A cafe will serve literary masterpiece-related drinks and cakes to go with the writers' events. And you can even meet British author Rachel Joyce at one of the fair's venues, besides attending more than 30 literary talks.

Even underprivileged children have something to look forward to at the fair. Writer Liu Zhenyun, the "reading ambassador" at the event, is hosting a special summer camp for 16 kids from Fujian province's Chuxi village.

"I spent five days last year in the village, teaching them writing and reading. And I'm going to keep my promise of bringing them to see Beijing and a book fair," says Liu.

Typically, the fair runs from 9 am to 5 pm but, this year, the hours have been extended to 6 pm.

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If you go

9 am-6 pm (Aug 22-25); 9 am-3 pm (Aug 26). The main site of the book fair will be at the China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi district of Beijing. There will be some offsite events in the city. Check its official website for more information: www.bibf.net.