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What are actual teens reading this summer?

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This year’s summer reading club at my library is almost over — it ends in exactly one week. One of the best parts of this program is that the set up here is such that I can actually see exactly what my teens are reading and enjoying. We ask teens to read a book, write down the title and author, and whether or not they would recommend it to other readers. 

What’s most interesting to me in the teen reading habits is that we’re able to see what they enjoy for fun outside of school, and we’re able to see that teens aren’t just reading the newest and shiniest books. They certainly are, but they’re also reading a healthy amount of back list titles, and there are teens who are discovering authors and reading that author’s entire catalog of available titles. They’re reading a range of fiction and non-fiction as well. 
Seeing what teens are reading has certainly given me a lot of ideas for future book displays, and it’s given me a great idea of what areas of interest and genres can use more books in our collection. Worth noting is that a good number of the books below were titles I’d put on display this summer. I did four displays: one of time travel/parallel world stories, one of zombies, one of mysteries/thrillers/spy stories, and one that was a mix of mermaid and water related stories and covers. If you don’t think doing book displays gets stuff moving, I’d like to argue otherwise! I doubt some of the books that got read would have if I didn’t pull them out from the stacks. 
Obviously, this isn’t everything that teens are reading, since that would be seven or eight posts long. But this should give a flavor for what it is they’re finding and enjoying. All of these are recommended reads from my kids. Maybe what excites me most is that of the hundreds of books they’ve read this summer so far, maybe 2 or 3 were not recommended. 

Rather than make this just a list of book titles, I’m including WorldCat descriptions as well. I’ve noted where I had a title in a display, too. 

Also worth noting — my kids are reading many books featuring diversity in some capacity, both fiction and non-fiction. 

Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren: When Gabi and Lia return to medieval Italy with their mother, they find a heroes’ welcome from the people of Siena and enemies that wish them dead. (Time travel)

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren: Maybe most American teens would love a Mediterranean vacation, but the Bentarrini sisters are stuck in Italy every summer with their archaeologist parents! Young Gabi is bored out of her mind . . . until she’s swept into the 14th century and a whole new world filled with knights, horses, armor, swords, and great-looking Italian guys! (Time travel)

Ironskin by Tina Connolly: Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain–the ironskin. When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a “delicate situation”–a child born during the Great War–Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help. Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her scars and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio…and come out as beautiful as the fey. Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things are true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of a new life–and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara: When Mariatu set out for a neighborhood village in Sierra Leone, she was kidnapped and tortured, and both of her hands cut off. She turned to begging to survive. This heart-rending memoir is a testament to her courage and resilience. Today she is a UNICEF Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat: “When a war ends it does not go away,” my mother says. “It hides inside us . . . Just forget!” But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to remember. In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home. Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.

The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi: Ahmedi was born just as the war between the mujahideen and the Soviets reaches its peak in Afghanistan. The sounds of gunfire and fighter planes were as normal to her as the sounds of traffic or children playing are to a schoolgirl in America. When she stepped on a land mine on her way to school, she began to learn–slowly–that ordinary people, often strangers, have immense power to save lives and restore hope. She was taken from a childhood in Afghanistan, where the classrooms are naked chambers with only chalkboards on the walls and are filled with more students than seats (and no books), to a Chicago adolescence, where teenagers struggle to decide whether to try out for school plays, whom to take to the homecoming dance, and where to go to college.

 24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley: Jack Grammar, average American senior, has no date to the prom. Or so he thinks. Percy and Natalie, Jack’s so-called best friends, post an ad in the classified section of the online version of the school newspaper. They figure it couldn’t hurt. After all, there’s not much in this world sadder than Jack’s love life. Soon Percy and Natalie have assembled a list of girls eager to go to the prom with Jack, including one mysterious girl known only as FancyPants. He has just seven days to meet and date them before he will ask one special girl to the prom. 

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler: It’s 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on–and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out. (Time travel)

Willow by Julia Hoban: Sixteen-year-old Willow, who was driving the car that killed both of her parents, copes with the pain and guilt by cutting herself, until she meets a smart and sensitive boy who is determined to help her stop.

Forgotten by Cat Patrick: Sixteen-year-old London Lane forgets everything each night and must use notes to struggle through the day, even to recall her wonderful boyfriend, but she “remembers” future events and as her “flashforwards” become more disturbing she realizes she must learn more about the past lest it destroy her future. (Time travel)

How I Spent My Last Night on Earth by Todd Strasser: When a rumor appears on the Internet that a giant asteroid is about to destroy Earth, Legs Hanover scrambles to meet the boy of her dreams, elusive Andros Bliss.

Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman: When poverty forces her family to leave their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dani has a hard time adjusting to life in New York City, where everything is different except her father’s anger, but an unlikely bond she forms with a wealthy, spoiled girl at school helps heal both of their families.

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler: Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. But as Jude begins to fall for Emilio Vargas, she begins to wonder if her sisters were wrong.

Just Another Hero by Sharon Draper: As Kofi, Arielle, Dana, November, and Jericho face personal challenges during their last year of high school, a misunderstood student brings a gun to class and demands to be taken seriously.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland: Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove is locked away in the Wildthorn Hall mental institution, where she is stripped of her identity and left to wonder who has tried to destroy her life.

Guinness World Records 2013: You probably don’t need a description here.

The Big Book of Beiber: You also probably don’t need a description here.

True Crime: Illinois: I’m going to go ahead and skip the description on this one, as well. 

(Though can I say I love letting kids read stuff like this and counting it toward their summer reading? Because the thing is, it’s reading. And it’s reading exactly what it is that interests and fascinates them).

Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick: After being assigned to perform community service at a nursing home, sixteen-year-old Alex befriends a cantankerous old man who has some lessons to impart about jazz guitar playing, love, and forgiveness.

Violet by Design by Melissa Walker: Despite her intentions to give up runway modeling, eighteen-year-old Violet is lured back by the promise of travel to Brazil, possibly Spain and France, and, after seeing her best friends off to college, embarks on an, often exciting, often painful, international adventure.

Zombie Blondes by Brian James: Each time fifteen-year-old Hannah and her out-of-work father move she has some fears about making friends, but a classmate warns her that in Maplecrest, Vermont, the cheerleaders really are monsters. (zombies — and multiple mentions by different readers!)

Authors and Series Reads


A number of authors and series appeared over and over so far. I’m going to tease out the authors and just show one of the books from popular series being read. 

Ellen Hopkins: I think every single one of her books was read this summer so far. Some of them had been read multiple times by different teens.

Ally Carter: My teens are rabid about her books, and not only are they rabid, they’re very opinionated about which of the series is better.

Nicholas Sparks: He may not write books for teens, but teens love reading his books anyway.

Cinda Williams Chima: High fantasy fans abound.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series still has a ton of readers at my library.

Amanda Hocking: I can’t keep up with how many series she has going, but my teens continue to read them like crazy.

All of Alyson Noel’s books have been circulating with the teens this summer, as have the Summer Boys books by Hailey Abbott.

But maybe my favorite thing all summer so far is that I had a pile of rave recommendations (with actual notes — “I LOVE this series” — which I don’t require in my club) for Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley. When we had our first program this summer, one girl told me repeatedly she didn’t want to sign up for the club because she doesn’t read. She began to pore over a movie guide to The Hunger Games and I pointed out that what she was doing counted as reading. “No way,” she said, “This doesn’t count.” I assured her it did. She ended up signing up for the program, after winning the entire Scott Pilgrim series as a door prize.

Turns out, she not only is a reader, but she pretty much loves reading, too.

And because I am having fun looking through these books, here are a handful of other titles that popped up so far this summer:

  • When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
  • Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
  • Witch and Wizard and Daniel X by James Patterson
  • The Babysitter’s Club series by Ann M. Martin (When I saw this pop up more than once in my box, it warmed my heart — they’re still being read!)
  • Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
  • Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
  • Harry Potter series
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society 
  • Nerve by Jeanne Ryan 
  • Lemonade Mouth
  • Elixir by Hilary Duff
  • The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter 

Title Doubles

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As
the purchaser for all YA materials at my library, I become very
well-acquainted with the titles of recently-published books. Sometimes,
after reading page after page of (pretty dull) reviews or synopses, they
all seem to blend together. I’ll often think, “Haven’t I seen that one
before? Purchased it already?”
The answer is “Yes, kind of.”

I
took a look at a slew of YA books published within the past few years
and noticed that a remarkable number have the same or nearly identical
titles. I’m sure the list below is not exhaustive – what others do you
know of?

Both 2013

 

 Both 2013
 
 
 2013, 2011
 
 
 2011 (adult), 2013

 
 2012 (adult), 2013
 
 

 2012, 2011

 
2013, 2010
 
2012, 2012, 2009
 Both 2011
 2011, 2013
 2012, 2013
Both 2013
 2013, 2013
2012, 2013

Hardcover to Paperback: Five Changes to Check Out

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Ready to talk about more books getting makeovers in their paperback form? I have a slew of them, but I’m only going to talk about five for now (the rest are for future posts, no fear!). Let’s talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Martine Leavitt’s My Book of Life by Angel is getting a really fresh look in the paperback, and I am a huge fan. I’ve read this one and while it wasn’t my favorite book, I don’t think that the original cover on the left was doing it much in the way of favor for teen readers. The story’s set in the late 1980s or early 1990s, during an epidemic of prostitution and drug sales in Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s a dark and gritty literary story, told in verse. The hardback cover wouldn’t tell you that though. It looks almost dated, like a book that came from the late 1980s or early 1990s, rather than one published in 2012. It does angle Leavitt as an award winner though, which I find interesting since that’s not on the paperback cover. In my mind, the hard cover looks like the literary book with award potential.

The paperback makeover, though, has total teen appeal. It shows this to not only be a dark and gritty story, but more than that, the new look reminds me of what Simon and Schuster did in their makeovers for Sonya Sones’s books (you can see the cover of her newest, To Be Perfectly Honest, as an example). The longer I think about the change and the way it reminds me of the new Sones looks, the more I really like it — I think they have exactly the audience who’ll want to pick this book up with the new design. The very thin font for the title works for me, as well. And the pops of color actually add a bit of edge to the image for me in a way that the fairly stark hardcover image doesn’t. Though I think the falling feather was meant to do that; it’s symbolic, but that says more to me about the audience for the hardcover as opposed to the paperback here.

I never bought the hardcover for my library, but I plan on ordering the paperback when it comes out February 18, since I think it’ll reach a whole new audience of readers.

 

Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s The Twin’s Daughter — which I read and reviewed a long time ago — is coming out with a new look in paperback January 14. I love the hardcover look so much. I love that it features the twins, and that the image itself has the knife piercing through it (which fits the story). It’s actually a pretty simple design, but it packs a punch with the pink and black. And I love the tiny drop of blood that works as the apostrophe for “Twin’s.” For me, this cover conveys the gothic feel of the book and it’s iconic.

So the first thought I had on the paperback recovering is that the “t” in “Twin’s” is the same font as the “T” on Twilight. I really am not a fan of the title font at all. Aside from not really making a lot of sense (if they are going for a Gothic-y font, they missed the mark a lot here), it’s not consistent with the straight lines and the curved letters. Also, the kerning is a little off on “Twin’s” between the apostrophe and the “s” (kerning is space between letters — you want it uniform usually, and here there’s a little bit too much space). The girl in the big dress looks like a throwback to all of the covers that kind of came out at the same time that The Twin’s Daughter did in hardcover, in that it’s fairly non-descript and non-memorable. And the tag line — while it does tell what the story is about — kills me: “The ultimate betrayal. A deadly mystery.” I think why it kills me is because that is telling what the book is about, since the image on the cover is not.

For me, the big winner is the original cover. It tells you the story visually in such a careful and yet perfect way. The paperback looks like so many other covers and relies on the tag line to convey anything about the story inside.

Patricia McCormick’s Never Fall Down was one of those books that actually featured a person of color on the hardcover book. And it should have, since this is a story about a Cambodian boy. It’s a near perfect cover for the story, and it quite fits with the look of the other books McCormick’s published in recent years. It’s simple, and yet it’s also powerful. In many ways, I think it looks like an award-winning book. Obviously this is something I’ve been thinking about a lot, since I’ve mentioned it more than once in this post alone, but this cover is straight forward and you know from looking at it what it is about. And you know it’s a “serious” book. You also know it’s written by a National Book Award Finalist. The hardcover is a solid cover.

But I love the paperback. I love it. The paperback, to me, has so much more teen appeal. Why? It’s not a face on a cover. While I applaud the design team for including a person of color on the hardcover, I do think the solid image of a face is still not the most memorable way for a book to stand out on the shelf (the fact that it is a person of color that makes it stand out says a lot about how rare this happens on covers). Never Fall Down‘s paperback look does a lot of things aesthetically that I dig: the title takes up almost the entire cover, and it’s not done in a way that’s just a font. There’s movement and action within the font itself. It’s the movement that stays with me — and the fact the shades of green really do pop against the otherwise black cover. The impact is stronger than it is with the font on the hardback cover. I also think they did a good job designing the new cover to allow the National Book Award Finalist award to fit, without interrupting the image itself.

The paperback edition will be available in early 2014.

I think I’ve talked about how much I loved Paul Zindel’s The Pigman when I was a middle schooler and then when I revisited it a couple years ago I not only loved it still, but I thought it was still relevant (minus some of the dating things with technology).

They’re reissuing the book with another new cover in January. And I love it. I think that the cover on the left — which is the trade paperback cover that’s been available for a few years now — is memorable and strong. I love the piggy bank, and I love that it’s a bright yellow. But I think the redesign on the right gets so many things right, too, in a way that plays homage to the cover on the right. You have the piggy bank still. That font though. I think it’s one of my favorites, and I love how they styled it, as well. It feels vey contemporary because of how simple and minimalist it is. The white background ties the entire thing together. It’s fresh, and I think this cover will sell the book to another generation of teen readers in exactly the way it should.

Now I am ready to reread it again for myself.

I think Lissa Price’s Starters wins the award for most startling (and most baffling) makeover out of this set of changes. The hardcover on the left has always left me feeling really cold. It’s so . . . white and so creepy because of that. It looks really young, as well, and it never really called to me. Kim read it and found it to be a really fun read.

Let’s dissect the hardcover a bit. Besides being very white, the only color is through the form of a blue eye on the right and a brown eye on the left. There’s also the blue from the title, and there’s the blue tagline “Survival is just the beginning.” Note, too, that Kami Garcia’s blurb notes that this is a great book for fans of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games. Worth noting is the girl’s face on the cover is unmarred by any text or anything. She is staring right at you.

The paperback redesign on the right. Aside from the fact it’s no longer a white cover, we have a girl staring out at readers again, but this time both of her eyes are brown. And her eyebrows stand out, as do her lips, since she’s wearing lipstick. She looks much older than the girl on the left, and her face is partially obscured by the title of the book. The author’s name, too, is tattooed on her forehead. I’ve doubts the model here is actually a teenager, either. There’s a brand new tag line for the book: “You can’t get them out of your head.” Then there’s also the new blurb from MTV (rather than the one from Garcia), which simply calls the book “A bona fide page-turner.”

I find the new look to be as cold as the original, but in a different way. It looks generic this time. So while the hardcover was cold in the creepy sense, the paperback is cold in the generic sense. I find the shift in how the book is being sold to readers interesting. The original sells it as a dystopian adventure a la The Hunger Games (both from the blurb and from the tag line) and in the redesign, it’s now being sold as something different. Something that I actually can’t even put my finger on — it’s called a page turner, but who are them? Why are they in my head? The girl on the cover doesn’t add anything to suggest what kind of story this might be.

Even though I find the original cover cold and unappealing, I think it might be the better fit for the story. The paperback doesn’t tell me anything and it doesn’t suggest to me who the readership for the book might be, either. Starters is out in paperback on July 23.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Which of these covers does it better?

So You Want to Read YA?: Guest Post from Sarah & Laura of Clear Eyes, Full Shelves

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This week’s guest post comes from a blogging duo who write some of the best, most thoughtful reviews and posts in the book blogging world: Sarah and Laura of Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.





So you want to read YA?


Recommendations from Sarah & Laura of Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.
While Clear Eyes, Full Shelves is not exclusively a YA blog, we read and review a ton of young adult fiction and love, love, love recommending the good ones. We really believe that there’s a YA novel for everyone–even for folks we have to trick into trying one own by sneakily forgetting to mention that a novel is “one of those teen book.” Here are our picks to help you find the young adult novel that’s will perfect match your tastes. 
If your taste runs toward the literary…

The Sharp Time by Mary O’Connell. This novel is not for everyone, but if you love to get lost in language and and a plot that softly tumbles forward, you won’t find much better than The Sharp Time. 
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Jandy Nelson’s debut is another book that’s not for everyone, but the combination of gentle magical realism and an emotion-filled story that lingers long after you turn the last page.
If you want to visit the ups and downs of hometown nostalgia…

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler. This is probably Laura’s favorite book in recent memory, as it captures so much about her hometown of Buffalo, New York (from which author Sarah Ockler also hails). It captures that simultaneous love of where you’re from and the growing knowledge that you just have to leave in order to move forward. 
Out of This Place (known as Cinnamon Rain in Australia) by Emma Cameron. We’re sneakily slipping in a novel in verse here, but it’s a very approachable verse novel, so don’t fear if you’ve never tried one before. This one tells the story of three teens who escape their small Australian town for various, heartbreaking, reasons.
If you loved The Hunger Games, but find yourself disappointed by the copycats…

Tomorrow, When the War Began (series) by John Marsden. This seven-book series about a group of Aussie friends hiding in the bush after an invasion by a foreign army sent both of use down a rabbit hole of obsession as we had to know what happened to Ellie and her friends. 
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. This is a 2013 release and absolutely, positively the real deal. Nuanced characters, multiple points-of-view and moral ambiguity set the stage for for a complex story about the aftermath of an alien invasion.
If you’ve written off paranormal…

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan. This gothic tale has it all: humor, creepy houses, kissing and a diverse cast of characters. As a bonus, if flips the idea of soulmates that’s so prevalent in YA on its head in a totally new way. 
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. All of us at Clear Eyes, Full Shelves love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing–it’s always lyrical and oh so unique. The Scorpio Races is particularly special because it twists the paranormal genre into something completely different.
If you’d like to remember what it’s like to be a teenager…

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. It’s one night and possibilities abound in Cath Crowley’s story about a group of arty recent high school graduates in Melbourne. This is one of those YA novels that everyone we’ve recommended it to has adored Graffiti Moon.
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. There’s something in the water in Australia, because YA from Down Under is truly something special. Saving Francesca has some heavier themes, but the dynamics between Francesca and her friends is a spot on depiction of what it’s like to be a teenager, both good and bad.
If you’d like to find a fresh take on the grief storyline…

Freefall by Mindi Scott. You’d have a tough time finding a more authentic teen boy voice in Mindi Scott’s debut novel about a boy at a crossroads of his life following the death of his best friend.
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott. Elizabeth Scott’s 2012 novel has inexplicably received next to no attention and that’s quite maddening. This quiet little novel about a teen girl dubbed “Miracle Megan” after being the lone survivor of a plane crash. 
If you’re secretly a romantic…

Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Okay, okay… everyone has probably already read this one by now, but it’s one of the best examples of YA romance done really, really well. Perkins’ story isn’t just about finding love–it’s about finding oneself. 
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. There’s a grand total of one kiss in Sarah Dessen’s perennially popular novel about a perfectionist teen girl and the artistic boy she spends her summer with while working at a ragtag catering company. Nevertheless, the build-up through the game of “Truth” the two play is absolutely charming. 
If you want to get a taste of post-high school YA (what some folks may call “new adult”)…

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker. (Ignore the ridiculous chick lit-style cover on this one, trust us–it’s fantastic.) One summer in Austin changes everything for music-obsessed Quinn, whose narrow worldview blows up when her cousin and her cousin’s friends push her outside her comfort zone in a big way.

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar. Australian author Eagar’s novels can be tough to find outside of Australia, but her debut Raw Blue is worth the effort and then some. This is a moving story about a damaged young woman who takes a different, non-college, path following high school and how she finds a way forward following a traumatic event.

Links of Note: July 13, 2013

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I am so digging the minimalist YA author art over at this Tumblr.

So I forgot to post links of note last week since I was still in ALA recovery mode. Since no one seemed to notice, I guess that being a little less regular isn’t a big deal. That said, this roundup is lengthy and has a lot of good stuff, since I’ve had things piling up for many weeks now.

  • I’ve been asked a few times by people recently if they should be on Tumblr. As someone who is on Tumblr but not super active, my answer is always maybe, maybe not. I use it for personal stuff, as well as professional stuff. I think of it like a journal, as opposed to a more formal blog or tool. But there is a great article at Library Journal about Tumblr and libraries, as well as the tumblarians, well worth reading for anyone considering using Tumblr and wanting to know how to get started. 
  • How have 90s book covers been remade to fit today’s aesthetics? A fun cover post. 
  • Keeping some cover talking going: Amy Spalding, who wrote The Reece Malcolm List, just did a cover reveal for her December release, Ink is Thicker Than Water. And while I don’t tend to share cover reveals, I’m sharing this one because Amy’s created her covers, and she shares the story of how this one went from concept to cover. The process is really neat and, I think, really unique.
  • What are the best selling books for 2013 so far? And is there a difference between best selling titles in print and in ebook? Publishers Weekly has the scoop. 
  • Julie wrote a really great post that is worth sharing and revisiting from time to time: making a difference. 
  • Curious about getting started with YA fiction but want some guidance? Sarah Andersen and Minnich have launched YA 101, an online course that you can take and strengthen your YA skills. These are super current titles, and both ladies teach high school — they’re working with the kids and know what’s getting their interest. This should be really interesting. 
  • I’m Your Neighbor is a really fantastic database that’s being built for Kid Lit that talks about “new arrival” literature — so books about immigration, about adoption, about new cultures merging with older ones. Keep an eye on this. 
  • Plugged this last month but plugging again: the Disability in Kidlit project, running all July long, is amazing, invaluable, and so, so worth reading. I know it has opened my eyes.
  • I’m positive by now everyone’s head that Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak was again challenged, this time on the grounds that it is “child porn.” I am not linking to that story. Instead, I am going to link to Leila’s impassioned post about this. 
Over at Book Riot, I’ve had three posts in the last couple of weeks I’m going to link up here — a roundup of literary-inspired Google Doodles, what I believe are the Five Things You Need to Know about YA, and your ultimate guide to summer YA reading.  Now I am not remembering if I linked up to my post on YA-inspired manicures, so here’s that one, too!