Gaithersburg Book Festival Celebrates 15 Years with Full Day of Fun Activities and Engaging Authors for Children of All Ages

Gaithersburg, Md. – April 23, 2024 – Award-winning children’s, teen and young adult authors will take center stage on Saturday, May 18, 2024, as the Gaithersburg Book Festival celebrates 15 years of inspiring a love of reading and writing. The Festival’s Children’s Village will be the place where youngsters can meet their favorite authors – and discover new ones – during interactive presentations, readings and book signings. They also can take part in story times, activities and games, and expert-led workshops that encourage creativity.

The Festival will take place at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm (506 S. Frederick Ave.) in Gaithersburg, Md. When you arrive, stop by the Children’s Village Information Booth at the entrance to the Children’s Village and get a schedule of all activities. The Festival also will feature a sensory area, where children and families can find a quiet space outside the hustle and bustle of the festival.

Non-Stop Activities

• Play, Draw and Write – Help Story Tapestries fill their Graffiti Wall with your poetry, stories and visual images. Take home an image you create with crayons, markers and shimmering with glitter. Explore Lunes, 11-word poems, easy to write and a gift for anyone you give it to. Finally, leave dancing to the tune of your stories with a piece of art and a book in your hands.
• Sensory Activities, Arts & Crafts and Musical Activities to explore, compliments of Kiddie Academy of Gaithersburg.
• Create your own bookmark with Amazing Art Studio.
• Make Interpretive Poetry Art and paper raindrops based on the story, “Bring Rain to the Kapiti Plain,” by Verna Aardema with VisArts.
• Encourage Empathy through Crafts and Story Time – Sharing the book “Be Kind,” about a new student whose grape juice spill is transformed from purple mess into a beautiful purple painting, The Dwelling Place, Inc. will incorporate all things purple into craft projects.
• Get Creative with Your Vocabulary and Learn about Illustration – Pick up a special WordLibs game, join local artist Joan Waites for an illustration class at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m., and register for book bundle raffles, all sponsored by An Open Book Foundation.
• Be Part of the Joke – The National Museum of Language will share its new exhibit on jokes in many of the world’s languages, and feature the world’s oldest joke book, “The Philogelos,” originally written in Greek and now in graphic story form.
• Book Cover Buttons – Design your own book cover button among other crafts and activities, led by Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital.
• Animal Lit Fun – Children can select large letters and match to the first letter of animal sculptures and books featuring those animals, then receive small cardboard animal figures to assemble and color, courtesy of Tumble Run Designs.
• Pete the Cat, Rhyming Games, Stories and Bookmark-making with Montgomery College Early Childhood Education.
• Jump into Literature with an interactive obstacle course, sensory boxes, and arts and craft activities to get your child’s brain and body moving. Complete an Eric Carle animal walk, balance on the plank like a Dinosaur Pirate, hop from lily pad to lily pad for the Frog Olympics, and more, courtesy of Coconut & Palm Pediatrics, LLC. Clinicians also will discuss topics including how reading improves speech and language development, postural positions for reading endurance and books to improve social-emotional regulation.
• Explore Nature – Make your own binoculars and nature sketchbook, then pick up a scavenger hunt and start planning your next adventure, with the Montgomery County Public Library.
• Enjoy Games and Books in Braille and try your ability at picture description with The National Federation of the Blind, Sligo Creek Chapter.

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

Children’s Authors

Full biographies and children’s book descriptions can be found here, and to find the times they present and sign, visit our searchable schedule.

• Kate Albus, “Nothing Else But Miracles”
• B. B. Alston, “Amari and the Great Game”
• Tracey Baptiste, “African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History”
• Derrick Barnes, “Who Got Game? Basketball Amazing But True Stories
• Cece Bell, “Animal Albums from A to Z”
• Phil Bildner, “Glenn Burke, Game Changer: The Man Who Invented the High Five”
• Fred Bowen, “Extra Innings”
• Elizabeth C. Bunce, “Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity”
• Lesa Cline-Ransome, “Loud and Proud: The Life of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm”
• L.M. Elliott, “Bea and the New Deal Horse”
• Beth Ferry, “Solar Bear”
• Sharon G. Flake, “Once in a Blue Moon”
• Lisa Graff, “Rewind”
• John Patrick Green, “Investigators: Agents of S.U.I.T.”
• Margaret Peterson Haddix, “Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Ghostly Photos”
• Leah Henderson, “A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems”
• Wade Hudson, “Invincible: Fathers and Mothers of Black America”
• Hena Khan, “Drawing Deena”
• Michelle Knudsen, “Luigi, The Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten”
• Rajani LaRocca, “Sona and the Golden Beasts”
• David LaRochelle, “Go and Get with Rex”
• Brian Lies, “The Rough Patch”
• Carole Lindstrom, “Autumn Peltier: Water Warrior”
• Kekla Magoon, “The Secret Library”
• Katherine Marsh, “Medusa: The Myth of Monsters (Book One)”
• Robert Meganck, “This Book is Full of Holes: From Underground to Outer Space and Everywhere in Between”
• Nicole Melleby, “Winnie Nash is Not Your Sunshine”
• Tim Probert, “Nightfall: The Dark Times”
• James E. Ransome, “Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis”
• Dave Roman, “Unicorn Boy”
• Jonathan Roth, “Rover and Speck: Splash Down!”
• Gary D. Schmidt, “A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems”
• John Schu, “Louder Than Hunger”
• Cynthia Leitich Smith, “Blue Stars: Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem”
• Carole Boston Weatherford, “Kin: Rooted in Hope”
• Alysa Wishingrad, “Between Monsters and Marvels”

Teen/Young Adult (YA) Authors

Full biographies and descriptions of teen/YA books can be found here.

• Ciera Burch, “Something Kindred”
• Kim Johnson, “Invisible Son”
• Brigid Kemmerer, “Destroy the Day”
• Samantha Mabry, “Clever Creatures of the Night”
• Jodi Meadows, “Dawnbreaker”
• William Ritter, “Rook”
• Ray Anthony Shepard, “A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama”
• A.K. Small, “If I Promise You Wings”
• Andrew Joseph White, “The Spirit Bares Its Teeth”

Writing Workshops

The Children’s Village also will offer free writing workshops for children and teens, led by authors, illustrators and local writing experts. More details about these workshops are available on the Children’s Workshop webpage of the Festival website.

About the Gaithersburg Book Festival

The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence, which is celebrating 15 years in 2024. One of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the 2024 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm (506 S. Frederick Ave.) in 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. Admission and shuttles from Shady Grove Metro and Montgomery County Fairgrounds are FREE. 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, follow us on X @GburgBookFest or like us on Facebook.