105 Ways to Give a Book

National Book Festival and Booklights

I’m all sniffly today, so I’m going to keep it short. I’m very excited about going to National Book Festival this Saturday, which I talk about at Booklights. I’m sure I’ll be over this cold by then, because I absolutely have to go. I’ve worked out my schedule in advance, but I had to make some very tough decisions. The Jeff Kinney signing or the Kadir Nelson reading? The signing for Judy Blume or Holly Black? The author session of Mo Willems or Rick Riordan?

Ah! Gotcha there! Mo Willems, definitely. Though I may send TeenReader across the yard to Rick Riordan.

If you’re going, look for me at:

PBS KIDS Pavilion
(I’ll go around noonish, but there are readings, activities, and character greetings all day.)

Author Signings
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.Judy Blume, Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi, Mo Willems, and Jeff Kinney (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

Children’s Tent
1:20 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.Kadir Nelson
1:55 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.Megan McDonald
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.Mo Willems

Teens and Children’s Tent
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.Rick Riordan
3:50 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.Patrick Carman
4:25 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.Jeff Kinney
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Judy Blume

I may be the lamest person alive for skipping all of the adult book authors — huge names, by the way — but I have to admit that I’m a kidlit nerd at heart.

Edited to add text from Booklights post:
I've got a sore throat and sniffles, but I refuse to get sick because I am not missing the National Book Festival this year. If I have to wear the swine flu mask - so hip this season - or if my family has to bring me in on a stretcher, I am going this Saturday.

Due to circumstances beyond my scheduling control, I have had to miss the last two years and it was torture each time to know that celebrated authors were hanging out in my backyard while I was not. This time the weekend is clear, the weather looks good, the author list is golden, and I have to be there.

So what's got me so excited, other than the fact that its free, fantastic, and festivalicious?

1. The Children's Tent
During the day I can attend readings of children's authors Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, Kate DiCamillo, Shannon Hale, Craig Hatkoff, Lois Lowry, Megan McDonald, Sharon Robinson and Kadir Nelson, Charles Santore, Jon Scieszka and David Shannon, and Mo Willems. Let me repeat that last one. MO WILLEMS! I'm sure many of these other folks are wonderful speakers, and I am in awe of many of them as writers and/or illustrators. But if you haven't seen Mo Willems speak, then you have missed something pretty special. I'm a huge fan of his books and kinda him personally - though I've been trying to stay on the right side of the stalker line for a few years now. I can't help it if I keep running into him - accidentally, I swear! - at Book Expo America or the previous National Book Festival. (Probably my favorite author story ever.)

2. The Teens and Children's Tent
Here's where I'll find Teens & Children authors Judy Blume, Pat Carman, Paula Deen, Carmen Agra Deedy, Liz Kessler, Jeff Kinney, Rick Riordan, James L. Swanson and Jacqueline Woodson. These readings run at the same time as the ones in the children's tent so I'm going to have to make some tough choices. At this point I'm pretty sure that I'm going right from the Mo Willems' reading (could I ask for a photo op first? Not sure.) and going for the Rick Riordan, Jeff Kinney, and Judy Blume line-up. Yeah, you read it right - JEFF KINNEY! Kidding, all three of them are superstars in children's literature and I'm stunned that I'll be in their presence. I do have a fondness for Jeff because I've actually met him before and have my own Jeff Kinney Story. (Okay, I have two favorite author stories.)

3. The PBS Raising Readers Pavilion
Hello? Cause that's who I'm blogging for! Apparently PBS is featuring Elmo, so it looks like I'll be meeting him before my Booklights colleague Susan. They'll also have celebrity readings all day long, to which I was not invited. Okay, I'm not a celebrity but they should only hear my rendition of How Chipmunk Got His Stripes. They will also feature Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Between the Lions, plus book-based PBS KIDS favorites Clifford the Big Red Dog, WordGirl, Curious George, and Maya & Miguel


Oh, The National Book Festival also has amazing authors of adult books too. You know, ones like John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, Julia Alvarez, John Irving, Nicholas Sparks, Azar Nafisi, Michael Connelly, Gwen Ifill, Sue Monk Kidd, David Baldacci, Mary Jane Clark, and James Patterson. And I mentioned that this was all free, right? If you are in the area - and by that I mean a two hour radius - you should not miss it. Actually, forget that two hour radius guideline. If you live farther, stay with a friend. Bring some homemade chicken noodle soup and you can stay with me.

7 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

Oh, those CHOICES!?!? How DO you choose between Kadir Nelson and Jeff Kinney!? I'd say Holly Black over Judy Blume, but only just! And Mo Willems over Rick Riordan? But, of COURSE!

Dude, I'd be RIGHT with you in skipping the adult authors. Rock on kidlit nerds! Have fun! Take some sambuccol!

Michelle said...

If you're a nerd I'm a nerd too and dang proud of it! I'll be spending the day in the same place as you so we will definitely be crossing paths! Just look for the dorky girl with short grey hair, LOL

Alix said...

LOL I'm a nerd too. I'll definitely be hanging out on the kids side. I'll be the one trying to negotiate the crowds with a pushchair :) Unless the baby plays nice and agrees to his babybjorn

Marjorie said...

Have a wonderful time - I hope you're properly over your cold - and I couldn't agree with you more - Kidlit wins hands down :-)

Pat said...

I still have this burning desire to jump in a car and drive overnight to DC. Sigh. Normally I just follow (stalk) Mo, but knowing I could have stalked (followed) one of my all-time favorite bloggers and gushed with her over our Mo, makes me want to jump in my car even more! Have fun at the festival! Pat from Ohio

Pam said...

See you there! We're sticking strictly to the kid area too!

MillyMarie said...

I wish I could be there! That's an awesome list. More importantly I hope you feel well enough to go!