Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying “You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn’t afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted?' Jerry Craft's “New Kid” is the only book in history to win the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature; the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature, and the Coretta Scott King Author Award for the most outstanding work by an African American writer.

Portico Reeves’s superpower is making sure all the other superheroes—like his parents and two best friends—stay super. And safe. Super safe. And he does this all in secret. All this is swell except for Portico’s other secret, his not-so-super secret. His parents are fighting all the time, and it’s his job to save them, once he figures out how. Join award-winning illustrator Raúl the Third as he returns to the VCBF with this action-packed session. And you may just learn some stunts!

Superstar Chris Grabenstein makes his first appearance at the VCBF! Chris’ fun, in-person presentations are semi-legendary (okay, they are REALLY legendary). He uses his skill as an improvisational comedian in a presentation that gets kids laughing so much they may not even realize how much they are learning. Nonstop hilarity is bound to ensue as Chris takes you in to Mr. Lemoncello’s world (and mind!). You never know what surprise is just around the corner!

Isn’t everyone’s cat a feline warlord trying to take over the world? Well, Klawde certainly is. Klawde is not your basic cat. He’s an emperor from another planet, exiled to Earth. He’s cruel. He’s cunning. He’s brilliant… and he’s also Raj Banerjee’s best friend. What would YOU do if an evil alien cat arrived on your doorstep? Join VCBF favorite Johnny Marciano (and the High Commander of the planet Lyttyrboks) to create new adventures for Klawde (and save Earth from his evil plans).

Rip and Red and their friends love basketball, but it’s not always easy to get along on the court or in life. Just when they think they know the game, everything changes. Join author Phil Bildner and the Longwood Lancers for one of the most popular VCBF programs ever! Basketball takes practice. So does reading. Throughout this session, Phil will draw the comparisons and demonstrate the parallels, all with the kids running basketball drills with our beloved Longwood Lancers.

Did you know that Gene Yang’s “American Born Chinese” was the first graphic novel nominated for the National Book Award (it was a finalist!)? And that Gene became the National Ambassador for Children’s Literature? You won’t want to miss Gene’s epic presentation as he takes you through his world of graphic novels, comics, storytelling, and how to make your voice heard in the world. A must for any kids who loves graphic novels.

Facing a world dually-altered by climate change and those who profit from it, Yolanda Cicerón will have to fight to save the last known beehive from extinction in this stirring new adventure. While life in the Valley is brutal and harsh, Yoly dreams of leaving her farm to live in Silo—the most advanced town for miles around. Can the last surviving beehive be the key to pulling the Valley out from under Silo’s thumb, or will they destroy what remains of Yoly’s future?

Amelia is cleaning out her grandmother's attic when she stumbles across a book: Tales to Keep You Up at Night. Curious, she reads the stories: tales of strange incidents in nearby towns, of journal entries chronicling endless, twisting pumpkin vines, birthday parties gone awry, and cursed tarot decks. And at the center of the stories lies a family of witches. And witches, she's told, can look like anyone...and Amelia begins to think she may be in a scary story of her own.

Fifteen years ago, eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout. Seven of them disappeared without a trace. And now, the remaining one has died. Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children, each with superpowers of their own. Then one day Birdie finds a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash. There is also a note: Go to Estero, find your mother, and give her the map.

Did you know that in 1953, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts became one of the first museums in the world to have an Artmobile, and now it’s here at the VCBF? Stop in and see the incredible traveling exhibit of portraits from across the ages. from long ago to the modern day. How have portraits changes? How would you paint YOUR portrait? How would you paint someone else’s? Come be inspired with this very special program. We can’t wait!

Draw and interact with Jerry as he shares the process of creating the characters from his book, “The Offenders: Saving the World While Serving Detention!” Together you will make a list of the ways that kids bully each other and why. Kids are actually having fun while they are learning how their behavior can have a real impact on their classmates, either positive or negative. **Very limited seating

Amelia is cleaning our her grandmother’s attic when she stumbles across a book: Tales to Keep You Up at Night. Curious, she reads the stories: tales of strange incidents in nearby towns, of journal entries chronicling endless, twisting pumpkin vines, birthday parties gone awry, and cursed tarot decks. And at the center of the stories lies a family of witches. And witches, she is told, can look like anyone…and Amelia begins to think she may be in a scary story of her own.

Superstar Chris Grabenstein makes his first appearance at the VCBF! Chris’ fun, in-person presentations are semi-legendary (okay, they are REALLY legendary). He uses his skill as an improvisational comedian in a presentation that gets kids laughing so much they may not even realize how much they are learning. Nonstop hilarity is bound to ensue as Chris takes you in to Mr. Lemoncello’s world (and mind!). You never know what surprise is just around the corner!

Isn’t everyone’s cat a feline warlord trying to take over the world? Well, Klawde certainly is. Klawde is not your basic cat. He’s an emperor from another planet, exiled to Earth. He’s cruel. He’s cunning. He’s brilliant… and he’s also Raj Banerjee’s best friend. What would YOU do if an evil alien cat arrived on your doorstep? Join VCBF favorite Johnny Marciano (and the High Commander of the planet Lyttyrboks) to create new adventures for Klawde (and save Earth from his evil plans).

Rip and Red and their friends love basketball, but it’s not always easy to get along on the court or in life. Just when they think they know the game, everything changes. Join author Phil Bildner and the Longwood Lancers for one of the most popular VCBF programs ever! Basketball takes practice. So does reading. Throughout this session, Phil will draw the comparisons and demonstrate the parallels, all with the kids running basketball drills with our beloved Longwood Lancers.

Do you read graphic novels ALL THE TIME? Is your nose always in a book? (Do you even try to read under the supper table?) Have you ever wanted to write your own? Well, if so, Varian Johnson knows just how you feel. He was a kid just like you! Meet award-winning author Varian Johnson and learn how he became a writer, and how you can become one too (there can be a lot of stops along the way)! A super-fun and interactive session for anyone who has stories to tell.

Facing a world dually-altered by climate change and those who profit from it, Yolanda Cicerón will have to fight to save the last known beehive from extinction in this stirring new adventure. While life in the Valley is brutal and harsh, Yoly dreams of leaving her farm to live in Silo—the most advanced town for miles around. Can the last surviving beehive be the key to pulling the Valley out from under Silo’s thumb, or will they destroy what remains of Yoly’s future? ription goes here

Let’s get ready to…draw! That’s right, it’s an illustration faceoff, and you are the judges. (also the ones who tell the illustrators what to draw.) When it comes to robots versus monsters, who will win? Illustrators Jay Cooper and Raúl The Third prepare to do what they do best, and go to battle in an epic showdown of Sharpies, markers, pens, and paper, all moderated by the incomparable front man Russell Ginns. So get your inspiration ready, and prepare for battle!

A fresh start. That's all Evan Pao wants as he, along with his mother and sister, flee from California to Haddington, Virginia. But Haddington is a southern town steeped in tradition, and the past has its own price. Brady Griggs makes sure that as a Chinese American, Evan doesn’t belong. When Evan finds a way to make himself part of the school's annual Civil War celebration, the reaction is swift and violent. Evan must decide whether he will react with the same cruelty shown to him, or choose a different path.

Did you know that Gene Yang’s “American Born Chinese” was the first graphic novel nominated for the National Book Award (it was a finalist!)? And that Gene became the National Ambassador for Children’s Literature? You won’t want to miss Gene’s epic presentation as he takes you through his world of graphic novels, comics, storytelling, and how to make your voice heard in the world. A must for any kids who loves graphic novels.

Fifteen years ago, eight supernatural criminals fled Estero City to make a new life in an isolated tropical hideout. Seven of them disappeared without a trace. And now, the remaining one has died. Left behind to fend for themselves are the criminals’ five children, each with superpowers of their own. Then one day Birdie finds a map among her father’s things that leads to a secret stash. There is also a note:
Go to Estero, find your mother, and give her the map.

Did you know that in 1953, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts became one of the first museums in the world to have an Artmobile, and now it’s here at the VCBF? Stop in and see the incredible traveling exhibit of portraits from across the ages. from long ago to the modern day. How have portraits changes? How would you paint YOUR portrait? How would you paint someone else’s? Come be inspired with this very special program. We can’t wait!

Head on down to the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts for our super-fun and creative open-illustration workshop. Want to draw with Todd Parr? You can! Design a robot with Jay Cooper? You can do that too! Our VCBF illustrators will help you unlock your creativity and have lots of fun doing it!

When Jake spies a bowl of jellybeans where his mom works, he eats them. But those weren’t just jellybeans, they were ingestible knowledge pills, and Jake is the smartest kid in the universe. What if you suddenly knew everything? How would your life change? Find out with Chris Grabenstein!

Lisa McMann’s Forgotten Five have lived their entire lives in isolation. What would it mean to enter a world full of things they’ve only heard about, like cell phones, cars, and electricity? A world where, thanks to their parents, being supernatural is a crime? What if one of the Forgotten Five were YOU?

Are you good at cards? For Anthony, who is finally old enough to play in the spades tournament every Joplin Man before him seems to have won, it’s about how he'll measure up to his father's expectations. How far will he go to win? Explore the book AND participate in a spades tournament with award-winning author, Varian Johnson.

Join award-winning graphic novelists LeUyen Pham, Johnny Marciano, Jerry Craft, Gene Yang, Vera Brosgol, and more to find out just what makes graphic novels so good and hard to put down. Do you love to read them? Write them? Draw them? Graphic novels have exploded, and the phenomenon isn’t going anywhere. Don’t miss this interactive and informative session with the best in the business!

The VCBF LIVEmural is back, and this year our muralist Monty Montgomery is working with award-winning illustrator Corinna Luyken to design a colorful and fun mural that you get to paint! Don’t miss your chance to leave your mark on the 2022 VCBF by helping create this magical mural.

Did you know that in 1953, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts became one of the first museums in the world to have an Artmobile, and now it’s here at the VCBF? Stop in and see the incredible traveling exhibit of portraits from across the ages. from long ago to the modern day. How have portraits changes? How would you paint YOUR portrait?