FOLD Kids Book Fest

Virtual Events for Grades 6-8

Thursday, October 29

On-demand (Pre-recorded)

Crafting a Ghost Story with Sarena and Sasha Nanua

Authors Sarena and Sasha Nanua lead students through a ghost story writing workshop inspired by their middle grade novel, Spirit Service: Twice the Trouble. In this hands-on event, they break down setting and ghosts, and what happens when your character comes face-to-face with them. Students are encouraged to have paper and pencils handy for this Halloween-themed bonus event. Grades 4-8.

Thursday, October 29

On-demand (Pre-recorded)

Making a “Monster” with Kai Cheng Thom

In this fun, creative writing workshop, author Kai Cheng Thom (The Shapeshifter’s Guide to Gym Class) invites students to dream up their own “monster” while exploring the stereotypes and assumptions we make about people who are different from us. Get ready to write, imagine, and turn those assumptions upside down! Students are encouraged to have paper, pencils, and pencil crayons or crayons for this Halloween-themed bonus event! Grades 6-8.

Tuesday, November 3

09:00 am – 09:45 am

Beyond the Filter: Digital Media Literacy for Pre-Teens with Olivia Pillai Quinney

Filters, AI and social media can make anyone feel like their bodies don’t fit. Join author Olivia Pillai Quinney (Catch, Drive, Release, Recover) as she shares digital resilience tools with students that they can employ when facing the barrage of messages that over-emphasize appearance. Students will leave this event with an understanding of digital red flags and a stronger capacity to identify trusted communities. Grades 6-9.

Wednesday, November 4

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

The Illustrator Battle

Our annual illustrator battle is back! Watch as a brand-new lineup of illustrators battle it out from their own drawing tables through a series of hilarious, interactive challenges. Featuring Canadian illustrators Sid Sharp, Jack Wong, and our Illustrator-in-Residence Ruth Ohi, with host Ardo Omer and special guest Marty Chan, this virtual event is packed with creativity, comedy, and artistic talent. Grades 5–8.

This event is sponsored by Tundra.

Thursday, November 5

9:30 am – 9:45 am

Built Like a Bug: Exploring Bug-Based Inventions with Anjali Joshi

Did you know that scientists and engineers have used bugs as inspirations for really cool inventions? Join author Anjali Joshi (Built Like a Bug) as she shares cool inventions inspired by bugs and leads students through a design activity, followed by an interactive, live trivia game. Students are encouraged to bring paper, pencils, crayons and/or pencil crayons. This event will have a live audience Q&A. Grades 6-8.

Explore Virtual Events

View Virtual Events by Age Group

Find the perfect live or on-demand session for every grade in your school, from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Primary (Grades K-3)

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Junior (Grades 4-6)

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Intermediate (Grades 6-8)

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Teen (Grades 9-12)

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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
An Individual Virtual Pass costs $50 and allows you to access our Virtual Clubhouse for a month after the live festival dates. It includes an interactive scavenger hunt, resources, exhibitors, live events, on-demand events and more.
 
For group tickets for five or more, email the FOLD for bulk pass rates.

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.