The Goddess of YA Literature

looking back

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:35:23 GMT

Y'Tin is a teenager in a small village in Vietnam. His dream of becoming an elephant handler has been realized; he spends the time he is not in school tending Lady, a pregnant elephant. Y'Tin's father assists the US military in some of their missions since he is a master tracker. However, once the army departs, the village is prey to bands of North Vietnamese armies who are seeking revenge on anyone who assisted the US troops. As word of an approaching army from the North comes to the village, Y'Tin and his communioty prepare to flee. Not everyone makes it out of the village though. Y'Tin and others are herded together, forced to dig a mass grave, and face certain execution. Kadohata's novel sheds light on little known aspects of the Vietnam War. Additionally, the action and adventure nature of the novel as readers follow Y'Tin into the jungle seeking freedom is fast paced and will appeal to a wide readership.

a fairy tale

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:59:21 GMT

I have adored Laura Amy Schlitz' books. A DROWNED MAIDEN'S HAIR was a haunting story. Her Newbery winner, GOOD MASTERS, SWEET LADIES was phenomenal. And her Newbery speech was absolutely captivating. So when THE NIGHT FAIRY (Candlewick, Feb. 2010) ARC arrived, I put it aside for my flight to California. High above the clouds, as it turns out, was the perfect place to dip into this story of a night fairy whose wings are are chewed off accidentally by a bat. Now, Flory must adapt to a life without flight. She fashions a home within an abandoned bird house high in a cherry tree and watches the giantess tend her garden and feed the birds who flock to the trees. Flory is especially enamored of the hummingbirds and longs to fly on the back of one. In the meantime, she enlists the aid of a squirrel she names Skuggle. They form an alliance and eventually become friends.

This is a perfect story for reading aloud, a terrific bedtime story for young children, but also a good story for reading aloud in class. Fairies, squirrels, hummingbirds, and nature at its finest provide the heart of this story about friendship, trust, courage, and so much more. It is a book that will bear repeated readings, each time more gems will glow within the pages.

travelling gal

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:42:24 GMT

Per usual, Continental's flight was late arriving at the gate, so my flight was delayed for 30 minutes. However, it did not matter as I had packed plenty of reading material. I finished this one:

THE ROCK AND THE RIVER by Kekla Magoon (Aladdin, 2009) is the story of Sam, one of the sons of famed Civil Rights leader, Roland Childs. Childs preaches nonviolent social protest. Sam has become accustomed to attending the rallies and playing the part of the dutiful son. But now, things are changing. Sam's older brother, Stick, has joined the Black Panther Party putting him at odds with his father. Sam in intrigued by the Panthers, but he is also afraid of how his father will react of he discovers what is going on. When a friend of Sam and Stick's is beaten by cops, Sam is torn between being the good son and joining his brother in the Panther Party.

Magoon addresses an aspect not seen heretofore in YA literature (as far as I can recall). The dynamics of the family ring true. The terrible injustice of history is still difficult to read about even decades after the fact. However, if you want to make this period of time come alive to students, this is an excellent addition to the other books set during this turbulent time.

Interestingly enough, the other book I began to read on the plane is set in Vietnam about 5 years after this novel. Must be time for me to visit my teen and young adult-hood.

packing and wrapping

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:10:30 GMT

Had great intentions for finishing off a couple of books today. But the resident had to play at the Christmas Parade. Then we needed to wrap the gifts for our sharing Mass tomorrow. And I thought it might be good to pack since I leave for California in the morning. Before I knew it, dark.

Most of the end of the year lists have been posted. The starred review accumulations, the picks for best, even the shortlists for some of YALSA's awards are all creating buzz. Which books will be mentioned at the press conference at ALA Midwinter? Several titles have emerged on many lists, and they might just be ones whose titles are lauded by the various committees.

However, even though I love the lists and have served on my share of award committees, I do want to remind everyone that there are hundreds of worthy books that might never get a nod were it not for the librarians and teachers who read them and took them into a classroom or a library and shared them with students. If someone had not read some books and talked about them with colleagues, we might have to be satisfied only with the dozens of award winners instead of the hundreds of other books that might just be THE entry point for a lifetime of reading for one student. So, keep reading beyond the lists. You are sure to uncover a gem of a book that deserves more readership.

Happy reading. With any luck, I will complete a few books tomorrow during the flight. I will check in from the west coast then. Peace.

where did the day go?

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:59:35 GMT

So, after a night of little sleep and lots of coughing, I woke determined to finish grading today. Sat down to begin and newlywed called to see if we wanted to have lunch with her. She was in the area for jury duty. Well, we did lunch then ran some errands. I did come home and grade then. I can now say all work is graded including the portfolios submitted by our soon-to-be graduates. I cannot record grades until next week, though. Drat.

While we were out, I had the car inspected. The station had a copy of newlywed's high school yearbook on the shelf so hubby and I walked down memory lane looking at photos from 2004. Seems a lifetime ago.

Now I can move on to getting some of the materials ready for my spring classes. The university is changing our CMS platform from Blackboard to eCollege. We had the training, but the folks in charge have yet to move our materials over to the new platform so we can begin putting things together. Makes me crazy as students will be asking for access to coursework during the holidays. Ah well, need to just do what I can and let the rest go.

Now, time to feed the kitties. Scout has been circling me for some time to make sure I know that, too. I hope to get back to some reading tomorrow and over the weekend.

picture book Wednesday

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:25:33 GMT

Spent most of the morning hours with my better half who had his routine colonoscopy. Everything went well and I actually finished half of a novel while waiting this morning, and will post more about that once the reading is complete. In the meantime, here are two picture books I picked up.

Here is a perfect book for reading aloud during the upcoming holiday season. THE SOUND OF KWANZAA is a sort of call back and answer pattern lets readers know about the facts behind the holiday. Why the candles of different colors? What does Kwanzaa signify? Bold illustrations and text combine to convey the excitement and joy of the celebration.

TESTING THE ICE: A TRUE STORY OF JACKIE ROBINSON told by his daughter Sharon and illustrated by the remarkable Kadir Nelson shows glimpses of Robinson both as a courageous player who crossed the color barrier and as a loving father who was less a hero and more of a regular guy at home.

Now, back to the usual programming: GLEE airs shortly.

tooting someone else's horn, er, flute

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:16:17 GMT

This is the resident of the back bedroom from the back of her letter jacket. This week she lettered academically for the second time and now will add a regional band patch. At competition yesterday, the resident placed first in region in flutes. I can attest to her work ethic since the music was made available to the band in late summer. Since then, hubby and I (and Scout) have listened to the resident progress from tortured note playing to the type of playing that earned her first chair. To say we are proud is an understatement.

To keep this all in perspective lest you think resident is some sort of uber teen, she left her cell phone behind yesterday morning. She forgot to pack a lunch (I remembered though, so she did not go without). And sometimes, she just doesn't "get it." She keeps me amazed and amused. I brought her back an autographed copy of SORCERESS by Michael Scott which she DEVOURED over the weekend. Her only complaint was that now she had to hunt down the other titles. I assured her I had them and would locate them and bring them home sometime soon. What a kid.

smoke on the water

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:06:50 GMT

My darling better half has taken up photography for the second time (he had his own studio in Houston in the 80s) and loves his digital equipment. He went outside a couple of days ago at dawn when the temp was 25 or so to snap this.

and the word is...

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:07:34 GMT

As Shawna herself observes, she has 3 different personalities. There is PERFECT Shawna, the dutiful daughter who gets top grades and has applied for early admission on her way to med school. Then, there is PATHETIC Shawna. She is the one always ready to beg and plead for attention from her father, from Devon, even from her ex best friend. And finally, there is EVIL Shawna, the one who will stand up and speak her mind. How can Shawna live three distinct lives? Simple answer? She can't; no one can. In SAY THE WORD (Bloomsbury, 2009), Jeannine Garsee delivers an interesting examination of family dynamics. The family has its usual share of flaws: a temperamental and controlling father, an aging grandparent, and an absent mother. Shawna's mother left years ago to live with another woman. For Shawna, this was the ultimate act of abandonment. However, as this story opens, Shawna's mother dies suddenly. Now, Shawna is placed in the middle of a revenge-fueled battle between her father and Fran, Shawna's mothers partner. Issues of sexuality, family, abandonment, aging, and more seem to pile atop Shawna who feels her life slipping out of control. Can she merge the evil,pathetic, and perfect aspects of herself and become the Shawna she needs to be?

another day, another ???

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:17:24 GMT

Was up early with the beginning of a cold (oh, joy) and read a book I will not blog about as it has become my policy to only write good things about books. Sometimes people ask if I just like all the books I read. NOPE. I just elect not to write about the books I find lacking. It's early enough that the next book might be worthy of a blog posting.

Snowed yesterday. The neighbor across the street has two young kids and they were outside laughing and playing through it all. Even though nothing stuck for long, it is a rarity here and invites all of us to head outside to watch. Hubby got up this morning and took photos of the smoke on the water (steam rising from the lake). Now that song is stuck in my head.

Plan to clean out some more drawers and cubbies today. Cold weather brings out the need to weed.

knocking my socks off

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:25:22 GMT

From the outside, this is an unassuming little book. But open to the first page and watch out. I opened this gem at 4:30 this morning. By 7, I was a teary mess. THE ORANGE HOUSES by Paul Griffin (Dial, 2009) grabs hold and refuses to let go. The opening poem, penned by one of the main characters of the book is followed by a pseudo news story and then Chapter One where we meet Tamika (call her Mik, rhymes with nick), a high school student who is hearing impaired. However, Mik's loss of hearing does allow her to dwell in silence from time time, gives her time to contemplate the world around her, the people who chatter meaninglessly. Chapter Two gives readers a second narrator in the person of Fatima Esperer (she has given herself a last name that means hope), a refugee who longs to see the Statue of Liberty. And last, but not least, is the voice we hear in Chapter 4, Jimmi Sixes, an 18 year old former soldier who has seen more than any teen should ever see in battle. These lives will connect and intertwine and collide. Each will need the other; together they will face down some of the most harrowing challenges imaginable.

The structure is what amazed me: long-ish chapters (though none are more than a handful of pages) that to me were like the inexorably slow climb of a roller coaster car up the steep hill. These are followed by some short chapters that are the breathless downhill careening, car plunging toward...what? Certainly toward an ending no one will soon forget. Heart racing, mouth working with no sound: this is a book that will haunt.

on the boardwalk

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:14:38 GMT

ROSIE AND SKATE is the story of two sisters. Skate is a year older than Rosie, though that does not affect their relationship much at all. Both are dealing with the fact that their alcoholic father has been imprisoned for robbing a convenience store while under the influence. Rosie faithfully visits Dad each week with her Aunt Angie who is serving as a temporary guardian. Skate, on the other hand, wants no part of visits or Dad himself. She has created a nice life for herself with her boyfriend and his mother. She does not want to be reminded of all the times Dad has disappointed her. In alternating chapters, Rosie and Skate relate the events of their lives. Rosie falls in like with another member of her Alateen group (Rosie calls the group, Drama Queen). Skate and her boyfriend split. Friendships change people disappoint. Somehow, life goes on. This book does not contain great scenes of angst. Rather, it is a quiet exploration of the lives of two teens who are doing their best to deal with whatever life throws them.

Since I have been thinking about and writing about reading ladders and connections between books, I was struck between the connection with SPROUT (see yesterday's entry) and THE PIGMAN (alternate viewpoints in alternate chapters) to name a few.

I responded to a comment on the blog posting about narrow thinking and, of course, there was another response to mine. It is exactly what I observed in the original post (two days ago): some folks just keep flinging stuff hoping to keep us so preoccupied with answering back that we forget to focus on what is important. Here is what is important: we must fight censorship in al its guises. Whether it is as obvious as what is going on in Kentucky right now or as subversive as filters that keep teachers from sites that contain "political" content or the argument that today's books are somehow not worthy of study. I intend to keep that focus.

Now on to some errands and then home to the ever threatening stack of books waiting to be read and shared (nefarious subjects and all) with readers.

Sprouting some new ideas

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:21:30 GMT

Yesterday I posted a rant about narrow thinking. If you have not read the comments posted, you might want to give it a look. I responded to one comment there. Now, I think I will move on to the usual business and talk about the book I read today.

SPROUT stands out in his new school. His hair is green and he is not wearing the unofficial school uniform. Oh, and he is gay. And Sprout has a secret, one that he might just reveal before the story ends. Daniel, SPROUT, moves with is father from NY to Kansas following the death of his mother. Dad is an alcoholic (and no, those are not his secrets, either). He forges ahead without much assistance until a high school English teacher discovers that Scout is one talented writer. She enlists him as the school's applicant for a statewide essay contest, tutors him over the summer, and ends up dating Sprout's father.

Sounds like the stuff nightmares are made of, no? But Sprout is a survivor, a snarky and self aware survivor at that. Humor, pathos, twists and turns (in the words of our intrepid narrator, "didn't see that coming, did you??"), and perhaps some redemption.

I am declaring tomorrow (Thursday) as NO NARROW THINKING DAY. Join me?

random thoughts on narrow thinking

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:02:48 GMT

Several items have been chasing one another around in my brain of late. The first is the story of Kentucky teacher Risha Mullins. I had the chance to meet her at NCTE and she attended our Standing Committee Against Censorship meeting there as well. She had a few books challenged by some vocal parents (1 or 2). Said books by some of our LJ friends including Jo Knowles and Laurie Halse Anderson. Said books were subjected to the process already in place for reconsideration. Committee decision was to retain the books. Decision was ultimately overruled by the superintendent. Censorship? You bet. Despite all sorts of letters and blogs and news articles, the decision of the superintendent is final. What this entire thing has devolved into, though, is some nasty name calling. Folks siding with the superintendent are using words like "pornography" to desribe books they have not read. And, of course, ALA and NCAC and other organizations that work to keep books alive and well and in the hands of students are being labeled as purveyors of porn and worse. Fearmongering at its worst is what this has become. Now the books are being labeled as not worthy of study in an AP English class. Huh? When I read the books being challenged (and I have actually read them all, every last word on every page), I seem to recall plots, characters, settings, themes, and the like. The censors are attacking the low readability levels (Huck Finn is 4th grade just so you have a reference point for the readability for the "classics"). It's like they are throwing everything out there so there is never time to fashion a coherent answer to their accusations. Where have I seen that before? Maybe during political races???

BTW, for something interesting to add to this discussion of which books are "worthy" of study, check out the top ten books college kids are reading:

1. The Lost Symbol
by Dan Brown
________________________________________
2. Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
________________________________________
3. The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger
________________________________________
4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
________________________________________
5. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
________________________________________
6. The Wild Things
by Dave Eggers
________________________________________
7. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
________________________________________
8. The Last Song
by Nicholas Sparks
________________________________________
9. Push
by Sapphire
________________________________________
10. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
by Max Brooks

Now, there is a brouhaha over the SLJ cover from last month featuring some of the prominent bloggers in the YA world. They were photographed in a NYC bar holding (fake) drinks. Apparently, they did not wear sensible shoes and hair twisted into a bun. Letters to the editor at SLJ are decrying the poor role models on the cover. I would have killed to have been among them. Censorship? Not quite. Narrow thinking? You bet.

It's rather depressing, this narrowness. I think that is what connects these two stories for me. If we could just broaden our view (and I am including me here not using the royal we), maybe we could expend more energy creating readers and welcoming new technologies and ways of talking about boos and reading. Instead. some seem hell-bent on wearing blinders.

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:22:18 GMT

Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Winner Announced

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the winner of the inaugural Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author, Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for the sum of $5,000 to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.
The winner of the 2009 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award is:
My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park
by Steve Kluger (Dial)

2009 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalists are:
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson (Putnam)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Harcourt)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
Me, The Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine (HarperCollins)

All Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award titles will be identified by an award sticker—gold for the winner and silver for the four finalists.
This year’s winning title was announced at an open reception and reading on Monday, November 23 during the 2009 ALAN Workshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Finalists Steve Kluger (My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park) and Jacqueline Woodson (After Tupac and D Foster) were present to read from and sign their nominated titles. Members of the 2009 committee, Jennifer Buehler, Erica Berg, and Mary Arnold, read from the remaining nominated titles.

The 2009 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: NCTE and the ALAN Board of Directors; all of the publishers who nominated books for consideration; Scottie Bowditch and Kimberly Lauber from Penguin Group for making arrangements for their authors to attend the reception and for supplying books for the signing; Daniel Gill for designing the beautiful award seal; Gerard Mendoza, event planner for the Philadelphia Downtown Marriot, for his assistance in planning the reception; and Don Gallo for photographing the reception.

The 2009 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee was comprised of ten members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities who considered 232 young adult titles over the duration of the process:

Dr. Wendy Glenn, Chair
Associate Professor, University of Connecticut, Storrs
Willington, CT

Mary Arnold
Teen Services Manager, Cuyahoga County Public Library
Cleveland, OH

Erica Berg
Classroom Teacher, Rockville High School
Vernon, CT

Dr. Jean Boreen
Professor, Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ

C.J. Bott
Retired Classroom Teacher and Educational Consultant
Solon, OH

Dr. Jennifer Buehler
Assistant Professor, Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO

Bonnie Kunzel
Youth Services and Adolescent Literacy Consultant
Germantown, TN

Dr. Teri Lesesne
Professor, Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX

Daria Plumb
Classroom Teacher, Dundee Alternative High School
Dundee, MI

Dr. Barbara Ward
Assistant Professor, Washington State University, Tri-Cities
Richland, WA

For more information on the award, please visit ALAN Online: The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents http://www.alan-ya.org/ .

Woof woof woof means I love you

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:42:28 GMT

WOOF, a LOVE STORY by Sarah Weeks (HarperCollins, 2009) tells of the romantic troubles when dog tries to tell cat he loves her. The message gets lost in translation (woof woof woof) and it takes some time for the two of them to understand what the other is saying. Bouncy rhyme moves this story along quickly and heightens the amusement over the confusion.

similes soar!

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:50:40 GMT

Laurie Lawlor and Ethan Long bring readers an alphabet chock full of similes in MUDDY AS A DUCK PUDDLE (Holiday House 2010). In addition to the 26 similes (Independent as a hog on ice.) is an appendix which gives the origin for each. Perfect for those working with ELL students and for teachers wanting students to use and understand figurative language.

fractions decimals and percents

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:46:03 GMT

David Adler's new book deals with the unholy trinity of math: fractions, decimals, and percents. Set at a county fair, Adler uses money, costs for food, and the like to show readers all the different ways one can represent parts of a dollar (and more). My one complaint: a sign at the fair that offers 40 cents "off of" each dollar. The old grammarian just cannot seem to put down the grammar bat.

Holiday House, 2010

3 willows

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:42:46 GMT

Ama, Jo, and Polly were once fast friends. Now, they have grown apart, and each is heading off in a different direction for the summer. Ama thinks she is going to Andover and ends up on a wilderness adventure growing blisters the size of ping pong balls. Jo takes a job as a bus boy (make that bus girl) at an oceanside restaurant and longs to hang out with the older wait staff. Polly is determined to become a model and is almost starving herself in an effort to appear more like the models in her magazines. Of course, there is more to each of the girl's stories, and in the capable hands of Ann Brashares, their stories come alive. From the creator of THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS comes a new series with new characters. Yes, there are mentions of the sisterhood who by now have reached almost mythical proportions at their high school. But these girls are their own individuals who discover this summer that they still need one another.

almost recovered

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:20:07 GMT

Up early to prepare our personal Thanksgiving Day, just me, the resident of the back bedroom and the hubby. Green bean casserole, fresh (and sugar fee) cranberry sauce, turkey, mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy--just comfort holiday food and a chance for us to share a quiet meal. Now the resident is making a sandwich (we ate at lunch, another tradition) and hubby is working a dit-dot contest (he is a ham radio operator) and Scout is sleeping off his share of the turkey. Me? I read a book for a VOYA review called UNDEAD MUCH? by Stacey Jay. Think of it as Gossip Girls meet Thriller. Basic plot: one of the pom squad is a zombie fighter at her high school. Lots of blood and gore combined with make up, hairdos, and making out scenes in the back seat of the car. Should be immensely popular. Here is the cover:

Now it is time for some down time in front of the TV.

will grayson wil grayson

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:59:29 GMT

It's not often that I am at a loss for words. Ask anyone. However, here I am searching for just. the. right. ones. moments after reading WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan (yes, that's right, two times the awesome) due in April of 2010 from Dutton. All the cliches swim in my brain: it is about love (and it is about love, truly, it is) and being fully human and, thus, flawed but potentially awesome. It is about friendship and how that relationship is fraught with so many pivotal and terrifying moments where it can all go wrong. It is about celebrating and Broadway and football and swing sets and the White Sox.

I know for sure that readers will meet two young men named Will Grayson whose lives connect one night in a place neither ever expected to be. And they will meet Tiny, a giant of a teen who will bore into their brains and hearts and, I hope, souls. They'll sit in an empty dugout and share the great secrets of humanity. They will meet these young men (and Maura and Jane and some of the greatest parents ever to grace YA fiction) and they will want to stay with them even beyond the end of the book (because the story does go on from there, it has to). And I hope they will struggle for words when they reach those last pages. What they will not struggle for, though, are the emotional connections they have made with this remarkable story.

Green and Levithan, in what must have been a Vulcan mind meld, have combined their considerable talents and created something that grew to be larger than the sum of its parts. Look for this book, friends, when it pubs. It is one I suspect we will be talking about a great deal.

NCTE and ALAN wrap up

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:21:12 GMT

Enjoy this power point of photos from NCTE and ALAN.

N C T E Photos

View more presentations from Teri Lesesne.

Happy Thanksgiving

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:45:13 GMT

I will post about the fab-o airplane book I read on the way back from NCTE/ALAN when I am not quite so tired. In the meantime, here is a gift for all of you who read the blog. Here is Kirkus' kist of best YA: http://bit.ly/51G0nX

And here is Bohemian Rhapsody Muppet style.

booklist from ALAN part deux

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:52:52 GMT

and here is the list from Bonnie Kunzel from the ALAN session.

GENREBLENDING FOR NCTE/ALAN 2009

MYSTERIOUS FANTASY

Funke, Cornelia. The Thief Lord.

Fforde, Jasper. Thursday Next: The Eyre Affair. Lost in a Good Book. The Well of
Lost Plots. Something Rotten. First Among Sequels.
Nursery Crime: The Big Over Easy. The Fourth Bear.

Pierce, Tamora. Beka Cooper: Terrier: A Tortall Legend. Bloodhound.

Vande Velde, Vivian. Never Trust a Dead Man.

ROMANTIC FANTASY

Bunce, Elizabeth C. A Curse Dark As Gold.

Cashore, Kristin. Graceling. Prequel: Fire.

Marillier, Juliet. Wildwood Dancing.

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight Saga: Twilight. New Moon. Eclipse. Breaking Dawn.
Klause, Annette Curtis. The Silver Kiss. Blood and Chocolate.

TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE

Cooney, Caroline B. The Time Travelers Quartet: Both Sides of Time. Out of Time. Prisoner of Time. For All Time.

Harrison, Mette Ivie. The Princess and the Hound. The Princess and the Bear.

Hubbard, Mandy. Prada & Prejudice.

Mangum, Lisa. The Hourglass Door.

DARK FANTASY

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. The Graveyard Book.

Jinks, Catherine. The Reformed Vampire Support Group.

Marr, Melissa. Wicked Lovely. Ink Exchange. Fragile Eternity.

Werlin, Nancy. Impossible: A Novel.

booklists from ALAN Session

lis_tsl@shsu.edu — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:51:03 GMT

Here is Mary Arnold's bibliography to go along with the Power Point posted earlier.

ALAN 2009

Many Formats Make Great Reading

Verse Novels

All the Broken Pieces. Ann E. Burg. Scholastic Press. 2009
Becoming Billie Holiday. Carole Boston Weatherford. Art by Floyd Cooper.
Wordsong. 2008
Amiri and Odette: a Love Story. Walter Dean Myers. Scholastic Press. 2009

Screenplay

Riot. Walter Dean Myers. Egmont USA. 2009

Epistolary

My Most Excellent Year. Steve Kluger. Dial Books. 2008
The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie. Jaclyn Moriarty. Arthur A. Levine Books. 2006

Short Stories/Novella

Pretty Monsters. Kelly Link. Decorations Shaun Tan. Viking. 2008
No Such Thing as the Real World. HarperTeen. 2009
Angry Management. Chris Crutcher. Greenwillow Books. 2009

Recordings

Thirteen Reasons Why. Jay Asher. Razorbill. 2007

Diaries/Journals/Blogs

Pieces of Georgia. Jen Bryant. Knopf. 2006
How My Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller. Julia DeVillers.
Dutton Childrens Books. 2004
Click Here to Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade. Denise Vega.
Little, Brown. 2005

Picture Books

Timbuktu. Paul Auster. Illustrations Julia Goschke. Penguin Young Readers
Group. 2002
Beowulf a Tale of Blood, Heat and Ashes. Retold by Nicky Raven. Illustrations
John Howe. Candlewick Press. 2007