Teen Bookfest By the Bay

Saturday February 20 was the scene of the second annual Teen Bookfest By the Bay.
Teens from South Texas gathered at Tuloso-Midway High School for a full day of book & author related events.
Local librarians and educators worked hard to create an exceptional event for those who love bringing books and teens together.
Below are a few images from the day,  
Thanks Thanks Thanks to the authors who traveled all the way to Corpus Christi. Thanks to the sponsors and vendors. Thanks to the planning committee and all of the volunteers.
Thanks to all of the terrific teens who came to Teen Bookfest By the Bay 2016.
Looking forward to more author awesomeness in 2017.

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Author panels and signings allowed teens the opportunity to interact with authors, ask questions, pose for photographs and pick up autographs.

Clusters of teens gathered around the book sale table, checking out cover images, reading back cover copy, and finally making the selection of the book that was "just right" for their personal reading taste.

The program catered to many different interests and included a special manga session, as well as writer and illustrator workshops.  New York City author and illustrator Evan Turk's illustrator workshops completely filled. Teens had the opportunity to learn some basic illustration techniques and then to try illustrating a well-known fairy tale with a collage of their personally created design papers.

Here are a few images of this amazing day: hanging out in The Commons, raffle prize winners, waiting for Victoria Scott's keynote address.

Without question, this photo is my favorite. I found a teen sitting down the hall, back against the wall, totally and completely absorbed in her book. She couldn't wait to tell me about it. "This book is SO GOOD," she gushed. "I'm already up to chapter eleven."
And that is the reason why Teen Book Festivals are so important and why the librarians and educators who organize them are my superheroes.