Photo by Lina Kivaka from Pexels
By Saira Mir
Editor’s note: The authors’ availability times were updated on January 29.
Mark your calendars for February 5, 2020 — it’s World Read Aloud Day!
LitWorld started World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) in 2010 to honor the power and joy of reading. To celebrate, authors have come together annually to offer Skype visits. This incredible initiative places hundreds of creative minds in classrooms and libraries across the globe for free.
If your school that would like to participate, check out the amazing line-up of fellow Soaring ‘20s author volunteers:
ELEMENTARY
Kelly Carey
Kelly Carey
Author, HOW LONG IS FOREVER? (Charlesbridge)
EST, 9am-4pm
kcareywrites.com
kellycarey508@gmail.com
Vicky Fang
Vicky Fang
Author, INVENT-A-PET (Sterling) and LAYLA AND THE BOTS (Scholastic)
PST, 11 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
vickyfang.com
vicky.fang@gmail.com
Shelley Johannes
(FULLY BOOKED) Shelley Johannes
Author/illustrator, BEATRICE ZINKER, UPSIDE DOWN THINKER chapter books (Disney-Hyperion)
EST, 9:30-2:00
shelleyjohannes.com
Shelley_Johannes@yahoo.com
Angela Burke Kunkel
Angela Burke Kunkel
Author, DIGGING FOR WORDS: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built (Schwartz & Wade)
PST, 12:30-4:00
angelakunkel.com
ang.kunkel@gmail.com
Kirsten W. Larson
Kirsten W. Larson
Author, WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane (Calkins Creek)
PST, 12:15, 12:30 and 12:45
kirsten-w-larson.com
Creatingcuriouskids@gmail.com
Lindsay H. Metcalf
Lindsay H. Metcalf
Author, BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST (Albert Whitman) and FARMERS UNITE! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices (Calkins Creek);
co-editor, NO VOICE TOO SMALL: Fourteen Young Americans Making History (Charlesbridge)
CST, 12-12:15; 12:45-3
lindsayhmetcalf.com; lindsay@lindsayhmetcalf.com
Saira Mir
Saira Mir
Author, MUSLIM GIRLS RISE: Inspirational Champions of Our Time (Simon & Schuster, available now!)
EST, 10 am-2 pm
sairamir.com
Contact@sairamir.com
Christina Soontornvat
(FULLY BOOKED) Christina Soontornvat
Author, DIARY OF AN ICE PRINCESS chapter books (Scholastic)
CST, 9am-1pm
soontornvat.com
csoontornvat@gmail.com
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Rajani LaRocca
(FULLY BOOKED) Rajani LaRocca
Author, MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM (Yellow Jacket/Little Bee Books, available now!)
EST, 8 am–8 pm
rajanilarocca.com
rajani.larocca@gmail.com
Award-winning author and wrangler of volunteers Kate Messner has great suggestions to help streamline WRAD:
Check out the authors’ websites to see if you’d like to schedule a visit , then send an email or fill out their contact page with the following information:
Your name and what grade(s) you work with
Your city and time zone
Possible times to Skype on February 5th
Your Skype username
A phone number where you can be reached on that day in case of technical issues
A simple outline for the visit:
1-2 minutes: Author introduces himself or herself and talks a little about his or her books.
3-5 minutes: Author reads aloud a short picture book, or a short excerpt from a chapter book/novel
5-10 minutes: Author answers a few questions from students about reading/writing
1-2 minutes: Author book-talks a couple books he or she loves (but didn’t write!) as recommendations for the kids
We look forward to connecting with young readers!