Alone in the night, no cell service, a house you know to be haunted is your only safety. Do you dare enter? Join us as we pull scenarios from authors Diana Rodriguez Wallach (Hatchet Girls), Alex Crespo (Saint Juniper's Folly), Adrianna Cuevas (Ghosts of Rancho Espanto), and Ann Dávila Cardinal (Break Up From Hell)'s fantasy, horror, and thriller worlds to see if their own writers would survive! Featuring on-screen prompts and live voting from the audience.

Graphic novel artists Yehudi Mercado (Shazam Thundercrack), Camilo Moncada Lozano (Codex Black), Christine Suggs (¡Ay, Mija!), and Monica Magaña (Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight) come together to create a 4-panel story with prompts and suggestions from viewers at home!

Join award-winning and debut picture book authors Sheila Colón-Bagley (La Noche Before Three Kings Day), Judith Valdés B (An Ofrenda for Perro), Linda J. Acevedo (Breaking to the Beat!), and e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (Lupe Lopez: Reading Rock Star & A Girl Can Build Anything) for an interactive read aloud on Latinx music and celebrations! Grab a pillow and a blanket and snuggle in!

Explora la flor Dahlia, el ave quetzal y las muchas plantas y animales de Latino America que aparecen en libros ilustrados. Pidanles a los ilustradores Juana Medina (Elena Rides), Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez (Benito Juárez Fights for Justice), Ana Aranda (How to Make a Memory), and Andrea Cáceres (My Dog Just Speaks Spanish) que dibujen algunas de sus criaturas y plantas favoritas en esta sesión en español.

English: Explore the dahlia flower, the quetzal bird and the many plants and animals from Latin America that appear in your favorite picture books. Ask the illustrators Juana Medina (Elena Rides), Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez (Benito Juárez Fights for Justice), Ana Aranda (How to Make a Memory), and Andrea Cáceres (My Dog Just Speaks Spanish) to draw some of your favorite creatures and plants in this special Spanish session.

Whether you’re writing a contemporary romcom or an epic fantasy, world-building is a key component of a compelling story! In this craft session, R.M. Romero (A Warning About Swans) and Francesca Flores (The Witch and the Vampire) will discuss how to create an interesting world with depth without overloading the reader with too much information, as well as making the setting a character itself, and how world-building factors into their own work. Bring your notebook or laptop and come ready to write!

Join award-winning authors Vincent Tirado (Burn Down, Rise Up), Sonora Reyes (The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School), and moderator David Valdes (Brighter Than the Moon) as they discuss the inspirations for their award-winning novels, their killer characters, the writing process and more.

Stephen Briseño, author of The Notebook Keeper and winner of the Pura Belpré, will be in conversation with educator Claire Smith about the immigration experience in The Notebook Keeper—its unique point of view, its relation to dominant ideologies about immigration, and its relevance in classrooms.

Sponsored by Random House

If you want to be a real writer you have to write 6-8 hours a day. If you want to be a real writer you can only read the classics, right? WRONG! Join authors Crystal Maldonado (The Fall of Whit Rivera), Camille Gomera-Tavarez (The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat), Daniel Aleman (Brighter Than the Sun) and Karla Valenti (Esperanza Caramelo) as they play two truths and lie and dispel some of the most insidious myths about the writing process and how they created their latest tales. This event is sponsored by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Whether connected by blood or circumstance, family is everything and the power of acceptance and love can move us through many obstacles. Join Elizabeth Santiago (The Moonlit Vine), Jonny Garza Villa (Ander and Santi Were Here), Letisha Marrero (Salsa Magic), and moderator Rebecca Balcárcel (Boundless) as they discuss the power of community and family.

Join young adult rom-com authors James Ramos (The Wrong Kind of Weird), Jessica Parra (Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success), Ella Cerón (Viva Lola Espinoza), and Elle Gonzalez Rose (Caught in a Bad Fauxmance) as they put their characters to the test! Pulling scenarios from their upcoming romances, as well as classic love stories from the ages, they’ll either break hearts or save them!

Join award-winning and debut picture book authors Gabriela Orozco Belt (Only for a Little While), Ruth Behar (Pepita & Bebita) and Juana Martinez-Neal (Alma & Her Family), and moderator Emma Otheguy (Martina Has Too Many Tias) for an interactive read aloud on the topic of familia! Grab a pillow and a blanket and snuggle in!

Spanish: ¡Únete con autores Gabriela Orozco Belt (Solo Por Un Ratito), Ruth Behar (Pepita & Bebita) y Juana Martinez-Neal (Alma y su Familia), and moderador Emma Otheguy (Martina Tiene Muchas Tias) para una lectura interactiva sobre el tema de familia! Agarra una almohada y ponte cómodo/a.

What reminds you of home? Join our illustrators Rachel Más Davidson (I Love You Mucho Mucho), Robert Liu-Trujillo (Fresh Juice), Sendy Santamaria (Yenebi's Drive to School), and Elisa Chavarri (A Crown for Corina) as they draw out what home is for them. From small treasures and special mementos, our illustrators will draw out YOUR ideas. Bring your prompts to this live event and you might even see your own treasures on the big screen!

Join Frontera co-creators Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo in this graphic novel craft workshop as they break down their creative process and how you can create a graphic novel in four easy steps!  Bring your notebook or laptop and come ready to write!

Join award-winning author Javier Zamora as he discusses his Alex Award winning novel, Solito, and how he took his real life journey and brought it to the pages of his gripping memoir. In conversation with critically acclaimed young adult author, Jenny Torres Sanchez (We Are Not From Here).

Join Francisco S. Stork (I Am Not Alone), Hailey Alcaraz (Up In Flames), Federico Erebia (Pedro & Daniel) and moderator Laekan Zea Kemp (An Appetite for Miracles) as they break down how their characters tackled physical and mental obstacles and how young readers today can take strength from those very characters.

Educators will learn about resources and texts that will help them and their students discuss mental health.

Between middle school challenges, changing bodies, figuring out who you are, and magical responsibilities, growing up can be hard! But could that actually be a good thing? Join Brigid Martin (Totally Psychic), Keka Novales (¡Hola, Lola! series), Tamika Burgess (Sincerely Sicily), and Jasminne Mendez (Anina Del Mar Jumps In) as they talk about the challenges and stigma their characters face and how they ultimately lead to strengths we never knew we possessed.

Join us for a classic game of Jeopardy, Latinx KidLit Book Festival style. Featured authors Alex Aster (Nightbane, Lightlark Book 2), Ivelisse Housman (Unseelie), Alexandra V. Méndez (What the Jaguar Told Her), and moderator Ryan Calejo (The Shape of Time) will tackle questions about the craft of writing, popular fantasy tropes and archetypes, as well as questions plucked from their books!

Join award-winning and debut picture book authors Ana Siqueira (Abuela's Super Capa), Jackie Azúa Kramer (Manolo & the Unicorn), Alyssa Reynoso-Morris (Plátanos Are Love), and Aixa Pérez Prado (City Feet) for an interactive read aloud focused on Latinx joy! Grab a pillow and a blanket and snuggle in!

Angry es furioso, happy es feliz: ¡Aprende emociones en dos idiomas! Disfruta una sesión en español donde los ilustradores Joe Cepeda (Ayudo & Lupe Lopez Reading Rock Star), Maya Gonzalez (I Can Be Me), Olga Herrera (The Unwelcome Surprise), y Lulu Delacre (Verde Fresco y Veo Veo I See You) dibujan emociones de diferentes personajes. Pidanles a los ilustradores que dibujen una cara graciosa, una expresión emocionada y más en esta sesión llena de mucha emoción.

English: Angry is furioso, happy is feliz: Learn emotions in two languages! Enjoy this Spanish language session where illustrators Joe Cepeda (I Help & Lupe Lopez Reading Rock Star), Mirelle Ortega (River of Mariposas), Olga Herrera (The Unwelcome Surprise), and Lulu Delacre (Cool Green & Veo, Veo, I See You) explore their character’s different emotions. Ask the illustrators to draw a funny face, an emotional expression and more in this session full of feelings.

Join Lilliam Rivera (Barely Floating) and Julian Randall (Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon) for a craft workshop as they discuss finding your character's superpower with tips on what to ask your character to get to know their strengths, their fears, and their loves. Bring your notebook or laptop and come ready to write!

Join us for Latinx KidLit Book Festival's FRIZZY virtual book club! Claribel A. Ortega joins students from Shanahan Middle School (Lewis Center, OH), Dempsey Middle School (Delaware, OH), and moderator Dr. Carla España (LKBF Educator Advisory Council) to chat all things Frizzy, writing, and more.

Dr. Tracey Flores and Dr. María E. Fránquiz (NCTE President), authors of a new book in the Principles in Practice Series of NCTE, offer portraits of classroom teachers in Arizona and Texas. These portraits provide concrete examples of ways children’s literature is used to highlight the voices and stories of young bi/multilingual writers. This event is sponsored by NCTE.

Former Young People’s Poet Laureate Margarita Engle (Water Day & Wings in the Wild) and award-winning poet Aida Salazar (A Seed in the Sun & Land of the Cranes) explore the storytelling power of poetry and its ability to communicate with young readers across the ages and through Margarita’s long and critically-acclaimed career.

From far into the future or modern day, our young heroes must face countless obstacles including from the systems meant to protect them. Pulling from history and history-in-the-making, authors Lauren Yero (Under This Forgetful Sky), Aya de León (Untraceable), Lorraine Avila (The Making of Yolanda La Bruja), and María José Fitzgerald (Turtles of the Midnight Moon) talk about how they shaped their worlds and how their words inspire leaders of today and tomorrow.

Authors Amparo Ortiz (Saving Chupie), Angela Cervantes (The Cursed Moon), Yamile Saied Méndez (Horse Country Series), and Stephanie Rodriguez (Doodles from the Boogie Down) step into the shoes of their main characters answering questions in the style of the Would You Rather game! Readers watching can join the game by submitting questions for the authors!

Join award-winning and debut picture book authors Sara E. Echenique (Our Roof is Blue), Lissette Norman (Plátanos Go with Everything), Duncan Tonatiuh (Game of Freedom), and Michael Genhart (Spanish Is the Language of My Family) for an interactive read aloud in both English and Spanish for bilingual storytime! Grab a pillow and a blanket and snuggle in!

Our favorite illustrators John Parra (Spanish is the Language of My Family), Nani Brunini (Disagreement), Raúl Colón (Pass the Baby), and Adriana Hernández Bergstrom (Countdown for Nochebuena) take on drawing their favorite foods from around the world. From Mexico to Brazil, our illustrators are ready to showcase their talent in this live event. Bring your ideas to challenge the illustrators with your prompts!

Join us as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor opens the Latinx KidLit Book Festival with a discussion of her New York Times bestselling children’s books, Just Ask! and Just Help! Together with award-winning illustrators Rafael López and Angela Dominguez, they will discuss how this series inspires young people today to make their communities --and the world--better, one action at a time.

Join authors Ari Tison (Saints of the Household) and Andrea Beatriz Arango (Something Like Home) for a craft workshop as they discuss how writers use verse to show a character’s voice. Bring your notebook or laptop and come ready to write!

Youth involvement in communities, social causes, and activism has been on the rise for the past 10 years, forming a powerful force in the fight for their futures. Join author Carmen Tarfolla (Warrior Girl) and educator Becky Calzada (co-founder of TX FReadom Fighters) as they discuss the power of youth activism in literature and how to discuss current affairs in the classroom. In addition, representatives from Penguin Young Readers join to share resources to help tackle book banning in your communities.

This event is sponsored by Penguin Young Readers.