Brad meltzer tax that a series of biographies for children to the latest releases are biographies of Amelia AirhartAbraham Lincoln. Atrophies of rosa parks and opera that will be out later this year. This is about 40 minutes. [applause] be making my love as i i got out here and made all the little kids in the back. They will exclude those little kids. Finally, they said well put you up for a period now its your parent and say i have better seats than you do. Thats right. Well teach you some stuff here in washington d. C. So let me say that most of for doing outlaws to see thank you a thank you are coming up tonight. One special thank you because they need to embarrass him. When i started my career in d. C. , when you do your first attack a man whos going to be there. Her mom, dad, sister and then eventually find some strangers who cant. One of the first rangers was elliotts depot, elliot in the morning. You guys know alia . [applause] will tell it on tv now, cc it to us here. Everything is better on television. Elliott was an amazing radio show called dilator morning. Thank you fervor in my hotel. Now your phone on national tv. Weve got presents for everyone. So heres the story. Elliott hosts this great radio show, elliot in the morning. All of a sudden my wife listens to it every morning on the way to work at the u. S. Capitol. Im in california and i get a phone call at 6 00 in the morning california time and i pick up the phone and Missy Elliott is reaching into your house. Im like what . Apparently they sent one of the comic guys on the show. He read my books and said if anyone out there no brad meltzer . I know his book and i want to find out where he lives. Of course washington is filled with ethical people. Every contractor who ever worked in our house calls and gives her address. My wife gets a phone call that theyre breaking into your house. Shes at work, im at home. I call into the station and i can hear when they put you on hold coming you can hear whats being said. I hear i met meltzers window. Got a pretty okay tv, not that nice. And like they really are at our house. So the woman comes on the phone and she says how do we know what you . Out of the heart of paris to you. What color carpet you have . I explained it. Its him, its hidden. Does log over a decade ago. The elliot is here tonight. [applause] mrs. Elliott. The nice part of elliot is he dressed up for the occasion. This is actually a tie for him. I want to thank you or what you do. Is this really on cnbc . No, cspan. Theres a lot of things that i can say on cspan that have probably never been said. Cspan is like i love you, thank you. Without him truthfully many of you would not be here. Show of hands, let be honest. I owe you one. The other ones i dont argue anything for her. That is the best sillinger the rest of the night. [applause] the best tardis is now syndicated in jersey and new york could definitely get twice the annoying people because its jersey. These works, i am Amelia Earhart and i am Abraham Lincoln. Ill tell you about the spokesman when he came from. I guess ive known for thrillers. I write political thrillers and i suddenly am doing Childrens Books. Washington d. C. And virginia right now, so close to d. C. That there is no difference between politicians and children. There is none. Children are just more honest. Theres no difference in writing a thriller or a children book, but i would say these books for me its like my own kids and i was just tired of watching my kid and reality show tvp bowl. That is not a hero. Being famous is different than being a hero. Theres so many better heroes on the history channel. We have Abraham Lincoln cannot Amelia Airhart, how do we do that . Snm going to write books for them, illustrating Childrens Books to show them the stories of the heroes. What we want to do in the book is not just tell you to store you do know about camilla airhart Abraham Lincoln, but also the lives of american. You see lincoln when he is a little boy and amelia at little girl. When you read these books to your kids and grandkids come and they realize the power and potential thats in all of us. See what theyre accomplishing them a little cave. If i tell my dad i got Amelia Airhart flew across the atlantic, is not amazing . My daughter is just not that impressed. She should be, but never as much as they want. But if i tell my daughter that Amelia Airhart when she was seven years old built a homemade roller coaster in her backyard, that she took a wooden crate, put roller skates on the bottom of them and put to wooden planks in them from the edge of the tool shed to the ground, go solve it in the top, looks at her sister insists on going first greater sister says he had genius coming you first. She comes down the side, filters and make out from under her, went on her face. This is the very first time in nearly airhart drops. When she lands in crashes and tumbles down a bad that was awesome, my daughter reads tangos Amelia Airhart is just like me, dad yet shes brave and fun and caring and most important shes alive again. That is the goal of these Childrens Books coming to bring these heroes alive. I dont want to Amelia Airhart to be some blackandwhite figure in a history text book. I want her to be as amazing as she is to all of us. Abraham lincoln as well. The stories are all real. We found a story unless all no one knows from this great group that studies lincoln in illinois, which is an incredible resource for us. Issue story. Abraham lincoln was 10 years old, he goes then fine a group of boys playing with turtles. He loves turtles. Lincoln loved animals when he was little. He sees all these turtles. Go see what theyre doing. Theyre putting hot coals on the backs of the turtles. He feels terrible about this. Torturing and hurting turtles. And not moment he has to decide what to do. In his heart, to do the right thing sometimes with somebody has to. Abraham lincoln and not moment stays the turtle, gets away from the boy and rescues them, does the right thing from the stanza to the bullies. I love when i tell my kids that story. My little one says hes just like me can he loves animals. Hes so nice. Abraham lincoln for him comes back to life. And then our kids have what they do. Thats these books are really about. Its not just telling you the stories and telling you one broker to books. We want to build a library for you. So we have i am Amelia Earhart now, i am Abraham Lincoln now. In june we do i. Am rosa parks and then we do im Albert Einstein and our goal is to build a library you can be proud to give your kids and grandkids to present these books of values. Its about an important thing you teach and share with your kids. It says right on the back of the book, ill speak my mind and speak for others. In Amelia Airhart on the back says i know no bounds. Rosa parks says i will always stand up for myself. Its asking the question why. A vital question. To me, thats what these folks are. Whether you like it or not coming your kids are going to pick euros. You might as well have some say in it. We tend to complain about it. This is my solution and i appreciate you taking the time and coming tonight in sharing this with me. These books are my heart in book form. Thats our goal to put these in the world of my people have this library to share with their kids. Ill tell you as to whether it works or not. Yesterday the New York Daily News took i am Amelia Earhart took it into the classroom. I had no idea about it. They said to put meltzers theory to the test they took it to a classroom. I thought this insert death. This is going to be awful. The kids loved it and they responded to it and they just loved all those things when the carriers inherent circuit themselves. Or make them in the best part came a couple days ago. My wife told me as i left for a tour, my son a couple days ago was wholly. A kid told him where he could say. Hed been telling my older son about it, my 12yearold. My oldest son brad i am rosa parks. My older son says to my younger son, you need to be like rosa parks. You have to stand up and dont let anybody tell you where you consider cant say. My younger son is like i am going to be like rosa parks. My wife is crying. Im in tears. Its working, its working. No one will ever tell my son he cant be an elderly black woman. Theres no way. This is the greatest moment of my life. I just love that rosa parks to him has so much meaning in it so much power into me makes are as important as she ever was and is vital as she ever was. So those are the books and thats what this series is about. The funny part is the new research these books come in there so many things you can even put in the books. We found all of these doors about lincoln. Lincoln was up to the hype always. Abraham lincoln was up to the hype. Ill tell stories of numbers he because they tell me the link and books are almost gone already. In kansas, and theyre like screw lincoln want you amelia said 71. What is amazing is Abraham Lincoln theres a great story couldnt use the book, but their skates here. Hes writing on this horse with another guy and he sees a nest of birds falling out and the birds nns from the street. He gets off the horse and put them back in and the guy hes writing with is why did you stop for a bunch of birds . Lincoln does if i didnt stop, i wouldnt be of the stop thinking about them. Im just like that is Abraham Lincoln to me. That is greatness. You find story after story about that. Hes in his 20th come the army honors the work in the indians. Abraham lincoln bashed america is fighting me and an. This old indian comes into town and he has a letter that says hes a fine and honorable man and he should be trusted. All the people around him listen in. Weve got to get this guy. Get him, hes going to kill us. Abraham lincoln says no, he is protected by me. Anyone who wants to hurt this man has to go through me. Abraham lincoln was a big man, over six feet tall. Certainly are bigger than all of us. So if you want us to go through you, thats a fair fight. He looks at how men and as you choose your weapon then. That is not a ss. Abraham lincoln is just killing it. He could be like an american riding champ today. Thats the real stuff. That is the real Abraham Lincoln. Obviously with it the best month in the book. Every book he was the real stories and of course what they accomplish when they are older. With that said, that introduction. Each book has a title, but the whole series is called ordinary people change the world. That is my philosophy. Its my core belief. I dont care where he went to school, how much money you make. I believe in regular people and their ability to effect change in this world. So i believe in Amelia Earhart and Abraham Lincoln and the english teacher who told me i could write for the first time. I love that i get to share the books with you. When other ordinary person i want to thank him a couple of them. One is my wife is here. Shes in the back page he doesnt get a good seat in the front. She left it for the kids. Otherwise theyre like i said in the front. Not my wife. My washington d. C. Waste isnt that. I want to thank a teacher from college. When i was in college at the university of michigan, i took this class called writing Childrens Books. I love the title. I take a class and we read a Childrens Book. At the end of the year i say, im 19 years old, full head of hair. That little kid laughed at that joke. Hes like you have the lions mane. You are bald. [laughter] i take the class. Can i take it again . Echo back the next semester. She says yeah, take it again. My friend was an artist. It is to write stories. Illustrate them. Thats what we did. Which is great childrens Childrens Book after Childrens Book. Now here i am today with our very first Childrens Book. So i called a couple weeks ago, my professor from michigan i said youll never believe what we did. She said im not surprised. Its a thank you to her. Every teacher here today, you have no idea the impact you have on your students. Every teacher here listening now, thank you for what you do. This demand is really her book in a strange way. [inaudible] [laughter] none, none, screw her over for that. With that said, let me openness to questions that are far more interesting to hearing me talk and talk. You can ask about the thrillers, tv, kids books wouldve you got . [inaudible] can you read a book about you and give it to me for free . Yes, i am brad meltzer will be for free. If i dont give it to you for free, will you buy it . [inaudible] that is the longest ive have ever seen in the whole world. [inaudible] at the Jerry Seinfeld joke. I just stole it. Its a solid joke. Dont let anyone solve it. If i read a book called i am brad meltzer, yours is for free. None of you other guys. None of the kids in the front. What your name . Jason . [inaudible] do you know who grayson as . [inaudible] no free boat. [laughter] other questions. I [inaudible] yes, Abraham Lincoln zero, the bullet that killed Abraham Lincoln. This is actually worth of visual here. So here is what the book looks like. You can see from Amelia Earhart. Youve got Abraham Lincoln. Stand up and hold it up. So here is the front of the book. The question then of course i did. I love chris alioth willis were. This is the crazy part of the story as i was on twitter of all things. I dont know what that is. That noises like okay, washington d. C. Strange noise we all know. So i was on twitter when dakota came on the air, i met them on twitter. Im the last guy at the university who trust many people over the internet. Comment irksome spiderman two xmen, every character you can imagine. I knew his work and loved his work. What i love about his work is what he does is like a mix of kind of peanuts Charlie Brown mixed with calvin and hobbes. The fun of what his work is the seat as hard. Thats what he draws. Thats what this is. I remember coming connive your book once . Scissoring you how great he was. I asked him, the Lincoln Memorial here in d. C. , right click from lincoln getting on the spot where Martin Luther king junior sought when he gave his speech. We are going to see the crowd going all the way to the Washington Monument and the sun in the sky in my has to fall in love with it and this better be the best picture youve ever drawn in your whole life. Thats all it has to be. And he drew this in a moment and its worth really looking at. I know its hard to see for some. When he handed the sin, i was like, its alive. The books are alive and its a real collaboration. So i think usually when you do Childrens Books, the publisher usually picks out the person for you. I came to them and i said this is the guy want to work with because i wanted to be this lovable. If its not lovable, never going to work. We consciously chose to make them kids. Abraham lincoln as a little boy. The best question ive been asked in all interviews, i promise this is true. Did Abraham Lincoln really heavy. When he was seven years old . Yes, he did. Hes the moores home on old little boy ever. He actually drew little lines here. But i love the reporter then asked me not with a straight face that he had no idea. When the editor first looked at it, they said, should we make them bigger i think it older . I said youre going to rob of the match it, trust me on this. Chris drew her age and mental outlook. It. Shes like its right, keep them young. The reason is the love you guys in the front row, all the kids out there can relate, and that is always lovable and thats why they react. Thats frightening the kids in new york in the classroom reacted. To declare, my kids are so not impressed by my writing. Why does anyone want your autograph in their book . Thank you, dear. You know my name some cover . She said my name is on the cover, too, meltzer. [laughter] fairpoint, couldnt argue with it. This is the first thing ive ever reacted to. My son did the other day, can i read the Albert Einstein the early . I was like who are you and what have you done with my son . You never supposed to be impressed by her parents. And thats okay. Thats what keeps you humble and life. Creases are deservedly so that. Idea back that is a good question. What is your name . Scarlet said George Washington as a president , two. Click here for a. [cheers and applause] take a bow. Take a walk. I love it. Are you related to my daughter . Other questions, yes . Regarding the comment you wrote, were did you get the inspiration for that . [inaudible] i love that. First off, anyone anyone holding a Green Lantern ring they are wearing to ask the question, love it. Where do you get the inspiration for batman when you write these stories . I also do, books. To me, books are as important to me as Abraham Lincoln is an Amelia Airhart is and i see that there is he. You know why . That the american mythology. The two of them are real and imaginary and wear their underwear on the outside of japan. When i write batman, i wrote that man last week in a batman story came out. I wrote that with the underwear on the outside my pants. Thats the best day of work for me. The inspiration for those scared heirs, like in any story if you look at the character, trista caird or until your be