Growing Up: Young Adult Fiction (2009): Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

The
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. The festival was an immediate success and has become the largest and most prestigious book festival in the country, attracting more than 130,000 book lovers each year.

Cecil Castellucci is a writer, filmmaker, actress and singer-songwriter, and engages in many other creative pursuits. She is the author of the young adult novels Boy Proof and The Queen of Cool . Castellucci's latest title is Beige.

Robin Benway's debut novel is Audrey, Wait. She attended college at New York University and UCLA. At NYU, she won the Seth Barkas Prize for Fiction. A former bookseller, she has worked at Ballantine, Knopf, Borders and Book Soup in West Hollywood.

Deb Caletti is an award-winning author and a National Book Award finalist. She is the author of The Queen of Everything and The Nature of Jade. Caletti's sixth book for young adults, The Secret Life of Prince Charming was just published.

Lauren Myracle is the author of many books for teens and tweens, including New York Times best sellers Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen. She lives with her family in Fort Collins, Colo. Myracle's book Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks is available now.

Lisa Yee is the author of children and young adult novels including her latest Absolutely Maybe. She won the 2004 Sid Fleischman Humor award for Millicent Min. Her book Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time was an American Library Assn. Notable Book.