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# Popular Fantasy Author Coming to Jacksonville
When Shannon Messenger decided to try writing a book, she focused on middle grade because "that was the time period in my life when reading had been the most special to me." But, she says, her "BIG IDEA" was a much more complicated story than she'd ever planned to write.
In 2012, after years of world building and writing (and revising), Keeper of the Lost Cities launched into the world, becoming a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller. New books in the series have been coming out every year since then, with a planned tenth book (to be announced).
If that's not exciting enough: Soon, you'll be able to meet her, right here in Jacksonville. We're excited to announce that Shannon Messenger is a featured author at Jax Book Fest 2025!
# Meet Shannon Messenger
Calling all teens into fantasy, adventure, and characters who feel real even in magical worlds: Join us at Jax Book Fest: Youth Readers' Day from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Teen Lit Chat (Author Interview) & Book Giveaway
Shannon Messenger takes the stage from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Hicks Auditorium. A limited number of copies of Keeper of the Lost Cities: Graphic Novel Part 1: Volume 1 and Unraveled Book 9.5 will be given to teens in attendance (while supplies last). A book signing will follow the interview, with additional books available for purchase on-site from Happy Medium Books Café.
Pre-register for this program See all upcoming
Please note: This program is recommended for teens, ages 12-18, but is open to all. To save your seat, please pre-register with your Jacksonville Public Library card. If you do not have one, adult residents can apply online (in as little as two minutes), or you can apply in-person at your local library. If you are unable to pre-register, walk-ins are welcome (as long as there are seats remaining). There is no registration required for Jax Book Fest or the author's book signing.
# Learn More About the Author
Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she learned—among other things—that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She’s studied art, screenwriting, and film production, but she realized her real passion was writing stories for children. She’s the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the award-winning middle grade series, Keeper of the Lost Cities, as well as the Sky Fall series for young adults. Her books have been featured on multiple state reading lists, published in numerous countries, and translated into many different languages. She lives in Southern California with her family—and an embarrassing number of cats.
Find her online at shannonmessenger.com and on Instagram and Facebook at @sw_messenger.
Check out this author's books from your library.
Interviewer Brianna Clark, a staff member of both The Artisan and The Teen Magazine, has been published in Folk Riot Literary Magazine and has had her short play Reset featured in the Red Moon Theater Festival. She has been a featured reader in the Climate Crisis Poetry Contest Public Reading. She currently attends Douglas Anderson School of the Arts as a Creative Writing student.
Interviewer Karrie Sprague is a junior in the Creative Writing Department at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. She is the podcast manager of The Artisan, DA's digital media space.
"Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a telepath–someone who can read minds. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain. Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy who appears out of nowhere, and who can also read minds like her. She discovers there’s somewhere she does belong, and that staying with her family will put her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye. Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known."
A graphic novel adaptation to Keeper, adapted by Celina Frenn and illustrated by Gabriella Chianello, was released on November 7, 2023, covering half of the first book. Part 2, illustrated by Valeria Tenaga Romanazzi, will cover the remainder of the novel and is set to release on December 2, 2025. On April 18, 2024, it was announced that Warner Bros. had landed the rights to the Keeper of the Lost Cities adaptation, with Messenger serving as executive producer.
Reminder: Reading any book by a Lit Chat author in 2025 counts toward your Jax Stacks Reading Challenge completion. Find out what authors we're hosting and join in on the fun!
Books for Fans of Fantasy and Adventure
For Middle-Grade Readers:
- Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
- Keeper of the Lost Cities, Graphic Novel by Shannon Messenger
- City of Dragons: the Awakening storm by Jaimal Yogis
- The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
- Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
- The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
- The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Stewart
- The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
- Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
- Wildlings by Eleanor Glewwe
For Teen Readers/High Schoolers:
- Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
- The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs
- Septimus Heap: Magyk by Angie Sage
- Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
- Otherworldly by F. T. Lukens
- Book 1, The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer
- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
- Lockwood and Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Jax Book Fest 2025: September 13 & 20
Held annually at the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville, Jax Book Fest is our biggest, boldest celebration of authors, authorship, and the written word. It's also a great opportunity for Jax readers to find and support local authors.
Be the first to know about author events, writing workshops, and more!
