Much To Do at Tucson Festival of Books

by Reporter Cleo Gelt, Dodge Traditional Magnet Middle School

On March 5, my mom, my brother, and I went to the Tucson Festival of Books. There were so many interesting things to see and do, including Science City and many authors that had come to speak! We even saw some of my favorite authors, Katherine Applegate and W. Bruce Cameron.

For kids who like to read, it was a wonderful weekend. At TFOB, authors from all over the country come to talk and sign books. This year, Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator, came. My brother and I had never been to an author presentation before, so we weren’t sure what to expect. ven though they are really popular authors, there were plenty of seats to see Applegate, author of the Newbery-winning “The One and Only Ivan,” and Cameron, who wrote the og’s urpose trilogy at their presentation, ll Things Dog.” It was worth the wait! It was fun to hear questions answered, and afterwards there was an opportunity to get books signed.

We also went to Science City, where there are multiple experiments and displays to try and look at, covering a range of topics from desert animals to outer space. There were large telescopes for looking at the sun and planets. One of the most intriguing was a rocket tester, where kids could build paper rockets and test them out with an air pump. It was a popular experiment, and a lot of kids were there to try their rockets. The stand was a good place to try out

There was an outdoor food court full of fun things to eat and drink, like Indian food, sandwiches, and lemonade. There were local restaurants like Tucson Tamale, Frost Gelato and Beyond Bread. There was also a stage near the front where people were doing salsa dancing. At the end of a couple dances, they let some of the crowd come and dance with them. So, if you like reading and want to see some of your favorite authors, check out the Tucson Festival of Books in 2024!

I decided to interview a few people on what they think of TFOB. One was Carrie Turley, who owns Lawley Publishing, a small publishing house with about 15 employees. This was Turley’s second year running a tent at TFOB. She has met a very diverse group of people, and especially enjoys meeting children. When asked about a favorite book, she said, “Picking a favorite is like picking a favorite child.”

If you attended this year’s Festival of Books, you probably noticed a lot of blue balloons with the words “Magic Portal Books.” I traced the balloons to the Magic Portal Books tent, where I met Conner, a boy volunteering with his mother, and the author of an interactive book called “Sherman, A Tucson Tortoise.” To access the book, you have to scan a barcode, or go to the website to read about Sherman. Another person I interviewed was a friend, Katherine Wang. I call her KK, and she won an art contest at TFOB. She won a $100 gift card to an art store. KK said her mom made her enter the contest. Her winning painting depicted a cactus wren, the state bird, sitting on a saguaro. Her cousin also entered and won. ’s twin sister, CoCo, entered, although she did not win. I’m really proud of her, said CoCo, “I was jumping for joy.”