Chris Crutcher's Response to YA Kerfuffle

Although the WSJ started this YA kerfuffle back in early June, Chris Crutcher's response is invaluable. The point that most resonates with me, from my own experiences, is that YA literature gives names to the bad things that can happen to kids which then allows then to talk about it. It's easy to forget that kids who have bad things happen to them, often feel as if it was their fault. YA literature, yes even the darkest of the dark, can empower teens and be the basis for conversations with the adults in their lives.

Hugo Awards for 2011 Announced

Connie Willis wins again!

Other Books for fans of "The Help"

W. 11th & Bluff: More suggestions for fans of "The Help"

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Carnegie Strout Library in Dubuque, Iowa has compiled some lists of read-alikes for fans of The Help (since there are now over 70 holds on our copies....)

Conjuring the Next Harry Potter

Fascinating WSJ article about The Night Circus  and the publishing industry's search for The Next Big Thing.

(Have I mentioned how much I LOVED this book???)

Oh, the pages that glow!

Fasten your seatbelts and keep your hands inside the car----it's gonna be quite a ride!


Oh, the pages that glow!

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Amazon Launches the Kindle Cloud Reading

The Revolution continues! Long live the Revolution!

Isn't it FUN being part of this!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!!!!

New Word for today: Transmedia

JK Rowling is about to do it again! Pottermore.com, a website scheduled to open to the public in October, is predicted by some to "transform storytelling."

I read this article and still don't quite understand it, but I will be there in October to play in this new sandbox!

The Case for Raunchy YA Lit

Raunchy is a strong word used by the author of this article to make a point about the value of, say, realistic fiction for teens. A must-read article, IMHO.

Ebooks Accelerate Paperback Release Dates

An unintended consequence of the huge changes taking place in the publishing industry started by ebooks, works to our advantage! Book clubs will benefit!

Google Has Entered the eReader Game!

Wow---$140 for an eReader from Google......

The YA Lit Kefuffle, continued

This interesting debate seems to bring out passionate responses from all sides of the political spectrum. (yeah, I know, another mixed metaphor.)

Book on Amazon's Top Lists---while it's still being written?!

Could John Green, best-selling, YA author, have his finger on the future (sorry for the mixed metaphor) of publishing?

Gatsby Without the Greatness?

So Fitzgerald's masterpiece has been re-written to make it more "accessible" to less able readers. Sort of like re-working Mark Twain to make it "less racist." So has political correctness gone TOO far? Roger Ebert certainly thinks so.

South Korea to throw away schoolbooks by 2015

South Korea to throw away schoolbooks by 2015

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RITA Awards Announded

The Romance Writers of America gave out this year's award for the best romantic novels in a wide variety of subcategories.

 I will be reading the YA winner The Iron King by Kagawa.

Scholastic's Book Wizard helps find Read-alikes

Stumped for a Read-like for a young adult? This site might help! You can modify by reading level and find similar books for teens and younger readers. Is NOT limited to Scholastic titles and was designed for teachers, but it looks useful.

Pretty cool! Go ahead, play with it a bit. (I tried Hunger Games as my first search and only came up with its sequels. My next search was better.)

Hope this is helpful!

Your loyal blogger.

PW's Take on the Recent YA Lit Controversy

Publisher's Weekly summarizes the recent storms in the YA lit world. Did you miss them? This is all you'll need to read.

Another Kerfuffle about YA Lit

Last weekend, the WSJ published an article about how 'dark' YA literature is and questioned whether is was appropriate for the teens to be reading about suicide, drug abuse, sex, etc. etc. As you might imagine, a healthy debate has ensued. This links you to the WSJ article and to NPRs summary and history of this debate.

Just so you know what's happening in the wide world of YA this week. :-)

Lillian Jackson Braun dies at 97

The author of the always popular Cat Who... series has died.

Let the E-Reader Price War Begin!

Barnes & Noble has just dropped the price of their popular e-reader, increased the screen size and added a touch screen, apparently trying to squash Kobo's advantage.

Good time to buy an e-reader!