Pam Withers

Pam Withers of Vancouver, Canada is founder of YAdudebooks.ca. She’s also an award-winning, best-selling author of young-adult outdoor-sports and adventure books – which are particularly popular with boys. A former journalist, editor and outdoor guide (as well as wife and mother), she is a three-time Ontario Library Association Red Maple Award nominee (for Stowaway, Tracker’s Canyon and First Descent), and a Silver Nautilus Book Awards winner for First Descent and The Parkour Club. She has also co-authored Jump-Starting Boys: Help Your Reluctant Learner Find Success in School and Life. Her most recent novels are Cave-In, Mountain Runaways, Drone Chase and The Parkour Club. A popular presenter, she can be booked here. View her book trailers at youtube.
Publishers: Great Plains Press (Cave-In), Dundurn Press (Drone Chase, Stowaway, Trackers’ Canyon), Tundra Books (Andreo’s Race, First Descent), Orca Book (Camp Wild, Breathless, Daredevil Club, Bungee Jump), Whitecap Books/Fitzhenry & Whiteside (10-book Xtreme series), Viva Editions (Jump-Starting Boys) and Menasha Ridge Press (Going Vertical). All her books are available on Amazon, Indigo or at bookstores on request.

Dev Nair

Dev Nair of New Westminster, B.C., Canada is a 10th grade student who recently has gained a strong passion for books. From a young age, Dev Nair has been keen on reading books in the fantasy, sci-fi and mystery genres. He wishes to gain exposure to more books of different genres in the years to come. As a teenager of 15 years, Dev Nair believes he can provide a different perspective and useful reviews on various books that correlate with his age group.

John and Matt Gill

Brothers Jon and Matt Gill grew up adventuring, exploring and reading. They are leaders, creators, teachers and storytellers. Jon develops confidence, adventure and curiosity in his university students and his children. Matt tells stories to donors, partners and worldwide audiences (including his own children) to inspire action for non-profits and strengthen relationships. Matt and Jon live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both believe in the transformative power of great stories.

James Steeves

James Steeves is a middle grade writer and teacher librarian in Mississauga, Ontario. He has participated on steering committees for the Forest of Reading Program for over six years. He has a passion for local history and inquiry-based education, and has written curriculum resources for the Ontario Ministry of Education, the City of Toronto Museums, and Nelson’s History 7 and History 8 textbooks. His current writing projects in children’s fiction are middle grade ghost stories set in local historical places. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario with his wife and three teenage boys, and can usually be found exploring nearby lakes and rivers in his Kevlar canoe, or lurking in cemeteries and haunted places looking for a good ghost story.

Kevin Velayo

Kevin Velayo, who scans dozens of new YA book releases monthly to help shortlist them for fellow YAdudebooks reviewers, is an avid reader who lives in the Philippines. He is also an anti-money-laundering analyst in a business processing output company and the owner of a T-shirt company. He has read ever since he was a kid, mostly sports magazines (he’s a collector of SLAM magazines). The recent pandemic has turned his interest to books. He reads everything: articles, novels, autobiographies, nonfiction, fiction, you name it.

Matt Shipley

Matt Shipley of Vancouver, Canada is a fourth-year education student and writer. He has been a senior news editor at the Capilano Courier for over a year, and fills his fleeting moments of spare time with books and outdoor adventures. His current projects include a YA techno-dystopian romance series, an ongoing list of short stories and an endless array of news articles. When he’s not putting pen to paper, you’ll find him singing, biking or exploring tight creek canyons.

Weldon Ngetich

Weldon Ngetich (LGBTQ+) of Nairobi, Kenya is a professional writer, YouTube scriptwriter, educator and book reviewer. He tutors both English and writing classes and has written a travel guide .