Featured Authors at Teen '13

Teen '13 is coming!  

Authors featured at Teen '13 include some of our favorite Richmond writers.

Gigi Amateau has new book out.  Macadoo of the Maury River is the second in her Horses of the Maury River series (following Chancey).  I always admit that animal books are not my favorite things, but I always love Gigi's. Her writing is so lyrical and beautiful, whether the characters are people, horses, or probably even snakes, I would want to read about them.  (I do hope she stays with horses rather than snakes though.) Candlewick, 2013

A. B. Westrick's Brotherhood is a fascinating look at the Reconstruction period in Richmond.  Shad, a teenage boy, follows his older brother into membership in the Ku Klux Klan.  There are no easy answers as the family struggles through that difficult time. Complicated by his friendship with a group of African-American children, Shad finds himself challenged on many fronts as he tries to figure out how to handle his conflicting relationships.  Viking, 2013

Archon, the sequel to Freakling by Lana Krumweide, was released this week.  I am eagerly anticipating finding out more about Taemon and the mysterious Psi power.  Candlewick, 2013



The event takes place on Thursday, October 17, from 6-8:30 pm, at the Richmond Public Library, 101 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA.  

Teen '13 Book and Author Party

If you read YA, work with tweens or teenagers, or know teen readers, do not miss Teen '13!  A fabulous lineup of YA authors will be at the Richmond Public Library, ready to meet you and tell you about their terrific new books.  The event takes place on Thursday, October 17, from 6-8:30 pm, at the Richmond Public Library, 101 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA.  It's free and open to the public, so bring your friends, your children (of an appropriate age), and their friends, too.

From the Teen Read '13 publicity materials:

"The Richmond Public Library invites book fans of all ages to meet and mingle with fifteen Virginia authors of books for children and young adults. Enjoy a night of refreshments, book sales and signings, prize raffles and more.

Meet featured authors: Aimee Agresti, Gigi Amateau, Hannah Barnaby, Susann Cokal, Kathryn Erskine, Lana Krumwiede, Meg Medina, Elisa Nader, Erica Orloff, Valerie O. Patterson, Madelyn Rosenberg, Sarah Sullivan, Steve Watkins, A.B. Westrick, and Sylvia Whitman.

Book donations will be accepted for the Rappahannock Juvenile Detention Center.

For information, email us at teen13valit@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at #teen13valit, and "like" our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/events/193283700840625/"

Freakling by Lana Krumwiede

Everyone in Taemon's city possesses psi, an ability that lets them control objects with their minds. Taemon's mind, however, works differently.  He can see into the very nature of things, and use that knowledge in powerful ways.  His parents are worried about his unusual talent and want him to keep quiet.  People are watching both Taemon and his brother Yens, people who want to use the boys for their own dangerous purposes.  

Richmond author Lana Krumwiede makes a strong debut with Freakling.  Her fantasy world is well-imagined, drawing readers in with elements of the familiar enlivened by dashes of magic or science, depending on your viewpoint.  A colony of people without psi provide a refuge for Taemon, but when his friend Amma's family is threatened, Taemon realizes that no place is really safe.  Taemon's journey is both physical and psychological as he tries to discover the source of his power and determine where his responsibilities lie--Lucinda Whitehurst.

(Grades 4-7, Candlewick, 2012)