Gaithersburg Book Festival Welcomes Diverse Authors to The Children’s Village

By Gail Norris | Published April 5, 2018

On Saturday, May 19, 2018, literature will be brought to life for children of all ages at the Gaithersburg Book Festival through story time in multiple languages, writing workshops and a multitude of activities, crafts and games in the Children’s Village, sponsored by Washington Parent and Activity Rocket/Thrively. The Children’s Village also serves as the hub where more than 30 of today’s best and brightest children’s and young adult authors will be featured in interactive presentations, readings and book signings.

Among the award-winning and best-selling authors and illustrators coming to the Gaithersburg Book Festival this year are:

Children’s Authors

Sarah Albee – The New York Times best-selling author of more than 100 books for kids, ranging from preschool through middle grade. Her latest title is “Dog Days of History.”
Kate Beasley – Author of the debut novel “Gertie’s Leap to Greatness”.
Kamilla Benko – Children’s book editor and author of “The Unicorn Quest.”
Dr. Howard Bennett – A pediatrician who has written health and science-based articles for the KidsPost section of The Washington Post. “The Fantastic Body” is his ninth book.
Denise Fleming – Award-winning author and illustrator of many well-known children’s books including “In the Tall, Tall Grass,” “In the Small, Small Pond” and her newest, “This Is the Nest That Robin Built.”
Joe Flood – A comic book author and artist. His latest work “Sharks: Nature’s Perfect Hunter” is the first non-fiction comic he has both written and drawn.
Maria Gianferrari – Author of “Hello Goodbye Dog” and “Coyote Moon.” “Hawk Rising” is the latest book for this self-proclaimed “bird nerd.”
Karina Yan Glaser – A full-time writer and illustrator. Her latest is the middle-grade book, “The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street.”
Nadia Hashimi – A Washington, D.C., area pediatrician whose parents were born in Afghanistan, she is the author of three books for adults, as well as a middle grade novel. Her latest book is “The Sky at Our Feet.”
Deron R. Hicks – Author of two award-winning children’s books, “Tower of the Five Orders” and “Secrets of Shakespeare’s Grave.” Formerly the Inspector General for the State of Georgia, his latest book is “The Van Gogh Deception.”
Sarah Jacoby – Award-winning Illustrator. Her most recent work is “Forever and a Day.”
Falynn Koch – A writer and illustrator and the former owner of a mac n’cheese food truck, her latest book is “Science Comics’ Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield.”
Steve Light – Author-illustrator of many picture books, including “Have You Seen My Dragon?” His latest title is “Black Bird Yellow Sun.”
Megan Wagner Lloyd – Author of “Finding Wild” and “Fort-Building Time.” Her upcoming picture books include “Building Books,” “Paper Mice” and “The ABCs of Catching Zs.”
Hena Khan – A Pakistani-American Muslim, born and raised in Maryland, who enjoys sharing and writing about her culture and religion. Her latest book is “Power Forward (Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream Book 1).”
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor – Gaithersburg, Md., resident and author of more than 140 books for both children and adults, including the Newbery Award-winning “Shiloh.” Her latest book is “Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard’s Roost.”
Paul Noth – A writer and artist whose cartoons appear regularly in The New Yorker. His children’s book is “How to Sell Your Family to the Aliens.”
John Parra – An ALA’s Pura Belpré Honor-winning illustrator, designer and educator. “Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos” is his latest book.
Aaron Reynolds – The New York Times best-selling author of many books for kids, including the Caldecott Honor book “Creepy Carrots!” His latest is “Dude!” written with Dan Santat.
Dave Roman – Co-author of two New York Times best-selling graphic novels. “Astronaut Academy: Re-entry” is his most recent graphic novel.
Madelyn Rosenberg – Author of 10 books, including “This is Just a Test,” a middle-grade novel she co-wrote with her friend Wendy Wan-Long Shang.
Jonathan Roth – Author-illustrator and Montgomery County Public Schools elementary school art teacher. His humorous sci-fi chapter book series, “Beep and Bob,” debuts this spring.
Erin Danielle Russell – Co-author of The New York Times best-selling “Dork Diaries” series with her mom, Rachel Renee Russell. Her most recent book is “How to Trick the Tooth Fairy.”
Robert Sabuda – Internationally acclaimed for his stunning pop-up books. “Ten Horse Farm” is his latest book, which will be released this spring.
Dan Santat – The New York Times best-selling author and illustrator. His forthcoming book is “Dude!” done in collaboration with Aaron Reynolds.
Wendy Shang – Northern Virginia resident and author of “The Great Wall of Lucy Wu.” Her latest book is “This Is Just a Test.”

Teen/Young Adult Authors

Winifred Conkling – Author of award-winning fiction and non-fiction for young readers. Her most recent book is “Votes for Women!: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot.”
Gayle Forman – Award-winning, internationally best-selling author and journalist whose #1 New York Times best-selling novel “If I Stay” was adapted into a film starring Chloe Grace Moretz. Her latest book is “I Have Lost My Way.”
Deborah Heiligman – Award-winning author of 31 books for children and teens. “Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers” is her latest book.
Lexa Hillyer – Author of three young adult novels including “Winter Glass”, and a prize-winning poetry collection.
Gareth Hinds – Known for his critically acclaimed graphic novels based on the classics, including “Beowulf”, “King Lear” and “The Merchant of Venice.” His latest title is “Poe: Stories and Poems.”
Jared Reck – Debut author and eighth-grade Language Arts teacher. His novel is “A Short History of the Girl Next Door.”
Alyssa Schwartz – Bethesda, Md., resident, screenwriter and co-author of the “Georgetown Academy” series. Latest release is “The Lost Cause.” Her writing partner is Jessica Koosed Etting.
Nisha Sharma – Her first novel, “My So-Called Bollywood Life,” features Bollywood movies, ’80s pop culture and romance novels.
Jessica Spotswood – Editor of “A Tyranny of Petticoats” and “The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes & Other Dauntless Girls.”
James L. Swanson – Award-winning author of the best-seller “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer.” His latest YA book is “Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin.”
Ashley Woodfolk – “The Beauty That Remains” is her debut novel.

Multilingual Story Time Tent

The Story Time Tent is a place where children and families can enjoy listening to stories in a variety of languages – Spanish, Farsi, French, Amharic, and American Sign Language (ASL) – read by students from The Universities at Shady Grove.

Writing Workshops

The Children’s Village will offer free writing workshops for children and teens, led by experts from local writing programs. Workshops will focus on drawing dragons and monsters, developing comic characters, making pop-up books, writing snappy prose, journaling for sports fans, learning the secrets to great stories, fantasy writing and identifying the writer within.

More Non-Stop Activities

Kiddie Academy of Gaithersburg – “A Remarkable Reading Adventure” featuring two tents full of interactive reading activities, including a life-sized sight word parking lot where children will line up to ride a tricycle to a parking spot with the sight words called out by the volunteers; beach ball toss with beach words; hula hoop rhyming game; ABC fossil excavation; and backyard Boggle.
Girl Scouts of the Nations Capital – Creative bookmark making.
St. Martin of Tours Catholic School – Face painting and tattoos related to Eric Carle storybooks. Plus from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. visit with a baby kangaroo and bunnies.
Story Tapestries – Kids will find their wiggling, giggling book worm as they write, draw, play instruments, dance, and create stories with professional story teller, Arianna Ross. Arianna will also share stories about Brazil in both English and Portuguese in the Multilingual Storytime Tent.
The Story House: Bookstore on Wheels – The Story House trolley will be highlighting local authors, especially those affiliated with the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C. Visit the bookstore trolley to listen to stories and purchase books by local authors.
National Federation of the Blind, Sligo Creek Chapter – Play braille games, make tactile bookmarks, and look at books written in braille. NFOB also will share stories in braille in the Multilingual Storytime Tent.
Montgomery College Early Childhood Education Club – Visit this Dr. Seuss-themed booth for early readers. Enjoy games, art and stories, and take a selfie with The Cat in the Hat!
Where’s Waldo Scavenger Hunt – Hosted by Candlewick Press and featuring several large Waldo cutouts that will be scattered throughout the Festival grounds. Scavenger hunters will have return their findings for a chance to win a gift basket. There also will be a real-life Waldo making several appearances, popping in and out of venues.
Winnie the Pooh, Clifford the Big Red Dog and other costumed characters will roam the Children’s Village. Stop and have your picture taken or just give a high five.
The City of Gaithersburg Educational Enrichment Committee (EEC) and the CHARACTER COUNTS! Program, in partnership with local organizations including Gaithersburg Rotary, Catholic Charities and Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy, will be on hand to spread the word about literacy in Montgomery County. They will have a prize wheel, balloons, literacy resource bags and an opportunity for local elementary schools to win a basket of signed books by authors who are presenting at the Festival.

The Festival takes place Saturday, May 19, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the grounds of City Hall, 31 S. Summit Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20877. For a complete list of children’s and young adult authors, as well as up-to-date details about all the activities and workshops hosted in the Children’s Village, visit the GBF website.

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About the Gaithersburg Book Festival

The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. One of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the 2018 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, on the grounds of Gaithersburg City Hall, in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Md. Activities will include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors and food, drink, ice cream and more. FREE admission and accessible shuttle will be available from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall. The Gaithersburg Book Festival also hosts author events in Montgomery County throughout the year as a way to encourage continued appreciation for all things literary. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org or follow on Twitter @GburgBookFest.