Pasadena Loves YA book festival will take place at the Pasadena Public Library (285 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA) on Sat, Sept 17, 2016 from 12-4 pm.
Read MoreTots, Tweens, & Teens Book Fest - Come Join Us
Pasadena and Southern California Friends - Come join in on the fun....
The first Tots, Tweens, and Teens Book Fest will take place on Saturday, May 14, 2016 at Pasadena High School in Pasadena, CA. This event is FREE and open to the public.
When: Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 12 pm to 6 pm
Where: Pasadena High School, 2925 E Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107
Arrive at noon for a special live musical performance by Emily Arrow.
Food will be available for purchase at the festival, so be hungry!
11am – 3 pm The Deli Doctor food truck
12 pm – 3 pm Pie ‘n’ Burger food truck
12 pm – until sold out Cake Girl (gluten-free treats)
1 pm – 3 pm Rita’s Ice of North Hollywood
Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose will be the official bookseller of the event.
Check out the Tots, Tweens & Teens Book Fest Website for more details and to learn more about the authors.
PICTURE BOOK STAGE
Ashlyn Anstee
Bethany Barton
James Burks
Vincent X. Kirsch
Carson Kügler
Tina Kügler
Michelle Markel
Ken Min
Jennifer Gray Olson
LeUyen Pham
Lee Wardlaw
Marcie Wessels
Brian Won
Keika Yamaguchi
with moderator
Carter Higgins
MIDDLE GRADE STAGE
Elana K. Arnold
Pseudonymous Bosch
Barbara Brauner
James Burks
Cecil Castellucci
Andrew S. Chilton
Tracy Holczer
Leslie Margolis
James Iver Mattson
Lin Oliver
YOUNG ADULT STAGE
Elana K. Arnold
Julie Berry
Virginia Boecker
Aaron Hartzler
E. Katherine Kottaras
Michelle Levy
Jessica Love
Nicole Maggi
Gretchen McNeil
Cindy Pon
Amy Spalding
Ann Redisch Stampler
Ingrid Sundberg
Henry Turner
and introducing
Jessica Cluess
It's free, but please register on Eventbrite to let us know you are coming.
Happy Book Birthday: The Tiara and the Terrace
The Tiara and the Terrace
by Kristen Kittscher
HarperCollins (January 5, 2016)
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
Fiction * Mystery * Friendship
About the book:
In this funny, clever novel, perfect for fans of Pseudonymous Bosch and Gordon Korman and a companion to The Wig in the Window, tween sleuths Sophie Young and Grace Yang go undercover at Luna Vista's Winter Sun Festival to catch a murderer before he—or she—strikes again.
Sophie Young and Grace Yang have been taking it easy ever since they solved the biggest crime Luna Vista had ever seen. But things might get interesting again now that everyone is gearing up for the 125th annual Winter Sun Festival—a town tradition that involves floats, a parade, and a Royal Court made up of local high school girls.
When Festival president Jim Steptoe turns up dead on the first day of parade preparations, the police blame a malfunctioning giant s'more feature on the campfire-themed float. But the two sleuths are convinced the mysterious death wasn't an accident.
Young and Yang must trade their high tops for high heels and infiltrate the Royal Court to solve the case. But if they fail, they might just be the next victims.
Check out the Official Book Trailer:
The Tiara on the Terrace spotted live:
Several years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Kristen Kittscher at a YA event that I was a part of in Pasadena, California. Since then, I have had a chance to work with her on other local author events and to also support her books.
Recently, I got to hang with Kristen and the gang at the Live on Green event in Pasadena.
Kristen Kittscher with YA author, Ingrid Sundberg, and Once Upon a Time Bookseller, Romy.
Kristen in a deep conversation with young fans.
A photobooth was set up by Russell Gearheart Photography.
Photobooth in action.
Then on Sunday, January 3rd, I was able to attend her book launch party for The Tiara on the Terrace.
Kristen with fans.
More fun with the photobooth.
Kristen talking about her new book, The Tiara on the Terrace.
Kristen talking about her research and visiting the Wrigley Mansion in Pasadena. She based the Ridley Mansion in her book on the Wrigley Mansion.
Refreshments included root beer floats. If you don't know why, read the book.
A view from above. Kristen spoke to a full house at the Armory Center in Pasadena.
Kristen talking with one of the young actors from her book trailer.
Many books were signed.
Photo Credit: Alyson or Alethea (Read Now, Sleep Later)
Congratulations Kristen on the success of your book launch! Pick up a copy of The Tiara on the Terrace from your local indie bookstore or contact Once Upon a Time in Montrose, CA for an autographed copy.
About the author:
KRISTEN KITTSCHER is a former middle school English teacher and author of tween mystery The Wig in the Window (Harper Children’s, 2013) which garnered a starred review from School Library Journal and was named to ten Best of the Year lists. The 2014 James Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence and a graduate of Brown University, Kristen frequently presents at schools, libraries, and festivals. She lives with her husband in Pasadena, home of the Rose Parade—the inspiration for her most recent novel, The Tiara on the Terrace. Visit kristenkittscher.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter (@kkittscher).
Happy Book Birthday to The Tiara and the Terrace! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of The Tiara on the Terrace. Winners must be 13 years old or older and have a US mailing address.
Pasadena Loves YA Recap
I had the privilege of attending the Pasadena Loves YA Teen Book Festival this past weekend at the Pasadena Public Library. We had a great group of twenty different YA authors, with five panels covering a diverse group of topics over four hours.
The event kicked off in the Auditorium at noon, where the fantastic Mary McCoy delivered a touching keynote speech on the power of reading and the importance of libraries to teens.
The first panel was upstairs in the teen central area (complete with a full-size TARDIS, which can be seen in the background of some of the signing pictures); I enjoyed the temporary change in venue, and it also allowed for a quicker turnaround time between panels, since panels alternated between the auditorium and the teen central. The only downside was that if you weren't close enough to the front of the signing line, you would miss the beginning of the next panel, but that only happened to me once (since I didn't have that many books to be signed).
Signing with Lauren Miller (you can see the TARDIS in the background!).
You can find a list of each author and their respective works on the Pasadena Loves YA website, but the five panel topics, in order, were as follows: Second Chances, The First Time - From First Draft to Finish Line, YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Dial "M" for Murder, and Tough Topics.
Each panel was followed by a signing; while some of the signing lines went by efficiently, others (usually signings for bigger-name authors, such as Kody Keplinger and Stephan Chbosky) were out the door.
The day went smoothly and everyone, from the authors to the attendees, seemed to really enjoy the event. Big thanks to Jane Gov at the Pasadena Public Library and Bridge to Books for coordinating the event, as well as everyone else who helped out. I can't wait for the next Pasadena Loves YA book fest, and I hope to see some of you there!
Photo credits go to Katie Ferguson, who generously allowed me to use her photos of the event.
Carolyn is a teen blogger who shares her favorite YA reads and favorite book related finds with readers on Fridays.
Author Visit with Bob Shea and Lane Smith
Four months ago, I created a short animoto video with pictures of a window display from Once Upon a Time, an indie bookstore in Montrose (CA). The store owner, Maureen Palacios, wanted to enter a contest being sponsored by Macmillan Publishers to win a store visit from author/illustrators Bob Shea and Lane Smith. Part of the requirements was to create a window display for the book, Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads. One of the staff created the window to match the book, and I had about 7 pictures of the window display, but no idea of how I would create something that might actually win the contest. Several weeks later, we learned that the video did indeed win and Bob and Lane would be coming out to California for not only a store visit but a school visit.
Here is the video I created using animoto:
On Friday, February 27th, Hamilton Elementary School hosted Bob Shea and Lane Smith for an author visit. It was also the day that they were celebrating Read Across America.
If you haven't read, Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads, I would strongly encourage you to find a copy and read it.
Bob setting up his presentation before the kids arrived.
There were 300 excited 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders in the audience.
Bob and Lane read Kid Sheriff to the audience and alternated characters and voices. It was a lot of fun.
Bob also shared with students his upcoming book, Ballet Cat The Totally Secret Secret.
Bob and Lane took turns sketching pictures for the students.
Lane sketched out the Stinky Cheese Man for young fans.
There were many enthusiastic questions from the audience.
Principal Frances Weissenberger and Librarian Wayne Yorke have a photo op with Bob and Lane.
Some Pasadena Police Officers were on hand to read in classes and stopped by to pick up some books for kids and grandkids.
Pasadena Unified School District Board Member Dr. Elizabeth Pomeroy was also there to read in a classroom and stopped by to meet Bob and Lane.
On Saturday morning, Once Upon a Time hosted a storytime with Bob and Lane.
Judy recreated her winning window display.
Books were on display and available for purchase.
Children's Illustrator Vincent X. Kirsch stopped in to say hi to Bob and Lane.
2015 Caldecott Winner, Dan Santat came by with his two boys and posed for a picture.
Lots and lots of books were signed.
We gathered some of the local children's illustrators for a picture with Bob and Lane.
At the end, the employees from Once Upon a Time got in for some picture action too.
Thank you Macmillan for this wonderful opportunity and thank you Bob Shea and Lane Smith for sharing your books, talent and humor with us.