Not just for Teens
Celebrate and encourage reading at the third annual Austin Teen Book Festival
- Keynote speaker Scott Westerfeld author of Peeps, Uglies and the Leviathanseries.
Book festival season is upon us, kicking off on Saturday October 1st with the third annual Austin Teen Book Festival. The fest is so highly anticipated that they have moved venues from West Lake High School to the Palmer Events Center to make room for the estimated 2,000 teens that will attend this year.
But not that all those 2,000 attendees will be teens. There are a surprising number of adults that come to the festival, to sit in on panels and wait in line to get their books signed.
Saturday's activities begin at 10 am with keynote speaker Scott Westerfeld. The New York Times bestselling author is responsible for the Uglies series and must-read steampunk trilogy, the Leviathan series. Westerfeld is a native Texan who has written eighteen books for both adults and young adults—who better to kick off the fest than a local writer with such wide appeal?
There will be five panels presented throughout the day, and each will be held three times. Here are are few of our top picks:
Pen Fatale
Literary ladies including Gabrielle Zevin (All These Things I've Done), Mary Pearson (The Fox Inheritance), Jessica Brody (My Life Undecided), Alyson Noel (Everlasting) and Alexandra Adornetto (Hades); moderated by Margo Rabb (Cures for Heartbreak).
Alternaworld
A Fantasy panel eaturing Scott Westerfeld (Goliath), Maureen Johnson (Name of the Star), Jonathan Maberry (Dust & Decay) and Brian Yansky (Alien Invasion); moderated by Rosemary Clement-Moore (The Splendor Falls).
Real Life is Messy
Focusing on "Edgy Fiction" with John Corey Whaley (Where Things Come Back), David Levithan (Every You, Every Me), Melissa Walker (Small Town Sinners), Coe Booth (Bronxwood) and Geoff Herbach (Stupid Fast); moderated by Varian Johnson (Saving Maddie).
I Heart Love Stories
A discussion on realistic romance fiction with Simone Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry), Stephanie Perkins (Lola & the Boy Next Door), Jenny Han (We’ll Always Have Summer), Jennifer Zeigler (Sass & Sensibility) and Christina Mandelski (The Sweetest Thing); moderated by Cristina Garcia (Dreams of Significant Girls).
Supernatural Suspense
A panel on the popular genre with Heather Brewer (Vladimir Tod), Jackson Pearce (Sweetly), Tera Lynn Childs (Sweet Venom), Sophie Jordan (Vanish) and Andrea Cremer (Wolfsbane); moderated by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Blessed).
In honor of ATBF’s steampunk theme, this year there will be a photo booth that puts you straight into the Leviathan story—with help from a green screen. To continue the theme, steampunk performer The Darwin Project will be entertaining crowds during lunch.
BookPeople will be onsite selling featured author's books throughout the day. Some rules apply: you may bring up to three personal copies to get signed for every one title you purchase by the same author.
Free and fun for readers of all ages, the ATBF offers a chance to come meet and get to know some of the biggest names in young adult literature. We hope to see you there!