Recent News

TBF 2021 is almost here!

Register to attend, purchase TBF books, swag, and more!

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Now a United Way Donor Designation Eligible Agency

Donate to Teen Book Fest through your company’s annual United Way Campaign. Donor Designation #3338.

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About TBF

Teens can sometimes be overlooked in libraries, with much attention, money, and resources given to children and adults. Somewhat caught in the middle of budgetary constraints, this is our opportunity to dedicate an event to teens, to encourage their reading, and to demonstrate their value to and within our communities. And…to have fun!

Connect

Connect and encourage interaction between teen readers, aspiring writers, and established, award-winning authors.

Promote

Support and celebrate recreational teen reading, and promote spreading the enjoyment of reading to others.

Educate

Entertain, educate, and enrich teens and other Festival participants.

Featured Authors

Paul Griffin

Author of many books, including "Adrift" and "Burning Blue".

Rocky Callen

Author of "A Breath Too Late".

Featured Books

Our Wendy

Peter has lived in the Kielder forest for six years now. Scarred by the secrets of his cruel and buried past, he has stolen and survived with the boys around him for as long as he wants to remember. His most treasured possession is what creates his fantasy: the beloved story of Peter and Wendy. In his head, he has it all. He lives the life of the very fairytale...

By Emerson Ormond
The Gilded Ones: Deathless series (Book 1)

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka...

By Namina Forna
Maya and the Rising Dark: Maya and the Rising Dark series (Book 1)

Twelve-year-old Maya is the only one in her South Side Chicago neighborhood who witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man made of shadows plaguing her dreams. Her friends try to find an explanation—perhaps a ghost uprising or a lunchroom experiment gone awry. But to Maya, it sounds like something from one of Papa’s...

By Rena Barron
The Backups: A Summer of Stardom

Spending an entire summer on tour as a backup singer for pop star Nika Nitro? What?! That's the DREAM, right? Especially for Jenni, Lauren, and Maggie, three misfit performing arts students with hopes of making it in the music world. But being twenty feet from fame isn't easy. Between crushes, constant rehearsals, Nika's sky-high expectations, and their own...

By Alex de Campi

2500 Expected Teens for 2021

Some people claim that teens don’t read! TBF proves them all wrong. Come experience what authors have started calling the Rock Concert of Teen Lit!

200 Volunteers

TBF could not happen without hundreds of volunteers helping to make the day run smoothly. Each year we rely on the energy of over 200 teen and 100 adult volunteers. We have to come call this TBF...

35 Awesome Author Attendees

We have authors coming in from all over the world! TBF has gone international!

16 Years in the Making

And still FREE to attend!

My only complaint? That it didn’t last a whole week!! I really can’t say it enough. It was so much fun meeting so many librarians and fans and other authors.

‐ Jennifer E. Smith