On Saturday, Sept. 24, the Cambridge Public Library and the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School hosted the fifth annual Boston Teen Author Festival. This year the 35 authors who came to the free, open-to-the-public festival included (but were certainly not limited to!) Emily Martin, Nicola Yoon, Lee Kelly, Destiny Soria, Rahul Kanakia, Kim Savage, Roshani Chokshi, and Zoraida Cordova.

This year the Boston Teen Author Festival hosted 10 panels—an upgrade from the usual four. Each guest who attended had the option of attending up to four panels, or three if the guest wanted to stop and get lunch at a food truck outside the library during one of the panels. The food truck available was called Mei Mei, serving delicious Chinese-American food.

The panels focused on a wide range of topics present in young adult fiction, and included fun titles such as: Who Run The World? (Flawed) GIRLS!, Choose-Your-Own-Family Adventure, Advice from the Pros(e), Speculative Fiction Reflecting Our World, and OMG There’s a Body in My Book: Writing Killer Mysteries, and Magic Beyond the Grave.

Each of these panels were hosted by authors of young adult fiction, who talked about their books and how panel themes were represented in their work. Some panelists worked within an interview structure, while others talked about their creative works in conversation. The 45-minute panels all wrapped up with a Q & A from the audience.
During the panels and over the course of the event, festival goers could buy books in the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s lobby. Fans could also get their books signed from all 35 authors, making for many happy young readers.