spike Jonze to bring “Where the Wild Things Are” to life on film, Dave Eggers found that he wasn’t quite ready to let go of the story. Thus, “Where the Wild Things Are” was reborn once again, this time as a full novel entitled “The Wild Things.”

“The Wild Things” goes a step further than even the movie in exploring the scary, unpredictable and yes, wild natures of the wild things. This wildness, too, is reflected in Max’s own character. In the 78 pages before Max’s departure, when he “makes mischief of one kind and another,” we begin to wonder whether he has ADHD or some other developmental disorder. In the picture book, Max only jumps on the furniture and teases the dog. In the movie, his mischief is a bit more serious and far-reaching, but still within the normal range for a rambunctious little boy. In this novel, Max very coldly and deliberately pours bucket after bucket of water on his sister’s floor, bed and walls, to the point where there may be structural damage to the house and his sister has to sleep in a sleeping bag. We find that sometimes Max can be a perfectly sweet little boy, “but there were other times, other days, most days really, when the thoughts did not line up. Days when he chases the various memories and impulses as they veered and scattered away from him, hiding in the thicket of his mind.”

From this thicket of his mind, presumably, spring the wild things. And yet, when Max arrives on their island and declares himself their king, he is very much out of his depth. Expecting an island full of playmates, he delightedly proposes every game he knows, from a dirt clod war to a parade to building a fort. And the wild things go along with him, for a while, but soon are more concerned with getting food and staying safe from the real or imagined whispers that come from beneath the earth. They expect Max to make everything better, and he doesn’t know how. He slowly comes to realize that he is only making everything worse. On top of this, he’s hungry, tired, cold, lonely and always a little bit afraid of being eaten.

A lot of the plot mirrors that of the movie, but Dave Eggers manages to make the story his own. In the acknowledgments, he admits that “‘Where the Wild Things Are’ is a book I read as a child, was terrified by, and finally came to grips with somewhere in my early twenties.” This terror shows through in every moment; “The Wild Things” is not about Max coming home to someone who loves him best of all but rather about him discovering that he cannot master an unknown and frightening world. He returns to the relatively-more-stable world of his home life. It is about childhood, certainly, but it is not in any way meant for children. It seems to question whether childhood is too much for children to bear.

The small store and its owner, Kelly von Plonski, are very supportive of local artists and writers; Subterranean Books always has a local artist’s work on display in its gallery. Each exhibit usually runs for about two months and is free to view for the public, making it a quick and interesting study break. The store also normally hosts an opening event or a chance to meet the artist behind each exhibit.

Currently, the store’s gallery features various pages and developmental sketches of a new children’s book, “John Brown: His Fight for Freedom.” The Subterranean gallery will feature this book until Sept. 27 and include a book signing with the author and illustrator, John Hendrix, at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

John Brown, for those of us less knowledgeable about American history, was a white abolitionist from Ohio with a divisive legacy. In an attempt to open the country’s eyes to the truth about slavery, he led a raid on the Harper’s Ferry armory to help arm and free slaves. The plan did not end well: The raid resulted in mass violence, and Brown was hanged for high treason.

This isn’t exactly the stuff of a “Berenstain Bears” book, but Hendrix does a good job of balancing aspects of a kids’ book with the violent reality of a raid on government property. For instance, a graphic illustration of John Brown with a noose around his neck and uttering his last words is drawn in bright colors and a swirling font. Hendrix doesn’t lie to his audience by trying to hide the darker side of this controversial hero.

For many, Hendrix’s choice of subject is questionable for children.

“All [Hendrix] said is that some people think that John Brown shouldn’t be a children’s book,” Plonski said when asked if she knew why Hendrix chose to tell John Brown’s story.

The murder, for instance, does not make Brown an ideal role model. But obviously, for Hendrix, this is not what really matters. As he writes in the book, John Brown’s goals were “never mayhem, self-glorification or personal vendetta, but freedom for all who were persecuted.” This dedication to truth in children’s literature is a worthwhile reason to stop by Subterranean Books for Hendrix’s book signing.

Other happenings:

“The Big Lebowski” movie showing: Thursday at Third Degree Glass Factory, 5200 Delmar Blvd., 8 p.m. Free, uncut, outdoor showing of a cult classic.

“Pretty Things Peepshow”: Thursday at Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., 7:30 p.m. Vintage-style burlesque show. Tickets $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Those ’70s Plants: Sept. 14-19 at Bowood Farms, 4605 Olive St., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Ten percent discount all week for wearing ’70s style clothing to this gardening store in the Central West End.

St. Louis Art Fair: Friday through Sunday in downtown Clayton. Showcase of local artists, musicians and restaurants.

Blues Cruise: Sept. 10 on the Tom Sawyer Riverboat, leaving at Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard on the riverfront, 8 p.m. Ride down the Mississippi River to the sounds of a local blues band. Tickets $18.

Late Night Happy Hour: Every day at the Drunken Fish, 10 p.m.-close. Happy hour prices later into the night.

The gap in employment standards and practices between women and men is the topic of “Survival Guide for Women in Business,” written by 2006 graduate and former Student Life editor Sarah Baicker. As Baicker notes in the book’s introduction, the U.S. Department of Labor statistics shows that in 2006, women made 81 cents for every dollar earned by a male counterpart. Disparities like these are common in the U.S. workplace, a world still characterized by a male majority.

“When you’re in college you feel like there are women everywhere. When I was at Wash. U., the president of Student Union was female, club leaders were female and the editor in chief of Student Life was female,” Baicker said. “When you’re in college you think women become leaders just as much as men do. Then you get out into the real world and you look around and [notice that] not many women make it to the top. For me it was really interesting to be presented with that [situation], something I had no idea existed.”

In her book, Baicker seeks to help women understand the nature of the job market and how they can use their strengths to their advantage. The book covers advice for the job search as well as strategies for a woman once she is actually on the job. Topics range from tips for job interviews to profiles of female CEOs.

Interestingly, Baicker had very little interaction with the business world prior to writing the book. As an undergraduate student at Wash. U., Baicker studied creative writing. She then went on to get a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Upon finishing her master’s program in the winter of 2007, Baicker returned to her native Philadelphia and started working for Universum, a communications firm that works as a liaison between employers and job seekers.

Universum’s many services include consulting for companies interested in hiring new talent and Web sites with career advice. While at Universum, Baicker helped edit and update the company’s WetFeet career series. She also served as managing editor for a free magazine distributed to business school campuses around the country.

The offer to write “Survival Guide for Women in Business” provided Baicker with a unique opportunity. Although WetFeet produces a wide array of career-oriented Web sites and literature, the company did not previously have a lot of materials targeted directly to women. Baicker’s final work is the result of a partnership between WetFeet and Forté Foundation, an organization of schools and corporations that provides support and networking opportunities to women in business.

“They came to me because they wanted me to get involved in a long-term project,” Baicker said. “I was thrilled. I didn’t know a lot about business…But I believe that if you are a good reporter, you can ask the right questions and learn what you need to know to write a story.”

Thanks to Forté Foundation, Baicker was able to interview women who work in many different areas of business. She spoke to these women about their experiences in a male-oriented work climate and gathered tips to help other women succeed in their own careers. As she continued her research, she discovered that it is impossible to pinpoint one factor as the cause for workplace inequality.

“The big reason, I believe, that women don’t rise to the top probably has to do with family,” Baicker said. “I think a lot of women plan to have a baby, then go back… [and then] it’s really hard to get back in.”

Luckily, many businesses and universities are working to help combat the gap between men and women in the workforce. The book mentions several companies that have special initiatives that provide support systems for women. Baicker also spoke of reeducation programs offered by upper-level business schools to women who have been out of the workforce for a while.

Further good news is that the number of women in business school has gone up overall—Baicker cites that women currently occupy about 30 percent of the seats in MBA programs, compared to less than 5 percent in the 1970s.

Baicker stressed that some of the differences between men and women in the workplace come from everyday habits that don’t translate well to professional situations. She noted, for example, that women often refrain from raising their voices in meetings or from stating their opinions because such behaviors might be perceived as rude. These sorts of socialized behaviors can be challenging for women to overcome, but Baicker notes that an important first step is for women to anticipate the obstacles that await them in the workforce.

“College sets you up to see the world in a different way—women have high GPAs, there are women in leadership roles everywhere, etc…Once you get out into the real world, there’s sexism, there’s sexual harassment, there’s maternity leave. Being able to deal with those things is the biggest thing readers can take from this book,” she said.

Baicker herself took some personal lessons from the book. One of her favorite experiences during the research phase was a lecture given by Linda Babcock, professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University and coauthor of “Women Don’t Ask and Ask For It.”

After her talk, Babcock spoke to Baicker about the power of negotiation. Babcock explained that men negotiate four times more than women, be it about salaries for a first job or a raise later down the road.

“I learned so much from just a 15-minute conversation with [Babcock],” Baicker said. “It was life changing for me…Apparently, women don’t ask for things…I learned a lot [about] what to negotiate for, how to negotiate, etc. So I made a promise to myself that I was going to just try asking for things.”

Baicker’s new philosophy proved successful. Within the month following her interview with Babcock, Baicker successfully lowered her rent, lowered her cable bill—and negotiated for her personal byline to appear on the cover of her book. WetFeet guides are typically compiled by external writers, and the authors don’t usually get credited individually.

Baicker’s adaptation of the book’s lessons to her own life proves the broad appeal of her book. Although the cover of the book says “survival in business,” Baicker stresses that the guide can help change any woman’s perspective.

“There is stuff in there about consulting and marketing…but I’m a journalist, and it has helped me in my professional life,” Baicker said. “It changed my perspective on being female and having a job.”

After working at Universum, Baicker served as a Web writer and Web editor for the Philadelphia NBC affiliate. She now works as a Web writer and Web editor for Comcast SportsNet. Although her office culture is very different from those she discusses in the book, she believes the lessons she learned while writing her book will continue to help her develop her own career, and she hopes that other women reap similar benefits from the book.

“I’m a firm believer that the cream rises to the top, but it’s scary [to apply for jobs],” Baicker said. “The only way to address uncertainty is to be as armed as possible. With a book like this, you will go into it knowing the best way to succeed. When the future is a big question mark, [being informed] is the only way you can feel as confident as possible.”

Baicker’s book is available on Amazon.com and at select Barnes & Noble and Border’s locations.

Grant mentions in the introduction that her “highlight came when [her parents] began, spontaneously, talking about their pasts: retelling luscious stories of their youth and coming-of-age tale about college and drawing portraits of their social circle. Yet each account was tainted, almost invariably, by the racism they confronted as African Americans.” The book highlights many of these instances, some of them hilarious, others regretfully painful.

The book’s characterization as a civil rights text should not put off readers; it as much a tale of the struggle as it is the people, particularly Mr. Grant, and how he managed to neither suffer nor struggle but thrive during the mid-1900s.

Grant’s language is wonderfully down to earth, with well-placed artistic flourishes. There is a lot of information covered, including details of the life of both Grant’s grandparents, her parent’s incredible circle of friends and associates (including Cab Calloway and Thurgood Marshall) and her upbringing in a “white” neighborhood.

The plethora of information, however, is not necessarily organized well. The subjects stay within the context of the chapter but she tends to change subjects from paragraph to paragraph. This causes the flow of the history to feel patched and unchronological.

The story also contains confusing transitions, where the author draws upon outside source quotes from people who witnessed events. Otherwise, it is still navigable, and one should not shun this impressive recounting of a noble family in a difficult time.

Although the book is described as a biography of Grant’s father, the volume reads more like a memoir. Not to underestimate his fascinating legal career, but the book begins with his parents and ends with his children, as if his life began before him and will continue on with his children: The book was more about Grant’s own heritage than a simple story of her father.

Readers have the opportunity to pick up a copy of the book and meet Gail Milissa Grant for a lecture and book signing this Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Missouri History Museum at 1 p.m.