| 10:00 - 10:30 AM ET | Exhibit Hall Opens/Visit the Booths 10:30 - 11:00 AM ET | Opening Keynote
David Levithan, Answers in the Pages (Knopf Books for Young Readers), discusses the perils of censorship and what librarians can do to advocate for readers and educate the public.
Moderator: Ashley Leffel, Librarian, Frisco (TX) Two Sessions Running Concurrently 11:05 - 11:55 AM ET | Debuts of Note
New authors gather to discuss writing their first novels and explore history, family, secrets and truths. Alison Fairbrother, The Catch: A Novel (Random House)
Zoe Sivak, Mademoiselle Revolution (Berkley)
Belinda Huijuan Tang, A Map for the Missing: A Novel (Penguin Press)
LaToya Watkins, Perish: A Novel (Tiny Reparations)
Moderator: Linda Griswold, Youth Services Librarian, Wake County Public Libraries 11:05 - 11:55 AM ET | Finding Yourself: Middle Grade Novels about Discovering Your Truth
These four works from powerhouse authors examine all the struggles that pull at tweens’ hearts—family, friendship, and standing up for oneself, and superpowers? Zetta Elliot, The Witch’s Apprentice (Random House Children’s Books)
Margarita Engle, Singing with Elephants (Viking Books for Young Readers)
Lisa McMann, Map of Flames (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers)
Elly Swartz, Dear Student (Delacorte Press)
Moderator: Myiesha Speight, Book Reviewer, Common Sense Media and SLJ Two Sessions Running Concurrently 12:00 - 12:50 PM ET | Personal Stories
Powerful memoirs recount life in the 21st century. Diya Abdo, American Refuge: True Stories of the Refugee Experience (Truth to Power)
Hua Hsu, Stay True: A Memoir (Doubleday)
Sara Kruzan, I Cried to Dream Again: Trafficking, Murder, and Deliverance—A Memoir (Pantheon)
Jesse Leon, I'm Not Broken: A Memoir (Vintage)
Carmen Rita Wong, Why Didn’t You Tell Me?: A Memoir (Crown)
Moderator: Maryann Penzvalto, Branch Manager, Chagrin Falls and Gates Mills Branches, Cuyahoga County Public Library 12:00 - 12:50 PM ET | Relationship Fiction
From chance encounters to confronting the past, these novels take readers on journeys of love, loss, and life’s bittersweet lessons.
Carter Bays, The Mutual Friend: A Novel (Dutton)
Linda Holmes, Flying Solo: A Novel (Ballantine Books)
Tomi Obaro, Dele Weds Destiny: A Novel (Knopf)
Clare Pooley, Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting: A Novel (Pam Dorman Books)
Cecily Wong, Kaleidoscope: A Novel (Dutton)
Moderator: Ron Block, Branch Manager, Cuyahoga County Public Library System (OH) 12:55 - 1:45 PM ET | Lunchtime Cookbook Club
What’s on the menu? Spicy recipes, accessible go-to meals for the busy home cook, and more. Our cookbook authors take you into their kitchens and offer the behind-the-scenes stories of what food means to them.
Ariel Fox, Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin and Caribbean Cuisine (Kingston Imperial) Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen Keepers (Knopf)
Moderator: Thea James, Cooking for Wizards, Warriors, and Dragons, Media Lab Books & Sr Dir, Digital Customer Operations, Penguin Random House Two Sessions Running Concurrently 1:50 - 2:20 PM ET | Afternoon Keynote Conversation
Join Lisa Lucas, senior vice president of Knopf Doubleday and former executive director of the National Book Foundation, and debut novelist Laura Warrell, author of Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm, as they discuss books, publishing, editing, and more.
Moderator: Barbara Hoffert, Editor, Prepub Alert, Library Journal 1:50 - 2:20 PM ET | Afternoon Keynote Conversation
Writing duo Irene Latham and Charles Waters, known for their thought-provoking poetry for young readers, introduce their debut Young Adult title, African Town (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers).
Moderator: Kristyn Dorfman, Lower and Middle School Librarian, Friends Academy (NY) Two Sessions Running Concurrently
2:25 - 3:15 PM ET | Thrills & Chills
These novels will leave you on the edge of your seat with techno transformations, cold secrets, and sinister summits. Blake Crouch, Upgrade: A Novel (Ballantine Books)
Ashley Flowers, All Good People Here: A Novel (Bantam)
Tess Gerritsen, Rizzoli & Isles: Listen to Me: A Novel (Ballantine Books)
Amy McCulloch, Breathless (Anchor)
Deanna Raybourn, Killers of a Certain Age (Berkley)
Moderator: Ashley Rayner, Librarian, NORC at the University of Chicago (IL) 2:25 - 3:15 PM ET | Love Is a Mystery: Books Your Teens Will Love
From rom-coms to thrillers, these YA novels are too irresistible to miss. Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions (Dial)
Karen McManus, Nothing More to Tell (Delacorte Press)
Kelis Rowe, Finding Jupiter (Crown Books for Young Readers)
Julian Winters, Right Where I Left You (Viking Books for Young Readers)
Moderator: Desiree Thomas, Librarian, Worthington Library (OH) Two Sessions Running Concurrently 3:20 - 4:10 PM ET | Fiction of Connection
Four novels explore the multiple bonds between family, friends, and those still lost and searching. Tess Gunty, The Rabbit Hutch: A Novel (Knopf)
Celeste Ng, Our Missing Hearts: A Novel (Penguin Press)
Emma Straub, This Time Tomorrow: A Novel (Riverhead)
Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A Novel (Knopf)
Moderator: Migdalia Jimenez, Adult Services Librarian, Chicago Public Library 3:20 - 4:10 PM ET | The Horror!
With supernatural torments and ghostly encounters, these terrifying page-turners are not for the faint of heart. Clay McLeod Chapman, Ghost Eaters: A Novel (Quirk Books)
Ramona Emerson, Shutter (Soho Crime)
Alma Katsu, The Fervor (Putnam)
Josh Malerman, Daphne: A Novel (Del Rey)
Moderator: Becky Spratford, Readers' Advisory Specialist Two Sessions Running Concurrently 4:15 - 4:45 PM ET | La Familia as the Foundation of Hispanic/Latinx Literature
While different in style and approach, both juvenile and adult books in Latinx literature honor our roots and celebrate la familia as core elements of our community’s stories. Ruth Behar, Cartas de Cuba, Vintage Español
Sandra Cisneros, La casa en Mango Street, Vintage Español
Erika L. Sánchez, Yo no soy tu perfecta hija mexicana, Vintage Español
Moderator: Elisa Garcia, Librarian, New York Public Library 4:15 - 4:45 PM ET | Audio Panel
Audiobooks bring graphic novels to life in a new way, thanks to a unique creative vision, sound effects, and multiple voice actors! Hear from bestselling graphic novel authors, Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Lunch Lady series), Judd Winick (Hilo series), and Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie (Just Roll with It) and award-winning producer Nick Martorelli on how they create immersive recordings that tackle the challenges of adapting a visual storytelling medium to an audio production.
Moderator: Sarah Hashimoto | 