Young and published: Meet the Philippine Book Festival kid authors

window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "middle-1" );window.

rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );At an age when most kids are interested in playing outside or online, a remarkable group of young writers is already making a mark in Philippine literature. These talented authors, some barely in their teens, prove that storytelling knows no age as they share their published works at the 3rd Philippine Book Festival (PBF).



Xander Gabriel “X.G.” Antazo, for instance, was only 10 years old when he published his first book, Rey Collins and the Stag of Leighis.

Now 13, he has already published the second book of the trilogy and is already writing the third one. “I didn’t like reading before and my mom had to push me to read Geronimo Stilton books, until at one point, I became interested in reading,” Gabriel shared. “I didn’t even realize I would be an author soon,” added Gabriel, who reads books by Mitch Albom, among others.

.igframe iframe{background: white;max-width: 540px;width: calc(100% - 2px);border-radius: 3px;border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow: none;display: block;margin: 0px 0px 12px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0px;height: 967px;}@media screen and (max-width: 760px){.igframe iframe{height: 710px;}}Gabriel’s books were a product of his training and mentorship with the Book Writers Club (BWC) of the Catholic Filipino Academy.

He’s one of the pioneer mentees of the BWC, which guides young authors from writing their manuscripts up to publishing their books by connecting them with other creatives to help them write their stories.SUPPORTING KIDS. The Book Writers Club trains kids as young as 9 years old to write and publish their own books.

All photos by Elle Guison/Rappler Gabriel is joined by over 40 children who have also published their own books. These children have the opportunity to sell copies of their books, conduct reading and book-signing sessions, and inspire other children who also dream of becoming published authors at the PBF.Trained at a young ageApart from Gabriel, there were other young authors manning their booth at the PBF.

The group includes Pio Calungcaguin, Luna Paulo, Faith Bullena, and Gabriel’s younger sister, Chayylielle Antazo. These kids published their first book at ages 9 to 13.window.

rapplerAds.displayAd( "middle-2" );window.rapplerAds.

displayAd( "mobile-middle-2" );“When Kuya Gabe joined The Writers’ Club and published his first book, I was inspired to do the same so I joined that club,” Chayylielle said.“After some training sessions, I was picked by Teacher Rhoda Osalvo to participate in the next batch of writers who have the potential and skills to publish a book.” .

igframe iframe{background: white;max-width: 540px;width: calc(100% - 2px);border-radius: 3px;border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow: none;display: block;margin: 0px 0px 12px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0px;height: 967px;}@media screen and (max-width: 760px){.igframe iframe{height: 710px;}}Osalvo, the club founder and one of the editors, along with other teachers, carefully select children who are ready to take on the challenge of writing their own book and join the Book Writers Club. Prior to being part of the BWC, most of the children were enrolled in training sessions conducted by The Writers’ Club (TWC).

These trainings from both clubs are available to children who go to the Catholic Filipino Academy, but it is also open to the public.Training sessions cost P5,000 per cycle and it comes with 10 sessions spanned across 10 weeks. They can take more lessons as they go on, but if selected to join the BWC, they are invited to avail the package which includes two TWC cycles, book publications services for editors, beta readers, illustrators, etc, a virtual book launch, and freebies like inclusion in fairs such as the PBF.

Publication costs are separate and shouldered by the kids’ parents, but BWC also connects them with a partner publisher. As per Osalvo, the parents are also invited to join trainings about sales and promotion. They’re also taught how to assist their kids when they ask for help in their writing process.

“It’s more expensive than the TWC training, but in this program, BWC provides the children with everything they’re going to need during the whole book-writing process: that includes an editor, proofreader, beta readers, text layout artists, and graphic designers or book cover illustrators,” said Mei Antazo, mother of Gabriel and Chayylielle.PUBLISHED. Booth visitors show more interest in the books when they find out that they were written by children.

The book-writing process usually lasts two to three months, but other children may take longer depending on the revisions. window.rapplerAds.

displayAd( "middle-3" );window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-3" );While this duration may sound too short, the children shared that this time frame helped them be more disciplined about their writing schedule.

According to 14-year-old Luna, she allocated at least one hour per day when she was writing her book, Ghosting You.Osalva said they also teach the children how to receive comments from their beta readers and editors.“I explain to them that it’s possible that one reader will say that a certain part is nice and they should keep it, but another may say that it lacks substance,” she noted.

“In this case, they have to assess if they should stand their ground and keep the text, but also consider the comments of their editor.”This project was a longtime dream of Osalva and she shared that it makes her very happy that these kids have achieved a dream she had when she was younger. As their mentor, her ultimate dream for them is to be internationally published authors, and possibly later on, become National Artists for Literature and Nobel Peace Prize awardees.

Different genresThese young authors have published various books of different genres: a recipe book with short stories, fantasy fiction, drama, mystery, and stories with moral lessons, among others — all of which can be seen at booth K104 at the Philippine Book Festival. The books, priced at P349 to P549, can be purchased and signed at BWC’s booth where visitors can get a chance to meet and chat with the brilliant young authors.The Book Writers Club is just one of the 104 exhibitors — 95% are local publishers — in the 2025 edition of the Philippine Book Festival, which runs until Sunday, March 16, from 10 am to 8 pm at the Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall.

The highly anticipated fair by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) once again opened its doors to book lovers, authors, artists, and publishers from all over the country for a four-day book experience featuring author meet-and-greets, art workshops, talks, and exhibits centered around Philippine books.FOR KIDS, BY KIDS. Young writers and readers get to interact with fellow kids at the festival.

The event returns with a Filipino Fiesta theme and the same four thematic realms, including Kid Lit — inspired by the Dinagyang Festival, and designed by Juno Abreu — which is an engaging space designed to immerse young readers in the magic of children’s literature. This area is devoted to picture books, chapter books, and young adult novels.“The Philippine Book Festival is our venue to have an evolving discussion.

More than large-scale procurement of books, we are raising young Filipinos with a sense of self and community because when we shape readership, we also shape minds,” said Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Senator Sonny Angara in his speech during the PBF’s opening program.But apart from a venue to convene book lovers of all ages, the NBDB set up the festival as a concerted effort to improve access to and distribution of quality, affordable Filipino-authored books.As a marketplace for both retail and institutional purchases, the PBF is one of the book agency’s endeavors to address gaps in access to quality books, ensuring that relevant and accessible Philippine-authored books saturate the market and schools across the country.

Books for Filipino childrenThe festival presents numerous genres for various audiences, but ultimately, it aims to inspire more children to develop a love for reading. One of the ways this is made possible is PBF being a cost-effective platform for procurement and collaboration for institutional stakeholders, such as the DepEd buyers and procurement officers.COLLECTION.

Since its first run in 2023, the PBF has been reinventing the traditional book festival. This year, the first day of the festival was attended by over 650 scopers, teachers, and institutional buyers from the DepEd to facilitate the purchase of P2.4 billion worth of books that will be used in DepEd schools and libraries across the country.

These scopers will review and evaluate local titles for inclusion in DepEd’s Supplementary Learning Resources (SLR) program.The festival’s 2025 edition presents a new feature that will help facilitate these processes: the availability of book counselors for each of the four realms at the fair. Book counselors are staff from the NBDB who will advise the teachers listing the books they need for their schools, libraries, and local reading hubs.

BOOK COUNSELORS. Daniel Lorenzo Mariano, one of the book counselors manning the Kid Lit realm, explains the counseling process to DepEd scopers and teachers. “In the end, these are just books for our kids.

In this festival, we put ourselves in the shoes of our children and we create this third space that is fun and exciting for all,” said NBDB executive director Charisse Aquino-TugadeFor the young authors at the PBF, the festival is an avenue not just to meet readers and writers alike, but also one to inspire other children of the same age who dream to publish their own book one day.“I love reading and writing because it allows me to explore my imagination,” Gabriel said, encouraging other children to write all their ideas, just as he did when he started his journey to becoming an author.“I have the freedom to create any world that I want and it will still be mine.

” – Rappler.com.