A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 16, 2026

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Genre: Children's

Amari and the Metalwork Menace by BB Alston

BB Alston

Featured Title: Amari and the Metalwork Menace

B. B. Alston is the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the “Supernatural Investigations” series. His books have been published in more than 30 countries and won numerous awards, including being named the Overall Winner of… Continue Reading

Andrew Auseon

Featured Title: Spellbinders: Overpowered

Andrew Auseon is the author of several books for children and young adults, and he is the writer of numerous best-selling and award-winning video games. A transplant from the Midwest, he lives in Washington, D.C., with his family and two… Continue Reading

Tracey Baptiste

Featured Title: Moko Magic: Museum Mayhem

Tracey Baptiste is a New York Times best-selling author of over 30 books for children. She writes stories for kids of all ages with adventure, history, science, and sometimes all three. Her most recent books are the kindergarten superhero book… Continue Reading

Derrick Barnes

Featured Title: Seven Million Steps: The True Story of Dick Gregory's Run for the Hungry

Derrick Barnes is the creator of The New York Times best-selling companion picture books “The King of Kindergarten” and “The Queen of Kindergarten.” His graphic novel, “Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice,” was a National Book Award finalist and… Continue Reading

Special Teams by Fred Bowen

Fred Bowen

Featured Title: Special Teams

Fred Bowen is the author of 30 sports books for young readers ages 8-12. He is the creator and author of the Fred Bowen Sports Story series, 27 books that combine sports fiction, sports history and always have a chapter… Continue Reading

Nick Bruel

Featured Title: Bad Kitty Gets a Job

Nick Bruel is the creator of The New York Times best-selling Bad Kitty series. He lives with his family in Pleasantville, N.Y., along with their sometimes-good-sometimes-bad cats Rose and Noodles. Nick will be presenting “Bad Kitty Gets a Job.”

Miriam Chernick

Featured Title: The Zuzu Secret

Miriam Chernick is the author of “The Zuzu Secret,” her debut novel for young readers. Previously she published “A Kid’s Guide to Washington, D.C.,” Revised and Updated. Miriam is a substitute teacher in her local public schools and a caregiver… Continue Reading

Alyssa Colman

Featured Title: Where Only Storms Grow: A Novel About the Dust Bowl

Alyssa Colman is the author of “Where Only Storms Grow: A Novel About the Dust Bowl,” “The Tarnished Garden,” and “The Gilded Girl,” which won the 2021 Northern Lights Book Award for middle-grade fantasy. Publishers Weekly called the story “a… Continue Reading

Katie Cotugno

Featured Title: Penelope Positano Sees It All

Katie Cotugno is the author of more than a dozen books for readers of all ages. She is also the co-author, with Candace Bushnell, of “Rules for Being a Girl.” Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild,… Continue Reading

Theft of the Ruby Lotus by Sayantani DasGupta

Sayantani DasGupta

Featured Title: Theft of the Ruby Lotus

Sayantani DasGupta is The New York Times best-selling author of the critically acclaimed Bengali folktale and string theory-inspired Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond books, the first of which – “The Serpent’s Secret” – was a Bank Street Best Book of… Continue Reading

The Last Ember by Lily Dodd

Lily Dodd

Featured Title: The Last Ember: The Aerimander Chronicles Book 1

Lily Berlin Dodd is a California-born, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based writer. In 2022, she graduated from Yale University, where she was a recipient of the Theron Rockwell Field Prize. Her previously published work includes “Search and Rescue,” a novella produced for Audible.… Continue Reading

A Method for Magic and Misfortune by Craig Kofi Farmer

Craig Kofi Farmer

Featured Title: A Method for Magic and Misfortune

Craig Kofi Farmer is a Prince George’s County, Md., native, with two Bachelor of Science degrees from Towson University and one Master of Education degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He works in higher education administration, helping students… Continue Reading

Sharon G. Flake

Featured Title: Hattie Mae Begins Again

Sharon G. Flake is the author of “The Skin I’m In,” which has sold over a million copies worldwide and has been translated into numerous languages. Since its publication, Sharon has authored over a dozen books, winning multiple Coretta Scott… Continue Reading

Alexis Frederick-Frost

Featured Title: Team Unihorn and Woolly #4: Creatures from the Skull Cave

Alexis Frederick-Frost is a cartoonist whose books are distinguished by their vibrant art and whimsical humor. He is the co-author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed “Adventures in Cartooning” series of graphic novels and picture books, and is the author… Continue Reading

Max Meow by John Gallagher

John Gallagher

Featured Title: Max Meow 6: When Pancakes Go Bad (Really Bad!)

John Gallagher is an art teacher, art director, and co-founder of “Kids Love Comics” (an organization that uses graphic novels to promote literacy). He leads workshops teaching kids how to create their own comics. John lives in Virginia with his… Continue Reading

John Patrick Green

Featured Title: Investigators: Agents of S.U.I.T.: Sew Much Trouble

John Patrick Green is a human with the human job of making books about animals with human jobs, notably the smash-hit graphic novel series “InvestiGators.” John is definitely a multiple New York Times best-selling human author and not just a… Continue Reading

Corey Ann Haydu

Featured Title: The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene

Author and educator Corey Ann Haydu has been publishing critically acclaimed books in the young adult and children’s space since 2013, including Edgar Award Nominated “Eventown” and ALA RISE Honoree “Lawless Spaces,” as well as her recent chapter books series… Continue Reading

Alan Katz

Featured Title: The Funniest Animal Joke Book Ever For Kids

Alan Katz has written 50+ highly acclaimed books for kids, including “Take Me Out of the Bathtub” (now in its 25th year!), “Got Your Nose!,” “Oops!,” “Zooloween,” “The Funniest Joke Book Ever for Kids,” and “The Funniest Animal Joke Book… Continue Reading

Erin Entrada Kelly

Featured Title: The Second Life of Snap

Erin Entrada Kelly is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning novels “Hello, Universe” and “The First State of Being,” which was also named a finalist for the National Book Award. She received a Newbery Honor for her acclaimed novel “We… Continue Reading

Michelle Knudsen

Featured Title: Into the Wild Magic

Michelle Knudsen is The New York Times best-selling author of more than 50 books for children and young adults, including the award-winning “Library Lion” (Time magazine’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time). Other titles include the picture book “Luigi,… Continue Reading

David LaRochelle

Featured Title: This Superhero Needs Your Help!

David LaRochelle is the author of “Isle of You,” illustrated by Jaime Kim, as well as “How to Apologize,” “Go and Get with Rex,” “Mr. Fox’s Game of “No!”,” and the “See the Cat” series, all illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka.… Continue Reading

Brian Lies

Featured Title: Cat Nap

Brian Lies is the author/illustrator of over 30 children’s books, including his New York Times best-selling bat series (“Bats at the Beach,” etc.), his 2019 Caldecott Honor-winning “The Rough Patch,” and 2025’s “Cat Nap,” which garnered seven starred reviews and… Continue Reading

Right Back At You by Carolyn Mackler

Carolyn Mackler

Featured Title: Right Back at You

Carolyn Mackler is the acclaimed author of the YA novels “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things” (A Michael L. Printz Honor Book), “The Universe Is Expanding and So Am I,” “Infinite in Between,” “Tangled,” “The Future of… Continue Reading

Leonard S. Marcus

Featured Title: Earthrise: The Story of the Photograph That Changed the Way We See Our Planet

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world’s leading writers about children’s books and the people who create them. His own award-winning books include “Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing,” “Listening for Madeleine: A Portrait of Madeleine… Continue Reading

Nicole Melleby

Featured Title: Brady Mason's Perfect Fit

Nicole Melleby, a New Jersey native, is the author of highly praised middle-grade books, including the Lambda Literary finalist “Hurricane Season,” ALA Notable book “How to Become a Planet,” “Camp QUILTBAG” (co-written with A. J. Sass), and “The House on… Continue Reading

Leland Melvin

Featured Title: Space Chasers: To the Moon

Leland Melvin is an engineer, educator, author, former NASA astronaut, and NFL wide receiver. He served on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on mission STS-122 (2008) and STS-129 (2009), helping to construct the International Space Station.… Continue Reading

Naomi Milliner

Featured Title: The Trouble with Secrets

Naomi Milliner is the author of “Super Jake and the King of Chaos” and coeditor and contributor to “On All Other Nights,” a Passover anthology for middle-grade readers. She created the Authors Book Club for her SCBWI chapter and has… Continue Reading

Rebecca Morrison

Featured Title: The Blue Dress

Rebecca Morrison is the author of “The Blue Dress,” a middle-grade novel based on her childhood as an Iranian immigrant trying to fit into her new American homeland, and her family’s expectations of beauty. Her work has appeared in The… Continue Reading

G. Neri

Featured Title: My Bicentennial Summer: True Adventures from the Most Epic Family Road Trip of All Time

G. Neri is the Michael L. Printz and Coretta Scott King award-winning author of such books as “Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty” and “Concrete Cowboy,” which was made into a movie starring Idris Elba. His books have… Continue Reading

Linda Sue Park

Featured Title: Just One Gift

Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal winner for “A Single Shard” and #1 New York Times best-seller for “A Long Walk to Water,” is the renowned author of picture books and novels for young readers. Linda Sue is the founder and… Continue Reading

Tim Probert

Featured Title: Lightfall: A Place Between

Tim Probert is an author and illustrator whose work is made of equal parts wonder, magic and adventure, with a dose of monsters and the occasional dinosaur. In addition to making books, he is an art director at Aardman Nathan… Continue Reading

Sherri Duskey Rinker

Featured Title: Construction Site: Firefight!

Sherri Duskey Rinker is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of “Steam Train, Dream Train” and the “Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site” series (eight picture books and counting!). She is also the author of young middle novel “Revver the Speedway… Continue Reading

The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter by Barbara Carroll Roberts

Barbara Carroll Roberts

Featured Title: The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter

Barbara Carroll Roberts’s books for young readers include the novels “Nikki on the Line,” a finalist for two state children’s book awards, and “The Metamorphosis of Bunny Baxter,” a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her picture book, “A Rose… Continue Reading

Unicorn Boy and the Slumber Party of Doom by Dave Roman

Dave Roman

Featured Title: Unicorn Boy and the Slumber Party of Doom!

Dave Roman is the award-winning author/illustrator of several graphic novel series, including “Unicorn Boy” and “Astronaut Academy” (winner of the Black-Eyed Susan book award). He’s worked as a writer on “Teen Boat! Race for Boatlantis” (with John Patrick Green) and… Continue Reading

Jonathan Roth

Featured Title: Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars

Jonathan Roth is an Earth-bound but space loving author-illustrator of fun, STEAM-themed books for kids including the graphic novel series “Rover and Speck” (Kids Can Press), which made the American Library Association’s Best Graphic Novels list, and the amazing true… Continue Reading

Steve Sheinkin

Featured Title: Diamond Fever!: A True Crime Story in the Wild West

Steve Sheinkin is an acclaimed author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor, three Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal and honor, and three National Book Award finalist honors. His fast-paced, cinematic non-fiction histories include “Impossible Escape,” “Fallout,” “Undefeated,” “Born… Continue Reading

The Underwild by Shana Targosz

Shana Targosz

Featured Title: Relic of Thieves (The Underwild)

Shana Targosz writes about magical girls, budding friendships, ghosts who may or may not be friendly, and fiercely held hope. She is an Oregon Literary Fellow and the 2021 recipient of the Edna L. Holmes Fellowship in Young Readers Literature.… Continue Reading

Jasmine Warga

Featured Title: The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan

Jasmine Warga is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of “The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan,” “A Rover’s Story,” “The Shape of Thunder,” and “A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall.” Her book “Other Words for Home” received… Continue Reading

Fourteen Ways of Looking at Jellyfish by Carole Boston Weatherford

Carole Boston Weatherford

Featured Title: Fourteen Ways of Looking at Jellyfish

Carole Boston Weatherford is a Newbery Honoree and a New York Times best-selling author and poet and was named the 2025–2026 Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Her numerous books for children include the Coretta Scott King Author… Continue Reading

Mural Island by Katie Yamasaki

Katie Yamasaki

Featured Title: Mural Island

Katie Yamasaki works primarily as a muralist and picture book creator. She has painted more than 90 murals around the world, exploring local stories of identity and social justice. Her picture book work explores similar themes for young readers. Her… Continue Reading