On Wednesday, June 10th at 4:00 p.m., author Erika Liodice will join us for an author visit to read her book Rookie of the Year, part of the High Flyers series.

Rocket’s got speed. He’s got talent, along with two blue racing stripes on his wings. There’s only one thing standing between this rookie racing pigeon and his dream of scoring a spot on the High Flyers racing team: ground school.

I interviewed Erika over email, and here's what she had to say about her career: “I’ve had a curious mind and heart and wrote my first book when I was six years old. I have continued to write ever since. One day, while I was driving on the highway, I spotted a truck with the words ‘CONTAINS LIVE RACING PIGEONS' stenciled on the side.” This sparked the author’s curiosity even more as she wondered: what are racing pigeons?

“This led me to discover the 200-year-old sport of pigeon racing, the wonderful winged athletes, and the passionate community of people who raise and race them. Based on these experiences, I created High Flyers, an illustrated chapter book series about the adventures of a hotshot rookie racing pigeon, named Rocket, who is on a mission to become a champion racer, record breaker, and all-around-headline-maker.”

“Today, I travel the country with my racing pigeons and teach people of all ages about this sport.” For more information you can check out Erika’s website.