Not Just For Bookworms: International Young Reader’s Festival 2016!

All you need to know about this awesome literary festival in the ‘Kong!

The 2016 Hong Kong International Young Readers Festival will take place from Monday, 7 March to Friday, 18 March and a diverse and exciting programme of events is on offer. Young readers of all ages are invited to meet mermaids and dragons, explore strange worlds and journey to India and America’s Deep South. The Festival welcomes you to discover and share the joys of reading, writing and illustrating!

A weekend of animated talks and interactive workshops will take place on Saturday, 12 March at Comix Home Base, Wan Chai and Sunday, 13 March at GROWHOUSE, Central. Highlights of the public programme include:

Younger readers (4+)

Hogart The Hedgehog Turns Nink

Local author Blair Reeve introduces readers to Hogart the Hedgehog. It’s Hogart’s ninth birthday but, alas, he doesn’t know his age, because hedgehogs count on their back feet and their back feet only have eight toes. Join us on a special quest and along the way meet a helpless earthworm, a pragmatic robin, a friendly owl, a gullible badger, and a mystical centipede.

When: Saturday, 12 March, 10am – 11am
Where: Comix Home Base, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
How much: $80

Drawing Dragons

Join best-selling author and illustrator Yangsook Choi and draw your very own magnificent Chinese dragon! Learn step-by-step dragon drawing techniques, and hear some fun and unexpected facts along the way.

When: Saturday, 12 March, 11.30am – 12.30pm
Where: Comix Home Base, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
How much: $120

Mid-school readers (10+)

Learn to Write With Jewell

Jewell Parker Rhodes has won countless awards for her writing, including the American Book Award and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Outstanding Writing. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to join Jewell, author of Ninth Ward and Bayou Magic, for this very special writing workshop, where budding writers are given the chance to create lively characters in vibrant settings.

When: Sunday, 13 March, 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Where: Comix Home Base, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
How much: $120

Young adult readers (14+) 

Web Of Darkness

How many friends do you have online? Do you know who they really are? Bali Rai is one of the leading voices in teenage fiction and his latest cyber thriller, Web of Darkness, is a cautionary tale that explores contemporary issues affecting most modern teenagers. Join Bali as he talks about writing this page-turner and the important message behind it.

When: Sunday, 13 March, 4pm – 6pm
Where: GROWHOUSE, G/F Baskerville House, 13 Duddell Street / 22 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong
How much: $100

Tickets for public events are available here: www.youngreadersfestival.org.hk.

Participating authors will be paying visits to primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong throughout the Festival period, offering talks and workshops to students as part of our Schools Programme. We are also delighted to invite students to enter our creative writing competition, Create 2016.

For information on how your school can participate please email, [email protected].