Here I want to jot down some of what I learned in class about collection development and my thoughts.
Noting all the reviewers-who you agree with and who you do not well help with a librarian build a solid collection. Researching a little about each reviewer and reading about their library system will help the librarian decide if the information she/he is reading is rely able. Buying known authors is a good idea and simply reading the last line of the Kirkus reviews is key to selecting material. That the review sources are free and online is very good news. If I had a very tight budget and enough time I would also try and read the first chapter of the book before I order it. I would also look at NYPLs lists as well as BPLs recommends and other award winners.
I never read middle school books that I can recall. I read the diary of Anne Frank (kinda) when I was in school. I liked Judy Bloom in 4th and 5th grade. I don't think that teens really like middle school books either besides the classics depending on the kid. I think of middle school books as having to be too safe to be interesting to normal teenagers. Harry Potter and other fantasy, horror-like goosebumps and biographies are the first kinds of books that come to mind. Buying books for a middle school library is a difficult job. Books that would be a shoe in: All Creatures Great and Small, Anne of Green Gables, other classics, tame Graphic novels and Manga, Art Books and the rest age appropriate Dewey. You mentioned looking at Chelsea House and Ocra Soundings for nonfiction, but that generally nonfiction for middle schoolers is expensive and hard to find. You also mentioned basing most of the collection development around the curriculum.
Knowing that I would be throwing away any science books that were not written in the last five years would make me think twice before building a large print collection of science books. I would spend the money that would have gone to science books on computers and databases. Luckily you never have to throw out philosophy or Folklore and classic literature.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Trash Talk
What is teenage "Trash Talk"? It is a way of coping with the very intense feeling that teenagers feel; it is their hormones, some of it is done right evil. Teens trash talk about topics they don't understand. Teens don't understand romantic love yet- not in the way they hopefully one day will, and so talk as filthily as possible about the topic to appear as if they understand it. Being extreme elicits a response. Teen are probably looking to find out if others are feeling the same as they and use trash talk as a means to find this out. Trash talking probably helps them feel less alone. Teens can join the "We All Hate Betty Club" and have a sense of belonging.
I can remember being on the phone all night with friends talking about feelings. A YA librarian, can show teens that there are a lot of clubs to join that are more empowering than the "We Hate Betty Club." - that they are not alone and that their feeling with definitely change. Therefore, it is a good idea to not write anything that on myspace or facebook that you doesn't depict the amazing person you are.
I have been thinking a lot lately that more needs to be done to get teens using the library. We need the kids who are hanging around on the corners talking trash to come in. Partnering with social services like the Queens Library seems like a good start. Although those kids were already in the library.
Teens need to be kept busy. They get bored so quickly and boredom leads to trash talk and to trouble and depression. While completing my community profile assignment, I learned how many more programs there are for children than their are for teens. Why is this? I think Lauren had a good point when she was talking about gentrification in NYC. The new people in NYC neighborhoods are the young people with young children who advocate for their children. The parents of teens are usually parents with less money, influence, and time. Also, many adults like children, but do not like teens. Therefore, there is less programing.
Perhaps teens are bored because they actually don't have anything to do, but sit around and feel depressed and gossip about one another. We have to give them fun things to do! Perhaps they don't know what is expected from them or what to expect from themselves. Good point from Peggy!
I bet a lot of parents could use support groups in the area of trash talk, the Internet and their fears. Doing a program about these issues for parents of teens might be very beneficial.
I can remember being on the phone all night with friends talking about feelings. A YA librarian, can show teens that there are a lot of clubs to join that are more empowering than the "We Hate Betty Club." - that they are not alone and that their feeling with definitely change. Therefore, it is a good idea to not write anything that on myspace or facebook that you doesn't depict the amazing person you are.
I have been thinking a lot lately that more needs to be done to get teens using the library. We need the kids who are hanging around on the corners talking trash to come in. Partnering with social services like the Queens Library seems like a good start. Although those kids were already in the library.
Teens need to be kept busy. They get bored so quickly and boredom leads to trash talk and to trouble and depression. While completing my community profile assignment, I learned how many more programs there are for children than their are for teens. Why is this? I think Lauren had a good point when she was talking about gentrification in NYC. The new people in NYC neighborhoods are the young people with young children who advocate for their children. The parents of teens are usually parents with less money, influence, and time. Also, many adults like children, but do not like teens. Therefore, there is less programing.
Perhaps teens are bored because they actually don't have anything to do, but sit around and feel depressed and gossip about one another. We have to give them fun things to do! Perhaps they don't know what is expected from them or what to expect from themselves. Good point from Peggy!
I bet a lot of parents could use support groups in the area of trash talk, the Internet and their fears. Doing a program about these issues for parents of teens might be very beneficial.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Brooklyn Public Library "Talk to Teens"
Two weeks ago, I went to the Brooklyn Public Library to set up a time with the YA library to talk to teens about reading. I spoke with the YA Librarian Molly who explained some of the teen programs that take place during the summer and explained the best times for me to come by. The teen time, the program Molly suggested I attend, is scheduled on Tuesday from 4-5 for ages 13-18yrs. or grades 7 to 12. Other weekly programs for teens included: Reading is Fundamental (RIF) where teens can earn free books and Knitting for Kids and Teens presented from 4-5 on Thursdays for 9-18 yrs.
While I was speaking to Molly I noticed the presents of a teenagers sulking and conspicuous and I do not mean that in the pejorative sense. After discussing what teens do and some of what they may like, I was very happy to be with the real teens even for this first short time. The boys walked slow and sort of shuffled along while holding up their pants. They wanted to know about the monthly Manga Mania Club that takes place on the last Friday on the month from 4-6 for ages 10-18yrs. It was not taking place that night. That night was chess night. These teens were not interested in chess. (I remember loving chess. :)
I came back that Tuesday with Molly's permission to talk to teens about their reading habits and their other hobbies. Getting to the teen space is at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch is rather awkward. I had to go back through security, guess at which door to take, walk up a spooky stair case and guess again which door to enter. While I understand the libraries are working within, for the most part, extremely limited budgets, a sign posting on the doors would have been a help to promote the program and help others locate the area. The teen space was made up of a wood that was stained with a yellowish brown 1970's varnish. The shelves were staked with arts and crafts supplies, board games and nicknack's. There were board games such as Connect Four and Life. Also two television sets on rolling metal carts, one connected to a Wii and one to a PlayStation, were causally placed at either side of the room. The library assistant or Librarian, I wasn't sure which, was signing karaoke to a Madonna song. She definitely had talent. She introduced my to Nyomi 13 and Chris 12, but going into the 7th grade and therefore counted at a teen according to Brooklyn Public Library.
Nyomi acted about 5 years older than Chris. She was reluctant to talk to me until after I explained my homework assignment fully. I told her that I was studying to be a librarian and that if I were to be any good at my job I have to know what teens like to read. She first thought that I was going to ask her to think or write or something equally silly, but then decided she was doing the rest of the world a favor, and I wouldn't take up much of her time. Chris was shy and didn't say very much. Here is what we talked about:
INTERVIEW CHRIS 12
What do you read?
Chris: I like fantasy.
What kind of fantasy?
CHRIS: I don't know. hehehe
What authors do you like?
CHRIS: I read Harry Potter. I am now on the Goblet of Fire.
That is great. Do you read newspapers, magazines or anything else.
CHRIS: I don't know. hehehe
Do you read the Times, the Post, the Daily News.
CHRIS: I don't know. I don't pay any attention to what paper I read. I just pick up whatever is laying around and read it.
Oh, cool.
How often do you read?
CHRIS: I read all day long.
Really. (I find out later that his video game system at home is broken. He is reading Harry Potter and it is summer, so I believe he could be reading all day long.
What do you think reading means?
CHRIS: I don't know. hehehe. It is a break from boredom. I like to read before I go to bed.
What do you like to do when your not reading?
CHRIS: Ummm... I don't know... (as soon as we are done the interview he gets up to play Dance, Dance Revolution.)
Are you going on vacation this summer?
CHRIS: Yeah, I am going down to North Carolina to see my cousins. I really like to travel.
Do you swim?
CHRIS: Yeah, I like to go swimming. (He smiles.)
Where do you go swimming?
CHRIS: I like to go to the beach, Coney Island. I go with my brother and my mom. I also like to come to the library when I am not reading. (We both laugh at the irony. I think it is great that a teens think of that highly of the Brooklyn Public Central Library.)
What books out of all these would you read? (I have laid out before him all of titles we are reading for class plus Hugo Caberet and The Power of Lucky.)
(He looked through these books periodically for some time while we were talking. He first was drawn to the Avatars book. I can see that now that it might have been hard for him to look through all of the book. I think I brought too many and that the choices might be overwhelming. Also I had all the books sitting flat, so they may have been difficult to see.)
CHRIS: I like this one. (He points to the Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian.)
I like that one too. Why do you pick that one?
CHRIS: I don't know. I like this part. (He points to the blurb on the inside jacket.)
Thanks so much for helping me with this Chris. You have been great.
CHRIS: Okay.
NYOMI 13
Nyomi has been watching us from across the table. I don't know her at all. I have no idea what to expect. Nyomi is one cool character. I later find out that she is a volunteer at the library, but I can see it all over her face- she runs this place. She watches as I right done her name and corrects my spelling of it. "That is NYOMI" "Okay, thanks" I tell her.
Thanks for doing this by the way. What do you read?
NYOMI: I like gossip books.
Like what?
(Here are the titles and authors she likes:
Shepard, S. (2006). Pretty little liars. New York: HarperTempest. Series
Books about relationships.
Real life stories.
Godbersen, A., & Ottens, E. (2007). Deluxe. Haarlem: Gottmer.
How often do you read?
NYOMI: I read everyday. I usually read at night before I go to bed. I am reading two books now. One in the Little Liars series and one of the Gossip Girl books.
What do you think reading means?
NYOMI: I don't know. I just love to do it because it interests me. Reading means using your imagination.
What do you do when you are not reading?
NYOMI: When I am not reading I babysit my brother.
That doesn't sound like too much fun. What I meant to say is what do you do for fun?
NYOMI: I like to knit. I can knit while I read.
Really I can't do that! I like to knit, but I keep making the same scarf over and other again.
NYOMI: I also like to make bears. One of the children's librarians taught us how to knit and make bears. Let me show you. (She goes to get a bag.) We are all doing different things. Some of us are making scarves with ribbing and some of us are creating images using different patterns we have downloaded from the internet. This person has made a cat, and this person is doing a special kind of ribbing. See knit, pearl, pearl, knit.
Oh, that is all pretty terrific. You guys are pretty good already. You are inspiring me to keep it up.
What else do you do when you are not reading?
NYOMI: I like to travel. I am going to visit my aunt in Virginia, and I going swimming at my cousin's house in New Jersey. In 19 days I will be going to Disney World.
What? That is awesome. (Yes, I am being totally genuine here. I am impressed with Nyomi's very cool summer.) Do you play video games?
NYOMI: Yes, I like to play Halo 3, Assassins 3 and Guitar Hero.
What do you play Halo 3 and Assassins 3 on? (She looks at me like I must have been asleep for the last year.)
NYOMI: You can play Halo 3 and Assassins 3 on an XBox, a lot of the games came be played on any system?
Oh really, I had no idea....Out of the books in front of you, which one would you read?
NYOMI: I would read these?
Lockhart, E. (2008). The disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks: a novel. New York: Hyperion.
Cameron, P. (2007). Someday this pain will be useful to you. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Why did you chose those books?
NYOMI: Someday This Pain will be Useful to You- I really liked the cover and the title.
Lockhart was recommend by a friend, and I will always try a book recommend by a friend.
Almost Home looks like it is a really life story.
As I was finishing up and packing up my things the teens were relieved to get back to playing hanging out and having fun. They had a lot of younger kids in the program during teen time because of the lower program turnouts that happen over the summer. They didn't seem to mind with the video games and free orange juice and animal crackers. The program looked well under control, but the teens children and teens seemed carefree.
Also, I talked to my niece on the phone and asked her some of the same questions?
Katie-16
What do you read?
Katie: I like to read magazines.
Which ones?
Katie: I have a subscription to Teen Vogue.
What else?
Katie: I liked Sloppy First Second Helping by Megan Mccafferty
What do you do when you are not reading?
Katie: I go on MySpace. Watch TV. Go Camping. Play softball.
I read her a list of books and described each one to her. Of those she explained which one she liked.
She would read:
The Absolutely true story of a part time Indian.
The Disreputable History
Almost Home
Tyrell
While I was speaking to Molly I noticed the presents of a teenagers sulking and conspicuous and I do not mean that in the pejorative sense. After discussing what teens do and some of what they may like, I was very happy to be with the real teens even for this first short time. The boys walked slow and sort of shuffled along while holding up their pants. They wanted to know about the monthly Manga Mania Club that takes place on the last Friday on the month from 4-6 for ages 10-18yrs. It was not taking place that night. That night was chess night. These teens were not interested in chess. (I remember loving chess. :)
I came back that Tuesday with Molly's permission to talk to teens about their reading habits and their other hobbies. Getting to the teen space is at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch is rather awkward. I had to go back through security, guess at which door to take, walk up a spooky stair case and guess again which door to enter. While I understand the libraries are working within, for the most part, extremely limited budgets, a sign posting on the doors would have been a help to promote the program and help others locate the area. The teen space was made up of a wood that was stained with a yellowish brown 1970's varnish. The shelves were staked with arts and crafts supplies, board games and nicknack's. There were board games such as Connect Four and Life. Also two television sets on rolling metal carts, one connected to a Wii and one to a PlayStation, were causally placed at either side of the room. The library assistant or Librarian, I wasn't sure which, was signing karaoke to a Madonna song. She definitely had talent. She introduced my to Nyomi 13 and Chris 12, but going into the 7th grade and therefore counted at a teen according to Brooklyn Public Library.
Nyomi acted about 5 years older than Chris. She was reluctant to talk to me until after I explained my homework assignment fully. I told her that I was studying to be a librarian and that if I were to be any good at my job I have to know what teens like to read. She first thought that I was going to ask her to think or write or something equally silly, but then decided she was doing the rest of the world a favor, and I wouldn't take up much of her time. Chris was shy and didn't say very much. Here is what we talked about:
INTERVIEW CHRIS 12
What do you read?
Chris: I like fantasy.
What kind of fantasy?
CHRIS: I don't know. hehehe
What authors do you like?
CHRIS: I read Harry Potter. I am now on the Goblet of Fire.
That is great. Do you read newspapers, magazines or anything else.
CHRIS: I don't know. hehehe
Do you read the Times, the Post, the Daily News.
CHRIS: I don't know. I don't pay any attention to what paper I read. I just pick up whatever is laying around and read it.
Oh, cool.
How often do you read?
CHRIS: I read all day long.
Really. (I find out later that his video game system at home is broken. He is reading Harry Potter and it is summer, so I believe he could be reading all day long.
What do you think reading means?
CHRIS: I don't know. hehehe. It is a break from boredom. I like to read before I go to bed.
What do you like to do when your not reading?
CHRIS: Ummm... I don't know... (as soon as we are done the interview he gets up to play Dance, Dance Revolution.)
Are you going on vacation this summer?
CHRIS: Yeah, I am going down to North Carolina to see my cousins. I really like to travel.
Do you swim?
CHRIS: Yeah, I like to go swimming. (He smiles.)
Where do you go swimming?
CHRIS: I like to go to the beach, Coney Island. I go with my brother and my mom. I also like to come to the library when I am not reading. (We both laugh at the irony. I think it is great that a teens think of that highly of the Brooklyn Public Central Library.)
What books out of all these would you read? (I have laid out before him all of titles we are reading for class plus Hugo Caberet and The Power of Lucky.)
(He looked through these books periodically for some time while we were talking. He first was drawn to the Avatars book. I can see that now that it might have been hard for him to look through all of the book. I think I brought too many and that the choices might be overwhelming. Also I had all the books sitting flat, so they may have been difficult to see.)
CHRIS: I like this one. (He points to the Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian.)
I like that one too. Why do you pick that one?
CHRIS: I don't know. I like this part. (He points to the blurb on the inside jacket.)
Thanks so much for helping me with this Chris. You have been great.
CHRIS: Okay.
NYOMI 13
Nyomi has been watching us from across the table. I don't know her at all. I have no idea what to expect. Nyomi is one cool character. I later find out that she is a volunteer at the library, but I can see it all over her face- she runs this place. She watches as I right done her name and corrects my spelling of it. "That is NYOMI" "Okay, thanks" I tell her.
Thanks for doing this by the way. What do you read?
NYOMI: I like gossip books.
Like what?
(Here are the titles and authors she likes:
Shepard, S. (2006). Pretty little liars. New York: HarperTempest. Series
Books about relationships.
Real life stories.
Godbersen, A., & Ottens, E. (2007). Deluxe. Haarlem: Gottmer.
How often do you read?
NYOMI: I read everyday. I usually read at night before I go to bed. I am reading two books now. One in the Little Liars series and one of the Gossip Girl books.
What do you think reading means?
NYOMI: I don't know. I just love to do it because it interests me. Reading means using your imagination.
What do you do when you are not reading?
NYOMI: When I am not reading I babysit my brother.
That doesn't sound like too much fun. What I meant to say is what do you do for fun?
NYOMI: I like to knit. I can knit while I read.
Really I can't do that! I like to knit, but I keep making the same scarf over and other again.
NYOMI: I also like to make bears. One of the children's librarians taught us how to knit and make bears. Let me show you. (She goes to get a bag.) We are all doing different things. Some of us are making scarves with ribbing and some of us are creating images using different patterns we have downloaded from the internet. This person has made a cat, and this person is doing a special kind of ribbing. See knit, pearl, pearl, knit.
Oh, that is all pretty terrific. You guys are pretty good already. You are inspiring me to keep it up.
What else do you do when you are not reading?
NYOMI: I like to travel. I am going to visit my aunt in Virginia, and I going swimming at my cousin's house in New Jersey. In 19 days I will be going to Disney World.
What? That is awesome. (Yes, I am being totally genuine here. I am impressed with Nyomi's very cool summer.) Do you play video games?
NYOMI: Yes, I like to play Halo 3, Assassins 3 and Guitar Hero.
What do you play Halo 3 and Assassins 3 on? (She looks at me like I must have been asleep for the last year.)
NYOMI: You can play Halo 3 and Assassins 3 on an XBox, a lot of the games came be played on any system?
Oh really, I had no idea....Out of the books in front of you, which one would you read?
NYOMI: I would read these?
Lockhart, E. (2008). The disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks: a novel. New York: Hyperion.
Cameron, P. (2007). Someday this pain will be useful to you. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Blank, J. (2007). Almost home. New York: Hyperion.
Why did you chose those books?
NYOMI: Someday This Pain will be Useful to You- I really liked the cover and the title.
Lockhart was recommend by a friend, and I will always try a book recommend by a friend.
Almost Home looks like it is a really life story.
As I was finishing up and packing up my things the teens were relieved to get back to playing hanging out and having fun. They had a lot of younger kids in the program during teen time because of the lower program turnouts that happen over the summer. They didn't seem to mind with the video games and free orange juice and animal crackers. The program looked well under control, but the teens children and teens seemed carefree.
Also, I talked to my niece on the phone and asked her some of the same questions?
Katie-16
What do you read?
Katie: I like to read magazines.
Which ones?
Katie: I have a subscription to Teen Vogue.
What else?
Katie: I liked Sloppy First Second Helping by Megan Mccafferty
What do you do when you are not reading?
Katie: I go on MySpace. Watch TV. Go Camping. Play softball.
I read her a list of books and described each one to her. Of those she explained which one she liked.
She would read:
The Absolutely true story of a part time Indian.
The Disreputable History
Almost Home
Tyrell
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Teens really read!
Harry Potter has gotten everyone reading, teens in particular, and YA literature is so engaging and profound, everyone is continuing to read. I remember reading Beat lit, and non-fiction as a teenager, but I was deprived of decent contemporary fiction. I read a lot of plays and short stories in late high school/early college.
Other material I loved to read as a teenager:
Anything Oscar Wilde
John Barth
Virginia Wolfe assignment
Once and future King assignment
TC Boyle
Jane Austin
James Joyce
Mark Twain
However, the teens I meet with at the Brooklyn Public Library seemed to love reading and do it all the time although they might have been exaggerating to try and impress me. I think teens are so much more literate today than ever for a couple of reasons 1) they are always reading and writing and reading very quickly and coding and decoding text through a varity of electronic and print platforms , 2) they are also youtube video editors and producers making them more effective visual and oral communicators.
It is common knowledge that teens have to be more academically competitive than in the past, especially girls going into college. This drive to get into the best schools is a theme throughout YA lit. The article we read about teen readers last week cited research that teens that read for pleasure do better academically. I would think that many librarians and parents have already guessed that. That many adults understand the importance of reading for fun, not as true when I was growing up hence a lack of YA focused lit, will help teens perform better. Teens now know how much fun it is to read.
Also, I like what you said Jack about the Library as place at the Bronx Library Center. The library is a place where serendipitous learning can occur along side serendipitous fun. It seems that with the explosion of YA lit that there now really is a book for every reader.
Other material I loved to read as a teenager:
Anything Oscar Wilde
John Barth
Virginia Wolfe assignment
Once and future King assignment
TC Boyle
Jane Austin
James Joyce
Mark Twain
However, the teens I meet with at the Brooklyn Public Library seemed to love reading and do it all the time although they might have been exaggerating to try and impress me. I think teens are so much more literate today than ever for a couple of reasons 1) they are always reading and writing and reading very quickly and coding and decoding text through a varity of electronic and print platforms , 2) they are also youtube video editors and producers making them more effective visual and oral communicators.
It is common knowledge that teens have to be more academically competitive than in the past, especially girls going into college. This drive to get into the best schools is a theme throughout YA lit. The article we read about teen readers last week cited research that teens that read for pleasure do better academically. I would think that many librarians and parents have already guessed that. That many adults understand the importance of reading for fun, not as true when I was growing up hence a lack of YA focused lit, will help teens perform better. Teens now know how much fun it is to read.
Also, I like what you said Jack about the Library as place at the Bronx Library Center. The library is a place where serendipitous learning can occur along side serendipitous fun. It seems that with the explosion of YA lit that there now really is a book for every reader.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Advocating for YAs
Some general thoughts and opinions:
The role of the YA librarian is to advocate for YAs. To advocate means to publicly support a policy or cause. This role as a YA advocate is unique to the roles of children and adult advocate in a couple of ways. Unlike children and adult patrons, the behavior expectations, maturity level, and information/program needs of YAs vary greatly. Also, the library and the public at large vary in their perceptions of and feeling toward YAs. It is easy to forget what it was like to be a teenager and, therefore, easy to pass judgement on them.
Part of our role as a YA advocate is to validate the experiences of the YAs to the YAs and in indirect and direct ways to the staff of the library and the adults in the YAs life- this is where we can show our support for teens publicly.
Ways to support teens in the library:
1. Communicate how you want your YA patrons treated to the staff and other patrons of the library. Make this level of respect clear to the YAs.
2. Make sure they have their own space.
3. Cool programs for teens and advertise in local schools.
4. Create relationships with the adults in their lives, etc.
Teens have so many feelings and generally feel so intensely- love, anger, freedom, ecstasy -and all these emotions are new. It is going to be important to stay open to their perspective and remember our own. However, this job is bigger than where they are developmentally at the time and our values. We should be working with a network of people.
Teens' identities can be in such flux that they may have a hard time feeling like the same person from one day to the next. If they can see themselves in literature valued by adults, this will help them see themselves and their own experiences as valuable.
We are serving diverse communities. Even though we might not have had the same experiences as the teens we are serving, it is important to show them that they are not alone and also that their world is a lot bigger than it may seem to them in the moment. If we can show them a book or other media that illustrates to them that they are not alone, we are able to help validate their experiences.
Moreover, YAs have energy and nowhere to use it in many cases. They need to be given a things to do that help them form an identity and a sense of purpose or are just fun. As we talked about in class, boredom with teens is a very big issue. Alleviating that boredom is key to keeping them out of trouble. Keeping teens out of trouble will help make our job easier because highly engaged teens are an easier population to advocate for.
The role of the YA librarian is to advocate for YAs. To advocate means to publicly support a policy or cause. This role as a YA advocate is unique to the roles of children and adult advocate in a couple of ways. Unlike children and adult patrons, the behavior expectations, maturity level, and information/program needs of YAs vary greatly. Also, the library and the public at large vary in their perceptions of and feeling toward YAs. It is easy to forget what it was like to be a teenager and, therefore, easy to pass judgement on them.
Part of our role as a YA advocate is to validate the experiences of the YAs to the YAs and in indirect and direct ways to the staff of the library and the adults in the YAs life- this is where we can show our support for teens publicly.
Ways to support teens in the library:
1. Communicate how you want your YA patrons treated to the staff and other patrons of the library. Make this level of respect clear to the YAs.
2. Make sure they have their own space.
3. Cool programs for teens and advertise in local schools.
4. Create relationships with the adults in their lives, etc.
Teens have so many feelings and generally feel so intensely- love, anger, freedom, ecstasy -and all these emotions are new. It is going to be important to stay open to their perspective and remember our own. However, this job is bigger than where they are developmentally at the time and our values. We should be working with a network of people.
Teens' identities can be in such flux that they may have a hard time feeling like the same person from one day to the next. If they can see themselves in literature valued by adults, this will help them see themselves and their own experiences as valuable.
We are serving diverse communities. Even though we might not have had the same experiences as the teens we are serving, it is important to show them that they are not alone and also that their world is a lot bigger than it may seem to them in the moment. If we can show them a book or other media that illustrates to them that they are not alone, we are able to help validate their experiences.
Moreover, YAs have energy and nowhere to use it in many cases. They need to be given a things to do that help them form an identity and a sense of purpose or are just fun. As we talked about in class, boredom with teens is a very big issue. Alleviating that boredom is key to keeping them out of trouble. Keeping teens out of trouble will help make our job easier because highly engaged teens are an easier population to advocate for.
Friday, July 11, 2008
You Know Where to Find Me by Rachael Cohn
You Know Where to Find Me by Rachael Cohn is for artsy girls who like to read and write and feel like outsiders. Miles, the main character, is that girl. Cohen writes her, and the other characters in a way that acknowledges their pain, anger and poor judgement, yet does so with great empathy and warmth. As I said in my book talk, this book is about how betrayal and hurt can be the path to forgiveness and acceptance.
The novel, while it deals with issues of suicide, drugs, and eating disorders, does so in a way that never goes so far as to induce nightmares in the reader. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. Twelve is an age where girls are getting very excited about becoming teenagers and all the freedom that comes with it. This book could help prepare them for some of the events they might encounter, and teaches many lessons without being preachy: 1) it is okay to forgive your parents 2) they are not alone when it comes to weight issues 3) reading and writing are cool and 4) it is okay to challenge authority if you do your homework on the topic. I would not recommend this title to most boys because it doesn't deal with many issues of particular interest to boys, and there is not a lot of action. I would recommend the novel to boys dealing with suicide, or who have two dads or two moms.
The novel is great for a summer read because it takes place over the summer, is gritty, and has a summer loneliness theme that plague students during summer months. Also, it would be a great recommendation for students in summer school, and particularly those from the Mid-Atlantic states familiar with the Washington DC area, and its local politics. It would also be an enjoyable read for teens who have shown an interest in politics, or whose parents are in politics.
The novel, while it deals with issues of suicide, drugs, and eating disorders, does so in a way that never goes so far as to induce nightmares in the reader. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. Twelve is an age where girls are getting very excited about becoming teenagers and all the freedom that comes with it. This book could help prepare them for some of the events they might encounter, and teaches many lessons without being preachy: 1) it is okay to forgive your parents 2) they are not alone when it comes to weight issues 3) reading and writing are cool and 4) it is okay to challenge authority if you do your homework on the topic. I would not recommend this title to most boys because it doesn't deal with many issues of particular interest to boys, and there is not a lot of action. I would recommend the novel to boys dealing with suicide, or who have two dads or two moms.
The novel is great for a summer read because it takes place over the summer, is gritty, and has a summer loneliness theme that plague students during summer months. Also, it would be a great recommendation for students in summer school, and particularly those from the Mid-Atlantic states familiar with the Washington DC area, and its local politics. It would also be an enjoyable read for teens who have shown an interest in politics, or whose parents are in politics.
Sold by Patricia McCormick
Sold is the story of a 13 year old girl named Lakshmi from a small village in the hills of Nepal. She and her family is very poor, but Lakshmi is loved, and she is happy until one day when her fathers gambles and "sells" her to a woman from the city. She and her mother think that she is going to work as a maid for a rich family in the city. That is not what happens. She is taken far away to India and is forced to become a prostitute.
I would recommend this book to mature teenage bibliophiles over 14 years of age both for its poetic prose, and the complex emotional world that McCormick creates, and I would also recommend this book to reluctant readers who will fly through the novel with its large margins and its easy on the eyes bright white quality paper. This book is for teens interested in world affairs, women's issues, poverty or world cultures. Emigrants from Southeast Asia may also enjoy reading this book that so vividly describes the beautiful terrain, fascinating climate and harsh realities of the poor of Nepal and India. In particular, this novel has the ability to communicate not just poverty the way Americans view it, but poverty where there is no infrastructure, no education, and no way out.
The book written from Lakshmi perspective focuses on the relationships between the women forced to work in the brothel. Sold asks the questions: "How long should you hold on to hope?" "How do you know who to trust when you have been betrayed so often?" "What makes life worth living?" Etc. Sold also does its best to answer these questions. More broadly it answers the question: "How does the sex trade continue, and why is it so hard to combat?"
I would recommend this book to mature teenage bibliophiles over 14 years of age both for its poetic prose, and the complex emotional world that McCormick creates, and I would also recommend this book to reluctant readers who will fly through the novel with its large margins and its easy on the eyes bright white quality paper. This book is for teens interested in world affairs, women's issues, poverty or world cultures. Emigrants from Southeast Asia may also enjoy reading this book that so vividly describes the beautiful terrain, fascinating climate and harsh realities of the poor of Nepal and India. In particular, this novel has the ability to communicate not just poverty the way Americans view it, but poverty where there is no infrastructure, no education, and no way out.
The book written from Lakshmi perspective focuses on the relationships between the women forced to work in the brothel. Sold asks the questions: "How long should you hold on to hope?" "How do you know who to trust when you have been betrayed so often?" "What makes life worth living?" Etc. Sold also does its best to answer these questions. More broadly it answers the question: "How does the sex trade continue, and why is it so hard to combat?"
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Marly's Ghost
Last week I read Marly's Ghost by David Levithan. Marly's Ghost is about a 16 year old boy, named Ebenezer Scrooge (Ben), whose girlfriend dies of cancer. After her death Ben is very depressed, and cannot let go of his pain. The YA novel is based upon Dicken's A Christmas Carol. In the authors note Levithan explains rewriting or remixing A Christmas Carol paragraph by paragraph from beginning to end, and then editing the novel until the writing transformed into his own voice. Like Dicken's Scrooge, the boy has given up on love, family and friends. Instead of an unhealthy attachment to wealth, the main character dons an unhealthy attachment to the memory of his dead girlfriend.
Many moments revealed in this book remind me of being a teenager. I, like Ben, had a good friend who was a senior with whom I would go see bands play and dance. I never lied to my mother about what I was doing or who I was with as happens in the book, but I found this part of the book realistic. That Ben and his friends need to lie proves that the parents involved want to know what is happening in the lives of their children. Also, the excerpts about the hurt and depression Ben was going through read as if a teen had written the descriptions and observations. I enjoyed seeing gay characters portrayed very positively and with normalcy. Ben's parents, other adults and all other people in the story are try to nurture him, but he rejects their help before the spirits come. Ben believes in the beginning of the novel that he has no future. This is all clearly conveyed with insight.
However, the book was a little boring and corny. I wonder if teens might have a different opinion than mine, especially younger teens. I am just beginning to work with teens now in a mentorship role, and I have a lot to learn about teens, and need to work to remember what it was like and what material would have been interesting. I like some of the ways that the story was similar to A Christmas Carol, but I did not like others. I think the book should have departed more from the original developing the spirits into more compelling characters. I felt my eyes rolling when I learned the main character's name was Ebenezer Scrooge, and at the spirits overtly didactic roles. Their complex messages required more nuance. I did not feel I connected with the ghosts. Their characters needed to be vamped up. The novel before the 4 spirits arrive has an authentic quality and flow (a little slow) that make it enjoyable to read.
Many moments revealed in this book remind me of being a teenager. I, like Ben, had a good friend who was a senior with whom I would go see bands play and dance. I never lied to my mother about what I was doing or who I was with as happens in the book, but I found this part of the book realistic. That Ben and his friends need to lie proves that the parents involved want to know what is happening in the lives of their children. Also, the excerpts about the hurt and depression Ben was going through read as if a teen had written the descriptions and observations. I enjoyed seeing gay characters portrayed very positively and with normalcy. Ben's parents, other adults and all other people in the story are try to nurture him, but he rejects their help before the spirits come. Ben believes in the beginning of the novel that he has no future. This is all clearly conveyed with insight.
However, the book was a little boring and corny. I wonder if teens might have a different opinion than mine, especially younger teens. I am just beginning to work with teens now in a mentorship role, and I have a lot to learn about teens, and need to work to remember what it was like and what material would have been interesting. I like some of the ways that the story was similar to A Christmas Carol, but I did not like others. I think the book should have departed more from the original developing the spirits into more compelling characters. I felt my eyes rolling when I learned the main character's name was Ebenezer Scrooge, and at the spirits overtly didactic roles. Their complex messages required more nuance. I did not feel I connected with the ghosts. Their characters needed to be vamped up. The novel before the 4 spirits arrive has an authentic quality and flow (a little slow) that make it enjoyable to read.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
