Since 2002, the Field Family Teen Author Series has been connecting Philadelphia school students with authors of young adult books. This year is no different, with an exciting lineup of authors ready to speak to local students. Each event in the series is attended by students who have received a free copy of the author’s book and consists of a presentation by the author, followed by a Q&A session.

This fall’s featured authors are Angeline Boulley, Amber McBride, Ala Stanford, M.D., Clint Smith, and Kalela Williams. A full description of the fall lineup is below. Each featured book was carefully selected to resonate with students because we know that when students meet authors who write about characters like them or tackle issues they face, literature becomes more personal, relevant, and real.

Educators, do you want to sign your students up for this amazing opportunity? Contact teenauthors@freelibrary.org for registration information for this fall, as well as to stay up to date on future series.

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

September 15, 2025 [Registration is closed]

From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms. Angeline Boulley is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline Boulley’s award-winning canon of books puts compelling characters and fast-paced action at the center of narratives rich in historical context.

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

October 23, 2025 [Registration is closed]

For fans of You’ve Reached Sam and If I Stay, a hauntingly beautiful, ultimately hopeful novel-in-verse about a girl in between life and death, by National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride. Throughout her newest book, McBride explores connection, memory, and hope in ways that are unforgettable and poignant. McBride earned her MFA with a concentration in poetry from Emerson College in Boston and went on to intern at the Furious Flower Poetry Center where she helped to put on programs honoring Black poets and writers like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou.

Take Care of Them Like My Own by Ala Stanford, M.D.

October 28, 2025 - Registration is open

The founder of the Black Doctors Consortium shares her "inspiring story of overcoming mind-numbing obstacles" (Will Smith), highlighting the devastating racial injustices in our healthcare system in this empowering call to action. Ala Stanford, M.D., is a pediatric surgeon, a national leader in health equity, a health care policy advisor, and a former regional director of the US Department of Health and Human Services of the mid-Atlantic, appointed by President Biden. She lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her husband and children.

How the Word is Passed (Adapted for Young Readers) by Clint Smith

November 5, 2025 [Registration is closed]

Adapted from Clint Smith’s #1 New York Times bestselling and universally acclaimed How the Word Is Passed, this must-read narrative takes readers to historical sites across America, exploring the legacy of slavery to help readers make sense of our nation’s past and present, and be better stewards of their own future. Clint Smith is also the author of the New York Times bestselling poetry collection Above Ground and the award-winning poetry collection Counting Descent. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

Tangleroot by Kalela Williams

November 18, 2025 - Registration is open

Kalela Williams has always loved books, cats, and history. As a child, she began scrawling stories in marbled composition books. As a teenager, she’d blow out her birthday candles and wish for a greater light — to illuminate history through fiction, which makes her debut novel, Tangleroot, literally a dream come true. Kalela has made a career in literary events, directing everything from the citywide read program One Book, One Philadelphia, to the Virginia Festival of the Book. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Kalela now lives in the central Virginia town of Staunton with her partner, with whom she runs a story-centered organization, The Off Center.