YA
Reel Reading for Real Readers: And the winner is….
Welcome to Thursday’s meme Reel Reading for Real Readers started by Amy and Heather over at www.threeteacherstalk.wordpress.com?! I love book trailers and believe in their power to build readership for certain books and engage ALL readers, no matter their reading habits.
Celebrating Books Awards With Teen Readers
The 85th Academy Awards are this Sunday night. The Oscars trumpet the peak of awards season in Hollywood following the Golden Globes and Grammys with flair, pomp, and fashion. Growing up, I loved watching the Oscars. Dressed in my finest wares, I’d lounge for the four hour awards show in front of our box t.v., slices of pepperoni pizza in hand and a 2-liter of Coke. I loved everything: the orchestra, the dresses, the speeches, the movie clips, the hosts.
For book lovers, we feel similarly about the ALA Youth Media Awards in January. Although we may not be decked out in fashion-forward formalware and most of us are streaming the event live through our computers or following the Twitter feed, there are just as many raucuous rounds of applause, audible gasps of shock, and even a little flair at the event.
Readers, just like movie-goers, love to celebrate their favorite books, put them on display, slap big metallic award stickers on their covers, and collect them. IMDB, TCM, and many other Hollywood afficiando sites provide lists of the top 100 films. Film followers find pride and enjoyment in having watched all 100 of those films just as readers find a sense of accomplishment and pride in having read all the Newbery award winners since 1929 with the Twitter meme #nerdbery.
This week in the library I am unveiling our latest special display: 2013 Book Awards. Books featured in the display are recipients of the Newbery, Printz, National Book Award, Morris Award, Pulitzer, and Nobel just to name a few.
Take time to celebrate books and authors who have been recognized for their contribution to children’s and teen literature with book trailers from some of the 2013 recipients:
Reel Reading for Real Readers: Maggie Stiefvater
How excited am I about this new meme, Reel Reading for Real Readers started by Amy and Heather over at www.threeteacherstalk.wordpress.com?! I love book trailers and believe in their power to build readership for certain books and engage ALL readers, no matter their reading habits.
Today, I am featuring two book trailers for my author BFF, Maggie Stiefvater. Don’t believe we are BFFs? Check out this awesome pic from NCTE of the two of us. ‘Nuff said.
Maggie is a master at fantasy, folklore, and mythology. Check out the trailers (illustrated and produced by Maggie herself) for two of her books.
Trailer Thursday–Books to the Big Screen
The Golden Globes recently aired on television, ushering in the awards’ season for film and t.v. Next month, the Oscar’s will air with all its glamor and glory. In the spirit of the season, I wanted to feature a few books that will be released this spring as feature films! Eeek! There are few greater pleasures as a reader when a book that you love is turned into a movie that you love (and few worse experiences as a reader when a book you love is turned into a movie that you hate…).
It’s Monday! What are you reading? 1/21/13
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Overall, if was a fairly productive and satisfying reading week. I attended a conference over the weekend, however, that amplified my TBR list to include a healthy selection of nonfiction titles especially. So here’s my report:
Books I Finished:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Of course I adored Katsa’s chutzpah, her super-survival abilities, and her yummy un-boyfriend, Po. Since I finished it, I’ve had the nagging desire to change my calico cat’s name to Po. But seeing as how she’s not a boy, and Po probably would turn his nose up at that, I guess we’ll stick to Bebe afterall.
3.5 stars for an overall enjoyable story with some twists and depth of character, especially in the secondary character department (Bitterblue and even Leke), but nothing in her prose pushed me over the top.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. You all told me I would love it, and I harbored some doubts half-way through the book, but then there was Amsterdam (sigh). I think it was quite serendipitous, by the way, that I finished the book on its release date anniversary and the same date that John and Hank sold out Carnegie Hall with A Night of Awesome!
A hearty 5 out of 5 stars to one of my favorite “literary” YA books for its splendid treatment of a heart-wrenching subject, awesome characters, and awesome writing….awesome.
Currently Reading:
Jepp Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh. I really am digging this sweet little book. I don’t feel compelled to rush my way through it, and even if I wanted to, I leave it in my special spot at the circulation desk to enjoy during 7th and 8th period after the lunch bunch has left for the day. Like I predicted, Marsh broke my heart, but I’m seeing a new adventure on the horizon and excited to see what is in store next for our little dwarf.
(Anyone else notice a pattern from last week…stars, fate, destiny…last week’s stack inspired me to start working on a review of “stars” books…so stay tuned!)
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel. This guy is a prime example of my tendency to withhold certain books as reward since a friend “loaned” it to me over a year ago, and I’m just now reading it. The sequel, Such Wicked Intent came out this past August, so I figured it was time I got serious about this one. A pre-quel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, what literature-loving-English-teacher-turned-librarian could pass this up! Speaking of chutzpah, Oppel’s reimagined Elizabeth has loads; I love her little asides about women’s lib, an homage to the original author’s activist mother I’m assuming. The quest narrative allows our imaginations to run wild as we see the seeds of obsession planted in young Victor’s mind….okay, I better finish this post so I can see what happens next!
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. Oliver’s first book in this series, Delirium, did take me some getting in to before I was invested. I felt there was a surplus of exposition in the first installment–a criticism I usually reserve for the sophomore in a series. Much like Ally Condie’s Matched and Veronica Roth’s Insurgent, this series takes us to a dystopian future where society has re-organized itself around the eradication of the root of all evil, only this time the culprit is Love. Deliria Nervosa, as it the illness is known, is “cured” by an invasive procedure to the frontal lobe when a person turns sixteen. After gut-wrenching revelation and a heart-breaking decision at the finale of Delirium, Lena’s complexity is said to really develop once she finds herself alone at the start of the second book. I’m early in, but already I see potential for some serious evolution in character.
To Read:
My sources tell me that ALA will release their coveted book award honorees and winners lists soon! You know what that means–just like the pre-Oscar countdown, it’s time to read (or re-read) some of the hottest contenders:
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
And to keep in touch with my YA base, how about Gae Polisner’s Pull of Gravity.
…And to work on my book gap challenge, let’s throw in some nonfiction with The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
It’s Monday! What are you reading? 1/14/13
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh
Fate: Is it written in the stars from the moment we are born? Or is it a bendable thing that we can shape with our own hands? Jepp of Astraveld needs to know. He left his countryside home on the empty promise of a stranger, only to become a captive in a luxurious prison: Coudenberg Palace, the royal court of the Spanish Infanta. Nobody warned Jepp that as a court dwarf, daily injustices would become his seemingly unshakable fate. If the humiliations were his alone, perhaps he could endure them; but it breaks Jepp’s heart to see his friend Lia suffer. After Jepp and Lia attempt a daring escape from the palace, Jepp is imprisoned again, alone in a cage. Now, spirited across Europe in a kidnapper’s carriage, Jepp fears where his unfortunate stars may lead him. But he can’t even begin to imagine the brilliant and eccentric new master–a man devoted to uncovering the secrets of the stars–who awaits him. Or the girl who will help him mend his heart and unearth the long-buried secrets of his past. Masterfully written, grippingly paced, and inspired by real histori-cal characters, “Jepp, Who Defied the Stars “is the tale of an extraordinary hero and his inspiring quest to become the master of his own destiny. ” ~Goodreads.com
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn’t shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn’t seem human….
Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.
Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.
In a world where people born with an extreme skill – called a Grace – are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even shedespises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.
When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.
She never expects to become Po’s friend.
She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace – or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. ~Goodreads.com
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. ~Goodreads.com
Period 8 by Chris Crutcher
Title: Period 8Author: Chris CrutcherPublishing Date: March 2013
Summary (Goodreads.com)
In this full-length novel from Chris Crutcher, his first since the best-selling Deadline, the ultimate bully and the ultimate good guy tangle during Period 8.
Paul “the Bomb” Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday School. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don’t know is that the ultimate bully, the ultimate liar, is in their midst.
Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great thriller with the controversy, ethics, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.
“Any subject is fair game. No qualifications to enroll, no grade or credit, no attendance taken, but in a given year membership is consistent. There were years when Period 8 was the only reason Logs taught, when the educational philosophy du jour provided him almost no satisfaction; years when his personal life was in such a shambles he could barely bring himself to the classroom each day. But Period 8 always brought him to life and grounded him.”
Module #8: The Raven Boys
Summary:Blue has been told since she was very young that she will kill her true love. While watching the ghosts of the soon-to-be-dead walk through churchyard endowed with tremendous spiritual energy, she’s drawn to one spirit, a mysterious boy who speaks directly to her, “Gansey, that’s all there is.” She undergoes a quest with the real Gansey and his three Raven Boys, all students at the prestigious Aglionby Academy, to unearth the powerful ley line and unlock the mystery before someone else beats them to it.
APA Reference:
Stiefvater, M. (2012). The raven boys. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Professional Review:
Fiction * The Raven Boys Maggie Stiefvater Scholastic Press, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-0-545-42492-9
The Raven Boys [Review of the book The raven boys]. (2012). Publishers Weekly, 259(31), 67.
Impressions:
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| My “BFF” Maggie and Me at NCTE12 |
After devouring Stiefvater’s series The Wolves of Mercy Falls, and her 2011 Printz Honor Book The Scorpio Races, I–and much of the YA-obsessed world–waited eagerly for the release of her “boy” series. Our patience was dually rewarded with this spectaculary, multi-dimensional ensemble story of a band of misfits and their supernatural quest. Much like in The Scorpio Races, Stiefvater deftly crafts a world based in realism with supernatural or mystical elements. Her prose is so well crafted that the reader forgets where the realism ends and fantasy begins. Whether it be ley lines, psychics, and deadly rituals or mythological man-eating water horses, her books do not leave the reader on the outside edge looking into a fantasy.
The ensemble cast of characters truly makes this a “character-driven” novel. Although at times I found myself doubling back and re-reading following abrupt perspectives to the story, I appreciated each character’s unique history, puzzles, and purposes for the quest.
I’m very eager to continue on with Blue in her boys in the next installment.
Favorite moments:
“She recognized the strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that was sometimes so big that it felt like sadness.”
“When Gansey was polite, it made him powerful. When Adam was polite, he was giving power away.”
“I guess I make things that need energy stronger. I’m like a walking battery.”
“You’re the table everyone wants at Starbucks,” Gansey mused as he began to walk again.
Blue blinked. “What?”
Over his shoulder, Gansey said, “Next to the wall plug.”
“Where do you live?”
Adam’s mouth was very set. “A place made for leaving”
“That’s not really an answer.”
“It’s not really a place.”
“My words are unerring tools of
destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.”
Library Uses:Both The Raven Boys and The Scorpio Races would make for an excellent bridge between readers who typically enjoy realistic fiction into the fantasy genre. Host a “meet the author” event featuring a new author who has made a strong impact in their genre. Show trailers, provide book talks for participating classes, and invite students to explore Maggie Stiefvater’s website for behind the scene videos into the making of her book trailers for a unique perspective on digital storytelling (www.maggiestiefvater.com).
Module #5: The First Part Last
Summary:
Bobby and his girlfriend Nia are in love and happy, until Nia discovers she is pregnant. Told in alternating chapters between “Now,” Bobby struggles to take care of his newborn daughter without the presence of Nia, and “Then,” Bobby and Nia struggle together to determine what will be best–keep the baby or put her up for adoption. It’s the “first part” of the story that is kept until the very end when we fully understand the situation Bobby finds himself in and the greatest struggle of all.
APA Reference:
Johnson, A. (2003). The first part last. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Professional Review:
Section: Grades 9-12
JOHNSON, Angela. The First Part Last.
144p. CIP. S & S. 2003. RTE $15.95.
ISBN 0-689-84922-2. LC 2002036512.
The First Part Last (Book) [Review of the book The first part last]. (2004). School Library Journal, 5064.
Impressions:
First Part Last is such a gentle book, with a deeply sensitive narrator. Reluctant readers will enjoy the short, engaging chapters and the realistic setting and situations. Many will also find familiarity with Bobby’s struggle to be a single, teenage father and the heart-breaking loss he keeps tucked away.
Library Uses:
Paired alongside Flake’s You Don’t Even Know Me, this title could be part of a book talk that targets adolescent boys, particularly those who seem to hide a lot behind the “tough guy” facade.
Module 15: Forever
Summary
A senior in high school, Kath meets Michael at a friend’s New Year’s Eve party and nineteen dates later, they are in love. This isn’t just any kind of love; it’s the kind that lasts forever. The two are inseparable, as Kath works through her confusions and fears about sex and what “making love” will mean for them as a couple. A summer apart tests their trust in one another and belief in “forever.”
APA Reference
Blume, J. (1975). Forever. New York: NY, Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Professional Review
Katherine and Michael find each other, and it’s first love for both of them. Katherine loses her virginity, finds out about contraceptives, and learns about VD with lectures inserted as needed. Actually, both kids are so kind and considerate, so understanding, so everything, that readers may wonder what’s wrong with them. Finally, she realizes that first love isn’t always Forever, that she is growing and accepting changes. Sniff, sniff. Obviously it’s not a quality book, but that fact won’t bother the many girls who will read it, identify, cry happily, and recommend it to their friends. Librarians buying for junior high schools should be aware that the sexual scenes, while not at all explicit compared to the run of adult novels, may be more than parents of young teens bargain for. —Regina Minduri, Alameda County Library, Hayward, Calif.
Made famous by the many challenges and attempts to ban it from school and public libraries, Blume’s novel is not just about sexual awakening, but of the universal experience of “true” and “first” love; oftentimes, teens first adult experiences are wrapped up in those relationships.
What I most appreciated about Forever is the expansive cast of female characters who all explore varying issues and angles to sexuality: Kath’s best friend Erica who makes it a goal to “get laid” before she goes to college so she can have the experience behind her; Kath’s grandmother, a New York lawyer, who played a pivotal role in the development of Planned Parenthood and sends her pamphlets about birth control, reproductive rights, and venereal disease in the mail, which ultimately leads to Kath visiting the clinic for contraceptives; and, Kath’s mother who has an open and honest relationship with Kath and does not shy away from having non-judgmental conversations about sex without condemning or condoning.
Are there somewhat erotic and overtly sexual moments in Forever? Oh, yes! But, even though sex is an ever present topic, the perspectives and reflections of the characters present a well-rounded conversation that every teenager could benefit from participating in. For some, the only way that will happen is through reading the book.
Library Uses
Forever is an excellent title that appears on the most frequently banned books lists that could be included in a display, book talk, or trailer promoting Banned Book Week. Given the popularity of Judy Blume’s work over the generations, the library could collect personal responses to the novel from adult and teen readers spanning the three decades the book has been popular.
Module #7: Mockingbirds
Book Summary
Alex wakes up in a strange dorm room with a strange boy, evidence of the previous night’s events scattered across the room. It’s clear what happened, but Alex has no memory of any of it after leaving the concert with her friends. As pieces of her memory come back to her and she confides in her best friend and her sister, she realizes the truth–she was date raped. She can stay quiet about it, try to move on with her life, or she can find someone who can help her take a stand. She seeks the assistance of a student organization, The Mockingbirds–named after Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Will they right the wrongs inflicted upon students by fellow students, or will Alex be left standing alone in the end?
APA Reference
Whitney, D. (2012). The mockingbirds. New York, NY: Little Brown.
ImpressionsThe opening chapter as Alex rises from a stranger’s bed, naked and disoriented, paints the picture of a too familiar scene. Whitney approaches the sensitive and sometimes taboo topic of date rape with an honest victim’s perspective. When Alex realizes what has happened to her, we wonder why she doesn’t fight harder, tell the authorities or her parents. Whitney constructs Alex in a way where we not only understand, but we empathize with the many stages of grief she must wade through following a traumatic event. Perhaps the most poignant scene comes right on the heals of resolution. Alex confides in the one adult she trusts to counsel her that she doubts herself and the accusations she’s brought against another student. A vague memory surfaces of that night that makes her question the whole course of events. This realism and honesty stems from Whitney’s personal experiences, which breathe purpose and heroism into her debut novel.
Professional Review
Section: The Book Review
Lehman, C. (2011). The Mockingbirds [Review of the book The Mockingbirds]. School Library Journal, 57(3), 175.
Library Uses
The Mockingbirds fits well with additional titles that address social justice and standing up for those who are dis-empowered. Paired with other books that deal with difficult topics for teens such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands by Susan Carol McCarthy, and Harper Lee’s iconic work, these books allow students to safely explore complex themes. The library may promote these titles by timing a book talk or display with the English department’s study of To Kill a Mockingbird.
(Re)Inventing the Librarian 