When I came to work at First Book, I heard a lot about Book Expo America (BEA) – a weekend-long event for publishers, booksellers, educators and anyone who loves books and reading.

But it wasn’t until the following year when I experienced the show for myself that I truly understood what my colleagues were talking about. So many authors and books all under one roof! And did I mention that the galley copies of the books are free? Oh yes, my suitcase was twice as heavy when I came back from BEA that year.

This year, First Book is celebrating the books that made us readers for life with our “A Book Today, A Friend Forever” campaign, thanks to the support of our partners Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Book Expo America.

If you’re going to be at BEA in New York this weekend (May 29-31), look for us at booth #734 in the Javits Center. We’ll donate a new book in your honor just for stopping by!

We’ll also have great authors signing copies of their latest books at our booth – including James Patterson, Mo Willems, Kate DiCamillo and many more – you won’t want to miss it! Check out the full schedule of authors signing at the First Book booth after the jump and find out more about Book Expo America by visiting www.firstbook.org/bea and www.bookexpoamerica.com.
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