Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2015

Having a hard time finding a bookstore in your neighborhood? Interested in meeting the wordsmiths that put those books together? Look no further than the LA Times Festival of Books to be held on the campus of the University of Southern California on April 18-19.

The Festival of Books begins Saturday morning at 10:00 AM-6:00 PM. The hours on Sunday are between 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Parking is available for $10 in various USC parking lots. Parking is also available from the L.A. Coliseum Lots 1 & 2 for $15. A free shuttle is provided from Lot 2. Admission to the festival is free.

If you love YA books, make sure you visit the SCBWI booth #834 where YA authors will be on hand to discuss and autograph their books.

SCBWI is the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. For the past twenty years that the LA Festival of Books has been held, SCBWI writers and illustrators have been present to discuss their work and sign books. This year you can buy books and art, get autographs, register to win a load of goodies for your favorite school, and enjoy the largest celebration of books in the United States.

Award winning author, Michael Thal will be at the Festival of Books on Sunday, April 19 signing books from 1:00-2:50 PM. His books include:

The Abduction of Joshua Bloom: Tells the story of a teen abduction by an alien race justifying their act in an attempt to save their people. Joshua finds himself in a world dominated by women, and men are subjugated to their whims. He travels to a dinosaur world, visits a water planet, and a world doomed by a star about to nova.

Goodbye Tchaikovsky: A violin virtuoso is plunged into a deaf world, necessitating him to adapt to a new culture and language in order to survive.

David Rothman is an overnight success. He performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with rave reviews attracting the attention of the Queen of England. His future is laid out for him like a well-lit freeway. Then, on his twelfth birthday, David suffers from an irreparable hearing loss, plunging him into a silent world.

How will David communicate with his friends? What about school? Where does his future lie? The novel shows how an adolescent boy copes with deafness.

The Legend of Koolura: Tells the story of the metamorphosis of a pre-teen girl with extraordinary psychic powers overcoming a stalker bent on her destruction.

Koolura is a sixth grade girl who has the ability to dematerialize at will and reappear where she chooses. She can move objects with her mind and can even defy gravity! But will these powers be of any use in stopping a stalker intent on her destruction?

Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback: Koolura has the ability to teleport, levitate, heal, and even fly. But at Camp Saddleback Koolura wakes up drained and powerless. Who or what has stolen her psychic powers?

As Koolura searches for the truth about her power loss, she and the Chumash Girls have to deal with pranksters ruining their cabin and destroying their summer. Campers plan revenge but problems escalate as lives are threatened. Will Koolura and the Chumash Girls solve the mystery at Camp Saddleback?

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Publishers, authors, and performers will be at the festival, too. Make sure you find out where and when you can see them. You can even make an evening of it. Join the Festival After Dark when you can attend Saturday night’s Book Drop Bash where you can rub shoulders with authors and book lovers, alike. Sunday night, April 19 is Literary Death Match, a live show where four authors read their most electric writing for seven minutes before a panel of three all-star judges.

If you want to have a choice of the best books 2015 has to offer, make sure you attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books April 18 and 19, 2015. It promises to be a fun experience for all members of your family.