TLASCHOLASTIC AUTHOR PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Tuesday, April 8
TASL Round Table: The Skype’s the Limit! Connecting Authors to School Libraries
2:00pm-2:50pm
Program Description: Skype makes connecting with authors as easy as 1, 2, 3. This panel explains how to host a Skype visit and how it can add a special element to a book club meeting. Learn to take advantage of free Skype sessions with authors.
Author:Lisa Schroeder, author
Presenters: Seantele Foreman, Sablatura Middle School and Michelle Leggett, Educational Technology, Pearland ISD
Children’s Round Table and TASL: Animals Misbehaving: Being Bad Never Felt So Good!
2:00pm-3:50pm
Program Description:Naughty Peter Rabbit’s stories have stood the test of time. Why is innocent misbehavior so funny and engaging to children? Join this panel in a celebration of literary bad influence. Explore the popularity of characters whose escapades offer just the right amount of badness and learn how to use this genre for reading motivation.
Chair: Marianne Follis, Valley Ranch Branch, Irving Public Library System
Authors: Jim Benton, Scholastic Press; Peter Brown, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Nick Bruel, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Aaron Reynolds Group; Polly Horvath, Random House Children’s Books; Aaron Reynolds, Chronicle Books; and Adam Rubin, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Wednesday, April 9
Children’s Round Table: It Can’t Be Science! It’s Fiction!
10:15am-11:50am
Program Description:Kids love fantastic, imaginative aspects of both science fiction and books with scientific plot elements. Stories with science-mindedcharacters can give scientifically enthusiastic children a voice with which to identify. Authors discuss the process of scientific factchecking, when it is acceptable to blur lines between fact and imagination, and how they draw inspiration for their characters.
Authors:Nate Ball, HarperCollins Children’s Books; Megan Frasier Blakemore, Walker Books for Young Readers; Shirley Duke, author; Matthew J. Kirby, ScholasticPress; Wendy Mass, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Kate Messner, Walker Books for Young Readers; and Suzanne Selfors, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
TLA SCHOLASTIC AUTHOR PROGRAMS & EVENTS (continued)
Wednesday, April 9 (continued)
Young Adult Round Table: Spirit of Texas Reading Program
1:00pm-1:50pm
Program Description:Need programming but don’t have much time? Want greater contact with Texas authors and illustrators but don’t know where to start? Need a new resource at your school or public library? Find out what the Spirit of Texas Reading Program Committees have to offer for high school and middle school readers.
Presenters:Natasha Benway, South Regional Library, Montgomery County Memorial Library System, and Jennifer D. Smith, Legacy Middle School, East Central ISD (San Antonio).
Author:Donna Cooner will be presented with the 2014 Spirit of Texas Award for SKINNY.
Children’s Round Table: Telling the Truth: Using Literary Techniques to Present the Facts
2:00pm-3:20pm
Program Description: The core of information literacy is distinguishing between fabrication and reality. Explore why it is important for students to read and understand historical fiction and literary nonfiction. The panel discusses the importance of these resources and the techniques for using them to meet related TEKS.
Presenters:Terry L. Alegria Roper, LibraryServices Cooperative, Region X ESC (Richardson)
Authors:Louise Borden, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon& Schuster; John Boyne and Peter Sis, MacmillanChildren’s Publishing Group; Nathan Hale, AmuletBooks; Maira Kalman, Penguin Young Readers Group;and Deborah Wiles, Scholastic Press
Thursday, April 10
TASL Program: “Haute” Authors
8:00am-8:50am
Program Description:If Anna Wintour were a librarian, these authors would always be in her Spring collection. This panel features a group of literary minds talking about the future of tween and teen literature. Learn how to get these “runway” books carted away by eager young readers!
Presenters:Jill Bellomy, Highland Park Middle School, Highland Park ISD
Authors:Holly Black, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Rae Carson, HarperCollins Children’s Books; Melissa de la Cruz, Disney-Hyperion; Elizabeth Eulberg, Point/Scholastic Inc.; and E. Lockhart, Random House Children’s Books
TLA SCHOLASTIC AUTHOR PROGRAMS & EVENTS (continued)
Thursday, April 10 (continued)
Young Adult Round Table: People Who Look Like Me: Beyond Civil Rights and Migrants in YA Books
10:00am-11:20am
Program Description:A panel of Hispanic and African-American teens and authors discuss the direction they want to see minority representation in young adult literature, especially in non-traditional genres.
Moderator:Jennifer D. Smith, Legacy Middle School, East Central ISD (San Antonio)
Authors: Alaya Dawn Johnson, Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Inc.; Diana Lopez, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Jason Reynolds, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Young Adult Round Table: Other Worlds: Exciting Reads for Teens
10:00am-11:20am
Program Description:Think teens are from another planet? Authors will discuss how they write for this key audience and will share their processes for creating other worlds that engage teens in reading.
Authors:Sophie Jordan, HarperCollins Publishers; Trent Reedy, Jim DiBartolo, and Kiersten White, Scholastic Press; Jonathan Stroud, Disney-Hyperion; and Moira Young, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Young Adult Round Table: Texas Tea (Ticketed)
11:45pm-1:50pm
Grand Hyatt Hotel (600 E Market St) , Bonham E (Green Room) and Lone Star A & B (Texas Tea Event)
Program Description: This is the third annual Texas Tea for YA literature enthusiasts. Authors and librarians will share tea, treats, and a table. Librarians will stay put as authors move from table to table sharing stories over tea and pastries. Lunch will not be served at this event.
A group photo will be taken at 11:50; the event will start at 12:00 noon.
Scholastic Authors Participating: Elizabeth Eulberg, Kiersten White & Jim diBartolo, Trent Reedy, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Victoria Scott
Note: This is a ticketed event. We will be bringing two signed books from each author which will be given to participants.
Young Adult Round Table and Texas Association of School Librarians: Openly YA: The Evolutionof Gay Literary Characters
2:00pm-3:20pm
Program Description:Authors will discuss the evolution of YA books featuring gay characters while exploring the influences and anxieties on gay characters in their own works. Discover how they view the literary landscape ahead as generational shifts change the kinds of stories available to teen readers.
Authors: Aaron Hartzler, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Bill Konigsberg, Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Inc.; David Levithan, Random House Children’s Books; and C. Alexander London, Penguin Young Readers Group
TLA SCHOLASTIC AUTHOR PROGRAMS & EVENTS (continued)
Thursday, April 10 (continued)
Young Adult Round Table: Strong Characters, Strong Stories for YA
2:00pm-3:20pm
Program Description:Featured authors discuss writing strong stories around strong characters for the YA audience. The panel will discuss characters, style, difficult issues, and the writing process.
Authors: Deb Caletti, Simon & Schuster; Elizabeth Eulberg, Point/Scholastic Inc.; Leila Howland, Disney-Hyperion; Nikki Loftin, Penguin Young Readers Group; and Jennifer E. Smith, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Children’s Round Table: The Graveyard Shift: Programming around Mysterious and Scary Books
2:00pm-3:20pm
Program Description:A common question from young readers is, “Where are the scary books?” Join librarians and a panel of authors who create these justright mysteriously scary books as they talk about the cognitive benefits of these stories and offer strategies for teaching literary devices.
Presenter:Sally Miculek, Youth Services, Austin Public Library
Authors: Jonathan Auxier, Amulet Books; Chris Grabenstein, Random House Children’s Books; Natalie Lloyd, Scholastic Press; James Preller, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; Jonathan Stroud, Disney-Hyperion; and Penny Warner, Children’s Books, Egmont Books.
Friday, April 11
Closing Author Session Luncheon with Maggie Stiefvater (Ticketed)
12:00pm-1:20pm
Grand Hyatt, 600 E. Market Street
Program Description: Acclaimed author Maggie Stiefvater (Books of Faerie and the Shiver trilogy) serves up magical tales at the annual closing luncheon celebration. Described as “vibrant and potent” and “utterly original,” Stiefvater reveals the blend of myth and truth in her works.
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