Friday March 27, 2026
For Children in Grades 4-6 in Northeast Missouri
Pre-Registration for all festival events required.
Authors for 2026
Watch for details about additional authors.
Robbi Behr & Matthew Swanson
Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson are a wife/husband, illustrator/writer duo who live and work in the hayloft of a barn on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Together, they create award-winning books for kids, including Cookie Chronicles, The Real McCoys, Sunrise Summer, and the upcoming Life on the Moon (2026). After touring all 50 states with their Busload of Books project—bringing free books and creative programming to Title I schools—they continue to serve schools nationwide in partnership with First Book and Build-A-Bear Foundation. When not making books, they travel the country giving talks, running workshops, and inspiring creativity in classrooms, libraries, and beyond.
Tamika Burgess
Tamika Burgess (Tuh-MEE-kuh BUR-jess) is the award-winning author of SINCERELY SICILY and DANILO WAS HERE. Born to parents who migrated from Panamá, Tamika has always taken a particular interest in writing themes that explore her Black Latina identity. Because of her passion for spreading knowledge about her culture, Tamika writes novels that feature Black Panamanian main characters. Tamika currently resides in Southern California. Outside of writing, Tamika enjoys listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, and sipping a warm cup of lemon ginger tea.
Rob Buyea
Rob Buyea did not like reading or writing as a kid but loved both when he was a teacher, which ultimately put him on the path to becoming the author of many books. He is best known for his Mr. Terupt series, which has won numerous awards and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is also the author of the award-winning Perfect Score series and three stand-alone novels, What Comes Next, The Daredevils (Mark Twain nominee), and Carter Avery’s Tricky Fourth-Grade Year. Rob’s books continue to reach classrooms near and far and have given him the opportunity to visit with students all over the world—something he loves to do.
Heather Murphy Capps
Heather is an award-winning author of Upper Middle-Grade books about history, social justice, science, & magic. She is a mother of two and an education equity activist. A biracial author, Heather is passionate about supporting diversity in publishing. Her critically acclaimed debut novel Indigo and Ida received a gold medal Moonbeam Book award and a Social Justice Literature award. Her second novel, The Rule of Three, received an SLJ-starred review: “The author’s willingness to tackle difficult topics with thoughtfulness and compassion makes this compelling novel a must-read.”
Megan Freeman
Megan E. Freeman is the New York Times bestselling author of AWAY and ALONE, winner of numerous state and national awards. A Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, her chapbook Lessons on Sleeping Alone showcases her lyrical voice. With decades of teaching experience across the arts and humanities, Megan is a nationally recognized speaker and workshop leader. She holds degrees in theater and literature, and is active in multiple writing organizations. Megan splits her time between northern Colorado and the Texas Gulf Coast.
Varian Johnson
Varian Johnson is the award-winning author of several acclaimed books for young readers, including The Parker Inheritance, The Great Greene Heist, and the graphic novel Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright. A former civil engineer, Varian holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and now teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He lives near Austin, Texas, and travels widely to speak about writing, books, and storytelling.
Meg Eden Kuyatt
Meg Eden Kuyatt teaches creative writing at colleges and writing centers. She is the author of the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection “Drowning in the Floating World” and the forthcoming “obsolete hill” (Fernwood Press, 2026) and children’s novels including the Schneider Family Book Award Honor-winning “Good Different,” and “The Girl in the Walls” (Scholastic, 2025).
Brandon Mull
Brandon Mull is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Fablehaven, Beyonders, and Five Kingdoms series. A kinetic thinker, Brandon enjoys bouncy balls, squeezable stress toys, and popping bubble wrap. He lives in Utah in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his four children and a dog named Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Brandon loves meeting his readers and hearing about their experiences with his books.
Taryn Sounders
I was born in Dallas, Texas and lived all over before settling down in Florida with my husband, David, and our three kids, one cat, and one dog. I never planned to be a writer—I was a middle school math teacher for a couple years. But being a voracious reader as a kid gave me a love for words (and working with middle-schoolers gave me a sense of humor). It seemed like a good idea to combine the two (words and humor) and voila, a book was born. My middle grade novels have been named to multiple state award lists, including the Pennsylvania’s Young Readers Choice Awards, Georgia’s Children’s Book Awards, Alaska’s Battle of the Books, Ohio’s Buckeye Children and Teen’s Book Awards, Wisconsin’s Golden Archer Awards, Alabama’s Camellia Children’s Choice Book Award, Nebraska’s Golden Sower Awards, Missouri’s Mark Twain Book Award, Indiana’s Young Hoosier Book Award and Florida’s Sunshine State Young Readers Awards.