A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 18, 2024

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Kekla Magoon

Latest Title: The Secret Library
The Secret Library
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon

Travel through time with National Book Award Finalist Kekla Magoon in a page-turning fantasy adventure about family secrets and finding the courage to plot your own life story.

Since Grandpa died, Dally’s days are dull and restricted. She’s eleven and a half years old, and her exacting single mother is already grooming her to take over the family business. Starved for adventure and release, Dally rescues a mysterious envelope from her mother’s clutches, an envelope Grandpa had earmarked for her. The map she finds inside leads straight to an ancient vault, a library of secrets where each book is a portal to a precise moment in time. As Dally “checks out” adventure after adventure—including an exhilarating outing with pirates—she begins to dive deep into her family’s hidden history. Soon she’s visiting every day to escape the demands of the present. But the library has secrets of its own, intentions that would shape her life as surely as her mother’s meticulous plans. What will Dally choose? Equal parts mystery and adventure—with a biracial child puzzling out her identity alongside the legacy of the past—this masterful middle-grade fantasy rivets with crackling prose, playful plot twists, and timeless themes. A satisfying choice for fans of Kindred and When You Reach Me.

About Kekla Magoon

Kekla Magoon writes novels and non-fiction books for children and teens, often exploring themes of identity, community, empowerment and social justice. Acclaimed titles include “The Season of Styx Malone,” “How It Went Down” and “Revolution In Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People,” which was a Michael L. Printz Honor winner, Coretta Scott King Honor winner and National Book Award Finalist. Kekla received the 2021 Margaret A. Edwards Award, a body-of-work recognition for her significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. She lives in Vermont with two energetic orange cats.

Kekla will be presenting “The Secret Library.”

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Twitter (X): @KeklaMagoon

Author Schedule:

Venue(s):

Willa Cather Pavilion

Presentation Start Time:

12:15 pm

Presentation End Time:

1:05 pm

Signing Time:

1:15 pm

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