Pasadena Loves YA book festival returned to the Pasadena Public Library on Saturday, September 23 at our newest library location, Jefferson Branch Library. The festival hosted 17 Young Adult authors and presented a series of panels and book signings. Guests received a free tote bag and Vroman’s Bookstore held a pop-up shop.

Throughout the event, guests had the opportunity to engage in a series of panel discussions featuring the following panel topics: “Our Place in the World,” “Once Upon A Time,” “Haunts, Horrors, & Murder!” and “Misunderstandings & Mishaps.”

Our featured authors included:

  • Nikki Barthelmess, Everything Within and In Between
  • Alex Brown, Damned If You Do
  • Elizabeth Foscue, Boat Girl
  • Brandie June, Curse Undone
  • Marisa Kanter, As If On Cue
  • Yi Shun Lai, A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic (2024)
  • Vanessa Lanang, Fireheart
  • Racquel Marie, You Don’t Have a Shot
  • Gretchen McNeil, Three Drops of Blood
  • Patrick Ness, Different for Boys
  • Jessica Parra, Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success
  • Robyn Schneider, The Future King
  • Lily Sparks, Teen Killers in Love
  • Stephanie Kate Strohm, Twelfth Grade Night
  • Edward Underhill, Always the Almost
  • Rebekah Weatherspoon, Her Good Side
  • Justine Pucella Winans, Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything 

And joined by moderators:

  • Sara Scribner, Librarian from Marshall Fundamental School
  • Kendra Fitzpatrick, Librarian from Valencia Library

 

The event ended with a “Big Book Giveaway,” which offered hundreds of gently used Teen and Young Adult books to be given away to guests.

Since 2014, Pasadena Loves YA was presented annually at Pasadena Central Library through 2020. In 2021 and 2022, smaller events transpired in place of a full-length festival. This year, Pasadena Loves YA has returned to a full-length book festival.

Pasadena Loves YA is presented by Pasadena Public Library in partnership with Bridge to
Books, a grassroots community group, and supported by educators, youth interns, and numerous teen
volunteer groups across the city. Visit www.pasadenalovesya.com or follow @pasadenalovesya on
Instagram for more information.

On behalf of the Pasadena Public Library, thank you to all our 2023 authors and moderators, our authors’ publishers, publicists, marketers, Bridge to Books volunteers, Pasadena Public Library volunteers, and Vroman’s Bookstore.