National Book Festival!

I LOVE BOOKS!   So, what could be more fun than the National Book Festival?  NOT MUCH!  The National Book Festival is an event put on by the Library of Congress, and is like a music festival (think Lollapalooza (I know I am dating myself here)), where there are 14 stages and a line-up of authors on each stage all day.  One stage is for picture book authors, one for teen authors, one for history authors, etc.  Jason and I went to the book festival in 2011, when it was held outdoors on the National Mall.  We didn't make it last year because things were pretty hectic around that time (recently moved, started a new job, kids starting a new school), but this year we were determined to go.  For the first time, this year it was held indoors at the Washington Convention Center, and it was nice to be in a climate controlled environment (didn't have to worry about the heat, humidity, or rain) with real bathrooms (rather than porta potties), but it didn't have quite the same atmosphere as the Mall, where there were huge white tents stretching to the Washington Monument and you could see all the people attending and could feel all the energy generated in that one collective space.

 This year over 100 authors spoke and signed books throughout 3 floors of the convention center.  There were so many great authors it was impossible to see everyone I wanted to see, as the times they spoke often overlapped.  So, the attitude I took was to be grateful I got to see the authors I did and to not be bummed about those I couldn't get to.

Meg Medina, author of Yaqui Delgado
Wants to Kick Your Ass, a great book!

Anne Ursu, Minnesota author of Breadcrumbs!

 

Peter Brown, author and illustrator of Creepy Carrots
and My Teacher is a Monster.

In 2011, Jason and I went by ourselves when I was out for a visit.  This time, we brought the girls and mom and dad.  Because I now work exclusively in the youth area of the library, I took the girls with me to see children's and teen authors.  Jason tagged along, and mom and dad did their own thing and saw the authors they wanted (mostly focused on non-fiction and contemporary life).  We all joined back up toward the end of the day to see David Treuer, a Native American author originally from Minnesota.  

By the time we got to hear Treuer,
 Anja was worn out and fell asleep on our laps

Elise passed the time during Treuer's talk by
reading Alexander and the Terrible,
 Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.