2013 Newbery Medal winner to speak at WWU

Katherine Applegate, winner of the 2013 Newbery Award for children's literature, is a featured speaker at the 10th annual Children's Literature Conference next month at Western Washington University.

Applegate's "The One and Only Ivan" is about the gorilla that was kept for years at a Tacoma mall. She also is the author of "Home of the Brave," the "Roscoe Riley Rules" series, and the "Animorphs" series - co-written with her husband Michael Grant, who is also a speaker. The award was announced Monday, Jan. 28, by the American Library Association at its midwinter meeting in Seattle.

Registration is $99 for the conference, which is 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the WWU Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.