Member of TAC: Mattie

Hello! My name is Mattie Reeves, and I'm a sophomore in high school. It was recently that I got into the whole world of books that circulate around Instagram, twitter, youtube, etc., but I am so glad that I decided to join the Teen Advisory Council (TAC). It has given me a new look into everything involving books as well as giving me a place to go and be myself.

Helping out with all the events and author visits have allowed me to open up and make friends with many of the TAC members. The teens that are part of our amazing council are always so welcoming and many of them have the same interests as me. This allows us to sit around and talk endlessly about all the books we've just finished reading. Getting to sit together and talk about our favorite book series—or even a book-to-movie adaptation we recently saw—is the highlight of my week. The whole council does their best to make sure everyone feels comfortable and is involved with all the events we plan.

Growing up, I always had a problem with reading. This made me develop hatred towards it. It wasn't until the sixth grade that I picked up the first book I was truly inspired to read. The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner became the first book I finished and my favorite book. It is the book that turned me into the reader that I am today.

As of right now, my favorite books are The Nemesis Series by Brendan Reichs, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan, The Devouring Grey by Christine Lynn Herman, and Seafire by Natalie C. Parker.

If you can not tell from my long list of—mostly—fantasy books, I am a big fantasy nerd. Being able to jump into a magical world or follow a hero on their journey is one of my favorite things to read about.

Let's talk about events, the most recent one being the Brendan Reichs Chrysalis event featuring Scott Reintgen. I had the honor of being able to plan this event with a few people from the TAC. Everyone pitched in to help with the space theme tapestry you can see hanging behind us (to see a fun picture involving paint ridden TAC members, check out our Instagram @bookmarkstac). The whole event involved Mad-Libs, Space Trivia, and Would You Rather's. We were so fortunate to have Brendan and Scott come back and do another event with us. Being able to meet and hang out with YA authors is about the the best thing that I can say I've had the experience doing.

Be sure to follow us on the blog, on twitter (@bookmarksya), and on Instagram (@bookmarkstac) to stay up to date with our plans for the summer and any up coming events!