URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – The Youth Literature Festival 2024 is an event that encourages youth to love stories in all formats and is hosted by the College of Education and University Library at Illinois.
The first event takes place from Thursday, October 3 to Friday, October 4 and will feature visits from 15 nationally renowned authors to over 40 classrooms and assemblies. Some notable authors include Justin A. Reynolds who is known for “Marvel’s Miles Morales Shockwaves,” Tameka Fryer Brown, the Author of “Brown Baby Lullabye,” and G. Neri, the writer of “Ghetto Cowboy,” which inspired the movie “Concrete Cowboy” starring Idris Elba. Each classroom will also receive books and gifts.
Sarah Park Dahlen, an Associate Professor in Information Sciences at the University of Illinois, says that her favorite part about the festival is the diversity. “I love the different ages of the kids who come, as well as the diverse backgrounds of the children who have already developed a passion for reading. I also really appreciate the diversity of the presenters.”
Community day will take place on Saturday, October 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the University of Illinois Campus Instructional Facility. It will be a free event with book signings, readings, music performances, activities, and food trucks. Authors include Tameka Fryer Brown, Anna Lapera, and Alice McGinty, to name a few.
Ellen Oh is the author and editor of middle grades and young adult books including “The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee” and “YOU ARE HERE.” As an author, Oh says she loves to connect with the children through the books she has written. “Their faces light up as they experience the books I have written, and that is so rewarding to share that with them. It makes such a difference when you feel the children connecting with the characters.”