Sponsored by the Six District Educational Compact, the Festival takes place annually in the spring at Kent State University. It is for 7th and 8th grade students from local schools, primarily Compact member schools. Students get to meet the featured author and participate in various sessions involving book cover art, drama, poetry, and writing contests, all pertaining to the Festival Books. Students also have the opportunity to meet Jody Casella, author of the teen novel Thin Space, who will teach a workshop about becoming published as a teen, and professional storyteller and author Kevin Cordi, who leads a storytelling workshop session during the Festival.

Our featured author this year is April Henry, the New York Times-bestselling author of 26 mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults. Visit her website for more information about her books and her life as a writer: aprilhenry.com Follow her on Twitter (@aprilhenrybooks) and on Facebook.

Learn more about the Festival book authors by clicking on their names below. All of the Festival books are available at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library and at other local public libraries, as well as at your school library.

2023 Reading and Writing Festival

Playing With Fire by April Henry

The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen

Warcross by Marie Lu

The Festival is also open to any adult (parent, librarian, educator or community member) who wishes to celebrate the importance of reading and writing to the quality of life. Donations are welcome and checks should be made payable to Hudson City Schools, 2386 Hudson-Aurora Rd, Hudson, OH 44236

The fee to attend the festival is $12 per student in a Six District Compact school and $17 per student from a non-Compact school.

Here's what students have said about previous Festivals:

• "It was so much fun--I made new friends."
• "It was very cool being able to meet the author."
• "I liked the whole atmosphere of being at the college and mingling with other students."
• "It was fun acting out the stories."
• "The entire experience was perfect!"
• "It's great fun and exciting!"
• "It was fun working with people from other schools."
• "I enjoyed the Festival greatly and plan to return next year!"

For more information on the Festival, contact the Festival Director, Mary Jane Stanchina, at the Six District Compact: (330) 655-2247. For questions concerning this webpage, contact Stow-Munroe Falls Teen Librarian Christina Getrost at (330) 688-3295 ext. 4 or via email: teenlibrarian AT smfpl.org