by Amanda Lister

What’s better than finally getting to meet your favorite author and/or illustrator and walking away with an autograph to remember the experience? The book signings in the Exhibit Hall and at the IRA Bookstore are some of the most exciting attractions of the IRA Annual Convention. IRA is pleased to host many wonderful authors and illustrators this year in San Antonio—our best line-up yet!

Students and teachers across the country are inspired by these beloved authors; so make sure to mark your calendars for the opportunity to meet your favorite author and/or illustrator and have your books signed! Autographed books are the perfect souvenir for friends and family at home, or just a special treat for you!

Here is a list of just a few of the book-signings, in order of author's/illustrator’s last name: 

Alma Flor Ada 

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Booth #2822: Love, Amalia; Dancing Home

Pam Allyn

• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:00 a.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys; The Great Eight: Management Strategies for the Reading and Writing Classroom; The Complete Year in Reading and Writing

Chris Barton

• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:00 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Shark vs. Train; Day-Glo Brothers

Joan Bauer

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Penguin Young Readers Group Booth #3323: Almost Home; Close to Famous
• Monday 4/22 at 10:00 a.m. at Perma-Bound Books Booth #2523: Almost Home

Kylene Beers

• Saturday, 4/20 at 2:00 p.m. at Heinemann Booth #3107: Notice & Note

Denise Brennan-Nelson

• Saturday, 4/20 at 4:00 p.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: He’s Been a Monster All Day; Maestro Stu Saves the Zoo
• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:30 a.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: He’s Been a Monster All Day; Maestro Stu Saves the Zoo
• Monday, 4/22 at 9:30 a.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: He’s Been a Monster All Day; Maestro Stu Saves the Zoo

Karen Bromley

• Saturday, 4/20 at 11:30 a.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: The Next Step in Vocabulary Instruction

Douglas Buehl

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning; Developing Readers in the Academic Disciplines

Jason Chin

• Saturday, 4/20 at 3:00 p.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: Island; Coral Reefs

Susane Colasanti

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Penguin Young Readers Group Booth #3323: All I Need; Keep Holding On

Matthew de la Pe

ña

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:00 a.m. at Children’s Plus, Inc. Booth #1618: I Will Save You; Mexican White Boy
• Saturday, 4/20 at 11:00 a.m. at Perma-Bound Books Booth #2523: I Will Save You
• Saturday, 4/20 at 12:00 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: A Nation’s Hope; Mexican White Boy
• Sunday, 4/21 at 9:00 a.m. at Random House Booth #2731: I Will Save You; We Were Here
• Sunday, 4/21 at 3:00 p.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Icefall; Infinity Ring Book 4: Curse of the Ancients

Valerie Ellery

• Saturday, 4/20 at 11:30 a.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Creating Strategic Readers: Techniques for Developing Competency in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension; Sustaining Strategic Readers: Techniques for Supporting Content Literacy in Grades 6–12

Deborah Ellis

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at Groundwood Books Booth #2741: My Name is Parvana; The Breadwinner Trilogy
• Sunday, at 4/21 at 2:00 p.m. at Groundwood Books Booth #2741: Kids of Kabul; The Breadwinner Trilogy

Douglas Fisher

• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:00 a.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading; In a Reading State of Mind: Brain Research, Teacher Modeling, and Comprehension Instruction

Sharon G. Flake

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:30 a.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Pinned

Nancy Frey

• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:00 a.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading; In a Reading State of Mind: Brain Research, Teacher Modeling, and Comprehension Instruction

Linda Gambrell

• Saturday, 4/20 at 2:30 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Quality Reading Instruction in the Age of Common Core Standards; Using Children’s Literature in Preschool to Develop Comprehension: Understanding and Enjoying Books

Andy Griffiths

• Saturday, 4/20 at 1:30 p.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: The 13-Story Treehouse; What Body Part is That?

Brenda Guiberson

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: Frog Song; Moon Bear
• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Plus, Inc. Booth #2831: Frog Song; Cactus Hotel

David Harrison

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at Highlights Booth #1730: 15 Ways to Have Fun Reading
• Saturday, 4/20 at 3:00 p.m. at Boyds Mills Press Booth #1726: Pirates; Cowboys
• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Highlights Booth #1730: 15 Ways to Have Fun Reading

Deborah Heiligman

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: The Boy Who Loved Math; Charles and Emma
• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:00 a.m. at Random House Booth #2731: Intentions

April Henry

• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:00 a.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die; The Night She Disappeared

Elfrieda Hiebert, Ph.D

• Sunday, 4/21 at 12:00 p.m. at Reading Plus/Taylor Associates ExpoSuite Booth #927: Why Text Complexity Matters
• Monday, 4/22 at 12:00 p.m. at Reading Plus/Taylor Associates ExpoSuite Booth #927: Why Text Complexity Matters

Helen Foster James

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: Paper Son
• Sunday, 4/21 at 9:30 a.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: Paper Son

Laurie Keller

• Saturday, 4/20 at 1:30 p.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut: Bowling Alley Bandit; The Scrambled States of America

Linda Kucan

• Saturday, 4/20 at 3:30 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Comprehension Instruction Through Text-Based Discussion

Diane Lapp

• Saturday, 4/20 at 11:00 a.m. at Solution Tree Booth #1430: Teaching Students to Read Like Detectives
• Sunday 4/21 at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading; In a Reading State of Mind: Brain Research, Teacher Modeling, and Comprehension Instruction

Kirby Larson

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Perma-Bound Books Booth #2523: Hattie Ever After
• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:00 p.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Dear America: The Fences Between Us
• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:00 a.m. at Random House Books Booth #2731: Hattie Ever After; Hattie Big Sky
• Sunday, 4/21 at 3:00 a.m. at Follett Booth #1527: Hattie Ever After
• Monday, 4/22 at 9:00 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Hattie Ever After; Hattie Big Sky

Steven L. Layne

• Saturday, 4/20 at 2:00 p.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: T is for Teachers: A School Alphabet
• Sunday, 4/21 at 3:00 p.m. at Stenhouse Publishers Booth #1727: Life’s Literacy Lessons; Igniting a Passion for Reading

David Levithan

• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:00 p.m. at Random House Booth #2731: Every Day; Boy Meets Boy

Tom Lichtenheld

• Sunday, 4/21 at 9:30 a.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Exclamation Mark!
• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:00 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Exclamation Mark!; Shark vs. Train
• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:30 p.m. at Chronicle Books Booth #1326: Steam Train, Dream Train; Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
• Sunday, 4/21 at 3:00 p.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: Sing!; Zero the Hero

Marie Lu

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Follett Booth #1527: Legend
• Monday, 4/22 at 10:00 a.m. at Penguin Young Readers Group #3323: Prodigy; Legend
• Monday, 4/22 at 11:00 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Prodigy; Legend

Maureen McLaughlin

• Sunday, 4/21 at 12:00 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: The Common Core: Teaching K–5 Students to Meet the Reading Standards; The Common Core: Teaching Students in Grades 6–12 to Meet the Reading Standards

Kate Messner

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at Walker Books for Young Readers Booth #2830: Eye of the Storm
• Saturday, 4/20 at 11:00 a.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Hide and Seek
• Saturday, 4/20 at 1:00 p.m. at Follett Booth #1527: Capture the Flag
• Sunday, 4/21 at 12:00 p.m. at Chronicle Books Booth #1326: Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish; Sea Monster's First Day

Debbie Miller

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:00 a.m. at Stenhouse Publishers Booth #1727: Reading with Meaning, 2nd Edition; Teaching with Intention

Donalyn Miller

• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:00 p.m. at Wiley/Jossey-Bass Booth #3447: The Book Whisperer; Reading in the Wild (pre-pub)

Marissa Moss

• Saturday, 4/20 at 11:00 a.m. at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Booth #2822: The Fake Friend!; Amelia’s Back-to-School Survival Guide
• Saturday, 4/20 at 2:00 p.m. at Sourcebooks Booth #3428: Mira’s Diary: Home Sweet Rome

Susan Neuman

• Saturday, 4/20 at 2:30 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Quality Reading in the Age of Common Core Standards

Marc Tyler Nobleman

• Monday, 4/22 at 10:00 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Bill the Boy Wonder; Boys of Steel

Jane O’Connor

• Saturday, 4/20 at 2:00 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Fancy Nancy Books

Lori Oczkus

• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:30 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Best Ever Literacy Survival Tips: 72 Lessons You Can’t Teach Without

Brenda Overturf

• Saturday, 4/20 at 3:00 p.m. at Stenhouse Publishers Booth #1727: Word Nerds

• Sunday, 4/21 at 12:00 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore Boothin Bridge Hall: The Common Core: Teaching K–5 Students to Meet the Reading Standards; The Common Core: Teaching Students in Grades 6–12 to Meet the Reading Standards

Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar

• Saturday, 4/20 3:30 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Comprehension Instruction Through Text-Based Discussion

Katherine Paterson

• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:30 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: The Flint Heart; The Same Stuff as Stars

Erica Perl

• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:00 p.m. at Follett Booth #1527: When Life Gives You O.J.
• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:00 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: When Life Gives You O.J.; Chicken Butt!
• Sunday, 4/21 at 3:00 p.m. at Random House Booth #2731: When Life Gives You O.J.; Vintage Veronica

Susan Beth Pfeffer

• Sunday, 4/21 at 3:00 p.m. at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Booth #1710: Life as We Knew It; Shade of the Moon

Doreen Rappaport

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Helen’s Big World; Beyond Courage

Regie Routman

• Saturday, 4/21 at 12:30 p.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: Literacy and Learning Lessons From a Longtime Teacher

Jon Scieszka

• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:00 p.m. at Perma-Bound Books Booth #2523: Spaceheadz, Vol#3
• Monday, 4/22 at 1:00 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: SPHDZ 4 Life; Guys Read: the Sports Page; Knucklehead

Devin Scillian

• Saturday, 4/20 at 12:30 p.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: Memoirs of a Hamster; Memoirs of a Goldfish
• Saturday, 4/20 at 3:00 p.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: Memoirs of a Hamster; Memoirs of a Goldfish

Ruta Sepetys

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Between Shades of Gray; Out of the Easy
• Sunday, 4/21 at 3:00 p.m. at Penguin Young Readers Group Booth #3323: Between Shades of Gray; Out of the Easy

David Shannon

• Sunday, 4/21 at 9:30 a.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Bugs in My Hair!
• Sunday, 4/21 at 11:00 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: Jangles; No, David!

Steve Sheinkin

• Saturday, 4/20 at 4:00 p.m. at Scholastic Booth #2941: Lincoln’s Grave Robbers
• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:30 p.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: Bomb; The Notorious Benedict Arnold

Virginia Shin-Mui Loh

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: Paper Son
• Sunday, 4/21 at 9:30 a.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: Paper Son

Joyce Sidman

• Monday, 4/22 at 1:00 p.m. at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Booth #1710: Swirl by Swirl; Dark Emperor

Seymour Simon

• Saturday, 4/20 at 10:30 a.m. at Chronicle Books Booth #1326: Seymour Simon’s Extreme Oceans; Seymour Simon's Extreme Earth Records
• Saturday, 4/20 at 12:00 p.m. at StarWalk Kids Media Booth #2624
• Saturday, 4/20 at 4:00 p.m. at StarWalk Kids Media Booth #2624
• Sunday, 4/21 at 9:30 a.m. at StarWalk Kids Media Booth #2624
• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:00 p.m. at StarWalk Kids Media Booth #2624
• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:00 p.m. at HarperCollins Children’s Books Booth #3451: Coral Reefs; Butterflies

Chris Soentpiet

• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:30 p.m. at Peachtree Publishers Booth #1611: Saturdays and Teacakes; Amazing Faces
• Sunday, 4/21 at 2:30 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop Booth #1003: My Brother Martin

Catherine Stier

• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:00 p.m. at Sleeping Bear Press Booth #3023: Welcome to America, Champ!

Beverly Tyner

• Sunday, 4/21 at 10:00 a.m. at the IRA Bookstore in Bridge Hall: The Literacy Jigsaw Puzzle: Assembling the Critical Pieces of Literacy Instruction; Small-Group Reading Instruction: Differentiated Teaching Models for Intermediate Readers, Grades 3–8

Amy VanDerwater

• Monday, 4/22 at 1:00 p.m. at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Booth #1710: Forest Has a Song

Mike Wolfe

• Sunday, 4/21 at 1:30 p.m. at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group Booth #2831: Kid Pickers

For a list of featured book signings by date and time, see the 2013 Guide to the Stars. Book signing dates and times are subject to change. Please refer to the Guide to the Stars or onsite signage for updates.

The IRA 58th Annual Convention runs from April 19 to 22, 2013, in San Antonio, Texas. Visit www.iraconvention.org and the iPlanner Program Grid and Event Search for details.

Amanda Lister is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.