91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – Rae Carson, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns series, will appear as one of five featured speakers at an author breakfast presented during the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) 17th National Conference & Exhibition. Carson will discuss female character development in the fantasy genre alongside Josephine Angelini, Colleen Gleason, Kate Messner and Sabaa Tahir at the Sunday, Nov. 8, event themed “Girls Rock the Fantasy World.” Registration and more information regarding the event can be found at .

“Carson created a strong female character and an exceptional fantasy world in her Girl of Fire and Thorns series,” said Karen Perry, author co-chair. “Her new book, ‘Walk on Earth a Stranger,’ will introduce us to another strong female – Lee – a girl who can sense the gold in the earth. Set in the 1800’s in the American Gold Rush, Carson has developed a world based on history but flecked with golden magic. She is a speaker not to be missed.”

Carson credits her time playing in a women’s flag football league for her strong women characters. As she writes in the About Rae section of her website:

I was amazed at how even clumsy, unathletic women like us could make such improvements with nothing but hard work and the carefree attitude that if we were going to fail, we were going to do it spectacularly…I blame football for the fact that I tend to write about young women who overcome physical inadequacies to find the hero within.

In September, Carson’s ‘Walk on Earth a Stranger’ was longlisted for a National Book Award in the category of You People’s Literature. The National Book Award is an American literary prize administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization. In an online review on Hypable, "Stranger" was called “heartfelt and exciting” and it “opens a tantalizing door to a literary Promised Land that readers never knew they had been seeking.”

“Fantasy hooks in readers of all ages, whether kids want a book that lets them forget about real life, or smart, strong characters that solve insurmountable problems,” said author co-Chair Mary Ann Scheuer. “These women rock the fantasy world, creating compelling stories of all sorts -- from realistic, historical settings to everyday modern life to complex world building.”

Carson’s AASL national conference appearance is made possible by HarperCollins Children's Books. An additional registration fee of $40 is required in advance of the breakfast. Register today at .

The AASL National Conference & Exhibition is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders. The 17th National Conference & Exhibition, “,” taking place Nov. 5-8, 2015, will feature preconference workshops, author events, concurrent sessions and an exhibition featuring companies relevant to the profession.

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.

Related Links