Fans of young adult fiction can meet and match wits with 11 acclaimed YA authors at YAllapalooza on Saturday, Jan. 23 at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.
The event offers tweens and teens a chance to mix, mingle and play book-related games with their favorite authors, participate in Q&A sessions and enjoy free pizza and raffle prizes.
Perhaps most exciting to YA insiders will be the appearance of debut author Gavriel Savit, who will appear at the sixth annual event, according to Brandi Stewart, children’s book buyer at Changing Hands. Savit’s book, “Anna and the Swallow,” is about the 7-year-old daughter of a college professor the Gestapo has sent to a concentration camp during World War II. Anna travels the Polish countryside with a mysterious “Swallow Man” in search of her father.
The book’s release date is Tuesday, Jan. 26, but its publisher, Random House, has given Changing Hands special permission to sell it three days early, at the YAllapalooza event. Stewart admits she was “turning cartwheels in the aisles” in excitement when she heard the news.
“‘Anna and the Swallow Man,’ has got the book industry buzzing—big time,” Stewart says. “The book has been getting a lot of attention from early readers, bloggers and reviewers.”
A California YA author and graphic novelist, Cecil Castellucci, gets credit for the original concept that led to YAllapalooza, says Stewart. Castellucci helped create a similar YA event at Vroman’s Bookstore, southern California’s oldest and largest independent bookstore.
“We heard about it and approached her about doing a similar event here [in 2010],” Stewart says. “She invited other writers to do it with her. It became this big thing, so we decided to do it annually. Every few years we have Cecil come out. We keep her in the loop.”
Stewart invites authors who have published books within the last six months to a year—or have new books coming out in January. The event has become so established that book publicists now email her to pitch authors.
Some of the participating authors are from Arizona and some are flying or driving in from other parts of the country. But “all of the authors are with major publishers,” says Stewart.
Part of the fun for young fans is the opportunity to interact directly with authors, rather than simply listening to speeches. Stewart designs activities and games that get readers and authors working together.
Authors appearing at YAllapalooza
Find a detailed list of the 11 participating authors—Austin Aslan, Arwen Elys Dayton, Amy Fellner Dominy, Jaleigh Johnson, Tom Leveen, Shannon Messenger, Amy K. Nichols, Janette Rallison, Gavriel Savit, Janni Lee Simner and Shonna Slayton—along with descriptions of their latest books at changinghands.com/event/yallapalooza2016.
YAllapalooza: What you need to know
- Time/date: 4pm Sat, Jan 23
- Place: Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S McClintock Dr, Tempe
- Contact: 480-730-0205 or changinghands.com/event/yallapalooza2016
