Check out our pics!

We've updated our gallery with pics from our festival.  You can view them all under the 2015 Gallery tab.

If you have any pictures to add, please email us or comment below!

More Raffles!

Thank you, +Capstone Publishers for this pile of amazing donations, including ARCS from our very own Margaret Gurevich!

Courtesy of Capstone Publishers

6 Questions: An Author Spotlight Series with Paul Acampora

Paul Acampora, author of I KILL THE MOCKINGBIRD, answers our questions.

Favorite MG authors? Illustrators you admire?

I have so many favorites! Off the top of my head (and in no particular order): Kate DiCamillo, Bruce Coville, Lisa Graff, Anne Martin, David Lubar, Patricia Reilly Giff, Rick Riordan, Josh Berk, Deborah Wiles, Raina Telgemeier, Jordan Sonnenblick, Tim Federle, Lisa  Yee, Rodman Philbrick… If I think for another 5 minutes, I’ll come up with 50 more.

Favorite MG books from the past year (2014/2015)?

UNDER THE EGG by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH by Jennifer L. Holm

EL DEFO by Cece Bell

RAIN REIGN by Ann M. Martin

How/why did you start writing?

I love stories – reading them, hearing them, telling them – so I had ideas in my head. I guess I wanted to see what happened next. And I wanted to see if I could do it. Also, I like to construct a good sentence.

One piece of advice for young writers?

Read everything. Keep a journal. Write every day. (Is that 3 pieces?)

What are you currently working on? 

Novels. Short stories. Op/Ed pieces. A musical. Screenplays. Comedy. Having a good day. Being a good dad. Succeeding at my day job. Making people laugh. Not being an idiot.

Are your characters/stories inspired by real people/events?

Yes. People should be careful what they do and say around me. If they’re interesting, they’ll definitely end up in my journal. They might end up in a book.

6 Questions: An Author Spotlight Series -- David Lubar

David Lubar, author of more than thirty books for middle grade and teen readers, answers our questions!

Favorite MG books from the past year (2014/2015)?

 

I Kill the Mockingbird (by YA Fest Jr author Paul Acampora!)

How/why did you start writing?

 

I loved to read, and I had lots of stories running through my mind.

 

One piece of advice for young writers?

 

Learn to love revision.

What are you currently working on?  (Give us your elevator pitch!)

I'm writing short stories for my 8th Weenies collection. These are short, creepy or funny stories. They've been called "Twilight Zone" for kids.

Are your characters/stories inspired by real people/events?

 

 

I get ideas from events, but then  I like to give them a twist.

Raffle Prize!

Laurel Gale's DEAD BOY: He's dead.  He's stinky.  He just wants a friend.

6 Questions: An Author Spotlight Series: Todd McClimans

Todd McClimans, author of Time Traitor, answers our questions!

Favorite MG authors? Illustrators you admire?

Lois Lowry is my all-time favorite author.  I was a fifth grade teacher and I loved using her books in my classroom.  She provides so many opportunities for kids to think and grow along with her characters.

How/why did you start writing?

I had always enjoyed writing, but I really got started writing stories for my fifth graders.  One of the best ways to get them excited about writing was to write stories for (and about) them.  It never failed to bring great stories out of them as well.  That's where my idea for Time Traitor came from.  Part of our curriculum was the Revolutionary War and I wanted to write something that would entertain kids and trick them into learning some real lessons about history as well.

One piece of advice for young writers?

Write what you know and write about what you love.  Writing is a way to escape into fantastical worlds where you make the rules and determine the outcome.  Think of the most amazing place you'd want to go, real or imaginary, and travel there with your characters.  Smell the air, talk to the animals, and even get into a sword fight or two.  Have fun with it and write something you'd like to read!

What are you currently working on?  (Give us your elevator pitch!)

I'm working on a sequel to Time Traitor, Time Underground.  Kristi, one of the main characters from Time Traitor, discovers that her great-great-great-great-great grandfather was a slave who'd escaped to the north along the Underground Railroad.  But she also discovers that her grandfather had a brother who had run away with him, but was captured by slave catchers and never heard from again.  Kristi and Ty go back to 1858 to find Kristi's ancestors and bring them both to safety along the Underground.

Are your characters/stories inspired by real people/events?

All of the events in my stories are real event, or epochs, in American History.  My characters are somewhat of a conglomeration of many of the interesting students I've worked with over the years.  No one in particular, but bits and pieces of many.  

Raffle Prizes!

Here are two more possible books to win at YA FEST JUNIOR!

Signed by author Kerry O'Malley-Cerra!

Donated by author Miriam Spitzer Franklin

6 Questions: An Author Spotlight Series -- Debbie Dadey

Debbie Dadey, author of the bestselling The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, answers our questions!

Favorite MG authors? Illustrators you admire?  
Richard Peck-I can't tell you how many times I've reread A Year Down Yonder.  I love the illustrations that Tatevik Avakyan has done for my Mermaid Tales series with Simon and Schuster.

Favorite MG books from the past year (2014/2015)?  


Cress by Marissa Meyer

Webmaster Note:  Marissa Meyer's series are for 12+ readers.

How/why did you start writing? 

I love to read and wanted to create something that someone else might enjoy.

One piece of advice for young writers? 
If you find something you want to do, like writing, don't give up when it's hard.  Because, believe me it will be hard at times.

What are you currently working on?  (Give us your elevator pitch!)  

I am just getting ready to start on a new Mermaid Tales book.  It will be book #15 in the series.  I am brainstorming what it should be about.  I will hash about several ideas and then pass them onto my editor to see which one she likes the best.  Then I'll take that little summary and create an outline.  I'll show that to my editor and we can tweak it before I begin to write the story.

Are your characters/stories inspired by real people/events? 

Yes, how could they not be?  I think everything that happens to a writer somehow finds its way into a story.

As a bonus, here's a peek at the newest Mermaid Tales book cover!

Art Instruction with Amanda Rogers

Amanda Rogers will be helping kids learn how to draw basic cartoon shapes during YA Fest Jr!  Here is a little bit about Amanda:

Amanda Rogers is a public school visual arts teacher. She was born in the Lehigh Valley and graduated from Moravian College in 2007. Since then, she has worked in public schools both in the Lehigh Valley and in inner city Washington D.C. For the three years of living in Washington D.C. Amanda found great pleasure in visiting the city’s museums and also began her own pop up art lessons for children and adults named Crinkle. Crinkle was hosted in a clothing boutique in the Northwest quadrant of the city and had its own “pop up” area of the store where art experiences were held. Late in 2014 Amanda moved back to the Lehigh Valley for a new teaching position. Now she is working on her Masters in Educational Technology as well as running Crinkle workshops in downtown Bethlehem and taking clients for in-home private art lessons.

Authors and Illustrators Eric Wight and Matt Myklusch will be leading half hour sessions, as well!

Want to spread the word about YA Fest Jr?

If you want to help promote YA FEST JR, you can with these flyers!

A printable B&W Flyer (PDF):

A full-color JPEG to promote on social media (Click for full version):

If you're sharing, please comment and tell us where!

New Event -- New Site

 
Welcome to the new site for YA Fest Junior!  This event caters to younger readers, grades 3-6.  It will be hosted at the Bethlehem Public Library on Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm.  A list of authors and their books coming soon!

For updates, be sure to follow us here, Facebook, and Twitter!