Classic Themes; New Stories

Room: Non-Fiction Room (right side of Children's Room), 1st Floor | 1:15 PM- 2 PM

After the presentation, attendees are welcome to purchase a book and/or get their book signed.

Pre-registration is extremely helpful for planning purposes, but is not required. Pre-registered attendees will get priority seating in the event of limited seating. Walk-ins are welcome if capacity allows.

Description

There are certain types of stories that we all know and love: the spunky girl detective, the coming-of-age, the super hero origin. In our panel today we’re taking these traditional stories and expanding their appeal to a new generation of readers.

Biography

Kyla Zhao is an award-winning author whose novels spotlight female empowerment and minority representation—winning praise from CBS, NBC, ABC, Vogue, Buzzfeed, etc. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and recognized by the California State Assembly, Kyla is also a sought-after speaker who has presented at Twitch, Pinterest, Oracle, etc. A Stanford ’21 alum, she now works at a Silicon Valley tech company.

Veera Hiranandani is the author of the Newbery Honor–winning The Night Diary and its companion novel, Amil and The After. She's also the author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award, and several other books. She earned her MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She now teaches at The Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Brittany Thurman is the author of Fly, a Golden Kite Award-winning book, Forever and Always, and the middle-grade detective series, Opal Watson: Private Eye. Born in Louisville, KY, her picture books have rep’d the children of her home state. She studied theater in London, England, and Dramatic Writing at CMU, before working in museums and libraries.

Tracy Baptiste is a New York Times bestselling author best known for the creepy Caribbean trilogy: The Jumbies. She writes fiction and nonfiction for all ages, including the picture book BECAUSE CLAUDETTE, the middle grade AFRICAN ICONS, and her latest books MOKO MAGIC: CARNIVAL CHAOS and the sci-fi adventure BOY 2.0. More info at www.traceybaptiste.com.