Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft with Jeff Kinney

Real-life rivals Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft have teamed up for J vs. K, a hilarious illustrated story featuring two talented fifth graders going head-to-head in a competition for the ages. Kwame and Jerry will discuss their book, answer audience questions, and sign copies! They will be in conversation with Jeff Kinney, bestselling author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Tickets for this event go on sale on Friday, April 11th at 9am. Each ticket admits up to two guests and includes one copy of J vs. K which will be signed at the event. Tickets are required to attend this event.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
J and K are the most creative fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School (DAPS). J loves to draw and his wordless stories are J-ENIUS! K loves to write and his stories are K-LASSIC!! Both J and K are determined to win the DAPS annual creative storytelling contest or at least get in the top five. And when they find out that they are both entering The Contest, it's the beginning of one of the most intense rivalries the world has ever seen.

It’s artist vs. writer with plenty of shady double crosses as J and K plot their way to the top. This epic match-up from Newbery medal winners Kwame Alexander (The Crossover) and Jerry Craft (New Kid) celebrates comics, creativity, and the magic of collaboration.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times bestselling author of more than 35 books, including the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, the Newbery medal-winning novel, The Crossover, Becoming Muhammad Ali, co-authored with James Patterson, Booked, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, Rebound, Solo and Swing. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is also the recipient of numerous other awards, including the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. He invites you to visit him at kwamealexander.com on IG and Twitter @kwamealexander.

Jerry Craft is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid, Class Act and School Trip. New Kid is the only novel to ever win the John Newbery Medal, the Kirkus Prize, and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Jerry is also a co-founder of the Schomburg’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He was born in Harlem and grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City. He lives with his family in Connecticut. You can learn more about Jerry at www.jerrycraft.com.

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six–time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, DC, area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.