Detroit Bookfest Unveils Schedule of Kids Author Readings
| For Immediate Release: | July 3, 2026 |
| Contacts: | Detroit Bookfest: info@detroitbookfest.com Alyce Hartman: hello@birdiesbookmobile.org |
The Detroit Festival of Books today released a schedule of children’s-book authors who will be reading to kids all day at the ninth-annual Detroit Bookfest on Sunday, July 19, in Detroit’s Eastern Market. Â
The Kids Zone in DTE Plaza will feature 10 Detroit-area children’s authors throughout the day, offering readings, meet-and-greet opportunities, and book signings for young readers and their families. Â
Bookfest, Michigan’s largest book festival, attracts 20,000 attendees and features more than 300-plus booksellers, authors, publishers, and literary organizations.  Entry into Bookfest remains free, as does all children’s programming.
“We’ve noticed more and more kids enjoying Bookfest since we started the event in 2017,” said Ryan M. Place, the festival’s founder and chairman. “We are thrilled that kids will have this great opportunity to hear from and interact with authors.”
| Time | Author | Works |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Marlon Glenn | The Adventures of Captain Clumsy |
| 10:30 AM – 11 AM | Jonathan Shropshire | Mechanical Life |
| 11 AM – 11:30 AM | Amy Nielander | The Ladybug Race, Grama’s Hug, My Name is Not Ed Tug |
| 11:30 AM – 12 PM | Denise Brennan Nelson | The Tallulah series (Tallulah: Mermaid of the Great Lakes and Tallulah the Mermaid and the Great Lakes Pledge) |
| 12 PM – 12:30 PM | Lynn Baldwin | My Backyard Used to Be |
| 12:30 PM – 1 PM | Ciara Teague | The Dreamer |
| 1 PM – 1:30 PM | Jonathan Shropshire (encore) | Mechanical Life |
| 1:30 PM – 2 PM | Kristen Uroda | Miss Betti, What Is This? How Detroit’s School Lunch Lady Got Good Food on the Menu |
| 2 PM – 2:30 PM | Alicia Jenkins | Isaac Can Do It, Isaac Breathes Through It, Isaac and Friends Choose Kindness |
| 2:30 PM – 3 PM | Sona Avedikian | The Lonely Lighthouse |
| 3 PM – 3:30 PM | Karen Finch | Spring Scenthound |
Bookfest presents the children’s programming in partnership with Birdie’s Bookmobile, a Detroit nonprofit dedicated to increasing kids’ access to books and promoting literacy throughout the city.  The new children’s programming expands Bookfest’s ongoing mission of promoting literacy and fostering a lifelong love of reading among people of all ages.
Reminder: Bookfest and Birdie’s Bookmobile have set a goal of collecting 6,000 donated new and gently used children’s books for Detroit kids. We encourage all attendees to bring such books and deposit them into one of several bright-yellow bins located throughout Eastern Market on Bookfest day. Every book will find its way to Detroit kids to help them build their home libraries.
