I attended an awesome teen book fest this weekend!!!
If you know me very well you know I am a HUGE fan of Ellen Hopkins. From her Facebook post on Thursday I discovered she was headed to Texas so I checked her schedule. She was set to be the keynote speaker at the Austin Teen Book Festival at Westlake High School on Saturday.
Needless to say I got up early Saturday and headed to Austin. The day began with the keynote (ELLEN HOPKINS!!!) and then attendees heard 3 panels of authors based on their shared themes/genres: Dastardly Daydreamers (Fantasy), Moustache Twirlers (Evil Machination), and Boundary Breakers (Realistic Fiction). Book People, a sponsor of the event, provided book sales throughout the day. Four local teen bands performed in the school courtyard. There was pizza and Amy's ice cream to purchase. The day ended with an author signing.
The group of authors was amazing! Many have had books appear on state lists like Tayshas and Lone Star in addition to being national best sellers. Authors included Melissa de la Cruz, Nancy Werlin, Kiersten White, Sophie Jordan, Jon Skovron, Kenneth Oppel, Susane Colasanti, Charles Benoit, Ellen Hopkins, James Dashner, S. A. Bodeen, Pam Bachorz, Ally Carter, Catherine Jinks, and Alexandra Ardonetto.
If you are a MS or HS librarian, I would recommend taking students to this event next year. The event site is www.austinteenbookfestival.com Check it out!
