If your children get excited when the Scholastic book fair arrives at school, they’ll be thrilled to see a brightly painted Scholastic RV pull into their community this summer.
Scholastic, the well-known kids’ book publisher, is loading up two RVs and embarking on a summer tour to bringpop-up reading festivalsto 27 towns across the United States. The journey begins Saturday, June 30, in San Carlos, California, and wraps up July 28 in Franklin, Tennessee.
The gatherings are meant to spark enthusiasm for reading among children 12 and under. Attendees can expect hands-on activities, giveaways, author and illustrator visits, and even appearances by beloved costumed characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog.
These family-oriented festivals are free of charge, which parents will appreciate.
Josephine Djonovic, an associate publicist for Scholastic, told Savinly the festivals will include interactive zones where kids can make crafts, color, take photos, listen to stories and pick up posters, bookmarks, stickers and chapter excerpts to bring home.
The activity areas feature themed stations, such as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter books and another highlighting Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants” and “Dog Man” series. There will also be a dedicated space designed for children ages 5 and under.
Djonovic mentioned that several authors and illustrators will be appearing for meet-and-greets at select stops on the summer route, including Tui Sutherland (creator of the “Wings of Fire” series), Peter Reynolds (author/illustrator of “The Dot”), Sandra Magsamen (author of “I Love You Beary Much”) and Troy Cummings (author/illustrator of “The Notebook of Doom” series).
Scholastic’s summer reading road trip will visit the following cities over the next four weeks:
- June 30 — San Carlos, California
- July 1 — Plainville, Massachusetts
- July 3 — Brewster, Massachusetts
- July 3 — Dublin, California
- July 5 — Dedham, Massachusetts
- July 5 — Northborough, Massachusetts
- July 6 — Salt Lake City, Utah
- July 8 — Tempe, Arizona
- July 9 — Lake Placid, New York
- July 11 — Montclair, New Jersey
- July 12 — Jersey City, New Jersey
- July 12 — Edmond, Oklahoma
- July 13 — Wichita, Kansas
- July 14 — Collegeville, Pennsylvania
- July 14 — Rogers, Arkansas
- July 16 — St. Louis, Missouri
- July 16 — Durham, North Carolina
- July 17 — Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- July 18 — Brevard, North Carolina
- July 20 — Marietta, Georgia
- July 20 — Athens, Georgia
- July 20 — Oak Creek, Wisconsin
- July 22 — Delaware, Ohio
- July 23 — Canton, Ohio
- July 24 — Sardis, Mississippi
- July 24 — Memphis, Tennessee
- July 28 — Franklin, Tennessee
This Scholastic blog post provides additional information about the dates and locations for each city’s event.
If you’re interested in other community book-sharing ideas, consider checking out resources about the little free library movement to help foster reading year-round.
Erin Clarke is a staff writer at Savinly. She fondly remembers attending Scholastic book fairs as a child.
