Annapolis Book Festival 2014

2014 Annapolis Book Festival

April 5^th at the Key School in Annapolis

10 am – 4:30 pm

Love to read? The Annapolis Book Festival is a great place to hear author’s speak, get a change to talk with those passionate about books and to reboot your reading shelf

I started off at the Used Book Sale and I was combing the tables of children’s books for over 45 minutes. And I only looked that the CHILDREN’S TABLES! There are tables of fiction and nonfiction in both hard and soft covers. For only $25 you can fill a bag with books to revitalize your bookshelf.

This year, I was collecting a few to donate to my son’s school for other students to take home over the summer. It was so much fun to pick-up family favorites and know that they will go to a new home to be loved by a new family. I also picked-up a lot of chapter books since my son wants to read longer stories now. (Luckily, he’ll still sit with us and read a picture book too.)

Debbie Levy talking about the differences
in an early cover and the final one.

After having fun at the book sale, I made my way back to where Debbie Levy was presenting about her book We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song. The story itself is fascinating. The story of overcoming obstacles. The story of one song that unites many. People all over the world know the song.

Book signings!

During her talk, Debbie showed pages from her book as they readied the book for publication. The kids in the audience were able to spot the differences and Debbie explained why changes were made. The accuracy of the pictures is just as important as the text in a non-fiction story. 

Debbie also shared a sneak peak of her newest book Dozer’s Run, which comes out soon! It is the true story of a dog that joined a race running past his house. She shared there’s a surprise at the end, but we have to wait to read it. I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

Next, I made my way to ComicKey. Definitely a fun place to checkout illustrators and comic artists. There were a few artists doing demonstrations with the Art Way Alliance. Art Way Alliance is a non-profit organization that teaches kids how to make comic books, manga and animation in the DC region. An organization to check out for sure.

Also in the ComicKey area were tables for the Museum ofScience Fiction and the Geppi’s Entertainment Museum.  I didn’t chat much with the people at MOSF, but it sounds like they are making great strides in planning the museum. Which sounds AMAZING! Innovative and interactive this museum looks to be a great place to expand one’s imagination.

John Sazaklis and Candy Store Caper

I did chat with Andy Hershberger, Associate Curator/Registrar, from Geppi’s Entertainment Museum and I am planning a trip to there soon. Not only is the museum full of amazing memorabilia and 250 years of pop culture, the building itself is interesting.  The museum is housed in the Camden Station building in Camden Yards. A must see on my next Baltimore visit.

Also at ComicKey, I was able to pick up a DC Super Pets book by John Sazaklis. (Third Eye Comics from Annapolis was there with a wide variety of comics for sale.) I can’t wait to read this with my kids. I think it is going to be a great introduction into the world of comic books. Bright colors, super heros, sound effects all in a good story? Sounds good to me!

Kwame Alexander reading from The Crossover

Before I left the festival, I dropped in for KwameAlexander’s talk about his novel in verse The Crossover.  If you ever have the chance to listen to Kwame read his poetry, I highly recommend it. He is so dynamic and he makes the words come alive off the page. He said one of the things he wanted to do with this book was to “[make] vocabulary cool.” The Crossover would be a great addition to any young person’s reading list.

BeatleMANIA!

This is definitely a family friendly event. Along with all the wonderful speakers and book sales, they have food, musical entertainment in the amphitheater, playground fun, and events on the green. A great start to my spring calendar.

Beatles Coloring station.