Last August, we were all set to begin our fall tour, talking to students about reading, writing, creativity, and the first book in my Lost Wonderland Diaries series. Then this thing called Covid happened. You might have heard of it? So, instead, we toured virtually, speaking to students and libraries from Miami, Florida to Juno, Alaska. It was a ball and we had a great time.
I especially loved talking about neurodiversity. Having gone undiagnosed for many years as a person with ADHD, I know how hard it can be to fit in as a kid when your brain is different from many of those around you. But I also know that the differences that can feel isolating when we are kids are the very things we celebrate as adults. Those differences make us who we are and help us accomplish amazing things.
After talking with my publisher, librarians, and readers, we decided to push book 2 back a year and do the book 1 tour in the fall of 2021. Obviously, Covid hasn’t disappeared the way we all hoped it would, but it looks like most schools will be meeting in person, and with the proper precautions, we are planning on traveling across the country sharing our message about neurodiversity and why having different brains is such a great thing.
Obviously, things are changing literally every day, and we are staying in touch with schools and bookstores to make sure we are adapting with them. For schools who can’t have all of their students in the gym or library, we are offering to have some classes in the gym while we stream to the rest. (They will all get bookmarks, and I will try to say hi to each class.) For people who can’t attend a book signing, we are offering the ability to pre-order books that I will personalize and sign at the assembly. And, of course, my wife and I are both fully vaccinated, and will follow all school safety guidelines
The goal is to visit as much of the country as we can and see as many schools as possible throughout the year. As well as doing assemblies and book signings, I will also be presenting at local libraries, interviewing booksellers about what’s exciting in middle grade literature, sharing cool library displays and events we see, checking out local sights (especially anything related to Wonderland or neurodiversity), and in each area we visit, I will hide a wonderland key with a code that will earn the person who finds it free books and other fun stuff. I will be updating all of this on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube. You can follow me on any of these by clicking here.
Local situations may change, and as they do, we will modify our schedule which you can view at https://www.jscottsavage.com/news-events/. We will be adding specific signing times and locations shortly, but for now, here is the schedule through the middle of October. I am so excited to visit some of my favorite areas, as well as some areas I haven’t visited for a long time and some I’ve never visited at all.
August 30-September 3 Weber and Davis Counties, Utah
September 7-10 Utah County, Utah
September 13-15 Boise, ID
September 16-17 Twin Falls, ID
September 20-24 Idaho Falls, ID
September 27-28 Cheyenne, WY
September 30-October 1 Sioux Falls, SD
October 2-6 Omaha, NE
October 9-10 Des Moines, IA
October 11-12 Davenport, IA
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