The Adult Lessons of YA Fiction
"'When critics decide its time to pull up the gates and seal us all inside our castle of grown-up things, they cease to be people who deserve being listened to.' So writes author John Warner, in his commentary during website The Morning News’s annual Tournament of Books literary bracket, after judge Natasha Vargas-Cooper classified John Green’s breakaway young-adult novel The Fault in Our Stars and Chris Ware’s graphic novel Building Stories (which is not young adult) as 'juvenilia.'"-- Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 6/9/14
YA and the Shame Game
"Ruth Graham recently sparked a "I'll read what I want!" furor when she wrote a takedown of YA on Slate and titled it "Against YA." Many articles chicken-littleing the inexplicable popularity of vulgar populist genre fiction have come before it and many more will come after it. The world is full of these strange, brittle people who think things are only valuable if they're uncomfortable." -- Elizabeth Vail, HuffPost Books - The Blog, 6/8/14
Should Adults Be Embarrassed to Read Young Adult Books?
"Journalist Ruth Graham thinks adults shouldn't be reading young adult books. She speaks with NPR's Rachel Martin about the criticism she's received for writing that for Slate." -- Rachel Martin (host), NPR Books - Author Interviews, 6/8/14
Grown-Ups Don't Be Ashamed of Your YA Habit
"It's all John Green's fault. I'm not just talking about the strong likelihood that I'll be ugly-crying in public alongside fellow fans of "The Fault In Our Stars" in a theater near me this weekend -- I mean the fact that I'm reading much fiction at all these days. But apparently I'm supposed to be embarrassed about my love of Green's books. Says who?" --Kat Kinsman, CNN Living, 6/8/14
I Write Young Adult Novels, And I Refuse to Apologize for It
"One of my most traumatic experiences involved a high school classroom and a romance novel. I was fifteen and devouring pretty much any book I could get my hands on, especially adult romances—the more torrid, the better. I had one of these books in my backpack when a male friend pulled it out and started to read a particularly lurid passage aloud. The whole class laughed; I was suitably mortified. It was the first time I ever felt that I should be ashamed of what I loved, and the moment has stuck with me my entire life."-- Rachel Carter, New Republic, 6/6/14
This is Why Young Adult Books Are Not Only Acceptable, But Beneficial for Adults
"You might've seen a recent piece published by Slate outlining exactly why readers should be a little more ashamed about their young adult book consumption. If not, here's the gist: novels written for a teenage audience that are intended to represent realistic relationships (think The Fault in Our Stars, not Divergent) do so in a limited and immature way. According to the author, books like Eleanor & Park tend to have neat, happy endings, thereby making them unchallenging and uncomplicated -- they're for pleasure, whereas adult literature is for ... something else, left unspecified." -- Maddie Crum, Huff Post Books, 6/6/14
Ashamed of Reading YA? The Fault Lies Not in Our Stars, But in Our Stores
"Ah, the arbitrary divisions of the bookstore.Now it’s “Young Adult” and “Serious Fiction for Older Adults” and “Romance” and “Science Fiction.” In Dickens’s day, “Books About Winsome Orphans” and “Books About Prostitutes With Hearts of Gold” stood where “Teen Paranormal Romance” and “YA But Specifically YA About Finding Yourself” (a category I actually saw at a Barnes & Noble recently) stand today. I’m sure they evoked about equal measures of sneering. (Dickens was especially gifted and managed to get his book stocked on both shelves, guaranteeing that “Oliver Twist” would be a platinum-level bestseller.)" -- Alexandra Petri, ComPost - The Washington Post (Blogs), 6/6/14
No, You Do Not Have to Be Ashamed of Reading Young Adult Fiction
"Last month, it was William Giraldi, trashing romance novels in the pages of the New Republic, who did the critic’s equivalent of dumping a bucket of piranhas into a crowded pool on the first great swimming day of summer. June brings another provocation, this time from Ruth Graham in Slate, who argues that adults ought to be ashamed of reading young adult literature." -- Alyssa Rosenberg, Act Four - The Washington Post, 6/6/14
Slate’s Condescending “Against YA” Couldn’t Be More Wrong —
Young Adult Fiction Is for Everyone
"With today’s release of the John Green film adaptation The Fault in Our Stars, Slate, a publication that has been ignoring the swell of good, interesting, arguably literary young adult fiction for years has decided to run a piece, “Against YA,” that makes the claim, “Today’s YA, we are constantly reminded, is worldly and adult-worthy. That has kept me bashful about expressing my own fuddy-duddy opinion: Adults should feel embarrassed about reading literature written for children.” It is possibly the most Slate-y piece that ever Slate-d, maintaining a contrarian and snooty tone throughout, telling you the many ways that you are doing it wrong." --Elisabeth Donnelly, Flavorwire Books, 6/6/14
Let's Just All Read More Great Books - YA Or Not
"Today The Fault in Our Stars, based on a bestselling book by John Green, will debut in theatres across America. No cultural phenomenon can go unpunished by the good folks at Slate. So we get a piece with the thesis, "Adults should feel embarrassed about reading literature written for children. Sigh." -- Michelle Dean, Gawker, 6/6/14
Against YA
"As The Fault in Our Stars barrels into theaters this weekend virtually guaranteed to become a blockbuster, it can be hard to remember that once upon a time, an adult might have felt embarrassed to be caught reading the novel that inspired it. Not because it is bad—it isn’t—but because it was written for teenagers."-- Ruth Graham, Slate, 6/5/14
*Information in this Weekly Reader post first published on the IRC News & Information Blog. 6/11/14
Showing posts with label Children's literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children's literature. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Waiting for Wonderstruck
After seeing the movie trailer for Hugo while waiting for Harry Potter 7 and remembering how I enjoyed The Adventures of Hugo Cabret, I've been not-so-patiently waiting for our copy of Wonderstruck to arrive in the library. I discussed the books pending arrival during the Mock Caldecott panel last week. I've tried not to read the inevitable discussions and comparisons between Selznick's 2008 Caldecott Award winner Hugo and his newest novel, Wonderstruck. It's been difficult.
Leaving work yesterday, I noticed our copy has arrived (I'll be putting my name on the list). This morning, despite my best intentions, I read an interesting post by Robin Smith on the Horn Book's Calling Caldecott blog. Judging by the number of copies "in process" and "on hold" in OhioLINK, I'm not the only person looking forward to reading Wonderstruck.
Friday, August 27, 2010
It's a book!
In the interest of full disclosure on a Friday afternoon I will preface the remainder of this post with; I love Lane Smith's books. Some of my favorite titles are John, Paul, George, and Ben, Madam President, and Big Plans. That list does not include his work with Jon Scieszka such as The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Math Curse, and best of all, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. So it is not all that unusual It's a Book was recently added to the library's juvenile collection.
MacMillan Children's Books has a YouTube channel. Here's It's a Book:
It's a Book is a comical and accurate view of the books verses media debate narrated by a mouse, a jackass, and a monkey. A technology focused jackass consistently questions the monkey reading a book about its various "functions." The patient response to every question asked is, "No, it's a book." Illustrations are crisp, clean, and colorful; a double page spread detailing hours passing as jackass becomes fully involved reading monkey's book is classic. Mouse has the final word in this argument, and therein lie the questions this book seems to be gathering.
Reviews have been mixed for It's a Book; while School Library Journal listed it as a starred review (Gr. 3-5) in their August 2010 issue, others have disagreed. I've added it to the collection of titles to be used during a Mock Caldecott session after Labor Day. I am deeply curious how a group of pre-service teachers will view the book, illustrations, use of the word jackass (as opposed to donkey), and how or if it would fit into a classroom.
Other issues aside, wouldn't the video make a great ice-breaker for a library instruction session?
MacMillan Children's Books has a YouTube channel. Here's It's a Book:
It's a Book is a comical and accurate view of the books verses media debate narrated by a mouse, a jackass, and a monkey. A technology focused jackass consistently questions the monkey reading a book about its various "functions." The patient response to every question asked is, "No, it's a book." Illustrations are crisp, clean, and colorful; a double page spread detailing hours passing as jackass becomes fully involved reading monkey's book is classic. Mouse has the final word in this argument, and therein lie the questions this book seems to be gathering.
Reviews have been mixed for It's a Book; while School Library Journal listed it as a starred review (Gr. 3-5) in their August 2010 issue, others have disagreed. I've added it to the collection of titles to be used during a Mock Caldecott session after Labor Day. I am deeply curious how a group of pre-service teachers will view the book, illustrations, use of the word jackass (as opposed to donkey), and how or if it would fit into a classroom.
Other issues aside, wouldn't the video make a great ice-breaker for a library instruction session?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
From my bloglines account
I admit it, I browse my Bloglines account faithfully but do not read every feed every day. As with a newspaper, I check the headlines and delve deeper when something in particular catches my interest. These two items caught my attention as they portrayed interesting views regarding the social norm for libraries and higher education:
The F-Word, by Laurie Fendrich
Brainstorm, The Chronicle of Higher Education
"I came of age when the “f-word” first started entering ordinary conversation among educated people. Although The New York Times still won’t print it, The New Yorker will." ... read the article
Heather Has Two Mommies Turns 20, Leslea Newman
Soapbox, The More Things Change, Publisher's Weekly
"Two decades have come and gone since Heather, the little girl with two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet and two mommies popped out of my pen. And I am proud as any parent can be." ... read the article
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Ohioana Library Awards Announced
From the Ohioana Library:
Columbus, OH – March 30, 2009—
The Ohioana Library has announced the 26 finalists for the 2009 Ohioana Book Awards. “Ohio authors are amazing! The variety, and depth of topics and characters included in this year’s array of book award finalists represent the finest in the literature of our time. We are a proud to recognize the authors from all areas of our state who have published outstanding books this year.” said Linda Hengst, executive director of the Ohioana Library. “We receive 700 to 900 books a year all of which become eligible for the book awards, so the authors of the books selected as finalists should feel truly honored.”
The book awards are given in five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, juvenile literature, and “about Ohio/Ohioans.” Many of the book award finalists will be at our 3rd annual Ohioana Book Festival on May 9th. Ohioana will announce the winners in each category near the end of August, and recipients will be honored at the annual Ohioana Day Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Saturday, October 17, 2009.
These are the Ohioana Book Award finalists :
Poetry
The Roswell Poem by Rane S. Arroyo – Toledo (WordFarm, 2008)
Everywhere at Once by William Greenway - Youngstown (University of Akron, 2008)
Without Saying by Richard Howard – Cleveland (Turtle Point, 2008)
The Wave-Maker by Elizabeth Spires – Lancaster (Norton, 2008)
An Unmistakable Shade of Red by Mary E. Weems – Cleveland (Bottom Dog, 2008)
Fiction
An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke – Cincinnati (Algonquin, 2008)
Gone Tomorrow by P. F. Kluge – Gambier (Overlook, 2008)
The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard by Erin McGraw – Columbus (Houghton Mifflin, 2008)
A Mercy by Toni Morrison – Lorain (Knopf, 2008)
The End by Salvatore Scibona - Cleveland (Graywolf, 2008)
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld – Cincinnati (Random, 2008)
Nonfiction
Pure Goldwater by John W. Dean – Akron (Palgrave MacMillan, 2008)
In the Mind’s Eye by Elizabeth Dodd - Athens (University of Nebraska, 2008)
Baghdad at Sunrise by Peter R. Mansoor – Columbus (Yale University, 2008)
The Man Who Adores the Negro by Patrick B. Mullen – Columbus (University of Illinois, 2008)
Hospital by Julie Salamon – Seaman (Penguin, 2008)
About Ohio
Clyde Singer’s America M. J. Albacete - Canton (Kent State University, 2008)
Cleveland: The Flats, The Mill, and The Hills by Andrew Borowiec – Canton (The Center for American Places, Columbia College, Chicago 2008)
The University of Cincinnati photographed by Robert A. Flischel – Cincinnati (RAF, 2007)
All the Way Home by David Giffels – Akron (Wm Morrow, 2008)
Politician Extraordinaire by Frank P. Vazzano – Canton (Kent State University, 2008)
Juvenile
The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff – Yellow Springs (Hyperion, 2008)
Where the Steps Were by Andrea Cheng - Cincinnati (Wordsong, 2008)
Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar - Dublin (Atheneum Young Readers, 2008)
Our Farm by Michael J. Rosen – Columbus/Perry County (Darby Creek, 2008)
The Floating Circus by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer – West Chester (Bloomsbury Children’s. 2008)
The Ohioana Awards began in 1942, with James B. “Scotty” Reston, Walter Havighurst, and Willard M. Kiplinger as the first recipients. In addition to the book awards, the library sponsors six other awards, including citations in a various fields, a editorial excellence award for an Ohio based journal or magazine, the Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant for a young (30 years of age or younger) unpublished author, the Robert Fox Awards for Young Writers, and the Ohioana Pegasus and Career Awards.
The mission of the Ohioana Library, established in 1929 by First Lady Martha Kinney Cooper, is to recognize and encourage the creative accomplishments of Ohioans; preserve and expand a permanent collection of books, sheet music, manuscripts, and other materials by Ohioans and about Ohio; and disseminate information about the work of Ohio writers, musicians and other artists to researchers, schools and the general public. Individuals can visit the library at 274 E. First Ave., Columbus, OH, or online at www.ohioana.org.
Columbus, OH – March 30, 2009—
The Ohioana Library has announced the 26 finalists for the 2009 Ohioana Book Awards. “Ohio authors are amazing! The variety, and depth of topics and characters included in this year’s array of book award finalists represent the finest in the literature of our time. We are a proud to recognize the authors from all areas of our state who have published outstanding books this year.” said Linda Hengst, executive director of the Ohioana Library. “We receive 700 to 900 books a year all of which become eligible for the book awards, so the authors of the books selected as finalists should feel truly honored.”
The book awards are given in five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, juvenile literature, and “about Ohio/Ohioans.” Many of the book award finalists will be at our 3rd annual Ohioana Book Festival on May 9th. Ohioana will announce the winners in each category near the end of August, and recipients will be honored at the annual Ohioana Day Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Saturday, October 17, 2009.
These are the Ohioana Book Award finalists :
Poetry
The Roswell Poem by Rane S. Arroyo – Toledo (WordFarm, 2008)
Everywhere at Once by William Greenway - Youngstown (University of Akron, 2008)
Without Saying by Richard Howard – Cleveland (Turtle Point, 2008)
The Wave-Maker by Elizabeth Spires – Lancaster (Norton, 2008)
An Unmistakable Shade of Red by Mary E. Weems – Cleveland (Bottom Dog, 2008)
Fiction
An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke – Cincinnati (Algonquin, 2008)
Gone Tomorrow by P. F. Kluge – Gambier (Overlook, 2008)
The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard by Erin McGraw – Columbus (Houghton Mifflin, 2008)
A Mercy by Toni Morrison – Lorain (Knopf, 2008)
The End by Salvatore Scibona - Cleveland (Graywolf, 2008)
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld – Cincinnati (Random, 2008)
Nonfiction
Pure Goldwater by John W. Dean – Akron (Palgrave MacMillan, 2008)
In the Mind’s Eye by Elizabeth Dodd - Athens (University of Nebraska, 2008)
Baghdad at Sunrise by Peter R. Mansoor – Columbus (Yale University, 2008)
The Man Who Adores the Negro by Patrick B. Mullen – Columbus (University of Illinois, 2008)
Hospital by Julie Salamon – Seaman (Penguin, 2008)
About Ohio
Clyde Singer’s America M. J. Albacete - Canton (Kent State University, 2008)
Cleveland: The Flats, The Mill, and The Hills by Andrew Borowiec – Canton (The Center for American Places, Columbia College, Chicago 2008)
The University of Cincinnati photographed by Robert A. Flischel – Cincinnati (RAF, 2007)
All the Way Home by David Giffels – Akron (Wm Morrow, 2008)
Politician Extraordinaire by Frank P. Vazzano – Canton (Kent State University, 2008)
Juvenile
The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff – Yellow Springs (Hyperion, 2008)
Where the Steps Were by Andrea Cheng - Cincinnati (Wordsong, 2008)
Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar - Dublin (Atheneum Young Readers, 2008)
Our Farm by Michael J. Rosen – Columbus/Perry County (Darby Creek, 2008)
The Floating Circus by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer – West Chester (Bloomsbury Children’s. 2008)
The Ohioana Awards began in 1942, with James B. “Scotty” Reston, Walter Havighurst, and Willard M. Kiplinger as the first recipients. In addition to the book awards, the library sponsors six other awards, including citations in a various fields, a editorial excellence award for an Ohio based journal or magazine, the Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant for a young (30 years of age or younger) unpublished author, the Robert Fox Awards for Young Writers, and the Ohioana Pegasus and Career Awards.
The mission of the Ohioana Library, established in 1929 by First Lady Martha Kinney Cooper, is to recognize and encourage the creative accomplishments of Ohioans; preserve and expand a permanent collection of books, sheet music, manuscripts, and other materials by Ohioans and about Ohio; and disseminate information about the work of Ohio writers, musicians and other artists to researchers, schools and the general public. Individuals can visit the library at 274 E. First Ave., Columbus, OH, or online at www.ohioana.org.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Multicultural Literature Conference Coming
I received notice of this upcoming literature conference from Kent State University:
The Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth will celebrate its 25th anniversary April 2 - 3, 2009 at Kent State University. Sponsored by Kent State's College and Graduate School of Education, Health and Human Services, the School of Library and Information Science, and the Office of Continuing and Distance Education, the conference provides a forum for discussion of multicultural themes and issues in literature for children and young adults.
"Reflections!" is the theme of the conference, invoking the memory of the late Virginia Hamilton and her tradition of closing many of the past conferences with her personal reflections and readings. This year's conference will look back on the life and work of Hamilton and the 24 previous gatherings, bringing together writers, illustrators, librarians, teachers, students, and scholars who were inspired by her work, many of whom knew her personally.
Renowned Caldecott award winning illustrators Leo and Diane Dillon; National Book Award winning illustrator Barry Moser; and Newbery Honor award winning author Jacqueline Woodson will be the featured guests. Moser and Woodson are this year's 11th Annual Virginia Hamilton Literary Award winners and will be addressing the opening gathering the evening of April 2. Leigh Adoff, daughter of Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff and a well-known singer and actress in Europe, will perform Thursday evening as well. An autograph session and dessert reception will follow.
Friday's schedule includes multiple workshop sessions highlighting all aspects of teaching, sharing, and creating multicultural themes in children's and young adult literature, presented by local and national experts. Recipients of the 2009 Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Creative Outreach Grant for Teachers and Librarians will be announced and attendees will have the opportunity to attend a conversation session with the featured conference guests and presenters.
In addition to celebration the 25th anniversary, we are unveiling our new Virginia Hamilton Conference website at http://virginia-hamilton.slis.kent.edu . The conference reaches capacity quickly, so early registration is encouraged. For more information, contact the Office of Continuing and Distance Education at 330-672-3100 or 800-672-KSU2
The Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth will celebrate its 25th anniversary April 2 - 3, 2009 at Kent State University. Sponsored by Kent State's College and Graduate School of Education, Health and Human Services, the School of Library and Information Science, and the Office of Continuing and Distance Education, the conference provides a forum for discussion of multicultural themes and issues in literature for children and young adults.
"Reflections!" is the theme of the conference, invoking the memory of the late Virginia Hamilton and her tradition of closing many of the past conferences with her personal reflections and readings. This year's conference will look back on the life and work of Hamilton and the 24 previous gatherings, bringing together writers, illustrators, librarians, teachers, students, and scholars who were inspired by her work, many of whom knew her personally.
Renowned Caldecott award winning illustrators Leo and Diane Dillon; National Book Award winning illustrator Barry Moser; and Newbery Honor award winning author Jacqueline Woodson will be the featured guests. Moser and Woodson are this year's 11th Annual Virginia Hamilton Literary Award winners and will be addressing the opening gathering the evening of April 2. Leigh Adoff, daughter of Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff and a well-known singer and actress in Europe, will perform Thursday evening as well. An autograph session and dessert reception will follow.
Friday's schedule includes multiple workshop sessions highlighting all aspects of teaching, sharing, and creating multicultural themes in children's and young adult literature, presented by local and national experts. Recipients of the 2009 Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Creative Outreach Grant for Teachers and Librarians will be announced and attendees will have the opportunity to attend a conversation session with the featured conference guests and presenters.
In addition to celebration the 25th anniversary, we are unveiling our new Virginia Hamilton Conference website at http://virginia-hamilton.slis.kent.edu . The conference reaches capacity quickly, so early registration is encouraged. For more information, contact the Office of Continuing and Distance Education at 330-672-3100 or 800-672-KSU2
Friday, December 05, 2008
Lists... and more lists
As the year winds down, children's literature best books lists are published. Earlier this month I pulled books from our juvenile collection featured in both the Children's Choice and Teacher's Choice 2008 lists from The Reading Teacherto be placed on reserve for a children's literature course this spring. Read Roger, the Horn Book editor's blog, posted And the Hit's Just Keep on Comin yesterday; links to the Horn Book Fanfare List: Best Books of 2008.This morning I had opportunity to check our collection against the Horn Book list and School Library Journals Best Books of 2008 list. While being on the list does
not mean I automatically purchase any given title, it does mean I will re-evaluate reviews of titles we don't have, look at curriculum needs and OhioLINK holdings, and then consider purchase. It was interesting to see how many of the books already in our collection were currently circulating within the AU community and OhioLINK.I was pleased to note I had read several fiction titles on the various lists. Sometimes what circulates does so via recommendation and discussion in the
resource center (Did you read?.....), it helps. Included in that group were Waiting for Normal, Paper Towns, and The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Here are a few of the current "best books" lists for 2008:Monday, May 12, 2008
Celebrate Children's Book Week, May 12- 18
This week is Children's Book Week.
Take time to celebrate by reading a book this week to a special child you know, re-read a favorite story from your childhood for your own pleasure or better yet, donate money to your local school or public library for them to buy a special children's book for their collection. Many libraries will allow you to place a memory/honor plate in the book.
Take time to celebrate by reading a book this week to a special child you know, re-read a favorite story from your childhood for your own pleasure or better yet, donate money to your local school or public library for them to buy a special children's book for their collection. Many libraries will allow you to place a memory/honor plate in the book.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Great email newsletter
One of the more interesting children's literature blogs in my Bloglines account is Read Roger, by Roger Sutton, editor in chief of the Horn Book. Friday's post, Notes from the Horn Book, introduces readers to a new monthly newsletter to be generated by Horn Book.
After posting this on the IRC blog, it seemed prudent to pass along the opportunity here as well. When subscribing you will be asked to create an account by providing a valid email address, name (first and last), address, city, and zip code to complete the process. Check it out!
"Be the first on your block to sign up! Each free and non-spam-generating issue of our new monthly newsletter, debuting the first week of March, highlights a small stack of new children's books of particular interest to parents and other adults who just need a little Horn Book help at the library or bookstore. In the March issue I interview Jon Scieszka, review some books about nature, spot some sequels, and answer some totally made-up questions in the advice column. Pass it on." - Read Roger, Notes from the Horn Book, 2/15/08
After posting this on the IRC blog, it seemed prudent to pass along the opportunity here as well. When subscribing you will be asked to create an account by providing a valid email address, name (first and last), address, city, and zip code to complete the process. Check it out!
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