The Club at Wild Dunes presents The Islanders’ Big Al Birthday Party, on Friday, July 28th from 3-5 p.m. at the Wild Dunes Swim Center featuring poolside games, inflatable pirate ship, crafts, snacks, a book signing, and more!
“Big Al”– one of the most fearsome and beloved characters in the New York Times bestselling middle grade series The Islanders– is throwing a pool party in celebration of the paperback release of Search for Treasure, written by local authors Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May. “Big Al” is inviting all young readers, and he’s bringing his pal Mr. Gator too, who’s the star of the local picture book, Mr. Gator Hits the Beach, written by Julie McLaughlin and illustrated by Ann Marie McKay. The Village Bookseller will have signed books available for purchase. The authors and the illustrator will give special readings and sign books.
Tickets are $20 per child, age 3 and up. Adults get in free. Every ticket includes a $5 book coupon. To purchase tickets online, click here.
Don’t miss out on the biggest kids’ reading event of the summer. Get tickets now to celebrate with Big Al and his friends!
ABOUT THE BOOKS:
Search for Treasure
Jake Potter is back on Dewees Island for another summer at his grandmother’s house on the remote Dewees Island, where there are no roads, no cars, and no stores. This time, his latest adventure with his best friends, Macon and Lovie, is a mission to find buried treasure somewhere on the island, while battling some unwelcome guests on the island, of both the two- and four-legged kind! On the three friends’ biggest quest yet, they realize that the treasures they really want in life were with them all along.
Mr. Gator Hits the Beach
Bored Mr. Gator accepts a surprise invitation to vacation on Bull Island. But while he's traveling up the Intracoastal Waterway, Mr. Gator meets Lilly, the loggerhead sea turtle. Intrigued by her talk of the ocean, Mr. Gator follows Lilly to the Atlantic but—trouble awaits in this latest adventure of the Mr. Gator series.
AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR BIOS:
Mary Alice Monroe
Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of nearly 30 books, including the beloved Beach House series and Lowcountry Summer series. Monroe has also written picture books and a middle grade fiction book series called The Islanders, which is a #2 New York Times bestseller. Monroe is an active conservationist and supports numerous conservation-focused organizations, including the South Carolina Aquarium and The Leatherback Trust. She lives in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, which is a source of inspiration for many of her books.
Angela May
Angela May is the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Islanders and Search for Treasure. Angela is a former award-winning television news journalist who helps promote great books and share important community stories as a media specialist. Angela is a South Carolina native and lives in Mount Pleasant with her family.
Julie McLaughlin
Julie McLaughlin grew up in the Lowcountry enjoying the beaches and creeks each summer at Pawleys Island, South Carolina. A retired elementary school teacher and a member of the Coastal Conservation League, she now enjoys sharing her love for the coastal region and its wildlife through her stories for young children and the young at heart.
Ann Marie McKay
Ann Marie McKay has been painting and studying art off and on ever since her childhood. A retired English teacher, she is now pursuing a second career as an exhibiting artist and an illustrator. She has also painted Mr.Gator in all three of his Lowcountry adventures.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LITERARY SERIES: This summer event is part of a seasonal literary series exclusive to the Isle of Palms and is a longtime partnership between Wild dunes Resort and award-winning, bestselling author and island resident Mary Alice Monroe.The series of events is as followed:
- Spring Event with featured author
- Summer Event (for families) celebrating children’s literature
- Fall Event with featured author
- Winter Event is the annual gala known as the Wild Dunes Author Event & Weekend with Mary Alice Monroe, which features headlining authors and includes a weekend of activities celebrating a shared love of books with proceeds benefiting local literacy (Reading Partners SC).
If you have ticketing questions about the summer literary event, contact: clubline@wilddunes.com
