TaobukTeen 2025

“Among the many responsibilities a festival might assume, I believe the one that encompasses them all is this: encouraging young people to fall in love with reading, to experience it as a thrill, so that it becomes part of who they are as they grow.”
— Antonella Ferrara, President and Artistic Director of Taobuk

In line with the Festival’s long-standing educational commitment, TaobukTeen is a programme dedicated to students in upper secondary schools, offering them the chance to engage in the cultural life of the Festival not merely as spectators, but as active participants.

Each year, schools can take part in a wide range of tailored initiatives—spanning reading, creative production, career orientation and direct dialogue with some of the most influential voices in the publishing world.

Designed specifically for schools, Adopt an Author is a reading-centred initiative that invites students to explore works combining literary depth with a reflection on the contemporary world.

Participants are invited to produce either a written review or a short video review for TikTok, to be submitted by 30 May 2025. The most insightful contributions are celebrated during a dedicated event at the Festival, in the presence of the author of the reviewed book.

All participating authors will attend Taobuk and meet the classes involved, creating a valuable opportunity for exchange and dialogue.

The selected titles for the 2025 edition are:

• L’amore di un cane by Susanna Tamaro (Solferino, 2024)
• I virtuosi by Yasmina Khadra (Sellerio, 2025)
• Scienziate. Storie di vita e di ricerca by Elena Cattaneo (Raffaello Cortina, 2024)
• Erotica dei sentimenti. Per una nuova educazione sentimentale by Maura Gancitano (Einaudi, 2024)

Spettri by Monica Maggioni (Longanesi, 2024)

As part of the Italian national programme for Transversal Skills and Career Guidance (PCTO), Taobuk offers a structured educational experience across four thematic areas. These pathways allow students to gain first-hand insight into the inner workings of a major cultural event:

• Concept and artistic direction, led by Antonella Ferrara, President and Artistic Director of Taobuk
• Event organisation, led by Alfio Bonaccorso, Executive Director of Taobuk
• Cultural communication, led by Caterina Andò, Head of Press at Taobuk
• Publishing and content development, led by Giulio Perrone (Giulio Perrone Editore)

Preparatory sessions are held in the weeks leading up to the Festival, while during the five days of the event, students actively contribute to its planning, coordination and communication.

In collaboration with the Arnoldo and Alberto Mondadori Foundation, Taobuk organises a competition inspired by Horcynus Orca by Stefano D’Arrigo, a landmark of twentieth-century Italian literature.

Working from a selected passage of the novel, students are invited to reflect on the relationship between lived experience and inherited knowledge, exploring the contrast between direct perception (vistocogliocchi) and hearsay (sentitodire).

Entries may take various forms—short story, poem, video, illustration, music or podcast—and must be submitted by 9 March 2025.

The three most compelling projects will be awarded a trip to the Turin International Book Fair, where the awards ceremony will take place on 19 May.