Enjoy Breakfast with Award-Winning Children's Author Traci Sorell

By Andrea M. Page and Jackie Marshall Arnold

We invite you to the Children's Literature Assembly’s annual event at the 2023 NCTE Convention. Enjoy breakfast with our Keynote Speaker, award-winning author Traci Sorell. The breakfast is Sunday, November 19th, from 7:00am to 8:45am EST in Short North A of the Grand Columbus Convention Center. 

This breakfast will be the highlight of your experience at NCTE. During the event, you will have time to engage with fellow Children’s Literature Assembly members. You can participate in a book raffle for an entire set of 2023 Notable Books. Or perhaps bid on and win a piece of art in our Children’s Literature Art Auction. Most importantly, you will hear children’s author Traci Sorell talk about her two new titles, Contenders and Mascot, and other highlights of her writing journey.

​You will need to purchase a ticket to attend the breakfast, so if you have already registered but would like to join us, call NCTE at (877) 369-6283 and they will help you add the ticket to your registration.  ​

2022 Art Auction, Anaheim, CA (photo courtesy of Andrea Page)

Photo credit: Cody Hammer

Traci Sorell, our featured speaker, is an award-winning author of many books including We Are Grateful:  Otsaliheliga, At the Mountain’s Base, We’re Still Here, Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer, Powwow Day, Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series, and Mascot. As an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, Traci is committed to her community. She is a storyteller who is dedicated to presenting Native Americans in their full humanity through her writing. Traci uses her writing gift to elevate and illuminate Native American contributions to our world. All her work reflects these themes. For some ideas on how to integrate Traci's books into your classroom, please see our previous post. 

Learn more about Traci and how her experiences shape her work during her keynote presentation. You will hear about her newest titles, Mascot and Contenders. Co-authored with Charles Waters, Mascot, a middle school novel-in-verse is told in multiple voices. The middle school characters wrestle with the reality that their school features a racist mascot. When their language arts teacher engages the class in a project debating the “Pros and Cons of Indigenous Peoples as Mascots” controversy ensues across the diverse group of students and the entire community. Mascot earned a starred Kirkus review stating, “a brilliant story not to be missed; deeply engaging from the first page.”

Traci will also discuss her new picture book, Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series. Also receiving a starred review from Kirkus, Contenders highlights the lives of Charles Bender and John Meyers, two Native athletes who make history playing against each other in the 1911 World Series. Her books capture readers’ imaginations.

​Every paid breakfast attendee will walk away with a copy of either Contenders or Mascot. Traci will sign books following the CLA Breakfast program.

If you are a veteran of our CLA Breakfast, you already know what an amazing experience it is! If you have not had the opportunity yet, we invite you to join us for Sunday’s breakfast with an incredible author. Find out what you’ve been missing. The CLA Breakfast is a wonderful opportunity to meet others who are passionate about children’s literature, engage in learning from Traci Sorell, and perhaps go home as a winner of a robust set of award-winning books or an original piece of beautiful art! We hope to see you there!

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Andrea M. Page (Hunkpapa Lakota)  is a board member of the Children’s Literature Assembly and serves as the Co-Chair for the 2023 CLA Breakfast Committee. She is a children’s author, educator and speaker. She lives in Rochester, NY.

Jackie Marshall Arnold is a member of the Children’s Literature Assembly and serves as the Co-Chair for the 2023 CLA Breakfast Committee.  She is an associate professor at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH.