Dystopias in YA

I intended to read The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness for my second YA book review, but it failed Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50 for me. At the same time, it provoked an important personal reflection:

I really cannot stand dystopian YA literature. It's one of the reasons I never read much YA, because what was presented in school was generally about dystopias, and then we would have to have really tedious, contrived discussions about it. I'm thinking of Lois Lowry's The Giver, and John Wyndham's The Chrysalids. It even continued into high school, having to read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale in grade 10 English. Maybe I could have enjoyed these books if they weren't taught in school, but as it stands, I am still put off by these types of themes. Blinded by my own personal bias, I find it difficult to understand the appeal factors of these books for teens.

Anyway, I returned The Knife of Never Letting Go to the library, in hopes it will find a more appreciative reader. Not surprisingly, Stephenie Meyer's The Host is still sitting unfinished on my bookshelf, waiting for someone to read it. Let me know if you'd like to borrow it.

Hello, Groin - Book Review

Goobie, Beth. Hello, Groin. Orca, 2006. 271p. $14.56. 978-1551434599

When Dylan starts grade 11, she has no idea what the year will hold. She’s been dating Cam, a popular jock, and should be considered one of the “in” crowd. But when Dylan hangs out with the popular girls, she is aware that she is not like them at all. The popular girls soon nickname her “Queen Dylan”, for her hesitance to have sex with Cam. Cam is the ideal boyfriend, but Dylan is not sure she wants to continue the relationship, and surmounting feelings of confusion towards her best friend Jocelyn further complicate the matter. Wise-beyond-her-years little sister Keelie tells Dylan that she doesn’t have enough happiness in her life, and it is soon apparent that Dylan is going to have to be honest with herself about what she wants.

This is easier said than done – the groin, notes Dylan, is a very confusing part of the body. Authoritarian figures like the school principal, who censors the book display that the school librarian commissions from Dylan, further exacerbate the problem. In the controversy that follows the censorship of the display, Dylan has to face the establishment, her parents, her peers, and most importantly, come to terms with herself and her feelings for Jocelyn. Luckily for Dylan, she has the support of rational and kind parents, and the open-minded school librarian.

Overall, Hello, Groin is a well-considered and thoughtful coming of age story, appropriate for teenagers and for mature tweens.

3Q 4P J S

Other works by Beth Goobie: Something Girl, The Dream Where the Losers Go

Teen Annex Adventure

In true teen fashion, I left my visit to the teen section of the library to the last possible minute of the day. At 8:40, which is 20 minutes to close, I entered the teen section of the Jalna Branch Library, which is a branch that I don’t usually go to. When I walked into the library, there were a number of signs directing patrons. One pointed to the children’s section, another to audio and video, and one more to adults. There was no directional sign for the teen annex, but it turned out to be not far ahead of me.

The teen section had a “Teen Annex” sign hanging from the ceiling, and some pretty cool modular furniture; a red and purple table, and some kind of funky shelving units on which were displayed popular and new teen titles. Another display unit showcased interesting graphic novels. The teen collection itself spanned 4 or 5 bookshelves, and seemed to contain a wide array of genres, from “chick lit” to sci fi to a large collection of mangas. A bulletin board next to the collection advertised all sorts of teen programming, from teen book clubs to homework help to LPL’s L.O.U.D. concert series.

The collections on display made me somewhat more aware of how unfamiliar with YA materials I really am: I recognized a few graphic novels, such as Craig Thompson's Blankets, and some of the book titles seemed vaguely familiar from the blogosphere, but there is seemingly a world of publication unto itself that I have never really involved myself in.

What I found particularly notable about my trip to the teen section, since I didn't really have the vocabulary to assess the quality of the collection, was how the space was being used by teens, even when the library was closing in 20 minutes. There were two teens in a study room adjacent to the teen annex, though they didn’t seem to be studying so much as socializing with one of teen pages on staff – who pretended to arrange books while the three had a boisterous conversation. Just in front of the teen annex was a bay of homework computers, where two teens or pre-teens were getting help from a woman who appeared to be a homework tutor.

It was quite interesting to see this much activity at 8:40 pm. I was really pleasantly surprised to see what a vivacious and dynamic space Jalna’s teen section is, and that it is genuinely being used by teens in the ways that they see fit.

Twilight Saga Banned

via LISNews, an article in the Daily Telegraph about some Australian schools banning Twilight.

What YA Lit Is and Isn't

"The bottom line is that YA books are not meant to raise children. They are everything any adult book is. They are entertainment. They are a place to see ourselves. They are a place to get lost for a few hours. They are a place to make us think and wonder and imagine. They are a place to evoke anger, disagreement, discussion, and maybe tears."

- Mary Pearson, "What YA Lit Is and Isn't" over at Tor.com

Comments Enabled

Tech glitch between the free template I am using and Blogger not allowing comments to be posted fixed! A pop-up box should appear when "Comments" is clicked.

YA in real life

Last weekend, I hauled my set of the Twilight saga over to the house of a friend who had claimed a mild interest in the phenomenon.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to my phone vibrating with a text message:
"Annnnne! Bella is making me angry. :@"

Blog beginnings

This is going to be my digital home as I learn about the world of Young Adult Materials in LIS 9364, during my second term of library school at UWO. My previous experience in YA is limited: I read the Twilight series to see what the hype was about, but have not read into the genre any further than that. Exploring YA should be an interesting experience - feel free to follow my (mis?)adventures!