The Tucson Festival of Books has a lot to offer children and teens β from thrilling spy dramas to current events.
For those interested in border issues, teens will want to attend βPower, Truth & Lies: Borders and Immigration,β at 2:30 p.m. March 15, in Education Room 351. Panelists are Tehlor Kay Mejia, Patrice Vecchione and Sylvia ZΓ©leny.
Mejiaβs books, βWe Unleash the Merciless Stormβ and βWe Set the Dark on Fire,β take place in a divided, Latinx-inspired fantasy world.
Vecchione is an author and poet whose book, βInk Has No Borders,β is a collection from poets all over the world that shares experiences of young adult immigrants and refugees.
ZΓ©lenyβs book, βThe Everything I Have Lost,β is a fictionalized girlβs diary about growing up in Juarez.
For younger animal lovers, W. Bruce Cameron, author of βA Dogβs Purpose,β βA Dogβs Way Homeβ and βA Dogβs Journey,β all now motion pictures, will talk with young readers about βPuppy Tales,β at 10 a.m. March 15, in Education Room 353.
Those interested in climate change will want to meet Jon Scieszka, who has a middle grade series of books, called βAstroNuts,β about animal astronauts helping with climate change. He will present βChanging the World: A Workshop for Kidsβ at 10 a.m. March 15, in Education Room 349.
Middle grade children and teens who want to be thrilled with spies, detectives and crime fighters will have several opportunities to meet authors.
Spies and Detectives: Intrigue and Mystery, at 1 p.m. on March 14, in Education Room 333, features authors John August, author of the Arlo Finch series; Xavier Garza, author of βMaximilian & the Curse of the Fallen Angelβ and βMaximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angelβ; and James Ponti, author of βCity Spies.β
Dangerous Secrets and Mind-Bending Escapes is at 11:30 a.m. on March 14, in Education Kiva 211. Authors featured are Max Brallier, who writes the βLast Kids on Earthβ series; Ally Carter, author of βWinterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor;β and Trenton Lee Stewart, author of the βMysterious Benedict Societyβ series.
The festival is two months away. Be aware that the schedule may change.