Authors Announced for 2017 Bookworm Festival

This year’s Bookworm Festival will feature author and keynote speaker Adam Rex, who will share his newest picture book, XO, OX.

Five popular and award-winning authors and illustrators of books for teenagers and young people will appear at the 2017 Bookworm Festival, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 from 9:30-11 a.m. at Spring Oaks Middle School, 2150 Shadowdale. The book festival is free and open to all community residents.

The Bookworm Festival for Young Readers was established by Spring Branch ISD campus and public librarians and Blue Willow Bookshop to celebrate emerging readers and those who write for them.

This year’s Bookworm Festival will feature author and keynote speaker Adam Rex (Twitter: @MrAdamRex), who will share his newest picture book, XO, OX. Rex has written several books for young readers including the New York Times-bestselling Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and The True Meaning of Smekday.

His previous picture book, School's First Day of School, has earned seven starred reviews and was also a New York Times Bestseller.

Other featured panelists who will share their published work include:

• Varsha Bajaj, This is Our Baby, Born Today
• Adam Lehrhaupt, I Will Not Eat You
• Heidi Schulz, Giraffes Ruin Everything
• Mary Sullivan, Treat

“Being the chair of Bookworm gives me a front-row seat to something magical. I get to watch children and families connect with authors and illustrators, as they instill a love for books and reading for the entire family,” says Melanie Scales, chair of the Bookworm Festival planning committee.

Edgewood Elementary librarian Teresa Dolan, one of the district’s event organizers, reports that the festival allows young readers to meet the people behind some of their favorite stories.

“Meeting authors they love brings a whole new dimension to the children’s reading experience, and their enthusiasm is infectious,” Dolan said. “I love to see families sitting together, sharing their love of reading. It warms my heart to see moms, dads, grandparents and children learning from authors, listening to the stories behind the books, and adopting these creators as their new heroes. We are so lucky to host such an amazing celebration of reading in Spring Branch, an annual event that has quickly become one of the area’s most anticipated occasions!”

The festival is supported by a grant from the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, provided by Phillips 66, as well as the Spring Branch Education Foundation. Books are provided by Blue Willow Bookshop.

For more information and the full festival schedule, see the Bookworm Festival website: www.bookwormfestival.org

Other links:
Twitter: @bookwormbkfest #bookwormhouston @BlueWillowBooks
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bookwormhouston

MEDIA: contact@bookwormfestival.org
Cathy Berner
(832) 452-2160