K–12 Summer Series Has Inspiring Author Talks for Kids, Teens & Families
Posted on June 3, 2025 at 6:00 am
Get ready for an exciting summer of storytelling, creativity, and inspiration. Our summer series lineup features four incredible authors who have captivated readers of all ages.
Each event offers a unique opportunity for K–12 students, educators, and book lovers to hear directly from these acclaimed authors about their writing journeys, creative processes, and beloved books:
When you register for an author talk, you can submit questions to the author for their event.
If you cannot watch an author talk live, you can go to the Past Event Recordings web page to watch the recording afterwards. The recording of each talk is available 24 hours after the live event finishes.
Author Talk with Katherine Applegate
Grades 3–5
The bestselling author Katherine Applegate chats about her heartwarming book in verse, Odder.
Odder, the Queen of Play, spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself―and about the humans who hope to save her.
Odder is inspired by the true story of a Monterey Bay Aquarium program that pairs orphaned otter pups with surrogate mothers, this poignant and humorous tale told in free verse examines bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals.
ONLINE
Tuesday, Jun 24, 1pm
Sign up today
About the Author
Katherine Applegate is the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including The One and Only Ivan, Wishtree, Crenshaw, the Endling series, the Roscoe Riley Rules series, and the Animorphs series. She lives with her husband, who writes as the author Michael Grant, and their children in California.
Additional Resources
- Crafts and printables from Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Sea otter live cam
- Learning Guide from the book publisher (includes book discussion questions)
Author Talk with Raúl The Third
Grades Pre-K–2
Two events—one in Spanish, one in English!
Grab your drawing supplies and get ready to draw along with author and illustrator Raúl The Third as he discusses his book ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read!
Meet Little Lobo and friends from ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read! as they explore their library’s Libro Love Book Festival! From cookbook demonstrations and comics workshops to mask making and language classes, the library has something for everyone, and Little Lobo can’t wait to show you.
Raúl the Third uses his culture and experience growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border to inspire his art and his storytelling. Students will be encouraged to explore their world through a creative lens while they draw along during this event.
EN LÍNEA
Spanish-language program
Martes, 8 de julio, 11 am
Tuesday, Jul 8, 11am
Inscríbete hoy
ONLINE
English-language program
Tuesday, Jul 8, 1pm
Sign up today
About the Author
Raúl The Third is a New York Times bestselling and three-time Pura Belpre award-winning illustrator, author, and artist living in Boston. His work centers around the contemporary Mexican American experience and his memories of growing up in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He is currently adapting his World of ¡Vamos! books into an animated television series with Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks.
Additional Resources
- ¡Vamos! series activities
- El Toro & Friends activity kit
- Vamos! Let’s Go Eat activity kit
- Learn about luchadores printout with comics
- Make a luchadores mask activity
Author Talk with Marie Lu
Grades 9–12
Explore the intricate world of Legend with author Marie Lu as she encourages readers to look beyond the surface and reveal hidden secrets. Hear her insights into crafting thrilling, unforgettable stories.
Legend is a dystopian novel where two unlikely characters, June and Day, cross paths in search of the Truth. Can they set aside their differences and preconceptions for the greater good? Readers devour Marie Lu’s words as they are challenged to think critically about the world around them and reminded to never judge a book by its cover.
ONLINE
Thursday, Jul 17, 1pm
Sign up today
About the Author
Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy and The Young Elites trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.
Additional Resources
Author Talk with Rex Ogle
Grades 6–8
Award-winning author Rex Ogle talks about his book Free Lunch, which chronicles his struggles to navigate sixth grade. Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, he experiences better-off kids crowding impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout.
Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade—who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble—all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left so that no one will see where he lives.
Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.
ONLINE
Wednesday, Jul 23, 1pm
Sign up today
About the Author
Rex Ogle is the author of Free Lunch, winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; Punching Bag, a New York Public Library Best Book; Abuela Don’t Forget Me, finalist for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; and Road Home, which received a Printz Honor and a Stonewall Book Award Honor. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Additional Resources
- Free Lunch extras from Scholastic (writing guide on page 16)
Tags: author, author talks, books, chapter books, early learners, family, k-12, kids, middle grade books, parents, picture books, reading, series, Summer reading, teens, tweens, young adult books
