On Friday, May 5 the Young Adult Diverse Books Book Club and the Middle School Book Club went to Teen Lit Mob at South Burlington High School. It was a great event for literary lovers! National Book Award Finalist and Micheal L. Printz Award recipient, An Na, was the keynote speaker. Speaking from experience, she gave the young writers in the audience inspiration to persevere and keep writing. Students attended workshops that focused on poetry, writing, horror novels, cartooning and CosPlay. After lunch there was an author panel and one of the highlights of Teen Lit Mob is all of the free books!
Each student receives a tote bag filled with new young adult books. Elizabeth Fraga said she was excited to get a copy of Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei. She said, "Icebreaker is an amazing book with complex and compelling characters and plot." Paige Stone said, "One book I received and have finished was I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. I had read two other novels by this author, Salt to the Sea and In Between Shades of Gray. The novel was an interesting account of a history that I was very unfamiliar with. It is set in 1989 Romania, when there was the fall of the Iron Curtain. It was set in the perspective of a teenager who fought for his country's freedom in protests. I'd really recommend it for anyone who would want to learn about communism and the fall of it."
Our students loved hearing directly from the authors, felt motivated to write and inspired to read, had fun and enjoyed being with their peers at an event that celebrates reading, writing and embracing diversity.
Thanks so much to the organizers of this event, South Burlington High School for hosting and the Vermont Department of Libraries for supporting the event.
