Kids' Bouchercon 2026
About this Event
About Kids' Bouchercon
Join Calgary Public Library and Bouchercon World Mystery Convention for a fun-filled day of learning from your favourite youth mystery writers! Kids, teens and families can experience the thrills of Bouchercon World Mystery Convention with Kids' Bouchercon, the one-day conference for youth mystery readers and writers.
Learn about code cracking, cryptid hunting, how to write whodunnits, and more. Keynote presentation by Kevin Sands, author of "Blackthorn Key" and "Thieves of Shadow."
Your registration gets you access to Kevin Sands' keynote presentation, along with an afternoon panel featuring leading authors in the genre, and entry to your choice of morning and afternoon learning sessions. A bagged lunch will also be provided to each attendee.
Morning Sessions (11:00am)
Fairy Tales, Superheroes, and Underwear Basketball with Lisa Harkrader (Performance Hall)
Best for ages 8-13.
Find out why author-illustrator Lisa Harkrader does such terrible things to her characters and learn secret tricks to make your drawings leap off the page.
How to Write Whodunnits for Young Mystery Writers with Juanita Rose Violini (BMO Community Room)
Best for ages 14+.
Learn how to build a mystery from the ground up using diagrams, clues, suspects, and red herrings to create a story readers can solve.
So You Want to Be a Writer with David A. Poulsen (Level 0 Room 0-13/0-14)
Best for ages 5-8.
Award winning Canadian author David A. Poulsen offers three key pieces of advice for young aspiring writers while sharing his own sometimes hilarious, sometimes gut-punching journey to becoming the author of 35 books.
Tricks, Heists, Cons, and Scams with Kevin Sands (Level 3 Room 3-16B)
Best for ages 8+.
Explore the psychology of what makes cons work, why your brain gets tricked, and how to protect yourself from scams and the social pressures crooks use to manipulate you!
Afternoon Sessions (2:00pm)
Write Your YA Novel with Jess Lourey (Performance Hall)
Best for ages 14+.
Join New York Times bestselling author Jess Lourey for a fast-paced workshop on turning your idea into a novel using her seven-step POP Method. Bring something to write with.
The Code Busters Club with Penny Warner (BMO Room)
Best for ages 5-10.
Join the Code Busters, crack the codes, solve the mystery, and take home a packet full of secret codes!
Sasquatch Hunters: The Greatest Hide and Seek Adventure Ever with Kate B Jackson (Level 0 Room 0-13/0-14)
Best for ages 8-13.
Learn about cryptid stories from all over the world like Nessie, Chupacabra, Mothman, and of course our friend Bigfoot, or as the Sts’ailes people of British Columbia call him, Sasquatch.
Mystery Moves with Lorna Schultz Nicholson (Level 3 Room 3-16B)
Best for ages 8-18.
Planting clues in a kids mystery novel can be super creative, especially when combining genres. Lorna Schultz Nicholson combines sports and mystery but this workshop is applicable to all genres.
Agenda
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM
Keynote: Explore a World of Adventure, Magic, and Mystery with Kevin Sands
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Morning Session (Choose ONE at registration)
🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
Lunch Break
Info: Retrieve your free bagged lunch (one per attendee) from the Performance Hall, and enjoy live music from Rozsa Arts at the Library musicians.
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
In Conversation: A Mystery Authors Panel with Kevin Sands
Info: Join us back in the Performance Hall for a conversation with festival guests Kevin Sands, Kate B Jackson, Jess Lourey, David A. Poulsen and Lorna Schultz Nicholson, as they discuss the mystery genre and share insights from their personal writing journeys.
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:50 PM
Afternoon Session (Choose ONE at registration)
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:50 PM
Live Reading and Signing with Kevin Sands
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 0.00
