KNOXVILLE — The Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature (CCYAL) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is holding a lecture and book signing by award-winning children’s author Wendelin Van Draanen on November 15.
The event, set for 7:00 p.m. in room 27 of the Alumni Memorial Building on campus, is free and open to the public.
Van Draanen will discuss her book The Running Dream, which tells the story of high school track star Jessica. Running is not just what she does, it’s who she is. So when a tragic accident causes her to lose a leg, she is shattered—inside and out. As she struggles to reclaim her life, Jessica’s friendship with Rosa, a girl with cerebral palsy, helps her reach for a future that is full of unexpected opportunities.
Van Draanen is also the author of many award-winning children’s literature titles. Now in its tenth installment, the Sammy Keyes Mysteries have been nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Children’s Mystery four times in six years, with Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief bringing home the statue. Additionally, she has won the Christopher Medal for Shredderman: Secret Identity and the California Young Reader Medal for Flipped. Her books have been translated into many foreign languages and have been optioned for film and television projects.
CCYAL, housed in the School of Information Sciences in the College of Communication and Information, contains more than 2,000 book titles representing some of the best works in children’s literature published in the last eighteen months. The center is the only one of its kind in the state of Tennessee.
For more information about the center, visit http://www.sis.utk.edu/ccyal.
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CONTACT:
Miranda Clark (865-974-2305, mclark22@utk.edu)
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, primmc@utk.edu)