One of the more recent national initiatives in teen library service is to celebrate "Teen Tech Week" in March -- a week to introduce teens to all the ways libraries can meet their digital needs.
Our library also participates, and in the years I've been here, we've ran the gamut of technological activities -- from showing teens how to create a MySpace page (remember those?) to highlighting our library's digital collection. And while we've always had a trickle of participation, we've never had teens clamoring to complete our activities -- even when we bribe them with candy.
Why don't teens want to participate in our carefully prepared technology activities? I think it's simple: teens are already using technology fluently, or at least more fluently than most adults. Unless they have a specific need, they are not likely to participate in an arbitrary week devoted to anything, no matter how fun we try to make the activities.
So, what then, do teens want and need from technology? I don't know them all, but I think I can make a case for these wants/needs:
1. They want to be able to keep in touch with their friends, and communicate with them instantly.
2. They want to have technology available when school assignments, a gaming session, or a must-see YouTube video demands it.
3. They want to read about the intersection between technology and humanity -- and particularly, they want stories about what happens when this intersecting goes awry.
4. They want technology to be accessible despite their incomes.
5. They want technology to make their lives easier and more entertaining.
But wait . . . most public libraries DO meet these needs. For example:
1. We offer not only computer terminals on which teens are allowed to go to their Facebook, Twitter, and other social accounts -- but we also offer free wireless Internet so that they can access these apps and more from their own devices if they have them.
2. At our public library, we not only offer timed-session computers for gaming and social networking, but we also offer some terminals that are not timed, so that those teens who don't have a computer at home can do homework assignments without worrying about how long of a session they will have.
3. We have an ample collection of YA fiction books -- particulalry in the currently-popular dystopian genre -- that explore the influence of technology in our human lives. Some of our more recent titles are Cinder by Marissa Meyer; BRZK by Michael Grant; Beta by Rachel Cohn; and iBoy by Kevin Brooks. Many of these titles are available not only in book form, but also as electronic downloads through out digital library. Therefore, teens who do have access to e-readers can check out books digitally from the library's website.
4. Not only are the in-house computers free for public use, but also there is no cost to download books, music and magazines from the library's holdings. In our library, we do not circulate free e-readers or other devices for public use, but some libraries nationwide are beginning to offer this service. Libraries work hard to utilize tax dollars in ways that are most beneficial to public patrons.
5. All the ways our library offers its technology can make teens' lives easier -- from providing access to computers for homework, to allowing them to download books when the physical copies are checked out. And many of our electronic offerings are entertaining as well: for instance, did you know that we offer have a paid subscription to a music service that offers our patrons three free music downloads each week?
So . . . even though we haven't hit on the magical formula for engaging our teen patrons in Teen Tech Week activities, we know that we are meeting many of their technological needs and wants. We have only to look around at our computer terminals, or listen to the noise level on a gaming afternoon, to know that!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Son
I found myself in a mom/librarian connundrum this week: my 11-year-old son, Cody, brought home Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games as his personal reading choice, and I vetoed it. Now, being a librarian, I am not a fan of any type of censorship, and I struggled with telling him no. If he was interested, shouldn't I just let him read it? What exactly were my reasons for discouraging him? In fact, I ruefully remembered a situation a year or two ago, when a neighbor sought my advice about letting her own son read Hunger Games, and I'd reassured her that it was OK. Had he been any older than Cody at that time? Was I now being hypocritical in not letting my son read the same book?
But as a mom, I'm pretty sure I made the right choice for my own son. Contrary to what you might be thinking, I wasn't trying to protect Cody from Collins' book; rather, I wanted to save it for him. Granted, there is much in the book that might disturb the parents of a fifth grader: teens killing teens is not what most parents want their children to be reading. But my objection to his choice wasn't based on the violent content, or even on the relatively innocent teenage romance. I certainly do want Cody to read Hunger Games, as well as its sequels; but I don't want him to read them yet. Cody simply wouldn't get the books, and I want him to really get them when he reads them.
Cody is an advanced reader for his grade level, so if I were to let him read Hunger Games today, I know that he would comprehend the story: he would have all the reading skills in place to understand the vocabulary, the syntax, the plot structure. But he is only 11 years old, so developmentally, he does not have the abstract thinking skills or the world experience to understand the book on a larger scale. He would have trouble understanding the themes and political symbols without a teacher or adult to explain these to him. Although he could complete the books, he would miss so much of what is important about them by reading them at too early of an age.
When I was at the YALSA Young Adult Literature symposium in St. Louis in November, one of the presenters, a YA author who is also a clinical psychologist, did a beautiful job of explaining a primary difference between juvenile (written for ages 8-12) and young adult (written for ages 12-18) literature. Ilsa Bick noted that most juvenile literature consists of legacy-age narratives, in which the protagonist leaves home, often to go into the wild or a "wild" situation, forms peer relationships, but then returns to the family or the status quo. In these narratives, family and friends are a centering point, and the adventure outside of these familiar boundaries usually returns the hero back to center. For youth in this age group, these narratives are psychologically in line with their own emotional development.
By contrast, young adult literature features adolescent narratives, in which the characters leave home, jettison old relationships and lifestyles, and then form new peer and family ties, including love relationships. For the heroes of these stories, the task is to forge a new world in which the prevailing regime (family, parents, society) is overthrown in order for a new reality to take place. Although the hero may return to the original family or community, he does so changed, with his individuality now being the center of his personality. Like it or not, this is what healthy teenagers do as they move into adulthood.
I just finished reading a book that illustrates this reading distinction. Son is the long-awaited conclusion to Lois Lowry's Giver quartet, a series of four dystopian young adult novels that explore what happens when a seemingly perfect society allows for no imperfection or difficulties among its members. Lowry published The Giver in 1993, followed by Gathering Blue in 2000 and Messenger in 2004. In The Giver, Lowry presented a society where members' lives were carefully controlled to allow no pain, no sadness, no deviation from accepted standards. At the Ceremony of Twelve, young adults are assigned to a role of service within the community. Jonah, the main character, is assigned to apprentice to an old man known as the Giver; his role is to store all the memories of the society, so that the individual members do not have to face past pain or fears. Up until his apprenticeship, Jonah has accepted the rules of his community without question. However, as his awareness grows, Jonah realizes that his society does not always value human life. He takes a huge risk and rejects his community, all to save a baby boy named Gabe who has been temporarily living with Jonah's family.
Son picks up Gabe's story as a companion novel, telling the events from the point of view of Gabe's Birthmother, Claire. I'm sorry to say that I never read Gathering Blue or Messenger; I wish now that I had, because Lowry deftly weaves together the stories of Gabe, Jonah, Claire, and characters from these other two novels to create a satisfying conclusion to all of their journeys. For Jonah, Claire, and even Gabe, these are adolescent narratives, involving a rejection of their communities of origin in order to find something more.
Interestingly, The Giver is one of the most frequently challenged or banned books in the United States, and is often included in fifth- or sixth-grade reading classes. With the guidance of a talented teacher, students at this age can understand the deeper meaning of Lowry's story; on their own, many students of this age will lack the maturity to appreciate the elegant allegory she writes. For those students, then, The Giver becomes simply a story of a boy who leaves home; Son becomes the story of a boy who finally finds one. Lowry's understory, about tolerance and individuality, choice and sacrifice, would be lost on too young a reader.
Therefore, it is appropriate for us as both parents and librarians to tell our younger children to wait to read certain books. We do this not to censor them, but to find choices that fit with their developmental age. Certainly, there are many books in the YA area that are good choices for fifth and sixth graders. Many YA stories retain elements of legacy-age narration; likewise, many fifth and sixth graders are ready for the simpler adolescent narratives. My own compromise with Cody was The Ruins of Gorlan, the first of John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series; it is an adolescent narrative, but with simpler character development and little metaphor. We librarians will always try to match readers with books that are appropriate for them, because we want reading to be a postive experience. Ultimately, however, as a librarian I feel the parent of a young reader knows best . . . unless, of course, that reader is my own son.
But as a mom, I'm pretty sure I made the right choice for my own son. Contrary to what you might be thinking, I wasn't trying to protect Cody from Collins' book; rather, I wanted to save it for him. Granted, there is much in the book that might disturb the parents of a fifth grader: teens killing teens is not what most parents want their children to be reading. But my objection to his choice wasn't based on the violent content, or even on the relatively innocent teenage romance. I certainly do want Cody to read Hunger Games, as well as its sequels; but I don't want him to read them yet. Cody simply wouldn't get the books, and I want him to really get them when he reads them.
Cody is an advanced reader for his grade level, so if I were to let him read Hunger Games today, I know that he would comprehend the story: he would have all the reading skills in place to understand the vocabulary, the syntax, the plot structure. But he is only 11 years old, so developmentally, he does not have the abstract thinking skills or the world experience to understand the book on a larger scale. He would have trouble understanding the themes and political symbols without a teacher or adult to explain these to him. Although he could complete the books, he would miss so much of what is important about them by reading them at too early of an age.
When I was at the YALSA Young Adult Literature symposium in St. Louis in November, one of the presenters, a YA author who is also a clinical psychologist, did a beautiful job of explaining a primary difference between juvenile (written for ages 8-12) and young adult (written for ages 12-18) literature. Ilsa Bick noted that most juvenile literature consists of legacy-age narratives, in which the protagonist leaves home, often to go into the wild or a "wild" situation, forms peer relationships, but then returns to the family or the status quo. In these narratives, family and friends are a centering point, and the adventure outside of these familiar boundaries usually returns the hero back to center. For youth in this age group, these narratives are psychologically in line with their own emotional development.
By contrast, young adult literature features adolescent narratives, in which the characters leave home, jettison old relationships and lifestyles, and then form new peer and family ties, including love relationships. For the heroes of these stories, the task is to forge a new world in which the prevailing regime (family, parents, society) is overthrown in order for a new reality to take place. Although the hero may return to the original family or community, he does so changed, with his individuality now being the center of his personality. Like it or not, this is what healthy teenagers do as they move into adulthood.
I just finished reading a book that illustrates this reading distinction. Son is the long-awaited conclusion to Lois Lowry's Giver quartet, a series of four dystopian young adult novels that explore what happens when a seemingly perfect society allows for no imperfection or difficulties among its members. Lowry published The Giver in 1993, followed by Gathering Blue in 2000 and Messenger in 2004. In The Giver, Lowry presented a society where members' lives were carefully controlled to allow no pain, no sadness, no deviation from accepted standards. At the Ceremony of Twelve, young adults are assigned to a role of service within the community. Jonah, the main character, is assigned to apprentice to an old man known as the Giver; his role is to store all the memories of the society, so that the individual members do not have to face past pain or fears. Up until his apprenticeship, Jonah has accepted the rules of his community without question. However, as his awareness grows, Jonah realizes that his society does not always value human life. He takes a huge risk and rejects his community, all to save a baby boy named Gabe who has been temporarily living with Jonah's family.Son picks up Gabe's story as a companion novel, telling the events from the point of view of Gabe's Birthmother, Claire. I'm sorry to say that I never read Gathering Blue or Messenger; I wish now that I had, because Lowry deftly weaves together the stories of Gabe, Jonah, Claire, and characters from these other two novels to create a satisfying conclusion to all of their journeys. For Jonah, Claire, and even Gabe, these are adolescent narratives, involving a rejection of their communities of origin in order to find something more.
Interestingly, The Giver is one of the most frequently challenged or banned books in the United States, and is often included in fifth- or sixth-grade reading classes. With the guidance of a talented teacher, students at this age can understand the deeper meaning of Lowry's story; on their own, many students of this age will lack the maturity to appreciate the elegant allegory she writes. For those students, then, The Giver becomes simply a story of a boy who leaves home; Son becomes the story of a boy who finally finds one. Lowry's understory, about tolerance and individuality, choice and sacrifice, would be lost on too young a reader.
Therefore, it is appropriate for us as both parents and librarians to tell our younger children to wait to read certain books. We do this not to censor them, but to find choices that fit with their developmental age. Certainly, there are many books in the YA area that are good choices for fifth and sixth graders. Many YA stories retain elements of legacy-age narration; likewise, many fifth and sixth graders are ready for the simpler adolescent narratives. My own compromise with Cody was The Ruins of Gorlan, the first of John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series; it is an adolescent narrative, but with simpler character development and little metaphor. We librarians will always try to match readers with books that are appropriate for them, because we want reading to be a postive experience. Ultimately, however, as a librarian I feel the parent of a young reader knows best . . . unless, of course, that reader is my own son.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Final Three SEBA Nominees
This will most likely be my last post for 2012, so it's appropriate to finish discussing this year's Soaring Eagle Book Award nominees. Once 2013 begins, a lot of attention in the world of Young Adult literature will focus on nominees and winners of other national awards, and this blog will likewise focus on those books.
The last three of this year's 14 SEBA nominees are more difficult to group together; although all three are realistic fiction, they differ widely in writing style, plot motivation, and reader appeal. The best thing to do is just to talk about them! So, here goes. . . .
Theodore Boone, Abduction by John Grisham. This book is the second in Grisham's first young adult series. Grisham, a highly popular author of adult crime novels, has developed a teenage character, Theodore Boone, whose parents are both involved in the law. Theodore himself plans to be a lawyer when he grows up. However, in the first book of the series, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, he finds himself in court much sooner than anticipated: Theodore has witnessed a murder and helps to solve it with his keen observation skills. In Theodore Boone: Abduction, Theo's best friend, April, has disappeared. There are sinister happenings in town, and Theo has a bad feeling about April's disappearance. Will he be able to use his detective skills to find his friend before it's too late?
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones. When the "popular" girl and the "outcast" boy connect and start dating, classmates and parents do not understand. Robin has always considered himself a loser; he can't believe that Sophie, the prettiest girl in school, is actually interested in him.. . and neither can Sophie's clique-y friends. Sophie sticks by Robin through all the hurt; but if she knew the total truth about him, about the secrets he hides from her, would she make the same choice? This book is also a sequel to "What My Mother Doesn't Know;" both are written in verse rather than prose.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac are three friends bound together by a common enemy -- cancer. All three have, so far, survived some form of cancer, although at the cost of body parts, freedoms, and any chance of "normal" teenaged lives. This is not a feel-good cancer story; Green writes a gut-wrenching, painfully realistic tale about three teenagers who fight against being defined by their disease. Isaac loses his girlfriend just before surgery to have his second eye removed, and rages against the unfairness. Hazel has been in remission since a miracle drug shrunk her thyroid tumor two years ago, but now relies on an oxygen tank and cannula for every breath. And Gus, the most vibrant and alive of all three, just wants to focus on making Hazel's dream come true. A beautiful story about friendship, love and life.
We had only fourteen nominations for the Soaring Eagle book award this year, rather than fifteen. If you need to view the full list, you can find it at this URL: http://www.ccpls.org/html/soaringeagle.html. Encourage your teen (or you!) to read at least three so that they can vote for their favorite in March. Happy Holidays, and happy reading!
The last three of this year's 14 SEBA nominees are more difficult to group together; although all three are realistic fiction, they differ widely in writing style, plot motivation, and reader appeal. The best thing to do is just to talk about them! So, here goes. . . .
Theodore Boone, Abduction by John Grisham. This book is the second in Grisham's first young adult series. Grisham, a highly popular author of adult crime novels, has developed a teenage character, Theodore Boone, whose parents are both involved in the law. Theodore himself plans to be a lawyer when he grows up. However, in the first book of the series, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, he finds himself in court much sooner than anticipated: Theodore has witnessed a murder and helps to solve it with his keen observation skills. In Theodore Boone: Abduction, Theo's best friend, April, has disappeared. There are sinister happenings in town, and Theo has a bad feeling about April's disappearance. Will he be able to use his detective skills to find his friend before it's too late? 
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones. When the "popular" girl and the "outcast" boy connect and start dating, classmates and parents do not understand. Robin has always considered himself a loser; he can't believe that Sophie, the prettiest girl in school, is actually interested in him.. . and neither can Sophie's clique-y friends. Sophie sticks by Robin through all the hurt; but if she knew the total truth about him, about the secrets he hides from her, would she make the same choice? This book is also a sequel to "What My Mother Doesn't Know;" both are written in verse rather than prose.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac are three friends bound together by a common enemy -- cancer. All three have, so far, survived some form of cancer, although at the cost of body parts, freedoms, and any chance of "normal" teenaged lives. This is not a feel-good cancer story; Green writes a gut-wrenching, painfully realistic tale about three teenagers who fight against being defined by their disease. Isaac loses his girlfriend just before surgery to have his second eye removed, and rages against the unfairness. Hazel has been in remission since a miracle drug shrunk her thyroid tumor two years ago, but now relies on an oxygen tank and cannula for every breath. And Gus, the most vibrant and alive of all three, just wants to focus on making Hazel's dream come true. A beautiful story about friendship, love and life. We had only fourteen nominations for the Soaring Eagle book award this year, rather than fifteen. If you need to view the full list, you can find it at this URL: http://www.ccpls.org/html/soaringeagle.html. Encourage your teen (or you!) to read at least three so that they can vote for their favorite in March. Happy Holidays, and happy reading!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Boys' Adventures -- Post-Apocalyptic Style
When I began teaching literature classes in the early 1990's, the adventure novels that my junior high boys loved to read focused on the skills they saw their fathers, uncles and brothers using: western and wilderness survival skills, like hunting and trapping, roping and riding. In fact, I still remember one boy, Brad, who had just discovered Gary Paulsen; that was only a few years after the original publication of Hatchet, and it seemed that Brad could not read enough Gary Paulsen books!
While boys (and girls) are still reading these more traditional adventure novels, particularly here in our rural state, the adventure novel of today is more likely to have a futuristic setting, and often a post-apocalyptic tone. That statement is certainly true for these three 2012-2013 Soaring Eagle award nominees:
Scorch Trials by James Dashner: This is the second book in Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy; the first book, Maze Runner, was a nominee on last year's list, and was reviewed in this blog on September 22, 2011. Scorch Trials begins where the last novel ended: Thomas and his friends have escaped the maze and are hoping to return to a normal life, one without constant fear. Instead, they find themselves still under the control of others. There is another trial in store for them: Sun flares have destroyed most of the earth, and a virus has infected the remaining population. Infected people turn into zombies, called Cranks, that attack and eat one another. Thomas and his friends are told that they, too, have the virus, but that they will be cured if they succeed in surviving their second trial. The second trial? With very few supplies, they must travel across 100 miles of scorched earth to reach a safe house and receive the cure; they will only have two weeks to reach their destination. As expected, the second trial tests the boys' courage and loyalty to one another just as much as the first trial did. Dashner concludes his trilogy with The Death Cure; he has also written a prequel to the series, The Kill Order.
Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans: This is the story of 14-year-old Michael Vey, who is accustomed to being labeled as "different." Michael suffers from Tourette's syndrome, one reason other kids see him as different. However, he is different in another way as well. Michael has massive amounts of electricity coursing through his body, so much that he can knock bullies right off their feet, and even jump-start his mother's car!
Unfortunately, Michael causes an "incident" that forces his family to move to a small town in Idaho. There, Michael works hard at just being normal. However, he discovers that he is not the only student with unusual abilities in his new school; a girl, Taylor, has the power to read people's minds. Michael and Taylor become friends, and decide to try to discover why they have these special powers. As they come closer to the truth, they also come to the attention of some people who have been looking for kids like them -- and not with good intentions. The sequel to this story, Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen, is already out.
Gone by Michael Grant: The first book in Grant's highly-popular five-book series, Gone takes place in a normal small town, with normal people living in it. The only unusual thing about this town is the nuclear reactor that once had a meltdown. Normal life has resumed by now, and most people try to forget the accident. Until one day -- in a moment, all the people over age 14 disappear. There is no trace of them; they are gone . . . just gone. Sam, one of the 14-year-olds remaining, always knew he had special powers, one which could be dangerous if he got upset. He also has the ability to know what to do in emergency situations, making him a natural, if reluctant, leader. Now, Sam and some of his friends have to figure out how to provide the basics for all the children left in their town. Suddenly, in this frightening new world, responsibility for food, shelter, and basic needs falls heavily on Sam's shoulders. Added to his burden is the fact that others besides him have strange powers, and not all of them are working for good. Even worse are the mutated animals who threaten this new society every day. So far, Grant has published five titles in this series; the sixth and last book, Light, will be released in April of 2013.
These three adventure books still combine the survival skills and character traits that have always made adventures a good choice for reluctant, and other, readers. Hopefully there is one on this list to interest you. We will finish up with the final three 2012-2013 Soaring Eagle nominations in the next blog post.
While boys (and girls) are still reading these more traditional adventure novels, particularly here in our rural state, the adventure novel of today is more likely to have a futuristic setting, and often a post-apocalyptic tone. That statement is certainly true for these three 2012-2013 Soaring Eagle award nominees:
Scorch Trials by James Dashner: This is the second book in Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy; the first book, Maze Runner, was a nominee on last year's list, and was reviewed in this blog on September 22, 2011. Scorch Trials begins where the last novel ended: Thomas and his friends have escaped the maze and are hoping to return to a normal life, one without constant fear. Instead, they find themselves still under the control of others. There is another trial in store for them: Sun flares have destroyed most of the earth, and a virus has infected the remaining population. Infected people turn into zombies, called Cranks, that attack and eat one another. Thomas and his friends are told that they, too, have the virus, but that they will be cured if they succeed in surviving their second trial. The second trial? With very few supplies, they must travel across 100 miles of scorched earth to reach a safe house and receive the cure; they will only have two weeks to reach their destination. As expected, the second trial tests the boys' courage and loyalty to one another just as much as the first trial did. Dashner concludes his trilogy with The Death Cure; he has also written a prequel to the series, The Kill Order. 
Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans: This is the story of 14-year-old Michael Vey, who is accustomed to being labeled as "different." Michael suffers from Tourette's syndrome, one reason other kids see him as different. However, he is different in another way as well. Michael has massive amounts of electricity coursing through his body, so much that he can knock bullies right off their feet, and even jump-start his mother's car!Unfortunately, Michael causes an "incident" that forces his family to move to a small town in Idaho. There, Michael works hard at just being normal. However, he discovers that he is not the only student with unusual abilities in his new school; a girl, Taylor, has the power to read people's minds. Michael and Taylor become friends, and decide to try to discover why they have these special powers. As they come closer to the truth, they also come to the attention of some people who have been looking for kids like them -- and not with good intentions. The sequel to this story, Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen, is already out.
Gone by Michael Grant: The first book in Grant's highly-popular five-book series, Gone takes place in a normal small town, with normal people living in it. The only unusual thing about this town is the nuclear reactor that once had a meltdown. Normal life has resumed by now, and most people try to forget the accident. Until one day -- in a moment, all the people over age 14 disappear. There is no trace of them; they are gone . . . just gone. Sam, one of the 14-year-olds remaining, always knew he had special powers, one which could be dangerous if he got upset. He also has the ability to know what to do in emergency situations, making him a natural, if reluctant, leader. Now, Sam and some of his friends have to figure out how to provide the basics for all the children left in their town. Suddenly, in this frightening new world, responsibility for food, shelter, and basic needs falls heavily on Sam's shoulders. Added to his burden is the fact that others besides him have strange powers, and not all of them are working for good. Even worse are the mutated animals who threaten this new society every day. So far, Grant has published five titles in this series; the sixth and last book, Light, will be released in April of 2013. These three adventure books still combine the survival skills and character traits that have always made adventures a good choice for reluctant, and other, readers. Hopefully there is one on this list to interest you. We will finish up with the final three 2012-2013 Soaring Eagle nominations in the next blog post.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Back to Soaring Eagles
It's December! This month is a great time to find a new novel to read, or to find a book that will make a nice gift for someone you care about. Considering that, let's get back to reviewing some of this year's list of Soaring Eagle book award nominees:
If that person for whom you are selecting a gift happens to be a girl, one of the following three nominees might be appropriate. All feature female characters in oppressive situations; all the heroines manage to find ways to assert their independence and free will despite the dangers. If you've been reading my blog, you'll also notice that all three of these novels are dystopias. (See the November 14 entry for more on this genre.)
Matched by Ally Condie: In Cassia's world, society makes all the decisions: who your spouse will be; where and how you will live; what work you will do; and even when you will die. All persons are equal, except when society decides otherwise. All listen to the same 100 songs; recite the same 100 poems; and read the same 100 books.
When Cassia turns 17, she attends her "match" banquet, to discover who her future spouse will be. When his picture appears on the large overhead screen, she is surprised and pleased to discover that it is Xander, the boy down the street whom she's known all her life. It is a rare thing to already know your match, let alone to be best friends with that person. Since Cassia knows Xander so well, she almost does not look at the microchip of his personal information that is given to all match candidates at their banquet. When she finally decides to load the microship on her home port and take a look, she is shocked to see another boy's picture and information -- Ky, also a boy she knows. The authorities tell her that there was a mistake in her microchip: after all, Ky is an Aberration, a lesser member of society who will not be allowed to marry. Cassia, however, becomes less sure of her match with Xander, and faces difficult decisions in the following months: Who will she love? Who will she hurt? And will society even allow her to choose?
Matched is the first in a trilogy by Condie: the sequels, already released, are Crossed and Reached.
Wither by Lauren DeStefano: In this future world, the pursuit of a perfect human race has resulted in one generation of people who live to be over 100. However, their genetic modification has now caused a virus that shortens life spans for all future generations. Young men only live to be 25, and young women die at age 20. The fear of the eventual demise of the human race causes people to behave in horrific ways. Geneticists experiment on human beings in order to find a cure; orphans roam the street as their parents die of the virus; and polygamy abounds. Young women are kidnapped and sold as "wives" to rich men in order to propagate their family line.
Rhine has been living with her brother since their parents died, and despite their desperate conditions and struggle to survive, the two of them are happy to have each other. That is, until Rhine is kidnapped. She is transported to a mansion far away from the squalid apartment she shares with her brother, and is married to a stranger named Luther. Trapped in the mansion, Rhine is desperate for a means to escape from Luther, his sinister father, and her two "sister wives" who she cannot trust. She wants to flee -- but will have to find a way past her captors.
The sequel to Wither is Fever, which is already out. DeStefano will finish her Chemical Garden trilogy in February with the last installment, Sever.
Divergent by Veronica Roth: In this world, set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, society has divided itself into five factions: Amity, Candor, Erudite, Dauntless, and Abnegation. Each faction values a different human quality above others. As teenagers come of age, they are subjected to aptitude tests to determine where they best fit. Their results are secret, however, so that on Choosing Day they can select to remain with the faction in which they've been raised, or they can choose a new faction based on their test. If they do leave their faction of origin, they generally do not see their families again; one of this society's most basic rules is "faction before family." For Beatrice, who has been rasied in Abnegation, the prospect of leaving her family for a faction that would perhaps be a better fit for her induces extreme guilt . . .and extreme excitement. Can she leave her family forever? Is she willing to take the risk and pay the price? And which faction will best allow Beatrice to hide her secret?
The second book in the Divergent trilogy is Insurgent, already released. An as-yet untitled third book, the end of the trilogy, is expected in September of 2013.
Three trilogies, three strong characters. Visit the library for some great reading choices for December!
If that person for whom you are selecting a gift happens to be a girl, one of the following three nominees might be appropriate. All feature female characters in oppressive situations; all the heroines manage to find ways to assert their independence and free will despite the dangers. If you've been reading my blog, you'll also notice that all three of these novels are dystopias. (See the November 14 entry for more on this genre.)
Matched by Ally Condie: In Cassia's world, society makes all the decisions: who your spouse will be; where and how you will live; what work you will do; and even when you will die. All persons are equal, except when society decides otherwise. All listen to the same 100 songs; recite the same 100 poems; and read the same 100 books. When Cassia turns 17, she attends her "match" banquet, to discover who her future spouse will be. When his picture appears on the large overhead screen, she is surprised and pleased to discover that it is Xander, the boy down the street whom she's known all her life. It is a rare thing to already know your match, let alone to be best friends with that person. Since Cassia knows Xander so well, she almost does not look at the microchip of his personal information that is given to all match candidates at their banquet. When she finally decides to load the microship on her home port and take a look, she is shocked to see another boy's picture and information -- Ky, also a boy she knows. The authorities tell her that there was a mistake in her microchip: after all, Ky is an Aberration, a lesser member of society who will not be allowed to marry. Cassia, however, becomes less sure of her match with Xander, and faces difficult decisions in the following months: Who will she love? Who will she hurt? And will society even allow her to choose?
Matched is the first in a trilogy by Condie: the sequels, already released, are Crossed and Reached.
Wither by Lauren DeStefano: In this future world, the pursuit of a perfect human race has resulted in one generation of people who live to be over 100. However, their genetic modification has now caused a virus that shortens life spans for all future generations. Young men only live to be 25, and young women die at age 20. The fear of the eventual demise of the human race causes people to behave in horrific ways. Geneticists experiment on human beings in order to find a cure; orphans roam the street as their parents die of the virus; and polygamy abounds. Young women are kidnapped and sold as "wives" to rich men in order to propagate their family line. Rhine has been living with her brother since their parents died, and despite their desperate conditions and struggle to survive, the two of them are happy to have each other. That is, until Rhine is kidnapped. She is transported to a mansion far away from the squalid apartment she shares with her brother, and is married to a stranger named Luther. Trapped in the mansion, Rhine is desperate for a means to escape from Luther, his sinister father, and her two "sister wives" who she cannot trust. She wants to flee -- but will have to find a way past her captors.
The sequel to Wither is Fever, which is already out. DeStefano will finish her Chemical Garden trilogy in February with the last installment, Sever.
Divergent by Veronica Roth: In this world, set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, society has divided itself into five factions: Amity, Candor, Erudite, Dauntless, and Abnegation. Each faction values a different human quality above others. As teenagers come of age, they are subjected to aptitude tests to determine where they best fit. Their results are secret, however, so that on Choosing Day they can select to remain with the faction in which they've been raised, or they can choose a new faction based on their test. If they do leave their faction of origin, they generally do not see their families again; one of this society's most basic rules is "faction before family." For Beatrice, who has been rasied in Abnegation, the prospect of leaving her family for a faction that would perhaps be a better fit for her induces extreme guilt . . .and extreme excitement. Can she leave her family forever? Is she willing to take the risk and pay the price? And which faction will best allow Beatrice to hide her secret?The second book in the Divergent trilogy is Insurgent, already released. An as-yet untitled third book, the end of the trilogy, is expected in September of 2013.
Three trilogies, three strong characters. Visit the library for some great reading choices for December!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Blurred Boundaries in YA literature
In my last post, I mentioned that I had the opportunity to attend the YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis earlier this month. I am still using this blog space to write about some of the insights I gained from that conference.
Another trend discussed widely among both authors and librarians at the symposium was the blurring of genre-boundaries found so often in YA literature. While there are certainly ample titles that can be clearly classified in a particular genre, there are also a rising number of titles that don't fit easily into any one box. Indeed, our Teen Room patrons often wonder why we don't have separate sections for mystery, horror, science fiction, etc., on our shelves. More accurately, they wonder why we don't have a special shelf for the "vampire books." While a lack of space for such separation is one very practical reason, the increasing overlap of books into more than one genre also makes it difficult to shelve YA literature this way. For example, those "vampire books" might be horror (Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak series); paranormal (Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series) or romance (Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books).
This blurring of genre boundaries does not only occur with books about vampires, but with all types of YA books. I attended one session specifically about this YA literature trend, and would like to share some of the presenters' thoughts here.
from YA author Helen Frost -- Frost writes in narrative verse, a genre-blending style that has been most popularized in YA literature by Ellen Hopkins. Frost's novels, including The Braid, Keesha's House, and Crossing Stones, also use poetry to tell a story. Frost spoke of using not only the words of the poems to convey the characters' personalities and motivations, but also the form. For example, she wrote the poems in Crossing Stones in different styles to match her four main characters' personalities: free verse for a more independent spirit, and more traditional forms for those characters more bound by society's expectations. Frost spoke of reading verse-narrative novels metaphorically, akin to "surfing on water" where prose is the land, poetry is water, and a verse-novel is not quite immersed in either form. For Frost, the popularity of verse-novels, which blur the boundaries of prose and poetry, is reflective of teens' own psychological state -- being not quite immersed in either childhood or adulthood.
from YA author A. S. King -- King is one of only a few American YA authors to write in a style called "magical realism." Her novels include Printz award honoree Please Ignore Viera Dietz; Everybody Sees the Ants; and the recent Ask the Passengers. Just as it sounds, magical realism incorporates elements of both fantasy and realistic fiction, resulting in a story that is grounded in contemporary settings and situations, but will suddenly shift to an event or perception that is not quite real. Reading magical realism requires a certain suspension of disbelief: a reader bent on making sense of all the events will often end up frustrated. Hispanic authors have long written in this genre, and King admits she's read Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred years of Solitude dozens of times. For King, however, a genre definition is not important. "I just write what comes out of my head." she says, admitting that she herself does not always know what her characters will do until events happen. That attitude of just "going with it" appeals to King's YA audience; speaking like a teen, King questioned "what if it (life) is all just a fantasy?"
from YA author Scott Westerfeld -- Veteran author Westerfeld is experienced at genre-blurring: his Uglies series blended science fiction and dystopia long before the Hunger Games came out, and more recently, Westerfeld authored the Leviathan trilogy, which rewrites World War I history as a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and steampunk. (For a good explanation of steampunk, visit www.theclockworkcentury.com.) The Leviathan books not only blend genres, but also feature illustrations that enhance the story. Westerfeld explained how the writing of the books was a true collaboration with his illustrator: while he generally authored the story, there were times when an element of an illustration inspired Westerfeld to create a new scene in the novel. Westerfeld observed that one reason teens enjoy novels that blur the boundaries of more traditional genres is that they are still haphazard readers, sampling stories from a variety of genres according to their moods; they have not yet identified themselves as "mystery readers" or "science fiction readers" as many adults do.
Although the prevalence of genre-blurring novels can frustrate those of us who would like to easily categorize them, the truth is that these novels serve an important need for teens to sample a variety of styles, genres, and even storytelling methods. The more teens read different kinds of literature, the more fluent readers they become . . . and the more likely they are to discover a type of novel that genuinely appeals to them.
Another trend discussed widely among both authors and librarians at the symposium was the blurring of genre-boundaries found so often in YA literature. While there are certainly ample titles that can be clearly classified in a particular genre, there are also a rising number of titles that don't fit easily into any one box. Indeed, our Teen Room patrons often wonder why we don't have separate sections for mystery, horror, science fiction, etc., on our shelves. More accurately, they wonder why we don't have a special shelf for the "vampire books." While a lack of space for such separation is one very practical reason, the increasing overlap of books into more than one genre also makes it difficult to shelve YA literature this way. For example, those "vampire books" might be horror (Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak series); paranormal (Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series) or romance (Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books).
This blurring of genre boundaries does not only occur with books about vampires, but with all types of YA books. I attended one session specifically about this YA literature trend, and would like to share some of the presenters' thoughts here.
from YA author Helen Frost -- Frost writes in narrative verse, a genre-blending style that has been most popularized in YA literature by Ellen Hopkins. Frost's novels, including The Braid, Keesha's House, and Crossing Stones, also use poetry to tell a story. Frost spoke of using not only the words of the poems to convey the characters' personalities and motivations, but also the form. For example, she wrote the poems in Crossing Stones in different styles to match her four main characters' personalities: free verse for a more independent spirit, and more traditional forms for those characters more bound by society's expectations. Frost spoke of reading verse-narrative novels metaphorically, akin to "surfing on water" where prose is the land, poetry is water, and a verse-novel is not quite immersed in either form. For Frost, the popularity of verse-novels, which blur the boundaries of prose and poetry, is reflective of teens' own psychological state -- being not quite immersed in either childhood or adulthood.
from YA author A. S. King -- King is one of only a few American YA authors to write in a style called "magical realism." Her novels include Printz award honoree Please Ignore Viera Dietz; Everybody Sees the Ants; and the recent Ask the Passengers. Just as it sounds, magical realism incorporates elements of both fantasy and realistic fiction, resulting in a story that is grounded in contemporary settings and situations, but will suddenly shift to an event or perception that is not quite real. Reading magical realism requires a certain suspension of disbelief: a reader bent on making sense of all the events will often end up frustrated. Hispanic authors have long written in this genre, and King admits she's read Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred years of Solitude dozens of times. For King, however, a genre definition is not important. "I just write what comes out of my head." she says, admitting that she herself does not always know what her characters will do until events happen. That attitude of just "going with it" appeals to King's YA audience; speaking like a teen, King questioned "what if it (life) is all just a fantasy?"
from YA author Scott Westerfeld -- Veteran author Westerfeld is experienced at genre-blurring: his Uglies series blended science fiction and dystopia long before the Hunger Games came out, and more recently, Westerfeld authored the Leviathan trilogy, which rewrites World War I history as a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and steampunk. (For a good explanation of steampunk, visit www.theclockworkcentury.com.) The Leviathan books not only blend genres, but also feature illustrations that enhance the story. Westerfeld explained how the writing of the books was a true collaboration with his illustrator: while he generally authored the story, there were times when an element of an illustration inspired Westerfeld to create a new scene in the novel. Westerfeld observed that one reason teens enjoy novels that blur the boundaries of more traditional genres is that they are still haphazard readers, sampling stories from a variety of genres according to their moods; they have not yet identified themselves as "mystery readers" or "science fiction readers" as many adults do.
Although the prevalence of genre-blurring novels can frustrate those of us who would like to easily categorize them, the truth is that these novels serve an important need for teens to sample a variety of styles, genres, and even storytelling methods. The more teens read different kinds of literature, the more fluent readers they become . . . and the more likely they are to discover a type of novel that genuinely appeals to them.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Young Adult Dystopian Literature -- A Big Thing
In this blog post, I am taking a break from writing about this year's Soaring Eagle nominees; I will get back to that list of titles very soon. Instead, I would like to use the next few posts to reflect on a professional learning opportunity I had in early November. I was fortunate to be able to attend a national conference sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association, focusing specifically on Young Adult literature. The theme for this year's conference was "Hit Me with the Next Big Thing." It was a great opportunity to meet teen librarians from all parts of the nation, learn about ways teen services differ (and stay the same) throughout the world, and hear some amazing YA authors.
The most valuable part of any conference are those opportunities to network with colleagues and authors. In that light, let me use this space to share some of the insights I took away from the people presenting in the front of the room, and the people sitting across from me at the dinner table. I have too many observations for one blog post, so I will limit this one to the three authors who presented at my preconference session, "Shining the Light on Dystopian Literature." (For clarification, the term "dystopian" refers to a utopia --ideal society -- gone tragically wrong. In recent YA literature, however, the term has also been used to refer to post-apocalyptic stories, in which a future world has been affected by some sort of disaster.) Some thoughts from these three authors:
from YA author Pamela Service: It is interesting that the rise in YA dystopian literature has made science fiction more popular among teens; veteran author Service established her career writing science fiction for all age levels. Service, having just arrived in St. Louis from upstate New York in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, commented that she sees immense potential for publishing YA novels about environmental disasters. Technically, these novels would be post-apocalyptic rather than dystopian, but their relevance to world events would certainly increase their importance, and therefore their popularity. Many YA authors are already writing these types of novels: one award-winning example is Paolo Bacigalupi's duology, Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities. Another example, closer to home for us living in Wyoming, is Mike Mullin's chilling trilogy about survival after the explosion of the Yellowstone caldera; two of the books, Ashfall and Ashen Winter, have been released so far.
from debut author C. J. Redwine: Often parents and teachers have concerns over the popularity of YA dystopian novels such as the Hunger Games trilogy; let's face it, these books are dark. Redwine, a former English teacher whose first book, Defiance, has just been released, wisely pointed out that dark themes have been part of the young adult literature canon for several decades. The idea of young adults having to survive in a world without parental guidance, and making tragic mistakes, while currently popular in Michael Grant's Gone series and James Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy, can be easily traced back to William Golding's classic The Lord of the Flies. And while we cringe at teens fighting to the death in Hunger Games, the all-seeing, all-oppressive government that devalues human life has been a force in our literature since George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, and Lois Lowry's The Giver.
from YA author Ilsa Bick: Bick, whose YA novels include Draw the Dark and Ashes, had so much to say about why teens are drawn to dystopian literature that I could dedicate this entire post to her comments. To be brief, however, she pointed out that a large part of the attraction is rooted in developmental psychology: teens are wanting to explore a reality that is more scary than the one they live in; they bond with heroes and heroines who can overcome immense odds; and they learn from those characters' experiences what they themselves would do in similar situations. Bick observed, as have many other YA authors, that the reality of teens' lives today is a dystopia (a potentially ideal world gone tragically wrong); with the rise of bullying and violence in schools, frequent natural disasters, and increasing rates of teen suicide, pregnancy, alcoholism and drug abuse, it is hard to argue with her observation.
However, all three authors agreed that YA dystopias differ from those written for adults in that they are more hopeful and offer teens a way to improve the world they live in. In YA dystopias, there is a focus on survival and compassion. Like all good literature, these stories ultimately showcase the values of self-sacrifice, persistence, creativity and resourcefulness. While YA dystopian literature cannot be called the "Next Big Thing," it certainly is "A Big Thing" now, and deserves our attention and understanding.
The most valuable part of any conference are those opportunities to network with colleagues and authors. In that light, let me use this space to share some of the insights I took away from the people presenting in the front of the room, and the people sitting across from me at the dinner table. I have too many observations for one blog post, so I will limit this one to the three authors who presented at my preconference session, "Shining the Light on Dystopian Literature." (For clarification, the term "dystopian" refers to a utopia --ideal society -- gone tragically wrong. In recent YA literature, however, the term has also been used to refer to post-apocalyptic stories, in which a future world has been affected by some sort of disaster.) Some thoughts from these three authors:
from YA author Pamela Service: It is interesting that the rise in YA dystopian literature has made science fiction more popular among teens; veteran author Service established her career writing science fiction for all age levels. Service, having just arrived in St. Louis from upstate New York in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, commented that she sees immense potential for publishing YA novels about environmental disasters. Technically, these novels would be post-apocalyptic rather than dystopian, but their relevance to world events would certainly increase their importance, and therefore their popularity. Many YA authors are already writing these types of novels: one award-winning example is Paolo Bacigalupi's duology, Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities. Another example, closer to home for us living in Wyoming, is Mike Mullin's chilling trilogy about survival after the explosion of the Yellowstone caldera; two of the books, Ashfall and Ashen Winter, have been released so far.
from debut author C. J. Redwine: Often parents and teachers have concerns over the popularity of YA dystopian novels such as the Hunger Games trilogy; let's face it, these books are dark. Redwine, a former English teacher whose first book, Defiance, has just been released, wisely pointed out that dark themes have been part of the young adult literature canon for several decades. The idea of young adults having to survive in a world without parental guidance, and making tragic mistakes, while currently popular in Michael Grant's Gone series and James Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy, can be easily traced back to William Golding's classic The Lord of the Flies. And while we cringe at teens fighting to the death in Hunger Games, the all-seeing, all-oppressive government that devalues human life has been a force in our literature since George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, and Lois Lowry's The Giver.
from YA author Ilsa Bick: Bick, whose YA novels include Draw the Dark and Ashes, had so much to say about why teens are drawn to dystopian literature that I could dedicate this entire post to her comments. To be brief, however, she pointed out that a large part of the attraction is rooted in developmental psychology: teens are wanting to explore a reality that is more scary than the one they live in; they bond with heroes and heroines who can overcome immense odds; and they learn from those characters' experiences what they themselves would do in similar situations. Bick observed, as have many other YA authors, that the reality of teens' lives today is a dystopia (a potentially ideal world gone tragically wrong); with the rise of bullying and violence in schools, frequent natural disasters, and increasing rates of teen suicide, pregnancy, alcoholism and drug abuse, it is hard to argue with her observation.
However, all three authors agreed that YA dystopias differ from those written for adults in that they are more hopeful and offer teens a way to improve the world they live in. In YA dystopias, there is a focus on survival and compassion. Like all good literature, these stories ultimately showcase the values of self-sacrifice, persistence, creativity and resourcefulness. While YA dystopian literature cannot be called the "Next Big Thing," it certainly is "A Big Thing" now, and deserves our attention and understanding.
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