Book Blast! Touching Down at Great Lakes Mall

Kids and families can blast off to a different world today at Great Lakes Mall.

will use the power of reading to take children to a place where little engines overcome insurmountable odds or a young girl realizes that there is more to life than shoes.

Celebrity readers – like The Green Hornet and players from Lake County Captains and Cleveland Gladiators – will guide children on these tours.

Book Blast! is a free family event and it will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in the concourse at the mall.

"Book Blast! is designed to enhance a child’s desire to read, to learn, and to exercise their imaginations, and we can do this by reading wonderful children’s books to them, and colorful storytelling about fantastic events and occurrences,” said Renee Lanzara, the director of mall marketing at Great Lakes Mall.

Guests and celebrity readers will read Strawberry Shortcake: My First Sleepover and children's classic The Little Engine that Could.

They will also read Jerri James's picture book, Shoes, which is about a young girl who realizes she has plenty of shoes and is moved to help others who don't have any.

Shoes is the first book in a series by the Orphan Campaign, an organization created to inspire children to help others. For every $30 donated to The Orphan Campaign, the organization will buy and deliver a new pair of shoes to an orphan in one of 68 countries. In return, a contributor's child will get a free copy of Shoes.

Childen can also bring a new or gently used book to donate to the Lake County YMCA.

Children who come to the event may also receive free comic books, courtesy of Comics and Friends in the mall, crayons from or Build-A-Bear bookmarks. One lucky child will get a Build-A-Bear owl.

All giveaways are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Book Blast! is organized by Simon Kidgits Club, which focuses on health, wellness, education, safety and entertainment for children ages 3 through 8.