Stampede to young Texan literary events

First -- the kids will be alright! Spring break season is coming fast, kicked off on a dark and stormy Saturday with the North Texas Teen Book Festival. And once it's spring break, can summer vacation be far behind? 

And there's more for a young person to do during holidays than huddle indoors from the ferocious Texas heat. Especially with a spring through summer roundup of literary events just for them. Note: some of the events are age limited. For others, you only need to be young at heart.

Now-March 9: Time's running out to register for the Dallas Writers Garret's Rail Writers: Time Trekkers Spring Break Writing Camp . Time Trekkers takes writers 11-14 years old on DART light rail March 16-20, from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., to uncover important moments in history while strengthening writing skills in character development, world-building, and story arc.

Registration closes March 9 and is limited to 15 riders. Registration is $400 (including lunch). See the site to register and for additional information.

April 11: Registration (free!) is open for TeenBookCon at Alief Taylor High School, 7555 Sugarland Howell Road, Houston. See the site to register and for list of participating authors and events.

April 18: Teen Bookfest by the Bay at Education Center 2, 209 N Water St., Corpus Christi. Free! See the site for additional information and list (so far!) of participating authors.

May 1: Registration (also free!) opens for the SMART SMART Summer program of the Dallas Public Library. Kids ages 0-18 are challenged to read (or be read to), discover, and create, May 30-August 8. Kids can earn free books over the summer, free food coupons (while supplies last), and more. And, OK, people age 18 and up can also win prizes. See the site for more information and registration.

June 11-14: Registration is already open for CALF, aka, Children's Art and Literacy Festival featuring the classic stories and art of Winnie-the-Pooh, with readings by Young Audiences of Abilene. See the site for additional information and events around the city of Abilene. 

Early registration until May 15, is $12 for children ages 3-12, and $20 for adults age 13 and older. After May 15, registration increases to $15 for children, $20 for adults.