The 8th National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Meg Medina, will visit Salina Public Library on Tuesday, October 22 at 6 p.m. to engage with students and families during her tour to communities across the country.
During her event, Medina will inspire students and families to experiment with book talks — sharing favorite books to start conversations and build excitement about reading. Her goals are to emphasize books and stories as part of everyday life, encourage story sharing and conversation among friends and within families, and to highlight the amazing resources of the library as a welcoming place for every family to explore, learn and connect.
As National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Medina will engage readers in book talks across the country through her initiative Cuéntame!: Let’s talk books. Inspired by the Spanish phrase that friends and families use when catching up with one another, Cuéntame! encourages connection among families, classrooms, libraries and communities by talking about books — both books that reflect the readers’ lived experiences and those that expose readers to new perspectives.
About the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, with generous support from The Library of Congress James Madison Council, The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation and Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
About Meg Medina
Meg Medina is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book “Merci Suárez Changes Gears,” which was followed by two more acclaimed books about the Suárez family: “Merci Suárez Can’t Dance” and “Merci Suárez Plays It Cool.” Her young adult novels include “Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass,” which won the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award and will be published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas; “Burn Baby Burn,” which was long-listed for the National Book Award; and “The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind.” She is also the author of picture books “Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away,” illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, Jumpstart’s 2020 Read for the Record selection; “Mango, Abuela, and Me,” illustrated by Angela Dominguez, which was a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book; and “Tía Isa Wants a Car,” illustrated by Claudio Muñoz, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award; and the biography for young readers “She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor.” The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia. Visit her online at megmedina.com.
