Young Adult Showcase

Freeman Ng, Megan Cooley Peterson, Chloe Spencer, and Anton Treuer

Saturday, October 19, 2024
Youth & Comics Stage, 3:00pm

YA readers, join us for this year’s Young Adult Showcase, where four terrific authors will present their latest books for teens! You’ll hear about Dead Girls Talking, Megan Cooley Peterson‘s true-crime-inspired thriller; Freeman Ng’s Bridge Across the Sky, a historical novel-in-verse that follows a Chinese teen immigrating to the U.S. a hundred years ago; Chloe Spencer‘s Haunting Melody, a paranormal mystery-romance with themes of mental health and PTSD; and Anton Treuer’s Where Wolves Don’t Die, which follows a young Ojibwe boy as he grapples with identity, family loyalty, and longing for home.

About the Authors

Freeman Ng is a former Google software engineer who is now a full-time writer. Though he lived most of his life a twenty-minute ferry ride from Angel Island and his father entered the country through a process similar to the one described in Bridge Across the Sky (except through Seattle), he never thought about the station and its history until he heard about the poems on the walls—then he knew he had to write about them, and that this story had to be told in verse. Visit him at authorfreeman.com.

Megan Cooley Peterson is an author, editor, and coffee drinker. As a teenager, Megan was part of a cult-like doomsday church that didn’t like to be questioned, but she questioned anyway. She has written numerous nonfiction books for children on a wide variety of topics, including dinosaurs, sharks, urban legends, and haunted objects. She is also the author of two young adult thrillers, The Liar’s Daughter and now Dead Girls Talking. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and daughter. Visit her at megancooleypeterson.com.

Chloe Spencer is an award winning writer, indie game developer, and filmmaker. She is the author of two previous novels, Monstersona and Duality, and many shorter works of fiction. In her spare time she enjoys playing video games, trying her best at Pilates, and cuddling with her cats. She holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Film and Television from SCAD Atlanta. Visit her at chloespenceronline.com.

Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er) is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and the renowned author of many books. His professional work in education, history, and Indigenous studies and long service as an officiant at Ojibwe tribal ceremonies have made him a consummate storyteller in the Ojibwe cultural tradition and a well-known public speaker. In 2018, he was named Guardian of Culture and Lifeways and recipient of the Pathfinder Award by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. Anton Treuer’s s first book for young adults, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask (Young Readers Edition), won the SCBWI Golden Kite. Where Wolves Don’t Die is his first novel. Visit him at antontreuer.com.