• Free and open to the public
• Free copies of Ways to Build Dreams for the first 100 families
• Presentation and Q&A by Renée Watson
• Meet the author, book sale, and signing
• Bus scholarships available for student groups – full scholarships for public schools, partial scholarships for private schools upon availability. For information, email info@inprint.org
• Discounted books available through Brazos Bookstore

The 2023/2024 Inprint Cool Brains! Series proudly presents #1 New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Honor winner Renée Watson, sharing her new middle-grade novel Ways to Build Dreams.

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include the Ryan Hart series, Some Places More Than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Betty Before X, cowritten with Ilyasah Shabazz, Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, and Love Is a Revolution, as well as acclaimed picture books: Maya’s Song, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Nikole Hannah-Jones, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, and Harlem’s Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Renée splits her time between Portland, Oregon and New York City. Visit her online at reneewatson.net and on social media at @reneewauthor.

Renée joins us to share her new middle-grade novel Ways to Build Dreams, the fourth book in the Ryan Hart series. During Black History Month, Ryan learns more about her ancestors and local Black pioneers, and their hopes for the future, for her generation. She wonders who she wants to be and what kind of person her family hopes she becomes. Drawing on the ambitions of those who came before her and her own goals, Ryan is determined to turn her dreams into reality. About the Ryan Hart series, Kirkus Reviews writes, “Move over Ramona Quimby, Portland has another neighbor you have to meet!” Publishers Weekly adds, “Watson warmly weaves together slice-of-life moments that capture youthful doubt alongside moments of loss and joy, showing a tight-knit family navigating difficulties with plenty of courage and plenty of love.”

***Please note that the book signing will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Upon entering the theater, people wishing to have books signed will be given a number, and the book signing will take place in numerical order after the on-stage presentation.***