Award-Winning Author DiBarone’s “Botheration: Part One: The Missing Link” To Be Featured at LA Times Festival of Books

Vito DiBarone’s 4x award-winning young adult novel, “Botheration: Part One: The Missing Link,” will be featured at The Reading Glass Books Booth #960 in the Black Zone at the University of Southern California during the LA Times Festival of Books on April 18-19, 2026.

DiBarone, whose passion for science, mystery, and adventure began in childhood in East Orange and Phillipsburg, New Jersey, brings that lifelong curiosity into his storytelling. The novel blends fast-paced action with the pressures of adolescence, centering on a highly intelligent teenager navigating extraordinary circumstances while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.

“The Missing Link” tells the story of 16-year-old Matty Weber, an orphaned genius coping with PTSD after a tragic car crash claims his parents. When a cyberterrorist attack disrupts his school, Matty and his best friend Gabriel are pulled into a worldwide mystery while still dealing with high school rivalries and first love. As events escalate, Matty is forced to confront threats that extend far beyond the classroom, pushing him into a reality that challenges everything he believes about safety and trust.

What begins as an effort to survive school life gradually evolves into a deeper investigation, where each discovery reveals new layers of uncertainty. Matty must rely on his intelligence, instincts, and the fragile alliances forming around him as he works to understand a situation that grows more complex with every step forward.

At the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, readers can explore “Botheration Part One: The Missing Link” at the Reading Glass Books booth. Fans of adventure, mystery, and coming-of-age stories will find a high-stakes journey that blends intellect, emotion, and resilience. The book, along with the other three installments of the Botheration series, is available on Amazon and other major online book retailers.

For more information about the author and his works, visit https://www.mattyweberadventures.com/.

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