The 2021 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books is going virtual this year, so hands-on fun at Science City and high-fives with your favorite children鈥檚 books characters are off. But there鈥檚 no shortage of activities planned for young readers.
Links for the online events will be available during the festival at .
TUSD Children/Teen Stage: Interactive Sessions and Workshops for Children
Saturday, March 6
- 9 a.m., Rick Riordan presents 鈥淎ction, Intrigue, and Myth鈥 with Sarwat Chadda, Roshani Chokshi and Tehlor Kay Mejia 鈥 Three award-winning authors talk about writing adventure books filled with humor and action that draw on world mythologies. Roshani Chokshi writes the 鈥淎ru Shah鈥 books, Tehlor Kay Mejia created 鈥淧aola Santiago and the River of Tears,鈥 and Sarwat Chadda created 鈥淐ity of the Plague God,鈥 all Rick Riordan Presents books.
- 11 a.m., 鈥淏rick x Brick: A Workshop鈥 with Lego Master Adam Ward 鈥 In this interactive session, Adam Ward will conduct a virtual tour of his Lego studio, share building tricks and tips from 鈥淏rick x Brick,鈥 and do a basic building lesson that children can participate with their own Legos at home.
- 1 p.m., 鈥淕raphixCon: A Celebration of Graphic Novels鈥 with Tom Angleberger, Varian Johnson, Maria Scrivan and Tui Sutherland 鈥 Celebrate the fun of creating graphic novels with Tom Angleberger, creator of the 鈥淕eronimo Stilton鈥 series, Varian Johnson, creator of 鈥淭wins,鈥 Tui T. Sutherland, creator of the 鈥淲ings of Fire鈥 series, and Maria Scrivan, creator of the 鈥淣at鈥 series.
- 3 p.m., 鈥淜ate the Chemist: Everyone Is a Scientist鈥 with Kate Bieberdorf. In the 鈥淜ate the Chemist鈥 series, Kate and her friends design science projects and use chemistry to solve mysteries at their school. Kate Bieberdorf will do a live science experiment based on young Kate in her books.
People are also reading…
The 蜜柚直播 Festival of books will be a little different this year. You can attend in your pajamas. If you're not sure how that works, here's a little help.
Some links that will be helpful:
Sunday, March 7
- 9 a.m., 鈥淜ids Love Comics鈥: 鈥淢ax Meow鈥 drawing workshop with John Gallagher 鈥 Max Meow, a secret superhero, and his best friend Mindy work hard to save the day in a new graphic novel series. John Gallagher will introduce his new series and teach kids how to create their own comics in a drawing workshop. You need a pencil and paper.
- 11 a.m., 鈥淒oodle with Liz: Action and Laughter鈥 with Liz Pichon 鈥 Liz Pichon will join us from London in an interactive drawing session around her new book, 鈥淪hoe Wars,鈥 about the hilarious antics of the Foot family. Pichon is the best-selling author/illustrator of the Tom Gates books. You need a pencil and paper.
- 1 p.m., 鈥淥n Wings of Fire鈥 with Tui T. Sutherland 鈥 Join Tui T. Sutherland for a conversation about her best-selling 鈥淲ings of Fire鈥 series and her process of turning 鈥淲ings of Fire鈥 books into graphic novels.
- 3 p.m., 鈥淥n Your Mark, Get Set Draw鈥: Illustrator Draw-off 鈥 Join Adam Rex for a fun draw-off as illustrators compete to create quick drawings based on suggestions from the audience.
Helios Educational Foundation Children/Teen Stage 鈥 Children鈥檚 Authors and Illustrators
Saturday, March 6
- 9 a.m., 鈥淚magination, Dreams and Wishes鈥 with Kevin Henkes 鈥 Award-winning author/illustrator Kevin Henkes will talk about imagination and wishes and his decisions about format in his two new books for children, 鈥淪un Flower Lion鈥 and 鈥淏illy Miller Makes a Wish.鈥
- 11 a.m., 鈥淎nything is Possible: Fantasy Journeys of Adventure and Conflict鈥 with David Bowles, Van Hoang and Daniel Jos茅 Older 鈥 Authors of three new middle-grade novels discuss their creation of fantasy journeys involving adventure and conflict with a Halfling King from Maya mythology, the Monkey King from Vietnamese legends, and a future flooded world facing destruction.
- 1 p.m., 鈥淭aking Another Look: Story and Imagination鈥 with the duos of Matthew Cordell and Philip Stead and Matt de la Pe帽a and Christian Robinson 鈥 Four award-winning creators of picture books talk about their process of collaborating with each other. Each superstar pair has just published their third book together around the power of imagination and story as perspective.
- 3 p.m., 鈥淣avigating Multiple Cultures and Identities鈥 with Livia Blackburne, Hena Khan and Mitali Perkins 鈥 Three authors of picture books and middle-grade novels talk about creating stories in which characters with hyphenated-identities navigate multiple cultures in their daily lives.
Sunday, March 7
- 9 a.m., 鈥淗eartdrum: Native Voices and Visions鈥 with Christine Day, Cynthia Leitich Smith and Brian Young 鈥 Three Indigenous authors talk about their new books within an initiative, Heartdrum, to publish books that reflect the heartbeat of Native communities. Their stories share their visions of the present and future viewed through their lived experiences as Native creators.
- 11 a.m., 鈥淒reaming Big and Working Hard: Celebrations of Latin America鈥 with Monica Brown, Juana Martinez-Neal and Juliet Men茅ndez 鈥 Celebrate the people of Latin America through three new books about an Indigenous family in a Peruvian rainforest, the first Indigenous archaeologist in Peru, and a glimpse into the lives of 40 Latinitas throughout the Americ谩s 鈥 all of whom dreamed big and worked hard.
- 1 p.m., 鈥淪earching for Hope, Longing for Comfort鈥 with Shawn Harris, Sarah Jacoby and LeUyen Pham 鈥 Three picture books invite us to consider the ways in which we search for hope and long for comfort in our lives through connections to people, animals, and nature, even when life is difficult.
- 3 p.m., 鈥淟ooking Back, Moving Forward鈥 with Lesa Cline-Ransome, Kimberly Willis Holt and Jasmine Warga 鈥 Looking back can facilitate our ability to move ahead through the healing influence of relationships. Three best-selling middle-grade authors show how friendships affect a bully, the search to reconnect with the past, and the consequences of a school shooting. All three books are highly anticipated new books from award-winning authors.
Socker Foundation Children/Teen Stage 鈥 Young Adult Authors and Illustrators
Saturday, March 6
- 9 a.m., 鈥淭angled Webs of Magic and Intrigue鈥 with Melissa de la Cruz, Adam Silvera and Crystal Smith 鈥 Three best-selling young adult fantasy authors tell stories of power and magic at war, including an alliance between an assassin and a queen, a search for an antidote to unwanted powers, and a life in chaos. These sequels focus on characters who face uncertainty about their real enemies.
- 11 a.m., 鈥淚mpostors in the 鈥楿glies鈥 World: A Conversation鈥 with Scott Westerfeld 鈥 Betrayal. Risk. Deception. Redemption. Join Westerfeld for a conversation about his 鈥淚mpostors鈥 series in which sisters are impostors for each other in a powerful family. 鈥淚mpostors鈥 is set within the futuristic world of Westerfeld鈥檚 鈥淯glies鈥 books.
- 1 p.m., 鈥淗eartbreak and Hope: Life in a Refugee Camp鈥 with Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed 鈥 The National Book Award finalist 鈥淲hen Stars are Scattered鈥 is graphic novel that tells the story of Mohamed鈥檚 childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya, revealing the resiliency of the human spirit to fight trauma, uncertainty and boredom. Both Jamieson and Mohamed have connections to 蜜柚直播 through the University of 蜜柚直播.
- 3 p.m., 鈥淪urvival and Hope in an Unfair World鈥 with Desmond Hall, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Alessandra Narv谩rez Varela 鈥 Three young adult authors talk about writing novels based on their lives, including gang life in Jamaica, depression struggles in Ciudad Juarez, and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. Their stories reflect the challenges of maintaining hope within a world that is often unfair.
Sunday, March 7
- 9 a.m., 鈥淧lay Ball: Risk, Equity, and Social Justice鈥 with Andrew Maraniss, Neal Shusterman and Gene Luen Yang 鈥 Sports involves much more than playing ball as athletes face societal issues of equity and social justice. Three award-winning authors of memoir, biography, and fantasy provide unique perspectives on the risks and challenges that go far beyond the game.
- 11 a.m., 鈥淪tand Up, Speak Up in the Face of Adversity鈥 with Angeline Boulley, Sharon Flake and Liza Wiemer 鈥 Three young adult novels feature teens from marginalized communities who find themselves in difficult situations, requiring courage to challenge community corruption, discrimination in school contexts, and adults who take advantage of vulnerable teens.
- 1 p.m., 鈥淔antasy Worlds of Power and Deception鈥 with Alexandra Bracken, Hafsah Faisal and Mark Oshiro 鈥 Three young adult authors build dark fantasy worlds in action-filled tales of power, betrayal, sacrifice, and love set in Greek mythology, ancient Arabia and treacherous deserts. These haunting tales grab hold of the reader and don鈥檛 let go.
- 3 p.m., 鈥淟ove, Secrets, and Laughter鈥 with Elise Bryant, Loan Le, and Diana Ma 鈥 These rom-coms immerse readers into romances laced with humor along with family secrets, cultural expectations, and societal stereotypes. Their books mix star-crossed lovers with questions of identity.
Kathy G. Short serves on the 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books鈥 children/teen author committee.
