STACKED

books

In my suitcase: ALA edition

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I’m not going to talk about the things I’ve already talked about. Instead, I’m going to talk about the books I picked up at ALA Midwinter. Organized by publisher and publication date, along with links to GoodReads and any other relevant information. If you’ve read any of these, I’d love your thoughts on where I should start.

Bloomsbury Walker


Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby (February 28, 2012): This book looks like it’ll fit perfectly into a book list on photography.  
The Mapmaker and the Ghost by Sarvenaz Tash (April 24, 2012): Sarvenaz has stopped by STACKED before to talk about this middle grade novel, so I was really excited I could pick it up.
Small Medium at Large by Joanne Levy (July 3, 2012): Another debut middle grade. 
Candlewick
Ruby Redfort: Look into My Eyes by Lauren Child (March 2012): This one’s by the author of Charlie and Lola (the books which inspired the tv series). 
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta (March 2012): Marchetta and I have an interesting relationship. One that can get a little violent maybe. But I liked Finnikin of the Rock enough I am eager to dive into the second installment of the series. I’m not a big fantasy reader, but Finnikin worked for me, and I’m eager to see what Froi does.
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough (July 2012): The publicist sold me on this one with the words “Do not read this at night.” It’s a horror novel and looks completely up my alley.

Disney Hyperion

From What I Remember . . . by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas (May 2012):  If I’m remembering right, this one was kind of compared to The Hangover but for teens. Which doesn’t mean much to me, since I wasn’t a huge fan of that movie.

Sway by Amber McRee Turner (May 2012): Another middle grade debut. I saw this one buzzed by a number of teachers I respect.

Rebel McKenzie by Candice Ransom (June 2012)

Lucky Fools by Coert Voorhees (July 2012): This one’s by the same author as The Brothers Torres, for those of you who know that one!

Flux

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace (available now)

Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert (available now): I’ve been curious about this one for a while not just topically, but because Lisa’s a local author to me.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti (March 2012): This one’s a debut and the start of a series.

Radiate by Marley Gibson (April 2012): I don’t know why I pick up cancer books, knowing how much I don’t care for them. But this one sounds like it offers a bit more than the cancer plot. This is the author of the Ghost Huntress series, for those familiar with that one!

The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell (April 2012): I really liked the first book in this series, The Vespertine. It’s historical and magical with great writing.

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky (May 2012): I feel like there’s a post coming soon about 2012 covers featuring the almost-kiss.

Invincible Microbe by Jim Murphy (July 2012): So where I can’t handle cancer stories, apparently I’m a fan of tuberculosis stories. This non-fiction work looks like a winner.

Harper Collins

Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith (available now): This one’s gotten comparisons to Simone Elkeles, who writes the kind of romantic tension I really like. Not to mention those books are impossible to keep on the shelf. This is a debut novel.

Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker (available now): Another debut novel. I talked about this one over at The Hub last month, and I was excited to see it at ALA.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (February 7, 2012): This is another debut, and I just finished reading it this morning. It’s a story of grief and sexual awakening. Longer review to come. This is a tome at nearly 500 pages.

Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole (March 6, 2012): This is an adult non-fiction about life as an airline attendant. I love these kinds of books, and as someone who prides myself on being an easy airline passenger, I’ve got a perverted curiosity about those who just aren’t.

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli (May 5, 2012): It’s Jerry Spinelli, middle grade staple.

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick (May 8, 2012)

Macmillan (imprints)

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda (May 2012): This one was sold to me at the book battle between Sterling and St. Martin’s Press. Looks like an adventure. 

The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci and Nate Powell (May 2012): I think this book is near the top of my most-excited-about pile. It’s part prose and part graphic novel.

Penguin

The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg (available now): Another debut author!

There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff (available now): The publicist at Penguin, who was so eager to talk books with me, said this was one of her favorites of the season. And it looks totally up my alley.

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson (February 2012): I heard Woodston read a bit from this at Anderson’s in September, and I’m eager to have a copy of it now.

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour (February 2012): I’ve read this one already, and it’s an interesting story told from a male point of view. It reminded me a little of Gayle Forman’s Where She Went.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield (July 2012): Of all the books I’ve picked up, I think this is the one I’m most looking forward to. It’s a contemporary mystery/thriller of sorts. This is Rosenfield’s debut novel.

Random House

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (available now)

Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill (March 27, 2012): This one’s by the author of Your Own, Sylvia, and it’s a novel in verse.

Happy Families by Tanita Davis (May 8, 2012): Siblings are THE trend this year, if you read through the descriptions of the books I’ve linked to. But this one looks at coming to terms with a family member’s life choices and how they impact you as a teen.

Scholastic

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick (March 2012): I really like Sonnenblick’s writing, and after hearing him perform this one at the Scholastic preview, I’m even more excited for it.

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg (April 2012): Eulberg’s third novel will be the third novel by her I read. It’s also one about the performing arts.

Simon and Schuster

The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez: This one’s out already and it was the story which inspired the Lifetime film.

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams (May 2012): Williams’s Glimpse was her first novel in verse, and I really loved how her writing worked with the format. I’m looking forward to seeing her do this again.

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle (May 2012): This was a direct sell from the publicist. It’s a twist on Romeo and Juliet.

A Certain October by Angela Johnson (August 2012): This looks heartbreaking and I trust Johnson will do it very well.

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A non-related update I thought I’d throw out just because. Kim, Jen, and I have been working really hard on a feature that we’ll begin posting once a week starting in April. Part of me wants to keep it very quiet and let it be a surprise, but I can’t. 
Over the last few months (years, really, but months in particular), I’ve been asked repeatedly by people where to begin when it comes to reading YA fiction. I have my go-to lists, but it’s a question that can be interpreted a million different ways, and so I thought I’d reach out to a variety of folks in the ya world to weigh in on. We’ve got not only our posts, but we’re collecting posts from other bloggers, librarians, teachers, authors, and editors in the field, in hopes of offering a really diverse and interesting look at the question of where to begin reading YA fiction. The response has been overwhelming, and the posts we’ve already seen have been outstanding. Keep your eyes peeled.

Exciting News

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It’s always weird to think about myself as knowledgeable about anything in particular. I write things down to think through them, to consider them, to speculate about them. That’s what got me interested in blogging about books in the first place.

But yesterday I got some news that made me feel like maybe — just maybe — I am actually pretty knowledgeable about something in particular.

I’ll be presenting at this year’s YALSA YA Lit Symposium in St Louis, Missouri on the topic of contemporary YA fiction and why it’s going to continue to be the future of young adult lit. It’s the second time I’ve been selected to talk about this topic on a national conference stage. As thrilling as it was the first time, the time frame for the presentation was only 15 minutes. It’s challenging to cram everything important, everything you’re passionate about, in such a small window of time.

At the Symposium, I’m not only getting an hour of time, but I’m getting to split that time with colleagues I admire. Sharing my passion for contemporary ya lit along with Angie, Katie, and Abby is something I never really envisioned, something I never thought could or would happen. Sharing my passion with other fervent fans of young adult literature at a conference ALL ABOUT young adult literature — it’s mind-blowing, really. But here it is.

Looking through the roster of other presenters fills me with an unmatched sort of excitement. That I get the chance to be talking at the same conference as people I’ve admired in the field for so long is thrilling. More, though, is the knowledge I’ll get to take away from listening to what they have to say on topics ranging from transmedia to dystopia to genre bending. I can only hope people walk away from my contemporary session with a morsel of what I suspect I’ll walk away with from their sessions.

So all of this is to say — if you’re able to go to St Louis for this event, come! This is a conference all about young adult literature. It’s a professional event meant to education and enlighten about nothing BUT ya lit.

November feels very far away, but I suspect spending these next months diving wholly into contemporary ya lit will make the wait a little bit easier.

Librarians, Bloggers, & The Lines Between

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Before diving into the heavy stuff, a glimpse at the books I picked up at ALA. I used “picked up” loosely because I’ve become a big believer in talking with publicists at conventions. I love hearing what their favorites are and why (because it’s not always the book getting the big publisher push and often it can lead you to a real gem). But yes — this pile is everything I picked up at Midwinter. It fit into my carry on luggage.

Over the last few conventions, I’ve posted the titles of books I’ve picked up, their release dates, and a link to GoodReads for more details. I’m not going to stray from that, but it’ll wait a couple of days. I’ve been told by librarians, teachers, and readers how nice it is to know about what’s coming out from the different publishers, so they have it on their radar. I like doing it because it helps keep me organized too.

Something that’s come up is blogger behavior at industry conventions like ALA and BEA. In fact, I’ve talked about it before, been cited about it before. Whenever this conversation comes up, I have to take a step back. The anxiety gets overwhelming. There seems to be some sort of belief there are only black and whites and not shades of gray everywhere. That there are, say, bloggers and there are librarians.

I tread a fine, fine line. I’m a librarian and I’m a blogger. I do both and I love doing both. I don’t think they’re necessarily different identities nor ones I need to keep separate. And in fact, the more I have become involved in blogging, the more I see them as things that cannot be separated. Being a librarian has made me a better blogger because it’s given me deep perspective on the idea of audience and readership. The more I’ve blogged, the better I’ve become as a librarian because I’ve forced myself to read well and read with the idea of audience.

These things just aren’t separate for me.

When I go to a conference where there is an exhibit hall, where there will be publicists and opportunities to pick up ARCs, of course I go in with a wish list of some sort. There are books I’m excited about personally and I’d love to get a crack at. Books I’d love to read and fall in love with so I can talk about how much I love the book and why I love the book. Books that in my job as a librarian I’d love to bring back to my teens because they’re excited to read them. 

But I don’t go into the exhibits with expectations of anything, either as a blogger nor as a librarian nor as a reader nor as a person who has red hair. It’s an experience, and it’s one best enjoyed by interacting, be it with publicists, colleagues, strangers. When I’m able to take home a book that is on my wish list, it’s a plus. When I don’t, it’s not a minus. It just is! I’ll still be able to purchase the book or borrow it from the library when it publishes a few months down the road.

I’ve never walked away from a convention thinking I didn’t get enough. Because the thing is, I don’t expect to get anything. Being a librarian and/or a blogger doesn’t entitle me to anything. Being a librarian and/or a blogger, though, does come with a set of expectations. A set of standards.

But this is something I’ve talked about before.

No matter what your title is, no matter what your goal is in attending an industry convention, the only expectation there is is for classy, professional, courteous, kind behavior. It means being thoughtful and considerate. It means behaving in a way that would make whatever you’re representing proud to call you a part of that organization (if it’s your blog, then it’s your blog; if it’s your library, then it’s your library; if you’re there representing yourself, well then that’s a pretty big role to make proud, too).

I’m not of the belief that we should close off cool experiences like ALA from non-industry members if it’s not necessary. But I am of the belief that there should never be bullying, there should never be swarming, there should never be name calling or teasing or stealing or rule breaking. Treating one another with respect is the only expectation, and that goes for not only attendees, but for attendees toward publicists, publishers, the industry as a whole.

I like to think of the book world as a type of eco-system. We all grow and thrive when we allow one another to do so. This means feeding and keeping one another in check. It means being respectful and thoughtful every step of the way. When you’re contributing the good, you get the good back. When you’re not, you’re only harming your environment.

Stepping back from this a second now, since I really cannot say anything more on that particular subject without sounding like a broken record, I thought I’d talk a little bit about what picking up ARCs means for me. Since I tread that slippery line of blogger and librarian, it means a couple of things.

As a blogger, I like to think my role in the ARC process is one of reading, blogging, and helping build buzz. I like to think, too, that by being a librarian, I reach a certain audience of readers who have a budget behind them — they actually purchase some of the books I talk about, either for themselves or their organization. And if they don’t have the funds, I like to think I’m able to offer to readers books they can talk about with readers in their lives. Either way, my role as a blogger is spreading the word.

Did you know for a lot of teenagers, owning a book is something they will never get to do?

Did you know for a lot of teenagers, the ARC a librarian brings them from a conference may be the only book they actually, truly own?

This was something I never thought about, never knew, until I actually worked with teenagers. Until I had teenagers tell me they’d bring the book right back to me because they didn’t want to lose something that belonged to me (an adult). Telling those kids they could keep that book illuminated something inside them. Disbelief. Shock.

Excitement.

I can’t even tell you what it feels like to hand a teenager a book you picked up for them at a convention. It’s what makes me LOVE being a librarian. Putting that book into their hands. Knowing it will change a life, even if it’s in a small, small way.

Moreover, many of the ARCs end up as prizes for various programs at the library, including the summer reading club. Most libraries — especially smaller ones — don’t have prize budgets. They don’t have money to give teens books to keep. After working on the Cybils and attending a couple of conventions, I can amass a lot of ARCs (and finished copies). For what it’s worth, I pay for shipping on everything I bring home from a convention. Sometimes upwards of $50, $100, often for books I’m not necessarily keen on myself but that I know will mean a lot to a reader at the library. No, I don’t get reimbursed.

But I get to bring books to the library in stacks this tall to give away to teenagers. Books they’ll get to peruse and pick from and keep. Books that will mean the world to them because it’s something they get to own. I reiterate — for many of these teens, this is the only time they may actually get to own a book.

The other thing I do with ARCs as a librarian is this:

I cannot possibly read everything being published for teens, so I often go directly to the teens and ask them to write up book reviews for me. In exchange, they get to keep the book (if they want) or they can trade with another teen (which they often do). My teen above writes excellent reviews which I use to promote the books when they’ve been purchased, and they help me decide whether it’s a book worth reading so I can book talk it. And often, I can book talk the book based on the teen’s review alone. I get feedback on what the book reminded the teen of (I can’t possibly know what all of their experiences are in their world and in their age, and this feedback is priceless to me as a librarian and, as you’d guess, a blogger, too!).

Let me say, I’ve never felt guilt about picking up an ARC I could put in the hands of a teen.

If you’ve ever wondered why we don’t do a lot of giveaways here at STACKED, this is just one of the reasons. Most ARCs never stick around long enough to give away. I’d rather spend my own money to buy a finished copy of a book I read in ARC form for someone else (and that is why if you’ve entered and won a giveaway here, the book often comes straight from Amazon or Book Depository).

All of this is to say one thing and one thing only, really: let’s be courteous, please. We are all part of the same eco-system, even if our end goals differ. Whether you’re a blogger whose goal is to build your readership and build buzz around books or whether your goal as a librarian is to pick up books for your own reading/collection development planning/prizes. What you pick up, what you take, what you demand. You can pollute or you can recycle. Either way, it reflects back upon not just you, but the environment as a whole.

I like a world that keeps spinning.

When we fail to do our part

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I mentioned in yesterday’s wrap-up that I was feeling tremendous guilt post-awards ceremony, but it was something that crept up far before the ceremony began and far before listening in on the Best Fiction for Young Adults session. I should be fair and say that actually, my initial feelings on the subject were of frustration and anger and disappointment. But those are ultimately unfair emotions for what amounts to guilt.

See, one of my favorite books of 2011 — and one of the most well-written, engaging, exciting, and fresh books of the year for young adults — was one I had hopes could earn a little Printz sticker. I thought early on it had good potential, as so many of the reviews were positive, and there was a lot of excitement about how daring the book was. The book earned 4 starred reviews, and it showed up on numerous Mock Printz contender lists. Without doubt, this book had something to it that made it stand out.


But this isn’t a post about why Imaginary Girls didn’t garner a Printz nod.

Every year, the American Library Association’s Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) selects books not only for prestigious awards like the Printz, Morris, Excellence in Non-Fiction, Alex, and Odyssey, but the numerous, hard-working committees also develop a number of “best of” recognition lists, including Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, Fabulous Films, Great Graphic Novels, Popular Paperbacks, Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA). These lists serve a number of purposes, including assisting librarians and other youth advocates in collection development and reader’s advisory.

The last list I linked to — BFYA — is especially important because it helps whittle down what can be an overwhelming number of books published over the course of a 16-month period (September 1 of the previous calendar year through December 31 of the current calendar year, so for this year’s BFYA, titles were published between September 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011). This list recognizes the best of that huge number of books.

So how do these list and award committees get their pool of potentials? It’s kind of straight forward: those who serve on the committees work hard all year round to keep on top of the materials being published (or that have been published). Committee members do receive copies from publishers to consider, but the bulk of responsibility falls upon them to keep an eye out for other eligible titles, then they read or watch or listen to the materials and discuss them at length. For a long time, I was under the impression all of the work falls upon the committee; many of the committees even posted their current pool of contenders for everyone else to check out. It felt like one of those worlds those who weren’t serving on committees were sort of removed from all together. I’m not sure why I thought that, but it’s not true.

All of the linked-to awards and selection lists above also allow for field nominations.

Did you read that?

Anyone — teachers, librarians, authors, publishers, you, me, a teenager, any average reader — can field nominate a title for consideration to any of the above lists. As long as you’re not the author of that particular book or the publisher of that book, it’s fair game. Each of the awards and lists has a link to a form to complete, and once it’s filled out completely and correctly, it’s sent on to the committee for consideration. Of course, the field nomination needs to actually be eligible for consideration for that particular award or list, and the eligibility information is also available on the individual award/list websites.

While each and every award and selection list committee works differently, the rules are generally about the same. Here’s what the rules are about titles being considered for the Printz Award:

Field nominations are encouraged. To be eligible, they must be submitted on the official nomination form. All field nominations must then be seconded by a committee member, and periodically the chair will send a list of field nominations to committee members for this purpose. If, within thirty days, no second is forthcoming, the title will be dropped from consideration. Only those titles that have been nominated (and seconded if field nominations) may be discussed at Midwinter and Annual Conference meetings. Furthermore, all nominated titles must be discussed. Publishers, authors, or editors may not nominate their own titles.

Rules for the Excellence in Non-Fiction Award are similar:

Field suggestions are encouraged. To be eligible, they must be submitted on the official suggestion form. The form will allow for both a rationale and summary of nominated titles. Committee members will be notified of all field suggestions, which are eligible to be considered for nomination by members. Nominated titles must also have a second from a committee member. Only those titles that have been nominated will be discussed at Midwinter and Annual Conference meetings, as well as phone meetings, though a committee member may request that a suggested title be moved to the discussion list and thus treated as a nominated title. Furthermore, all nominated titles must be discussed. To prevent a conflict of interest, publishers, authors, or editors may not nominate titles in which they have a vested interest.

For both of these awards, field nominations are encouraged. As long as the book’s eligible, it will be moved to discussion, and if a committee member feels it’s worthy of consideration, it moves on.

Now, field nominations for the Best Fiction for Young Adults isn’t much different. Again, it’s encouraged, and like the awards above, titles nominated from the populous require a committee second:

Field nominations, which are nominations that come from someone who is not a member of the committee, require a second from a BFYA committee member. The chair informs the committee of field nominations, which remain active until all nominations are closed. If no committee member seconds the field nomination, the title is dropped from consideration.

As long as books are properly nominated from the field — the form’s filled out correctly and submitted correctly and the title is eligible per listed requirements — the books will be considered by the committee. There’s not a wall up that separates the committee’s considerations from those at large. Rather, the field nominations help populate the pool of contenders for awards and lists. When a field nomination comes in, the committee receives an email. If someone has read it, they’ll either second it or discuss why it shouldn’t be considered. There are legitimate reasons a book might not be seconded, and once a book is seconded, every member of the committee must read it, as with any nominated title. But thoughtful, smart nominations are always welcome.

There’s a caveat to this, but it’s one that I’ve laid out here and that’s laid out in the rules. The field nominations need to be thoughtful. The forms that read simply “this is the best book ever” as reason why it should be considered are meaningless. A good nomination will give concrete reasons for why a book should be considered for the list. Talking about the book’s appeal and what makes it better than average are important, as is discussing why and how it fits in the context of the award or list. Likewise, the books need to be within the appropriate eligibility time frame. 

Now, going back to my very original comments on this post. I feel extremely guilty this year. Even though I fell in love with Imaginary Girls, even though I thought it was one of the most thought-provoking and enjoyable YA reads this year, I didn’t nominate it for anything. It didn’t occur to me to do it. I thought to myself, surely someone will nominate this book because how could they not?

And yet, when I saw the final list of BFYA titles under consideration, guess which book was not on that list?

As I mentioned earlier, my first reaction to not seeing it on the list was shock and a bit of outrage. There’s no way it didn’t meet the criteria. But when I left the auditorium after the announcements of the Youth Media Awards, I felt nothing but guilt. I read that book and I loved that book. But I didn’t do anything about putting it into the minds of those serving on the BFYA committee. I assumed someone else had this book on their radar already.

But now, it’s too late.

The reason I wanted to write this post was because I wanted to encourage everyone who reads something they like this year to take the time to nominate it if it’s eligible for a particular YALSA award or list. These hard-working committees can miss something simply because of how overwhelming their tasks are. They can miss something because they miss something. Human error happens. But anyone who reads can pitch in and do their part, too, so books like Imaginary Girls don’t unfairly slip between the cracks.

As of today, nomination forms for the 2013 awards and lists aren’t yet open, but they will be starting in February, and I will write up a post when they come out. I’ve made it a personal goal to spend an hour or two once a month going through every book I’ve read that has merit and writing up the nomination forms, even if it’s for a title that seems obvious it’d be considered. The worst that happens is my field nomination is read and considered a duplicate. The best that happens is a book like Imaginary Girls doesn’t miss its chance at consideration for something like the BFYA. I encourage you to do this too — even if it’s not at the same time frame I’ve made for myself, do take the time to fill out a nomination form for a book you love and that fits the criteria. For the five minutes it takes to complete the form, you are doing your part.

Remember — anyone can do this.

* A huge thank you to my experts Liz Burns, Sophie Brookover, and Karyn Silverman for their help in the research and fact-checking in this post.

ALA Midwinter 2012: A Wrap-up

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Last year, I talked about how I thought that that ALA Midwinter was my favorite conference, but I’m pretty sure this year’s ALA Midwinter might top last year’s. I’ve got another post planned for the weekend to talk about some of the books I picked up (which, to be honest, is much smaller than in year’s past since I’ve really come to be selective in what I decide to take). For now, a glimpse at what went down in Dallas.

Friday

I got into town late on Thursday and headed to my room, where I was staying with Liz, Stacy, and Sophie. Since all three ladies had committee assignments, they went to bed shortly after I got in. I, however, stayed up quite late instead and had a very long (but fun) Friday.

I hopped down to the convention center in the early afternoon to pick up all the registration stuff, and then went back to the hotel to read for a while before meeting up with a bunch of my favorite librarians for a late lunch. We got a recommendation for a little diner about half a mile from the convention center, so we walked over there and proceeded to not only enjoy delicious sandwiches, but we had an excellent conversation about recent blogging drama, what we’ve been up to, and more importantly, book talk. We had lengthy chats about recent favorites and not-so-favorites, as well as talked about what we hoped would be seeing new seals on the covers come Monday. As much as we all talk online, it’s never quite the same as when we get together in person because in person, the passion is so much greater. Likewise, it’s easier to have maybe more pointed and honest discussions.

Following lunch, we went back to a hotel and chatted even further at length about recent book releases and what we’re looking forward to reading over the next few months. We talked about the titles we’re excited about not only for ourselves, but that we’re excited to sell to other readers.

Then we headed over to the convention center, where the exhibits were about to open. As you can see to the left, we had a second to even snap a picture before chaos ensued (not our chaos, but other chaos). We split up when exhibits opened, and I spent most of the time catching up with Janssen. One of the best things about the opening night was running into Siobhan Vivian. Siobhan is one of my buddies, as I brought her out to my library to do a program for the teens this summer. When she said she’d be at Midwinter promoting The List (which I will review closer to pub date in April), we said we’d meet up and sure enough, we literally ran into one another.

After maybe an hour or so wandering the floor, Janssen and I decided we were more interested in relaxing for a while before our big Friday night event, so we went back to my hotel and read for a bit. I like to think that good friends can do that, just spend quiet time together reading. As I’ve really come to learn over the last few conferences, I feel best when I’m not on the go the entire time; taking breaks is essential to not burning out.

We made our way back to the convention center at 8 for YALSA’s first annual trivia night. Liz and I had been scheming for a while about this, and we managed to put together a team of ten ladies to dominate the program. After asking Twitter what we should call ourselves, we ended up becoming Judy and the Blooms (thanks to my college friend Becky, also a librarian). And because my team apparently loved me so much, they designated me as the captain. Not a small thing, mind you, because it meant not only did I have to write down the answers to the questions but in the event of a tie, I would have to answer the tie-breaking question. THE PRESSURE!

We went five rounds, and each of the rounds included questions about YALSA and the YALSA awards — some were dates, some were books themselves, and some were straight up history of the association. Given we had a pretty rock star team, a lot of the answers could be figured out because someone knew from either having served on a committee or because we had enough reading variety on the team to succeed. After a few rounds of offering nothing to my team except my terrible handwriting skills, I was pleased with myself that the one right answer I did contribute was about Lucy Christopher’s book Stolen.

Judy and the Blooms fought the good fight, and we made a nice ruckus at the event. In the end, we tied for second place, missing the coveted first spot by only two points. But, we walked away with audiobooks as prizes (I chose a copy of Blythe Woolston’s The Freak Observer) and our team walked away with a new tradition: the Paul Zindel fist bump. See, one of the rounds of trivia was visual (and actually, I lied, I was pretty good at this round, seeing covers are one of my things) and we were having a hard time figuring out who the guy in the top row was. After much brain power, we guessed Paul Zindel and when we were right….the PZ fist bump emerged. Because why not?

After trivia, I did a room switcheroo and ended up going a bit away from downtown and stayed with Janssen and my lovely co-blogger Kimberly. The three of us went to UT together, and it was really nice to spend time just with each other since we haven’t been all together for a while. It was an early night (for them) and another late one for me because I have this horrible thing about being unable to sleep in new places. On the bright side of it, I got in more reading time.

Saturday

We were up bright and early on Saturday because we were attending Little, Brown’s librarian preview breakfast. First, I thought I’d show off the feast. On the left you’ll see my plate, and I want you to see it because as far as I can remember this is one of the few meals I remembered to eat at the conference. It’s easy to forget things like this. Also, I mostly wanted to say it was delicious!

What a blast the program was, too — rather than only talk about the books coming out this season, we got a chance to see the books coming out through the end of the year, including the new Libba Bray and the new AS King. That also means we got to see the covers of those books before anyone else did.

At the end of the preview portion, there was a surprise for us. It was Peter Brown, who talked to us about the process of putting together his picture books. It was fascinating to hear about the behind the scenes stuff, and Peter himself was a really fun and funny speaker.

After the breakfast, I headed back to the exhibits with Kimberly and Janssen, where we roamed for a little while before heading to a buzz session. Almost every publisher and imprint did one of these 45 minute programs where they talked about a handful of their books coming out in the next six or so months. We saw one for Sterling and St Martin’s Press, and they billed it as a battle of the books. The two publicists who did the program were really entertaining, and I added a ton of books to my must-read pile afterward. The photo on the left is a shot of one of the screens with a few of the St Martin’s books they buzzed. I love these sessions because they put a lot of things on my radar I may have overlooked and because it helps me think about collection development in the longer-term.

Months ago, Kimberly and I were invited out to lunch with an editor who had been reading our blog, and so after the buzz session, we headed out with her. We had a lovely conversation about both sides of the table — from hers about editing and about what she loves to read and us about blogging and what we love to read. It was really cool to talk to someone in another part of the book industry; so often, we forget the role an editor plays in the entire process. It was a really nice long lunch, and when Kim and I headed back to the convention center, we only had a few minutes to ourselves before heading to another event — this time, the Scholastic preview.

The Scholastic preview was way different from any of the previews I’ve been to before. Rather than have the editors or publicists get up and talk about the books, they had the authors there to do reader’s theater with them. They selected a scene from their forthcoming books and read them as though they were performances, so each author took shots reading some role from one another’s books. We got to hear from Jordan Sonnenblick, Francisco X Stork, and Siobhan Vivian, among others.

When the Scholastic event wrapped up, Janssen took off to head back home, and Kim and I went back to our hotel for the evening. And in due fashion, she managed to go to sleep that night and I couldn’t. But in the mean time, I finished a book — one which already made my favorites of 2012 list and I’ll blog about closer to pub date. The suspense will surely kill you.

Sunday

We took our time this morning, and we got to the convention center a while after the exhibits opened. Picked up a few books, but really not all that much. An hour or so later, we went to another publisher’s preview, this time for Random House. Rather than the buzz session which was a quick overview of titles, this preview was longer and went into more depth about spring releases. Lots of exciting titles coming from them, and I’ll talk about that when I post about the books I picked up.

I was about ready to crash at this point, so Kim and I went back to the hotel and relaxed, before shuffling back to the convention center to catch the teen feedback session portion of the Best Fiction for Young Adults panel. For anyone who doesn’t know what that is, it’s when local teens come and talk about the books being considered for the BFYA list and they talk about what they think about the books. It runs for two hours, and as someone said, it’s probably the only time teens get 2 hours of undivided adult attention like that (adults aren’t allowed to talk at all — this is only for the teens). The room was packed with teens — I’d guess 60 or 70 local teens — and adults — easily in the hundreds. For me, this is the most interesting conversation to hear. It gives such truth to the idea different books are meant for different readers. One teen will talk about hating a book and the next will talk about the love for it. After having read an immense number of the books on the BFYA consideration list, it was interesting to see what points the teens would make that either I hadn’t considered.

Many books I wanted to hear them talk about they did and many more they didn’t. But what stood out was how articulate these teenagers are about their books. Some of the comments that I noted were about things I felt, too — many teens don’t want romance in a book just to have it there. One girl commented about a book she was loving because of its strong female lead but said she hated the book at the end because the strong girl gives it all up for a boy. These things matter to teens, and they’re passionate about them.

Following BFYA, Kim went home. I was so sad to say goodbye because, as much as we talk to one another and as much as we work together blogging, we never get to see each other (and for anyone who didn’t know already, neither Kim nor I have met Jen in person!). When Kim left, I went back to my hotel to decompress before making the somewhat terrifying walk over to The Iron Cactus for our YA Blogger meet up. One of the things about the meeting in Dallas that surprised me was how deserted the downtown area was at any given time. A little eerie, to say the least.

It’s been so fun putting these blogger meet ups together because each one has had a completely different tone to it. The first one, at last year’s Midwinter, was much bigger than I expected and it was the first time I got to meet a lot of the people I consider my go-tos when I need something professionally. Then in June when we did it at Annual, our turn out was spectacular, thanks to the help of YA Highway. I got to meet many of the ladies behind that blog, who work their butts off putting together what I think is one of the most valuable and insightful ones around (that’s your cue to read it if you’re not already). This time, we had a much smaller turn out, but the intimacy was awesome. Rather than hang out at the bar, we actually sat down and did a more formal/informal dinner. I had the chance to meet a lot of people who were new to me, and we had the chance to talk about books we love and books we were hoping to see earn some sort of award on Monday.

I got along real well with the bartender, apparently; I note this since I guess it doesn’t surprise anyone but myself this kind of thing happens. After he made me the spectacular margarita pictured above (an Elder, with 1800 Silver Tequila, Patron Cinronge, and St Germaine with pineapple and cinnamon), he made me another drink and didn’t charge me for it. The food, drinks, and company were wonderful, and I’m always glad these things have allowed me to meet so many new bloggers and book lovers. I had the chance to talk with one of the wonderful publicity/marketing folks about blogging and about good pitches (because she writes some of the best) and then we got to have a long chat about how much we both love the Jersey Shore. Judge all you want.

The event went longer than I thought, which was a good thing. Great conversation and food was consumed (I cannot get good hatch chiles anywhere but Texas). I ended up going back to the hotel after and, as will be a certain surprise, spent most of the night not sleeping.

Monday

Getting up early was surprisingly easy when I hadn’t really slept and when I was anticipating attending my first Youth Media Awards ceremony. I’ve tuned in before via the live web cast, but never have I been able to go. And man, what an experience!

The energy in the room was amazing from start to finish, and if anything, it felt like it grew from the beginning until the end. Getting to be there in the theater with thousands of other people who are as excited and passionate about books as you are is such a neat experience. The picture on the left doesn’t do justice to what it was like sitting in the room, which was literally filled from top to bottom. If I had to guess, I’d say there were maybe 2,000 or more folks in the theater.

There’s really nothing like it. Being surrounded by some of my favorite people — the same ones who I’d been making predictions with about potential winners all weekend — only made it better, as did having an entire back channel via Twitter.

The cheers when books were named — the cheers especially when John Corey Whaley took not only the Morris but then the Printz — were unlike anything I’d expected. The silences when books that were long-thought front runners didn’t make the list were just as powerful.

When all was said and done, it was interesting to not only think about the titles that did and didn’t make it, but also about the tremendous amount of work that goes into making these selections. It’s so easy to criticize, but the awards process is much more complicated than anyone knows. I haven’t served on a committee, but it was interesting to listen to my roommates who were talk about the process a bit. These folks deserve so much credit for their work.

I did one last walk through the exhibits before heading back to my room on Monday. I debated making it to the Morris/Non-Fiction reception, but I couldn’t do it. In retrospect I regret that a little, but I’m eager to see Corey speak at the Printz reception in Anaheim this June. So instead of the reception, I spent most of the day in my hotel room and most of it in the afternoon with the lovely Liz, catching up. Despite rooming together, we probably saw one another a total of ten minutes or so.

All in all, this was a fun and potentially life/career-changing conference. Like last year’s ALA and Kid Lit Con, I got so much out of it because it was so much about talking with other people. I have had some really amazing opportunities come out of this conference — definitely things that were entirely unexpected — and I’m walking away feeling really re-energized about books and my passion for reading and talking about them.

I’m wrapping up with this as sort of a teaser to a post I have planned for Friday about something that’s been bothering me (and something over which I have guilt and angst). I had a really neat reading experience at the same time as this conference, and it all reminded me of the fact books and reading are important. They need to continue being talked about and advocated for. As much as we continue to push for technology, we can’t forget the value and power found in reading a book, regardless of format. Words and stories matter immensely.