We are thrilled to announce the two books that will represent the Commonwealth of Virginia at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC, on August 22, 2026! The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in Washington works with its 56 Affiliate Centers for the Book to fulfill each Center’s mission of promoting literacy and the literary arts, supporting libraries and lifelong learning, and celebrating our nation’s diverse literary heritage, at home and nationwide.
Each of the affiliate centers for the book choses a book for young readers, and one for adults that represents the state’s or territory’s literary heritage. This year, both of Virginia’s books commemorate America 250 in the spirit of the 2026 National Book Festival theme.
The 2026 Virginia Adult Readers’ Selection is Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South by Diane Flynt, a story about how apples changed the south and the nation. Diane Flynt was featured as part of the 2026 Cider Fest, hosted by Virginia Humanities, the Virginia Cider Association, and the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia. We will have signed bookplates by the author at the Virginia Center for the Book’s booth in the Roadmap to Reading section at the National Book Festival!
The 2026 Virginia Young Readers’ Selection is Dionna L. Mann’s Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings, a middle-grade historical fiction novel about a girl growing up in 1930s Virginia, who is determined to find a romantic match for her mother. Dionna L. Mann was a 2026 Festival of the Book author. You can meet this author and have your book signed at the 2026 National Book Festival, where she will be at the Virginia Center for the Book’s booth in the Roadmap to Reading section, from 1:00-2:30 p.m.!
Get your free tickets for the National Book Festival, and give a round of applause to two great books by these Virginia authors!
Roadmap to Reading is sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and supported by the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA).
