The 10th Anniversary of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival (CCBF) will take place on Saturday, September 30, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Chappaqua Train Station in Chappaqua, New York. This year’s Festival will be the largest one yet, with 180 authors in attendance and celebrity authors Mary Pope Osborne and Alan Gratz leading the charge.
Admission and parking are free, and the event will be held rain or shine (http://www.ccbfestival.org/). CCBF is proud to announce that it is a recipient of the WestchesterArts 2023 Arts Alive grant, given to support community-based arts and cultural projects developed by cultural groups and organizations.
In its tenth year, the annual festival, promoting community, inclusivity, and literacy, will have authors covering different reading levels and multiple genres, including a larger selection of graphic novels than in years past, LGTBQ themes, and books that celebrate diversity.
This year, we are highlighting banned books, with a dedicated section of the festival. There have been so many children’s books banned in school districts across the country recently and we are excited to promote those books by authors like Maulik Pancholy, Phil Stamper, and Ryan Sala among others.
Maulik Pancholy is a well-known actor from NBC’s 30 Rock and award-winning children’s book author. His second novel, Nikhil Out Loud, is a 2023 Lambda Literary Award winner and a Kirkus Best Book of 2022. A longtime advocate for the LGBTQIA+ and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) communities, Pancholy was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs. He is the cofounder and chair of ActToChange.org—a national nonprofit dedicated to ending bullying for AAPI youth and fostering a world where all young people can celebrate their identities.
Phil Stamper is the bestselling author of Golden Boys, The Gravity of Us, and other queer books for kids and teens. His stories are packed with queer joy, and his characters are often too ambitious for their own good. Born and raised in a rural village near Dayton, Ohio
Ryan La Sala writes about surreal things happening to queer people. He is the author behind the luminous and terrifying horror The Honeys, which is in development to become a major motion picture with Anonymous Content. His previous titles include the riotously imaginative Reverie, and the brilliantly constructed Be Dazzled, both of which made the Kids’ Indie Next List.
The books of Reverie, La Sala’s and Panchoy have been banned in the States of Texas and Florida.
Other highlights of the festival include fan favorites Pinkalicious author Victoria Kann returning to the festival this year, as well as Sonja Cherry-Paul, Author of Stamped (For Kids), a very important adaptation of the New York Times best-seller introducing kids to the history of racism and antiracism in America.
We have several authors joining us this year who are new to CCBF, and we are so excited! Mary Pope Osborne, the author of the Magic Tree House series, is our headlining author; we are so excited to have her. Also new to the festival is Alan Gratz, New York Times best-selling author of 19 young children’s novels.
For more information, visit http://www.ccbfestival.org/ or follow the CCBF at www.facebook.com/chappaquachildrensbookfestival.
