Special Guest: Author Chrystal D.Giles

Chrystal D. Giles’s refreshing middle-grade debut TAKE BACK THE BLOCK (Random House Books for Young Readers / On sale January 26, 2021 / Ages 8–12) is chock-full of powerful characters and a community every reader will want to be a part of. With beautiful writing and strong historical references inspired by African American experiences,

Chrystal D. Giles is an own voices writer, with a strong focus on creating stories that bring the hopes and hurdles of African American children to the mainstream children's book market. She is a member of SCBWI and was selected as a 2018 We Need Diverse Books Mentee. One of Chrystal's poems appears in the poetry anthology, THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE (Lerner/Millbrook, September 2019).