Mark Your Calendars! — September 10th-12th, 2026
Join us this September 10th through 12th for the second-annual Up, Up, & Read! — three jam-packed days of literary fun. From crafts and music sessions to famous Clay Rice silhouettes and sweet creations with Peachy Pallette Facepainting, this year will be nothing short of an adventure for all involved. Story Times with beloved authors will take place across the three days — explore the full schedule below! The Charleston Library Society invites you and your family to venture down to 164 King Street for summer treats, special readings, a Buxton Books book fair, and so much more.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
FREE ENTRY AND OPEN TO ALL!
Thursday, September 10th
4:30 PM Chris Singleton
5:30 PM Antwan Eady
Friday, September 11th
10:00 AM Local Author Signings
10:00 AM-1:00 PM Peachy Palette Facepainting
10:30 AM-1:30 PM Silhouettes with Clay Rice*
11:00 AM Andrew Barton**
3:30 PM Clay Rice
4:30 PM Lowey Bundy Sichol
5:30 PM Al Roker
*Silhouettes by sign-up only
**With a special visit from some four-legged friends!
Saturday, September 12th
10:00 AM Storytime TBA
10:00 AM Game Table with Al Roker
10:00 AM-1:00 PM Peachy Palette Facepainting
11:00 AM Jonathan Miller
1:00 PM Mermaid Elise
Reserve your silhouette slot with Clay Rice HERE!
To kick off the school year in 2025, The Book Drop hosted its inaugural Up, Up & Read! festival during the first week of August, a three-day children’s literary festival to foster the love of reading and support awareness of The Book Drop initiative. Up, Up & Read! celebrates children’s literature and nurtures the community through programming that cultivates and connects readers of diverse ages and backgrounds with renowned children’s authors while inspiring children to WANT to read and make reading accessible to every child, regardless of circumstances. Visitors enjoyed a full day of Read-Aloud story times, and author panels such as Katie Wray Schon, Price Sigal, Jessica Dawson, Clay Rice, Jonathan Miller, and so many more, musical performances, book signings, summer treats, and art projects inspired by our favorite authors and illustrators.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
For general inquiries, please reach out to Justine Buckley at jbuckley@charlestonlibrarysociety.org
For sponsorship inquiries, please reach out to Jen Comer at jcomer@charlestonlibrarysociety.org
FOR OUR AUTHORS
We are honored to have the continued and ongoing interest of the children’s author community in participating in our Festival. As we curate authors, signings, and books for the fair, we carefully consider all requests, but we do have several guidelines to ensure the highest quality experience for all involved. The following criteria are closely evaluated in considering our selections.
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Preference for books published through traditional third-party publishers
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Titles must be available for sale through our official bookseller, Buxton Books
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Age-appropriate in content and messaging, reflecting diverse perspectives and inclusive values that welcome and engage all children
