Celebration of Reading

AUTHORS AND SPEAKERS

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, again will serve as hosts of Florida’s annual Celebration of Reading. Florida’s Celebration of Reading has raised more than $14 million for family literacy programs in Florida and the southeastern U.S. Gov. Bush’s parents - former President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush - have been invited to join the Florida Celebration for the tenth consecutive year.

Additionally, national best-selling authors who have participated in the event since its inception in 2001 have been invited to return in celebration of the milestone year. To date, the following guest authors have confirmed:

Derrick Barnes, a bright new voice in children’s literature. Barnes says he always writes to convey positive messages to children. His books include the colorful Ruby and the Booker Boys Series.
James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys and the upcoming The Imperial Cruise;
Jill Conner Browne, the "Sweet Potato Queen" and author of numerous bestsellers including The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love;
Mary Higgins Clark, the top-selling suspense writer in the U.S. and author of 28 suspense novels including Just Take My Heart and (coming in April 2010) The Shadow Of Your Smile;
Carol Higgins Clark is the author of twelve bestselling Regan Reilly mysteries, including Cursed and (coming in April 2010) Wrecked;
Steve Doocy, the Emmy Award-winning co-host of the national "FOX & Friends" broadcast and bestselling author of Tales from the Dad Side andThe Mr. & Mrs. Happy Handbook;
Jeffrey Engle, teacher of history at the Bush School of Government & Public Service, director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs and author of The China Diary of George H.W. Bush;
Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling fiction author of The Book of Fate, The Tenth Justice and The Zero Game who is also the co-creator of the TV show, Jack & Bobby;
Sharon Robinson, director of educational programming for Major League Baseball whose books, including Jackie’s Nine and Promises to Keep, share the important life lessons learned from her father, Jackie; and
R.L. Stine, creator of the Goosebumps® Series with more than 300 million books sold, making him one the of best-selling children’s authors in U.S. history.

"As the nation celebrates Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (Oct. 18-23), we feel extremely fortunate to have the ongoing support of these tremendous authors to help us continue our family literacy programs throughout the southeastern U.S.," said Liza McFadden, president of Volunteer USA Foundation, which manages the Family Literacy Initiative. "Of course, the Celebration of Reading simply wouldn’t exist without the Bush family’s longstanding commitment to family literacy. Their efforts on the state and national level have touched the lives of tens of thousands of American families, and we’re grateful for their leadership."

Celebration of Reading 2010
Author Bios:

Photo by Dan Nelken

R.L. Stine:
R.L.’s books are read all over the world. So far, he has sold over 300 million books, making him one of the best-selling children’s authors in history. In 1986 R.L. turned scary! He wrote his first teen horror novel, "Blind Date," which became an instant best-seller. Many scary novels followed, including "Beach House," "Hit And Run," and "The Girlfriend." Goosebumps began in 1992. The books series quickly became a hit around the world. Translated in 32 different languages, it made R.L. a worldwide publishing celebrity. The Goosebumps TV show was the number-one kids’ show in the U.S. for three years in a row. This fall, the TV series will be seen again on Cartoon Network.

Derrick Barnes, children’s author
He’s one of the brightest, most celebrated new voices in children’s literature. In his own words, "Where I come from, no one dreams of becoming an author. I didn't know any famous African American male authors. I didn't actually meet one until I attended college. I wanted to be a football player, the next Sean Combs, or a rapper; anything that would instantly provide me with the riches I would need to move my mama off of the block."

Barnes received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Jackson State University. After graduation, he worked at Hallmark Cards, before publishing his first novel. He then moved on to embark on his current project - Ruby and the Booker Boys, a colorful and rhythmic new series in children’s literature about the love and support of family and community. Barnes creates characters that kids can identify with and that parents love adding, "I always write to convey a positive message."

Mary Higgins Clark:
America's "Queen of Suspense," Mary Higgins Clark's books are world-wide bestsellers with over 100 million books sold in the U.S. alone. Two of her novels were made into feature films, Where Are the Children? and A Stranger is Watching. Many of her other works, novels and short stories, were made into television films.
She was chosen by Mystery Writers of America as Grand Master of the 2000 Edgar Awards. She is a past Chairman of the International Crime Congress and former president of Mystery Writers of America. She received the International Mystery Writers' "First Lady of Mystery Award" in 2008.

Carol Higgins Clark:
Acclaimed author of twelve bestselling Regan Reilly mysteries, including Decked, nominated as Best First Novel for both the Agatha and Anthony Awards, Snagged, Iced, Twanged, Fleeced, Jinxed, Popped, Burned, Hitched, Laced, Zapped and Cursed. She is the daughter of America's #1 bestselling suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark.They have co-authored five holiday suspense novels, Deck the Halls, He Sees You When You're Sleeping, The Christmas Thief, Santa Cruise and Dashing Through the Snow.

James Bradley:
James Bradley burst onto the national scene in 2000 when he authored the #1 bestseller, "Flags of our Fathers," which The New York Times called "the surprise runaway nonfiction bestseller of the season." "Flags of our Fathers" chronicles the stories of the six men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima - including his father. His second book, "Flyboys," was also a New York Times bestseller that recounts the long-confidential fate of eight downed American pilots in World War II.His latest book "The Imperial Cruise" is in bookstores now.

Brad Meltzer:
Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of "The Book of Fate," as well as the bestsellers "The Tenth Justice Dead Even," "The First Counsel," "The Millionaires" and "The Zero Game." He is also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby - and is the number one selling author of the critically acclaimed comic books, "Identity Crisis" and "Justice League of America," for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award. His newest thriller, "The Book of Lies," was just released.

Jill Conner Browne:
Jill Conner Browne is "America's #1 Humor Writer." She burst onto the scene in 1999 with humorous material on the trials and tribulations of being a middle-aged woman. Next she turned her refreshingly candid advice about love, life, men and marriage into the bestseller, "The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love." Her other books include "The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit," which was released January 2008, "God Save the Sweet Potato Queens," "The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide" and "The Sweet Potato Queens’ Field Guide to Men."

Sharon Robinson:
Sharon Robinson, director of educational programming for Major League Baseball is the author of many works of fiction and nonfiction. She has written several widely praised books about her father, baseball legend Jackie Robinson, included "Jackie’s Nine" and "Promises to Keep," which share the important life lessons learned from her father, and her new picture book, "Testing the Ice."

Steve Doocy:
Steve Doocy followed his first New York Times bestseller, "The Mr. & Mrs. Happy Handbook," with a humorous look at parenting in "Tales from the Dad Side." He is the Emmy Award-winning host of FOX & Friends, America's number-one cable morning news program. Doocy has worked in the news and entertainment divisions of NBC, CBS and FOX. For many years, he was the Times Square reporter on the legendary "Dick Clark’s Rockin' New Year’s Eve" program.

Jeffrey Engel:
Jeffrey A. Engel is a teacher of history at the Bush School of Government & Public Service and currently directs the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs. He is author of "The China Diary of George H.W. Bush: The Making of a Global President." Engel's first book, "Cold War at 30,000 Feet: the Anglo-American Fight for Aviation Supremacy" was awarded the 2008 Paul Birdsall Prize. Engel is currently writing "Seeking Monsters to Destroy: Language and War from Thomas Jefferson to George W. Bush."