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Audiobook Review: The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

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On a seemingly normal day in Oleander, Kansas, five people attacked anyone and everyone around them, using whatever weapons were at their disposal. Afterward, all the murderers killed themselves – except for one: Cass Porter. Cass doesn’t remember killing, but she knows she’s done it. She doesn’t know why she would have done such a thing, but she knows she’s a monster. She’s locked away in a mental hospital, the sentence she received instead of prison, until the tornado hits.

No one understands why five people suddenly became murderers, killing people at random. When a tornado rips through Oleander, it destroys much of the town and kills off a great number of its population. The town is quarantined – for its safety, supposedly. The tornado also unleashes something inside of Oleander’s surviving residents. They start to turn on each other. Small slights turn into bigger transgressions. Religion and small-town politics collide. People start dying again at their neighbors’ hands, only this time, no one seems to care. In fact, many of the residents seem to regard it as business as usual. It turns out the Killing Day wasn’t the worst thing to happen to Oleander; what came after the tornado will be much, much worse.

The story follows several teenagers in the town (a football player, the sister of a murdered child, a girl from the meth-dealing family, etc.), Cass among them, shifting perspectives but keeping everything third person past tense. Their stories overlap in different ways, and they do all end up together near the end (more or less).

This is a tough one to evaluate. It’s not a “jump out at you scary” type of horror novel. I wouldn’t say that I was ever on the edge of my seat, itching to hear what would happen next. It did feel a bit long to me. I think Wasserman sacrificed pacing in order to give us more in-depth character development. That’s not a bad thing, on the whole – but it’s not a choice I personally liked. This is not a quick read.

The key question, the one Wasserman clearly wants the listener/reader to ponder, long after the book is over, is “Did these people do what they did because they always had it in them, or did something external turn them into something they never were?” It’s a question the surviving characters themselves address directly, with different theories. No conclusions are given. We’re deliberately left to wonder. That is the power of the book – and also its most horrifying aspect, I think. What if all your neighbors, your friends, your family harbor the ability to do these terrible things? What if all it takes is something to set it off – and no one would even recognize the difference?

The body count is high. Wasserman doesn’t shy away from killing off her main characters, some in particularly horrible ways. It does make the whole listening experience quite tense, since it’s never clear who’s going to make it to the next chapter – and who’s going to end up burned alive. It doesn’t ever feel exploitative, though, thanks to the time and care Wasserman has taken in creating her characters. They don’t all like each other – and they shouldn’t all like each other – but they’re people you’ll recognize. What they do to each other – both good and bad – is what we all do to each other. Even the horrible things start with a few minor things and escalate.

Kelly’s read this one too, and she’d be able to speak much more to the Midwest setting. I grew up in Southern suburbia and have lived in a large-ish city plus a rural/suburban Southern hybrid, and none of them seem close to what I’ve seen a small town in the Midwest described as. Oleander, Kansas seems very suffocating, even before it’s quarantined – and I’m sure this metaphor will not be lost on teens.

Give this to teens who appreciate thoughtful horror and a more leisurely pace. I’d recommend it on audio as well. Reader Mark Deakins gives the story the appropriate amount of gravitas without making it seem melodramatic. Though I do have to mention that one of his female characters sounds a bit like a character from South Park at times…

Finished copy received from the publisher.

Austin Reads

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As I may have mentioned once or twice or a hundred times (particularly if you follow me on Twitter), I recently made a big move to Austin, Texas for a new job. It’s an exciting place. We have people like Sandra Bullock! Matthew McConaughey! Lance Armstrong! Frodo! Richard Linklater! Sadly, we no longer have Leslie, but we do still have other natural wonders like Barton Springs Pool, Hippie Hollow and Mount Bonnell.

With Kidlitcon (in Austin this year!) fast approaching, Austin books and Austin authors have been on my mind. I always get a kick out of reading a novel and being able to recognize particular landmarks that may only be known to locals. (My previous town makes a brief cameo in The Passage, but the geography of restaurants and such is all wrong.)

Below is a short reading list of YA books set in Austin – some written by Austin authors, but not all. Descriptions are from Worldcat. Am I missing any? I’ll give honorable mentions to books set in any Austin suburb.

Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky: When a race of aliens quickly takes over the earth, leaving most people
dead, high-schooler Jesse finds himself a slave to an inept alien
leader–a situation that brightens as Jesse develops telepathic powers
and attracts the attention of two beautiful girls. Kimberly’s review

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross: When sixteen-year-old rebel Bliss Cavendar, who is miserable living in a
small Texas town with her beauty pageant-obsessed mother, secretly
joins a roller derby team under the name “Babe Ruthless,” her life gets
better, although infinitely more confusing.

How Not to Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler: Seventeen-year-old Sugar Magnolia Dempsey is tired of leaving friends
behind every time her hippie parents decide to move, but her plan to be
unpopular at her new Austin, Texas, school backfires when other students
join her on the path to “supreme dorkdom.”

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker: Quinn plans to enjoy her summer in Austin, Texas, working for a record
company, even though she has to live with her cousin Penny. Kelly’s review

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham: Alice, Summer, and Tiernan were best friends who broke up at the same
time as their favorite band, but four years later, just before they are
preparing to go off to college, the girls reluctantly come back
together, each with her own motives, for a road trip from Massachusetts
to Austin, Texas, for the band’s one-time-only reunion concert. Kelly’s brief review

Solstice by P. J. Hoover: Eighteen-year-old Piper lives with her controlling mother amid a Global
Heating Crisis, but when she gets her first taste of freedom she
discovers a universe of gods and monsters where her true identity, kept
secret from her birth, could make all the difference in the world.

 
Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith: When multiple murders in Austin, Texas, threaten the grand re-opening of
her family’s vampire-themed restaurant, seventeen-year-old, orphaned
Quincie worries that her best friend-turned-love interest, Keiren, a
werewolf-in-training, may be the prime suspect.

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore: Seventeen-year-old Amy Goodnight has long been the one who makes her
family of witches seem somewhat normal to others, but while spending a
summer with her sister caring for their aunt’s farm, Amy becomes the
center of weirdness when she becomes tied to a powerful ghost. Kimberly’s review

Juvie by Steve Watkins

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In early September, I wrote a post over at Book Riot featuring YA books about teens serving time. When I was doing my research for it, I ran across a book coming out in October by Steve Watkins called Juvie, which I immediately ordered for the library and put a hold on.

And I am so glad that I did. It was supremely satisfying.

Sadie and her older sister Carla find themselves in a bad place one night, after Carla convinces Sadie to come out to a party with her and be her designated driver. Carla has a bit of a history — she’s been in trouble before, and she was a teen mom to a daughter named Lulu. But for the most part, Carla’s pulled things together. She has a job and she and Lulu have their own place. Sadie believes this decision to take her sister to this party will be fine, especially because she’ll be the designated driver. She knows that means Carla will get home okay.

Except, things don’t go down quite that way.

Carla drinks a lot that night, and both Carla and Sadie find themselves face to face with a couple guys begging for a favor. Carla ensures Sadie that it’ll be okay to drive the boys to the 7-11. Sadie, unable to rationalize it all and unable to fight her sister or the pressure of the two boys, decides she’ll make the drive. But once they pull into the 7-11 lot, it’s clear those boys aren’t simply running in to pick up soda or beer. They’re there for something more troubling.

That’s the night Sadie and Carla are arrested.

Sadie’s always been a good girl — good grades, member of the basketball team, has a steady and solid boyfriend. That arrest marks the first time she’s ever been in trouble. And because of that, she’s pressured to do something in order to help save the reputation of her sister, as well as the rest of her family: take the fall for the entire evening’s activities so that Carla doesn’t find herself behind bars and little Lulu doesn’t have to lose her mother. Because Sadie’s record has been so good, she should have no problem with a short sentence, some probation, and having her record sealed. She’s under 18. Carla is not.

It’s a tough position for Sadie to find herself in, but it’s clear her love for Carla and her family’s well-being are what convince her to make the decision to take this deal. She could do a little jail time, have the records sealed, and move on with her life. Besides, she was there, she was aid to a crime, and, well, it shouldn’t be so awful, should it?

There is, of course, a twist. It comes in the form of a judge who wasn’t aware of how the case had been discussed already, wasn’t keen on the fact Sadie wouldn’t spill the names of the boys who caused the crime (she didn’t have names), and who felt she was being a little insubordinate at her trial. She’s sentenced to the full six months, and she’s ordered to report to her sentence on Monday.

It wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be, even though Sadie never believed it would be easy.

Juvie is set up very smartly: it’s not a straight narrative. The story begins with Sadie preparing to turn herself in to juvie, but then it cuts back and forth between the night of the incident and her time in prison. No details about prison life are spared, and in many ways, that’s what made this book so strong. There are cavity searches, there are hard and fast rules that must be followed, and there are cliques among the girls. There are fights and brawls. Juvie is no pleasant place, and Watkins has clearly done his research to make it clear this isn’t the kind of place a girl like Sadie should ever be in — nor the kind of place someone like Carla, who has been a girl with trouble in her past, would ever want to be, either.

Just because Sadie had been a good girl, though, doesn’t mean she gets special treatment. She’s like any other inmate. Except, she does befriend one of the guards. And it’s that guard who becomes an ally to her and that guard finds Sadie an ally, as well.

Watkins’s writing is pretty straightforward, but he doesn’t need to make the prose spectacular because the story itself shines. He’s developed a captivating character in Sadie because she is a good girl in a terrible situation, but she never plays that card. She believes it internally, but because she is a good girl, she realizes that following the rules inside prison are vital. And even more than that, she realizes that there are times when breaking the rules is also important. Or as she herself learns, there’s a difference between being not guilty and being innocent.

Juvie will appeal to reluctant readers, as it zips along and tackles a really interesting topic with a setting that is hard to make unappealing. That’s not to say this book won’t appeal to non-reluctant readers; it definitely will. I think there’s something here that has a wide range of appeal to readers who want hard realistic fiction that isn’t afraid to be honest and painful. Sadie’s a character who is easy to like, but she’s not easy to like because she’s put into this position. She’s easy to like because she’s relatable to many teens — she comes from a family life that, yes has some challenges (aside from her sister and sister’s child, Sadie’s father is very ill and her parents are separated), but it’s a family that still loves and supports despite those hangups. The position Sadie’s in, wherein she’s asked to make a choice that would impact her more than it would impact her sister, is one that readers understand she takes a lot of time to consider. And it’s one that weighs on her over and over — did she harm herself more in the end? Can she come out of this better? What would the future hold for her after six months in prison?

There are weaknesses in some of the characters in the book. I found the storyline with Sadie and her boyfriend to be underdeveloped. I wanted a little more of their backstory so that their separation had more emotional heft to it. Sadie and Carla’s parents could have been further developed, too, as I found their father’s story to be really fascinating. Of course, it wasn’t the point of the story, but it offered enough that I think a little more backstory there would have made this even stronger. I’d argue this book could have used more emotional connection, as well: we know how Sadie feels by her actions, but I’d have enjoyed a few more internal moments. We get some — particularly at the start of her sentence (she muses about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quote about the dark night of the soul) — but even more would have taken this from a really good read to a great one.

The ending is entirely satisfying.

Pass Juvie along to readers who love stories about teens put into tough situations, particularly those who find themselves digging stories about teens in prison (your teen fans of Beyond Scared Straight or those who may have watched and enjoyed Orange is the New Black will find a lot to enjoy here). But more than that, this is a story about a teen forced to make an excruciatingly tough decision and who has to face the consequences for it — for better or worse.

Juvie is available now. Reviewed from a library copy. 

Hardcover to Paperback: Five to Check Out

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One of my favorite things to look at in publisher catalogs each season are the titles being released in paperback and the changes that the covers may have undergone in the process. Sometimes it’s a huge change. Other times, it’s really subtle. Sometimes, it nails the story better than the original or highlights a different aspect of the story than the hardcover image did. And other times, it’s way off the mark.

In this edition of hardcover to paperback, most of the titles I wanted to talk about didn’t have huge changes. Many maintained a look they’d had in hardcover with slight tweaks (though one of the covers below got an entirely new look). None of these are bad changes, but some of them make me wonder what the change intends to do for the book in terms of selling it. If it’s not that different from the original, it makes me wonder why the change happened at all.

Let’s start with the big change.

The hardcover edition of Tiffany Schmidt’s Send Me a Sign is graphic and text driven — it plays into the idea of superstitions, which is a big element of the book. Mia, the main character, believes in signs. To me, the cover has a small element of sadness to it. While it’s bright, when you know what the book is about, the cover may suggest that there’s not necessarily a happy ending to the story. It’s a book about a girl diagnosed with cancer, and the white dandelion with its petals floating away may suggest death more than it does life. In many ways, the cover doesn’t tell you a whole lot about the story, though I think it does look like a YA novel. The swirly font may play into that a little bit. Note that there is a blurb.

The paperback cover of Send Me a Sign is something completely different. While anchored by one image of a boy and a girl, rather than font and a non-person image, it doesn’t do away with the original design completely. The font for the title is still swirly, and there is an homage to the signs and superstitions element to the plot with the four-leaf clover as the dot in the “i” for sign. Although I think the image itself isn’t entirely memorable — the couple looks like a couple that graces many a YA cover — what I love is that this cover speaks a lot more to both the content of the book and the readership of the book. There is a big romantic element to the story, and this image drives that message much more than the hardcover does. Teen readers who see this cover will know much more readily whether this is a book they want to read or not because it looks like many other books featuring similarly appealing story lines.

I happen to like both of the covers for this one. The first because it’s different from a lot of YA covers out there, and the second because it speaks better to the story.

Send Me a Sign will be available in paperback on January 14, 2014.

Jennifer McGowan’s Maid of Secrets is getting one of those makeovers I’m not sure I completely understand. On the left is the original hardcover. It’s not necessarily the kind of cover that stands out, but it also speaks to the content of the book. The girl has a great look on her face, including a fierceness in her eyes with just enough of a smile that it’s not a scary look. I love the dagger in her hands, since it offers up a little bit of an idea of the time frame of the story and even a little bit about what may be at stake. The font for the title isn’t necessarily memorable, but it works with the image to allow that image to stand out. And note that there is a blurb on the cover — a simple “Winning,” from Robin LaFevers, who is probably the perfect name to have gracing the cover of a book like this with a blurb. In many ways, I’d say the look of this particular cover suggests it’s a worthwhile read alike to LeFevers’s own series. I’m a big fan of cover alikes, since it does a lot of service to readers who want a book like one they’ve read before but don’t necessarily want to ask for help. It’s passive and easy.

The paperback look of the cover isn’t bad, but it also doesn’t do anything different. Sure, there are now three girls instead of a single one. What’s weird is that this cover seems to remove a lot of the power that the hardcover had, making it almost more of a story about the three girls than about power or intrigue. The girl in the middle is having her hair brushed, and the focus of the image is no longer on the expression on one girl’s face — it’s instead on the dresses the three girls have. I think in many ways there is a removal of power in this cover. There is still a dagger in the girl on the right’s hand, but look at how it’s much more an accessory to her dress than it is a tool she plans on using. The new cover changes up the title font, and I quite like it, though I think there is a lot more artistry at play with it than there is necessarily power. There’s no longer a blurb on the cover, as it’s been replaced with a note that this book is the first in a series — I actually find that helpful to be on the cover, since it will help readers know there are other books to come.

That said, will readers think that the paperback version of Maid of Secrets may appeal to readers who liked Robin LaFevers’s series? I’m not entirely sure. I don’t think they’ll be turned off by it, but I think they may not make the connection as readily. While I like both covers, they convey much different things, and I think the hardcover edges out the paperback for me.

The paperback edition of McGowan’s book will be available June 24, 2014.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban fascinates me from a cover perspective. It’s not entirely memorable, but it’s also not entirely forgettable either. There are a lot of elements in the cover that make it both: it’s a guy running away from something in a wooded area. There’s snow on the ground and snow falling. I feel like this describes a ton of covers, but I also feel like it describes this cover. I find the font for the title distracting and hard to read because it’s been made to look blurry and jagged. Since it’s white, that only adds to the challenge of not feeling like my eyes struggle to focus on it (basic design principles suggest that white font on a dark background is simply harder to read, no matter what). Note that the blurb for this book comes from an adult fiction author — Jennifer Weiner. That says a lot to me, too, particularly that this book may be aiming to be a crossover hit, as well as a book that is trying to be on trend with blurbs from well-known, New York Times Bestselling adult authors (see John Green’s blurb of The Fault in Our Stars from Jodi Picoult). The cover is being packaged in such a way that it looks like the kind of book that will receive award consideration or recognition. It’s an iconic-like cover with a blurb from someone well-known in the business, even beyond the YA world. This is not a bad cover.

But that paperback. Let’s talk about a cover that is meant for adults and not teens.

The cover for the paperback looks like a movie poster, and not in a good way. There is far too much going on in terms of design, with the original boy running through the woods layered on top of a girl who is looking away with a sadness in her eyes. I have a hard time believing the model looks like a teenager, too — she looks like a twenty-something, if not even older than that. But back to the boy running through the woods layer. I’m curious why it is he’s suddenly blurry now, too? And why did they choose to make the title font even more blurry than they were in the original hardcover look? I think they did a service in not making the author font blurry and also by making it not white, though that might be the strongest aspect of this cover. Also note that the blurb from Weiner was relocated to a position that makes it more prominent — upper right-hand corner. The Tragedy Paper‘s paperback cover looks like an adult trade paperback much more than it does a YA paperback. It loses an iconic YA look to it with the layering and further blurring of font, though I think that this book looks like one more adults would pick up than the one on the left.

That said, I am not a fan. I prefer the hardcover look of this one without question. The Tragedy Paper will be available in paperback on February 11, 2014.

Here is a makeover I don’t necessarily understand but I really, really like. Phoebe North’s Starglass is getting a new look in paperback. On the left is the original hardcover, and I think it’s a pretty good cover. I love the way the girl looks; even though her back is to the reader, we know there’s something she wants and she’s determined to go after it. It’s entirely in her body language, her stance, and even the wind in her hair doesn’t make her look like she’s anything less than ready to conquer the challenge ahead of her (because what she wants is ahead of her there). I love that she is dressed like a teenager, too — she’s wearing a longer coat and pants. I think the font for the title is fun and fitting, and you really get a nice sense of the book’s genre from the cover as a while. It’s science fiction. Likewise, I think the violet coloring of the cover as a whole helps it stand out on the shelves. Few covers are that color, and fewer still within science fiction are that color. The Veronica Roth blurb running along the top only helps make a case for readers to pick up the book.

On the right is the newly designed paperback of Starglass, and I really like this one, too. I may even like it a little bit more than the hardcover. In many ways, it looks like Beth Revis’s series, and I think the redesign tells readers that if they liked Revis’s book, they’ll probably want to give North’s a shot. The new cover makes it even more obvious this book is science fiction, but it’s not off-putting in any way. This is a girl looking down on Earth, and it’s clear from her body language that she, too, is determined to take advantage of her future (but maybe in this case, without forgetting the place where she may have came from). Again, I love the choice in how the model is styled here, too: she’s wearing pants and a killer pair of boots. Where I really liked the font for the title and author name on the hardcover, I love it on the paperback. There’s something about the clear glass look that really ties this cover all together. Again, the Roth quote is included, though I do find it interesting that Roth’s name is larger and much more obvious than North’s name on the cover.

While both covers do it really well, I prefer the paperback just a tiny bit more.

What I really appreciate about this particular cover makeover, though, is that the second book in the series, Starbreak, fits with either the hardcover or the paperback look:

Readers and librarians who purchased the hardcover of Starglass don’t have to worry about the second book in the series not looking like the first one at all. That is a huge reader service in the face of a redesign and one that as a librarian, I appreciate so much. It makes it clearer that these books belong together.

The paperback of Phoebe North’s Starglass will be available July 15, 2014.

I’m going to put this redesign of Sarah Skilton’s Bruised into the category of not understanding the intentions behind the redesign. On the left is the original cover, which is pretty excellent. I love the broken trophy of a tae kwon do girl — it’s a perfect representation of the story inside the book. The title font is nicely done, and I feel like the little splatters of blood hovering above the “i” tie into the reason why the tae kwon do girl is broken so well. The cover is fairly gender neutral, aside from the pony tail on the trophy, and it conveys the entirety of the story with very little. There is a tag line which reads “She failed to save his life. How will she live her own?” Again, a nice way to tie the cover together and tie it all right back to the story. Note that the author’s name is large and across the bottom, and there are no blurbs on the front cover (something that carries over to the paperback, as well, but it’s noteworthy because of how rare that seems to be).

The paperback redesign of Bruised is a head scratcher for me. It’s essentially the same cover, but with the title made to be a lot bigger and in a different style and stretched diagonally across the cover, rather than centered through the middle. It’s a nice font, but it’s lacking the sort of tie-in to the story that the original has with the blood splatters. The author’s name is now stacked on top of the title, and it’s been made smaller, but brighter. I think it might be easier to read, but it’s not as easy to find. As far as the image itself, we still have the broken trophy but it is not easy to identify as a broken trophy. The pieces are spread too far apart, and without studying it or having reference to what the original cover was, it’s not entirely clear what the image it supposed to be. It definitely loses its identity as a tae kwon do trophy, since there aren’t even legs in the shattered remains.

I can’t comment on the color change from bright blue to a deep blue, since I think both work fine and both are not the memorable aspect of the cover. For me, hands down, the hardcover is the winner here.

Sarah Skilton’s Bruised will be available in paperback on April 15, 2014.

What do you think? Which covers in these pairs do you prefer? Have you seen any other noteworthy hardcover to paperback changes lately? I keep a list of changes when I see them because I love thinking about the whats and whys of redesign.

Guest Post: Scott Rader on Fandom, Fanmixes, and Reader’s Advisory

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Scott Rader is the young adult librarian at the Hays Public Library in Hays, Kansas. He loves working with teens, listening to music, and watching TV . . . all of which he uses to improve reader’s advisory. He doesn’t have any pets or kids and he paints in his free time. He says reader’s advisory and policy are his favorite parts of the job. You can find Scott on Twitter @ScottyRader. He’s here to talk about how he uses his passions to fuel his RA skills. 

About a year ago I graduated with my MLIS. School killed me. It put me in a reading rut that I still haven’t recovered from, which sucks. Reading, recommending, and talking about YA books are a favorite part of my job. This slump, however, has led me to connect with books more personally.



So, let’s start with fandom. Fandoms are popping up everywhere in libraryland. Let’s be fair, fandoms have always (yes always) existed. Librarians have noticed and capitalized on them before this year. They just seem like a hot topic. Also, let’s be fair, being a fan of a book or author (or anything) can make your experience with that “thing” so much broader. 

We have a teen at my library who loves The Warriors books. She has a huge 3 ring binder, you know, the big one, filled with Warrior cats she’s drawn. She loves to show them to people and talk about the books. They are an easy introduction for people interested in the books to talk to her about them. They are also just a fun way for her to share her drawings. She’s interacting with the books much more deeply than if she read one and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.



Now, I have always been mildly geeky. I like superheroes, comic books, science fiction, etc. I never really participated in any fandoms though. If I liked a book, I wrote a nice review and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. Then, I “discovered” a few things simultaneously: 1. Spotify. 2. Tumblr. 3. Some authors are really awesome on Twitter and interact really well with their fans. 

So, I read a book, Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon, and I loved it. I wanted to show my love for this amazing thing that gave me all sorts of feelings. But I am not someone who can draw or paint “fan art” and anytime I write “fan fiction” I get embarrassed and delete it. However, fan mixes offer an easier way to show love and to geek out over your fandoms. So, I put together a reading mix for Silver Phoenix. And I shared it with the world. And Cindy liked it. And, since I have amazing taste in music, IMO, I felt I must share more. 

Fan mixes are just mixtapes for … anything (it really isn’t that complicated, make a mixtape for something you love). They are a great way to share feelings, through song, with characters, authors, OTPs, worlds, etc. I also think they create an interesting way to present Reader’s Advisory to your readers (any fan art, fiction, etc., really). I haven’t done much with my fan mixes at this point, besides sharing them on my personal tumblr and the library’s tumblr. I am squirreling them away until I have enough to make a display. I am also sharing them to encourage teens make their own for their favorite books. Those can go on display too! Teens can listen to the mixes. Maybe they like it enough to check out the book. Maybe they don’t. Either way, they know I like the book enough to make a fan mix for it. I think it also encourages them to show off their fandoms and to really connect with the media they consume.



It also brings up another important aspect of RA that we can sometimes forget: Connection. Are we listening to the readers coming to us and connecting them with the right book? Are we making sure we understand what they connect with in a book? 

For instance, when I first started my library job, Twilight was huge. Some readers really liked the supernatural element, some wanted sexy vampires, some were Team Jacob, some were invested in the love triangle. It’s important to tease out these connections with readers. I think the best way to do that, especially as a public librarian, is to consume everything and just enjoy the experience. 

I am not saying be a fan of everything, but be willing to be a fan. Listen to the teens around you and try out their suggestions. Maybe you will find a new love (mine are Vampire Diaries and One Direction) and maybe you’ll find a few duds (I just don’t get The Mortal Instruments or Pitch Perfect), but understanding what teens like and why they like it, understanding their connections and their fandoms, can make for more well-rounded reader’s advisory.