Upcoming Virtual Author Talks for Children and Teens

TOMS RIVER – The Ocean County Library will be hosting a series of free, virtual author talks for grades pre-K through 12 this summer.

• Living the Otter Life with Katherine Applegate (3rd-6th Grade) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 24
• Dibuja tu mundo con Raul the Third (Preescolar a 2.o grado) at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 8
• Drawing Your World with Raúl the Third (Pre-K-2nd Grade) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 8
• Discerning the Truth with Marie Lu (9th-12th Grade) at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 17
• Illuminating Hope and Grace in the Face of Hardship with Rex Ogle (5th-8th Grade) at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 23

Katherine Applegate is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Animorphs, The One and Only Ivan, Wishtree, Crenshaw, and, most recently, Odder. Everyone wants to meet Odder, the Queen of Play. She is a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life takes a dramatic turn, one that challenges everything she believes about herself – and about the humans who hope to save her. This talk is geared toward grades 3 through 6.

Raúl the Third is the New York Times bestselling author of the series ¡Vamos!, El Toro & Friends, Stuntboy, and Lowriders in Space. His newest book is ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read. This book features Little Lobo and friends as they explore their library’s Libro Love Book Festival. Raúl the Third uses his culture and experience growing up on the US-Mexico border to inspire his art and storytelling. Students will be encouraged to explore their world through a creative lens. A draw along is planned, drawing supplies and paper are recommended. The 2 p.m. session will be in Spanish. The 4 p.m. session will be in English. Please be sure to register for your preferred format. This talk is geared toward grades Pre-K through 2.

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the young adult series Legend and The Young Elites. In this talk, Lu will explore the intricate world of Legend as she encourages readers to look beyond the surface and reveal hidden secrets. Legend is a dystopian novel where two unlikely characters, June and Day, cross paths in search for the Truth. Can they set aside their differences for the greater good? Readers will devour Lu’s words as they are challenged to think critically about the world and reminded to never judge a book by its cover. This talk is geared toward grades 9 through 12.

Rex Ogle is the author of Free Lunch, Punching Bag, Abuela Don’t Forget Me, and Road Home. Ogle has also written and edited for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. In this talk, Ogle will chat about his struggles to navigate sixth grade as a poor kid in a wealthy district, as written about in Free Lunch. This talk is geared toward grades 5 through 8.

Titles by these authors are available to Ocean County Library cardholders for hold and request through our catalog.

Registration is required for these free, virtual author talks. To register, please visit tinyurl.com/VirtualTalksOCL or call your local Ocean County Library branch.

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