Guest blogger Mariah Lewis is a Library Assistant in The Scholastic Library & Archive.
Over the previous Labor Day weekend I was able to attend a science fiction and fantasy convention in Atlanta, Georgia: Dragon Con. It is an annual event that takes over much of downtown Atlanta and gathers crowds upwards of 57,000. People dress up in a wide variety of costumes, go to panels, and meet famous actors, artists, and authors. There are concerts and parties and plenty of nerdy shopping. Very similar to the local New York Comic Con, Dragon Con first started in 1987, seventeen years after San Diego Comic Con first began. Since larger conventions have been more in the focus of the mainstream media, the idea of these types of conventions is becoming common knowledge. However, it was not always that way.
The first time I attended Dragon Con I was in a stroller with very little understanding of everything that was going on around me. Tagging along with my mother and brother, I ended up going yearly until it evolved into an annual family tradition and, as we all moved apart even farther, an annual family reunion. I have been attending ever since those days where I got to sit back and take everything in in my own personal moving chair and became part of the ever growing crowd.
When I tried to explain to people what Dragon Con was throughout my childhood and teenage years I would get blank stares in return. “It’s a convention for people who love sci-fi and fantasy!” didn’t seem to be the right way to encompass Dragon Con and no one really knew how to handle the idea of a convention for this kind of fun. Now, in 2015, Dragon Con has become so popular that it can be just as crowded as Times Square during the summer!
Looking back, I was incredibly blessed to have grown up in this amazingly nerdy environment where freedom of expression was taken to an entirely different level. The art and culture I was able to experience each year in Atlanta helped me understand myself more than school ever could. It was - and is to this day - a place where you can let loose and be yourself with no fear of judgment! As I watch my niece grow and attend Dragon Con in her own stroller, I can’t help but think that she will have some of these wonderful experiences that I was lucky enough to grow up with.
Now that I am cataloging in The Scholastic Library, I am coming across many books in her age range about dragons and other topics that will help build her into a full grown nerd - as most in our family are - and that inspire the themes and costumes I see most frequently at Dragon Con. While not all of these books are for kids my niece’s age, they will target your child’s age range as they grow up and discover the wonderful world of fantasy and sci-fi literature. Here are my book suggestions for "baby" nerds:
Star Wars ABC (Ages 0-3) Teach the alphabet to your children in a galaxy far, far away! This creative book is fun for any adult sci-fi fans to share with their little ones. Make the alphabet an adventure!
Scholastic Reader: Dragon’s Leaf Collection by Becky Matheson (Ages 3-5) What happens when a Dragon starts a leaf collection? Read to find out!
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Space Justice! by Trey King (Ages 4-8) The Justice League finds their exact opposite in the ‘Bizarro League’ as their entire world is flipped. Will they be battling or joining their silly counterparts in this book? Well, what do you think would be more “bizarro”?
Monsters Myth or Fact? by Thea Feldman (Ages 6-8) This little book is a fun way to bridge the gap between myths and reality. If you ever find yourself explaining that “No, I promise the zombies won’t eat your brains!” or “No, dragons won’t show up and burn the house down” then this book is for you!
Tyme #1, Grounded: the Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison (Ages 8-12) This new series from the same imprint that brought you Harry Potter is a great take on different fairy tales. In this first book, the story of Rapunzel is retold in the world of Tyme.
Wings of Fire #1: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui Sutherland (Ages 9-12) This series takes readers into a world of dragons and tells the story of the war between different dragon tribes. A fun adventure of prophecies, action, and fate, Wings of Fire is a great addition to any fantasy minded family.
Where the Rock Splits the Sky by Philip Webb (Ages 14+) An epic journey, Webb’s book takes readers to 'the Zone', where the laws of nature don’t exist. Another book that allows readers to escape to a different universe with very different problems, Where the Rock Splits allows teens to continue or begin a love for sci-fi and fantasy.
Want more suggestions? Tweet me @mariahreads !
