Book Power

Kristin Treviño, youth and digital services librarian at the South Irving Library, part of Texas’s Irving Public Library, used her knowledge of the impact that connecting young readers with the right book can have to plan an immensely popular event, the North Texas Teen Book Festival (NTTBF).

The festival, which is free, started in 2015, hosting 65 teen authors and 3,500 attendees, with partners from more than 20 school districts and local public libraries. At the 2017 event, over 10,000 attended, some from as far away as Arkansas, Oklahoma, and even Mexico City. The event takes teens seriously as readers, presenting author panels and signings as well as activities such as “speed dating,” in which librarians and teachers play literature matchmaker and give away hundreds of free books.

Treviño stresses the value of local educators, who have inspired enthusiasm among their peers and the teens they teach. In 2016, she added an Educator Day (with professional development credit for attendees) to NTTBF, showing teachers how to bring YA literature into the classroom.

“The excitement for authors and literature is…refreshing,” says Treviño, and “[reinforces] that connection between authors and readers.” By gathering a committed community of librarians and teachers who believe in the power of books, the festival has expanded the world for thousands of teens.