McClean joins Reading Is Magic festival lineup

TT author Danielle YC McClean, whose book The Whisperer’s Warning won the 2022 Bocas Children’s Book Prize, will feature in the upcoming Reading Is Magic children’s festival, as part of a partnership with the NGC Bocas Lit Fest.

This is the second year the NGC Bocas Lit Fest has collaborated with Reading Is Magic, a UK-based online festival of books and writers for children of all ages, running this year from October 2-6. McClean’s event is the latest instalment in the NGC Bocas Lit Fest’s continuing initiative to promote Caribbean books for children to audiences at home and abroad.

Now in its fourth year, Reading Is Magic is an innovative and inclusive virtual festival designed to captivate the hearts and minds of children aged five-12, along with educators, parents, writers, illustrators and all lovers of diverse stories.

A noteworthy highlight of the 2022 edition was an event featuring Alake Pilgrim, another TT children's author. Her book Zo and the Forest of Secrets was shortlisted for the 2022 Bocas Children's Book Prize and also selected for the 2022 World Book Day Book Club.

McClean’s Reading Is Magic event is scheduled for October 2, from 11.30 am-12 pm UK time (6.30-7 am TT time). Titled The Whisperer's Warning after her book, it promises an engaging and enchanting experience for children and adults alike.

Melvina Hazard, Bocas Lit Fest children’s programme manager, said, “Our collaboration with the Reading Is Magic Children’s Festival aligns perfectly with our mission of promoting Caribbean literary works and expanding our reach internationally.

“We believe that this festival will spark a lifelong love for reading in young minds and create lasting connections within the diaspora in the global literary community.”

To access the full Reading Is Magic schedule, including The Whisperer’s Warning with Danielle YC McClean, visit https://www.readingismagicfestival.com/.