#1 New York Times Bestselling Authors Rick Riordan and James Patterson on Stage Together for the First Time Ever on May 25th, Live, for One Night Only, at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York City

NEW YORK, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In one of the biggest events in children's publishing, Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, and The Heroes of Olympus series, and James Patterson, author of the Witch & Wizard, Maximum Ride, and Daniel X series, and the upcoming Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, will share the stage for "An Evening with Rick Riordan and James Patterson, hosted by Al Roker," a live special event for their  fans on Wednesday, May 25th at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in New York, NY at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be priced at $5 and will be available through Lincoln Center's website, www.lincolncenter.org; by calling Center Charge at 212-721-6500 or at the theater's box office beginning Saturday, April 30th at 10:00 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit nonprofit literacy organization, First Book.

TODAY Show co-host and literacy advocate Al Roker will moderate the evening, which will include exclusive first looks and readings from each of the authors' latest titles and questions from the audience. For fans outside of the New York City area, the event will be livestreamed so that young readers around the world will be able to submit questions for the authors.

"It is an honor to share the stage alongside James Patterson," said Rick Riordan. "As a former teacher, and a father of once reluctant readers, there is no better feeling than connecting directly with readers. Their enthusiasm motivates and inspires me to continue to write stories."

"I have long admired Rick Riordan's work and career, and am thrilled to share the stage with him to speak directly with young readers.  The opportunity to spend time with fans and future fans is one of my favorite parts of this job, and I am excited to speak with kids directly about  my new book, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life," said James Patterson. "We hope to make it a night that they will always remember."

"Rick Riordan and James Patterson are two of the biggest names in children's books and their books have transformed countless reluctant readers into lifelong readers," said Al Roker. "It is truly exciting and I look forward to being a part of this special evening."  

The event will take place during the industry's biggest trade show, BookExpo America (BEA) and is designed to give readers direct access to their favorite authors during this celebratory time for the publishing industry in New York City.  

The entirety of the proceeds from the $5 ticket price will be donated to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that has provided over 80 million brand new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books.  For more information, please visit www.firstbook.org. The event is sponsored by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (a division of Hachette Book Group) and Disney Publishing Worldwide.

About Rick Riordan:

Rick Riordan is the author of the award-winning New York Times #1 best-selling Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The Lightning Thief, the first book in that series was developed into a feature film. In 2010 he launched two all-new series that both debuted at #1 on multiple bestseller lists- The Kane Chronicles Book One: The Red Pyramid and The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero. His previous novels for adults include the hugely popular Tres Navarre series, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre.  He lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two sons. For additional information on Rick visit: www.rickriordan.com

About James Patterson:

James Patterson is the 2010 Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year," and his books for young readers include the award-winning Maximum Ride, Daniel X, and Witch & Wizard series. In total, his young adult titles have spent more than 200 weeks on national bestseller lists, and all three series are in Hollywood development. He has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson's books have sold more than 205 million copies. His lifelong passion for books and reading led James Patterson to launch the website ReadKiddoRead.com to give adults an easy way to find the very best books for kids. He writes full-time and lives with his family in Florida.

About Disney Publishing Worldwide

Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) is the publisher of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, and The Heroes of Olympus series. DPW is the world's largest publisher of children's books and magazines, with over 250 million children's books and over 400 million children's magazines sold each year. Disney Publishing Worldwide consists of vertically integrated publishing imprints, including Disney Book Group in the U.S., Disney Libri in Italy, and Disney Libros in Spain, as well as an extensive worldwide licensing structure. DPW also publishes a range of children's magazines globally, including Topolino, Le Journal de Mickey, and Donald Duck, as well as family titles in the U.S., which include Disney FamilyFun. Disney English is DPW's English language learning business, including Disney English schools in China and a worldwide retail licensing program. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, Disney Publishing Worldwide publishes books and magazines in 85 languages in 75 countries.  For more information visit www.disneypublishing.com.

About Hachette Book Group:

Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the second-largest publisher in the world. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, and Hachette Digital.

Its bestselling authors include Ansel Adams, Sherman Alexie, David Baldacci, James Bradley, Marc Brown, Christopher Buckley, Jimmy Buffett, Stephen Colbert, Michael Connelly, Ted Dekker, Nelson DeMille, Emily Dickinson, Malcolm Gladwell, Lisi Harrison, Christopher Hitchens, Mary Ann Hoberman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Kiyosaki, Elizabeth Kostova, Nelson Mandela, Patrick McDonnell, Brad Meltzer, Joyce Meyer, Stephenie Meyer, Todd Parr, James Patterson, J.D. Salinger, David Sedaris, Anita Shreve, Anne Rivers Siddons, Nicholas Sparks, Jon Stewart, Trenton Lee Stewart, and Cecily von Ziegesar.

HBG also provides a wide range of custom distribution, fulfillment and sales services to third party publishers including Harry N. Abrams, Amazing People Club, Chronicle Books, Filipacchi Publishing, Gildan Media, Guinness World Records, Hachette UK, InnovativeKids, Marvel, Octopus Books, Oxmoor House, Peterson's, Phaidon Press, Time Inc. Home Entertainment, and Windblown Media.

About First Book:

First Book has distributed more than 80 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada (www.firstbookcanada.org).  By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and the elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit us online at www.firstbook.org or follow our latest news on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FirstBook) and Twitter (twitter.com/firstbook).

SOURCE Hachette Book Group