FOLD Kids Book Fest 2025
Virtual Events for Grades 9-12
Horror-fied
with Corey Liu and Ryan La Sala
Grades 9 – 12
Thursday, October 30
10:00 am – 10:45 am
Join authors Corey Liu (He’s So Possessed with Me) and Ryan La Sala (The Dead of Summer) as they discuss their new novels, exploring queerness in the horror genre and the terrifying experience of getting published. This event will be moderated by Ameema Saeed. Enjoy this Halloween themed bonus event for Grades 9 – 12.
Recommended for
Grades 9 – 12
You Can Be an Activist
with Charlene Rocha
Grades 8-11
Tuesday, November 4
10:00 am – 10:45 am
What does it REALLY mean to be an activist? Author Charlene Rocha (You Can Be an Activist) explores common misconceptions and examining global and local activism using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Explore how individual strengths can make a collective impact in this timely event for teens. Bring a pencil and the My Activism Blueprint worksheet or a blank piece of paper.
Recommended for
Grades 8-11
The Writer’s Life
with Ray Xu
Grades 9-12
Wednesday, November 5
10:00 am – 10:45 am
The Writer’s Life series explores the journeys of writers who balance their craft with other careers, offering insights into the challenges, inspirations, and unique paths that shape a writer’s life. This year, author, illustrator and story artist Ray Xu (Alterations) discusses the process behind creating his first graphic novel, what it’s like creating storyboards for popular films like KPop Demon Hunters and TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, and what was his path to publishing.
Recommended for
Grades 9-12
Finding True Stories in Everyday Life
with Léa Taranto
Grades 9-12
Thursday, November 6
11:00 am – 11:45 am
Writing prompts can be found anywhere—a photo, a journal entry, a prescription, or even a random list in a notes app. In this workshop, author Léa Taranto (A Drop in the Ocean) helps students discover how to turn everyday primary sources into powerful stories. Participants may use any medium to record their writing, from paper and pencil to laptops.
Recommended for
Grades 9-12
Frequently Asked Questions
To attend events in our Virtual Clubhouse, attendees need to purchase a virtual pass or use their board-wide code for free access.
If your school board has purchased a board-wide pass you have FREE access to all virtual events. The following school boards have purchased a pass:
- Durham District School Board
- Halton District School Board
- Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
- Peel District School Board
- Waterloo Region District School Board
- York Catholic District School Board
Virtual passholders get access to our Virtual Clubhouse, which includes an auditorium featuring more than twenty virtual events especially designed for educators and students Kindergarten to Grade 12. The Clubhouse also includes an Exhibit Hall with exclusive access to book publishers and resources, and a customized resource room for additional support material. All virtual passholders will receive a festival book list and will have access to an educator resource guide, which provides pre- and post-event activities.
You can login to the Virtual Clubhouse for the first time as soon as you register. However, you can't access resources and bonus events until October 30. Live virtual events will begin on November 3 and will run until November 5 - although you'll be able to access them on-demand for the entire school year.
For live events, we recommend logging into the Virtual Clubhouse 10 mins before the event. The event will go live (meaning you'll be able to click on the event video via a JOIN button in the schedule) roughly 3 mins before start time to give people time to enter.
Most of our virtual events are initially offered live - meaning they become available on a specific day at a specific time and include the opportunity to chat live with other attendees, the hosts, and the authors. On-demand events are events that are pre-recorded and will be available as soon as the Clubhouse opens. All virtual events can be watched and re-watched as on-demand events June 30, 2027.
Anyone with a virtual pass will be able to watch all of the on-demand videos until June 30, 2027.
Click here for our book list that includes all of the authors and titles appearing at this year's festival. Click here to purchase titles from our virtual bookseller, Tinlids. Proceeds go towards the festival.
If you've registered for a virtual pass and you're having trouble logging in, email our Virtual Clubhouse tech support team at foldkids@getvfairs.io
Student Access Login (SAL) provides students with access to the platform and allows them to login on their own devices with a generic account that's connected to their educator's account. SALs limit a student's reach on the platform for safety and security reasons. NOTE: Some boards may not be able to share the SALS with their students due to board policy. Please check your board policy before distributing the SALs.
If you're planning to show the events in class, you will not need an SAL, but when you register as an educator who will be showing the events in class, one will automatically be created for you. SALs are helpful if a student is away or if they are planning to watch events on their own device. If you do need an SAL, you must select yes when registering for the SAL to be created.
The FOLD is taking every precaution to keep all guests safe. SALs give students restricted access on the platform. They will never appear on video. While they can pose questions in Zoom, they cannot participate in the chat or on the leaderboard. All questions will be monitored by a designated FOLD team member. Any concerns with student use will result in the suspension of that code and a follow up with the teacher associated with the account. Our Virtual Safe Space Policy will be posted on the platform. In the unfortunate event that inappropriate behaviour does occur, FOLD staff will act swiftly, in consultation with the teacher and school board.
The FOLD Foundation relies heavily on the support of individual donors. If you have the means, please consider becoming a monthly donor and donating $20, $50 or $100/month to the work of the FOLD through Canada Helps, which will provide you with a charitable receipt.