Join us for a visit to Deckawoo Drive with everyone’s favorite adventure loving pig, Mercy Watson! Newbery Medal winning author Kate DiCamillo will be sharing the stories behind the creation of her early chapter book series, the original Mercy Watson, and the follow up series, Tales from Deckawoo Drive. We will also be celebrating the publication of the final book in the Mercy Watson series! 

Mercy is selfish and impulsive, but no matter how much trouble she gets in, Mr. and Mrs. Watson continue to love her and see her in the best possible light. Young readers love to join along in her hilarious adventures, taking comfort in the fact that their parents and guardians will love them no matter what as well. BYOBT – Bring Your Own Buttered Toast!

Join the conversation and register at https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/51653.

For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo is the award-winning author of over 30 books for children. She served as the 2014-2015 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, appointed by the Library of Congress. Several of her books have been turned into movies, and one was even adapted as an opera. She grew up in Florida and currently lives in Minnesota.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

Would you survive a zombie apocalypse? Join us to talk with New York Times bestselling author Max Brallier about The Last Kids on Earth, both the book series and the animated series on Netflix. In this virtual event, Max will share how he came up with the different monsters and villains as well as the unique ways that Jack and his friends figure out to defeat them.

Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he’s armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack’s loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack’s crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it?

Join the conversation and register at https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/51654.

For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

About the Author

Max Brallier is the New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty books, including the middle-grade series, The Last Kids on Earth. Under the pen name Jack Chabert, Max is the creator and author of the Eerie Elementary series and author of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel Poptropica: Mystery of the Map. He has also written books for properties including LEGO, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, and Uncle Grandpa. Max has written for adults as well, including the pick-your-own-path series Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? and an entry in the zombie anthology Nights of the Living Dead. Max lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

You’re invited to learn about the power of poetry with Elizabeth Acevedo! In this exciting author conversation and Q&A, Acevedo will provide a short reading from her National Book Award winning and New York Times bestselling novel-in-verse, The Poet X serving as the backdrop to this amazing chat!

The Poet X is about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth. Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

A virtual author talk you don’t want to miss–come create out loud with Elizabeth Acevedo! Register now!

Join the conversation and register at https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/51655.

For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

About the Author 

Elizabeth Acevedo is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Poet X, which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Carnegie medal, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award. She is also the author of numerous other titles including Family Lore; With the Fire on High, which was named a best book of the year by the New York Public Library, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal; and Clap When You Land, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor book and a Kirkus finalist. Acevedo has been a fellow of Cave Canem, Cantomundo, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, and resides in Washington, DC with her husband.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

Join this year’s winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Dan Santat, as he inspires tweens and teens to tell their own stories through graphic novels. His winning book, A First Time for Everything, is a graphic memoir based on his own awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life.

Dan Santat began drawing as a young boy and although he first studied microbiology, he pursued his passion in illustration. He spent many hours as a child and teenager teaching himself to draw by copying illustrations from comic books until he developed the unique, recognizable style that we see today. His talk will inspire listeners to draw their own story as well as give them practical tips on the creation of graphic novels.

Join the conversation and register at https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/51656.

For upcoming author talks, visit https://libraryc.org/santacruzpl/upcoming.

About the Author

Dan Santat is a Caldecott Medal winner, a National Book Award winner, and a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels. Santat created the animated television show, "The Replacements," as well. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two children.

SCPL's Virtual Author Talks are made possible by the Friends of the Capitola Library.

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