Authors, publishers, and readers converged in Austin on October 17-18 for the 2015 Texas Book Festival. There was plenty of programming for kids and teens, with authors Mac Barnett, Rebecca Stead, Meg Medina, Avi, Taye Diggs, M.T. Anderson, Tavi Gevinson, Salina Yoon, Daniel Handler, and many more in attendance. See photo highlights from the festivities below.
Maya Smart (l.), Texas Book Festival volunteer, and Meg Medina, author of Mango, Abuela, and Me (Candlewick) outside of Zavala School. Medina visited the school as part of Reading Rock Stars, a program in which authors from across the country present their works to students in economically disadvantaged public schools. Each child received a signed copy of Mango at the end of each presentation, and Meg handed out copies to nearly 200 children. Photo: Jamie Tan.
A class of students came to the capitol fully prepared for Emma J. Virjan’s presentation of What This Story Needs Is a Pig In a Wig (HarperCollins).
Mac Barnett, co-author of The Terrible Two series (Abrams), has a pointed interest in this book. Photo: Mary Jo Humphreys.
Eric Litwin also participated in the Reading Rock Stars event, staging a dance-off in support of his book The Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants (Little, Brown).
Authors (from l.) Nick Courage (The Loudness, Sky Pony), Nikki Loftin (Wish Girl, Razorbill), and Rebecca Stead (Goodbye Stranger, Random/Lamb) were all on the panel called “Survival of the Fittest,” where they talked about the struggles of the main characters in their latest works.
Students at Smith Elementary hold autographed copies of Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm by Karen Deans, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Holiday House), courtesy of the Reading Rock Stars program.
Author K.A. Holt signs copies of House Arrest (Chronicle).
Authors Emery Lord (The Start of Me and You, Bloomsbury), Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray), and Cammie McGovern (A Step Toward Falling, HarperTeen) with moderator Margo Rabb, signing after their panel, “Not Another Teen Fling.”
Avi (l.) and Brian Floca described Avi’s home in Colorado, which inspired the setting of Old Wolf (Simon & Schuster), and shared photos showing an abundance of rainbows and sunshine.
Sourcebooks authors (from l.) Joy Preble, A.G. Howard, Cory Putman Oakes, Mari Mancusi, and P.J. Hoover soak up the sun with the Texas Capitol Building in the background. Until next year!
