Dave Barry to Present Breakfast Keynote at ABC Children’s Institute

Dave Barry, the Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist, newspaper columnist, and author of more than two dozen books for children and adults, will deliver a keynote address at the American Booksellers Association’s fourth ABC Children’s Institute. The educational event, to be held June 21–23 in Orlando, Florida, will also feature keynotes by Kate DiCamillo (Raymie Nightingale, Candlewick) and Julia Alvarez (Where Do They Go?, Triangle Square).

In his Thursday morning, June 23, keynote speech, entitled “I Don’t Want to Grow Up,” Barry (The Worst Night Ever, Disney-Hyperion) will discuss how he first got started writing “juvenile” humor for grownups, and the circumstances that led him to begin writing for children.

The critically acclaimed, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author told Bookselling This Week that the humor in his books for young readers basically shares the same absurdist comic sensibility of his columns and books for adults.

“The subjects of the humor are different when I’m writing for younger readers; obviously there are some topics that aren’t appropriate,” Barry said. “But the essential sources of the humor — misdirection, misunderstanding, absurdity — are the same. Young readers love to laugh.”

Barry loves to write for young people, who, according to him, are “the best readers out there.” The audience at Thursday morning’s keynote will hear from the author about some of the wonderful experiences he’s had talking to children in schools and in bookstores.

Barry, whose nationally syndicated humor column at the Miami Herald ran from 1983 to 2005, is the author of numerous parody and nonfiction books for adults, including Dave Barry Turns 40 (Crown) and I’ll Mature When I’m Dead (Putnam), and four adult novels. His books for young readers include the middle-grade title Science Fair and Peter and the Starcatchers, a Peter Pan prequel series with Ridley Pearson (both Disney Editions).

Disney-Hyperion will publish Barry’s latest book for middle-grade readers, The Worst Night Ever, on April 26. Worst Night is the second book in the series about the hilarious mishaps of adventurous eighth-grader Wyatt Palmer that began in 2015 with the New York Times bestseller The Worst Class Trip Ever.

The author described to BTW how he comes up with the outrageous hijinks and wildly funny plot lines found in his books for middle-graders.

“I start with some young people in a familiar setting — a class trip, freshman year in high school — and ask myself, ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen to these young people?’ And then what would be worse than that?” said Barry. “I’ve found that it’s easier to get them into trouble than to figure out a plausible way to get them out of it. That’s the big challenge of plotting, at least for me.”

In the second book of The Worst series, Wyatt Palmer has moved on to high school, which Barry said requires exploring new emotional territory.

“In the first book, he was mainly dealing with two things: unrequited love for a girl and terrorists,” Barry said. “Now he’s dealing with bullies, smugglers, extremely dangerous exotic animals, and — scariest of all — his little sister.”

When it comes to his own tastes in children’s literature, Barry said J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame is an author he admires because she respects kids as readers. “She proved that young readers love a good, action-packed, non-preachy story, and they don’t care how long the book is,” he said.

When Barry’s own children were growing up, Dr. Seuss books were among his go-to titles. “I believe I read Green Eggs and Ham at least 47 million times to my daughter alone,” he said. “I was extremely relieved when she learned how to read for herself.”

In his keynote, Barry will also regale booksellers with tales from his “other” career: as a rock star musician. Barry was the lead guitarist for the Rock Bottom Remainders when the all-author rock band — which includes other big-name writers like Stephen King and Amy Tan — debuted at the 1992 ABA convention in Anaheim, California.

Performances by the Remainders have raised millions of dollars for charity over the years, and Barry remains close friends with his fellow band members.

“We’re like family now, and we get together pretty regularly,” he said. “Although we’re still terrible at music.”

Barry’s keynote address will take place on Thursday, June 23, from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. in the Salon E Ballroom at this year’s host hotel, the Wyndham Orlando Resort International.

ABC Children’s Group members in good standing who registered for the ABC Children’s Institute before March 31 are also eligible to win prizes from the event’s three keynote speakers. One of the prizes is a trip to Coral Gables, Florida, for lunch with Barry. The winning bookstores will be announced at the institute.

Register for Children’s Institute here.