More Than 200 Teenagers Joined Pasadena Central Library’s Successful First “Young Adult” Book Festival

The Central Public Library called its first Pasadena Teen Book Festival a “success” after 221 registered teenagers attended, with additional 90 on the waiting list.

Twenty authors of “Young Adult” books participated at the event last April 26. The keynote speaker was New York Times bestselling author Andrew Smith, whose published books include “Winger,” “The Marbury Lens,” “Passenger,” “Ghost Medicine,” “Stick,” “In the Path of Falling Objects” and his most recent novel, “Grasshopper Jungle.”

Other award-winning authors also joined the panel of speakers such as Carrie Arcos, a National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature for her book “Out of Reach,” Lissa Price, award-winning international bestselling author of “Starters,” published in over thirty countries; and Allen Zadoff, whose “Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have” won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and was a YALSA selection for Most Popular Paperbacks of 2012.

Bestselling-authors Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia, who both wrote “Beautiful Creatures” novels, and Holly Goldberg Sloan, author of “Counting by 7s,” were also onsite to discuss and sign their books.

The other writers who talked during the sessions are musician and screenwriter Jesse Andrews; Kristen Kittscher, who wrote “The Wig in the Window”; Catherine Linka, “A Girl Called Fearless”; Gretchen McNeil, “Don’t Get Mad”; Elizabeth Ross, “Belle Epoque”; Frances Sackett, “The Misadventures of the Magician’s Dog”;

Rachel Searles, “The Lost Planet”; Sarah Skilton, “High and Dry”; Amy Spalding, “Thicker Than Water”; Ann Stampler, “Afterparty”; Amy Tintera, “Reboot”; and Lisa Yee, “Millicent Min.”

Participants received giveaway badges, free books, bookmarks, buttons and accessories. The first 150 ticketed attendees were given free tote bags.

The Pasadena Teen Book Festival is a part of the celebration of the Pasadena Public Library’s 130th anniversary. The event is sponsored by Bridge to Books, a local organization whose goal is to connect the local youth to reading. The group was founded by educator Alyson Beecher and former bookseller Alethea Allarey.

Bridge to Books’ core members include local booksellers, readers, authors, publishers, educators and librarians. Visit http://www.bridgetobooks.org for more information.