This week, a book fest unites fans and authors in Pasadena; an author-illustrator draws on the wall; and the 1960s are alive and well at an NYC bookstore.
Feeling the Love
Twenty authors and nearly 450 guests gathered for the second annual teen book festival, Pasadena Loves YA, at Pasadena Central Library in California on May 23. The keynote speaker was Mary McCoy, author of Dead to Me (Disney-Hyperion), who also a teen librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library. Here, Victoria Aveyard (center), author of Red Queen (HarperTeen), is all smiles with two fans. Other featured authors at the festival included Julie Berry, Jessica Brody, Steven Chbosky, Kody Keplinger, Morgan Matson, Jennifer Niven, and Kiersten White.
Wall of Fame
When author-illustrator Sara Gillingham (l.) visited the Random House offices in New York City from her home of Vancouver, senior designer John Sazaklis and her editor, Maria Modugno, invited her to draw on the art wall, a designated wall where authors and illustrators are encouraged to doodle and sign their names. In 2012, when the offices were renovated, the division decided to preserve this wall, moving it in pieces to the new floor. Gillingham contributed a scene from her latest picture book, How to Grow a Friend.
Flower Children
Author Sarvenaz Tash celebrated the release of her novel Three Day Summer (S&S), about teenagers in 1969 whose lives are changed at Woodstock, with a peace-loving event at Books of Wonder on May 18. Here, Tash (r.) and her friend, Julie Henehan, dress the part. Guests were also treated to temporary tattoos and flowers, to help them channel a Woodstock vibe.
