Some YA News and Links
Posted by: Erin on: December 22, 2009
Just wanted to share a few bits of YA-related news I’ve come across over the past few days:
- For a limited time, you can read Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange for free online at the HarperTeen site.
- Over at NPR, Garret Freymann-Weyr recommends “Three Books for the Smartest Teens You Know“
- The dividing line between adult and YA continues to shrink: Canongate and Walker create joint young adult imprint.
- Last week, The Horn Book has released its list of the best books from 2009, including best books for teenagers
- Finally, I just have to share this terrific awareness campaign LG has launched. The Give It A Ponder campaign encourages tweens and teens to think twice before sending inappropriate mesages and pictures via their mobile phones. The campaign includes webisodes staring James Lipton, host of the Inside the Actors studio…and his beard.
Book Review: Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From
Posted by: Erin on: December 16, 2009
Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From
by Catherine Thimmesh
Houghton Mifflin, 2009.
ISBN-13 9780547051994
$18.00 U.S / $24.50 Cdn. (hardcover)
64 pages
“There was simply no place for this little hominid on the human family tree. Where did it belong? Suddenly, everything scientists thought they knew about human evolution was thrown into question.” (back cover copy)
Cybils MG/YA Non-fiction Nominee
This book was hard to put down! It is the story of Lucy, a fossilized hominid skeleton that was discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia in 1974. The discovery of Lucy, the oldest and most complete hominid skeleton ever found, significantly changed the way scientists thought about ancient hominids.
In Lucy Long Ago, Catherine Thimmesh walks young readers through the discovery of Lucy’s bones and the process of recovering and interpreting them. Along the way, the book poses a series of questions, and explores how scientists from a variety of disciplines came up with answers based on the evidence provided by Lucy’s skeleton. Through interviews and direct quotations from the specialists involved, Thimmesh explains the fascinating work of paleoanthropologists, geochronologists, and paleo-artists.
The book is very well-organized and the writing is clear and engaging. Each section opens with a heading in the form of a question (Child or Grownup? Boy or Girl? Known Species or New?) followed by narrative passages and explanatory sidebars, photos and illustrations. Each chapter wraps up with a section called “And the Bones Said…” which provides a brief answer the opening question.
I especially liked how the author does not shy away from using proper scientific terminology but rather uses sidebars to define and/or clarify important terms and concepts. The photos and illustrations are fantastic! The comparative photos of skeletons are especially fascinating, as are the pictures of the life-size model of Lucy that was created by paleo-artists.
The endmatter is also top-notch: A glossary, acknowledgments page, source notes and a list of recommended website are provideds.
Book Review: I and I: Bob Marley
Posted by: Erin on: December 15, 2009
I and I: Bob Marley
by Tony Medina; illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
Lee & Low, 2009
ISBN 13: 978-1-60060-257-3
$19.95 U.S / $21.29 Cdn. (hardcover)
48 pages
Cybils MG/YA Non-fiction Nominee
Apart from a few lyrics to “One Love”, I knew next to nothing about Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley before reading this book. I and I: Bob Marley introduced me to this legendary individual in an imaginative and highly appealing way.
I and I: Bob Marley is a picture-book biography written in free verse. As I read through the seventeen poems chronicling Marley’s birth, childhood, and and his subsequent rise into a successful musician and spiritual leader, phrases and images from Marley’s songs jumped out at me. Perhaps I was more familiar with his work than I’d thought? Medina’s verse skillfully and beautifully taps into the lasting legacy of Marley’s life and music and reflects the indelible mark he left on the world.
Admittedly, the verse may be challenging for some readers. As The LibrariYAn pointed out in her review, the text requires a a certain degree of artistic appreciation and maturity. That being said, I’m not sure a straight text treatment would have been as effective.
For those seeking more standard biographical facts, I and I concludes with an extensive Author’s Notes section, which fills in the details and provides context for each poem.
While I thoroughly enjoyed Medina’s soulful, song-like verse and the story it weaves, the accompanying illustrations are by far my favourite part of this book. They are wonderfully vibrant, colourful, and expressive.
Teen Picks from the Greater Victoria Public Library
Posted by: Erin on: December 14, 2009
Every year at this time, staff at the Greater Victoria Public Library compile lists of recommended books in time for holiday shopping.
Here are their teen fiction picks for 2009:
Teen Fiction
- Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (2009)
- Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby (2007) CDN
- Emily the Strange: the Lost Days by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner (2009)
- Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008) (followed by Catching Fire)
- If I Stay by Gayle Foreman (2009)
- King of the Screwups by E.L. Going (2009)
- Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (2006) (followed by Dead and Gone)
- The Lit Report by Sarah Harvey (2008) CDN
- Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (2008) CDN
- Q&A by Vikas Swarup (2005)
- Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan (2008)
- A Thousand Shades of Blue by Robin Stevenson (2008) CDN
- Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (2007) (followed by Fragile Eternity)
- Wounded by Eric Walters (2009) CDN
Click here to see the complete list of children’s picks (via the Victoria Children’s Literature Rountable blog).
Book Blogger Holiday Swap
Posted by: Erin on: December 14, 2009
- In: by Erin
- 2 Comments
I really should have posted this earlier, but it completely slipped my mind…Very sorry!
For the Book Blogger Holiday Swap, Carrie from Care’s Online Book Club sent me an really nice package of goodies, including a copy of Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore. Thanks so much for the lovely package, Carrie!
I was a little bit tardy sending out my gift for the holiday swap. I was sick with H1N1 (ugggghhhh, get the vaccine people!) the week it was supposed to go out. It’s on its way now!
Happy Holidays, everyone!
YALSA Award Shortlists + Gift Ideas
Posted by: Erin on: December 14, 2009
It’s award season! YALSA has released their list of finalists for their brand-new Award of Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. This year’s five nominees are:
- Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
- Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
- Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
- The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming
- Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker
I’m familiar with most of these titles as they’ve all been nominated for the CYBILS in the MG/YA non-fiction category, for which I am a first-round judge. I loved Claudette Colvin, and Almost Astronauts is fascinating. I’ll be delving into The Great and Only Barnum tomorrow—my review copy arrived on Friday. I’d really like to get my hands on a copy of Charles and Emma, but I’ve not had much luck finding one here in London. I probably won’t find a copy in time to submit my shortlist for the CYBILS, but I will seek out a copy when I’m home for Christmas in Toronto, because I really want to read it.
This month, YALSA also announced the finalists for The William C. Morris YA Debut Award. Now in its second year, the award honours a YA novel written by a newly-published author. The finalists are:
- Ash by Malinda Lo
- Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
- The Everafter by Amy Huntley
- Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan
- hold still by Nina LaCour
Check out this handy PDF of Morris finalist bookmarks YALSA has created.
This is pretty neat: Are you thinking about purchasing a YA novel for someone this holiday season? YA author and blogger Melissa Walker has offered to send a signed bookplate to anyone who buys one of her books, dedicated to whomever you wish. Signed books make great gifts!
I also really enjoyed Abby (the) Librarian’s more gift suggestions for Twilight fans. I’m dying to read the copy of Shiver I won a few months ago from Scholastic. It’s at the top of my to-read list! For more great gift ideas, check out the rest of Abby’s Twelve Days of Giving for 2009. You’ll find tons of great book recommendations for everyone on your holiday list.
Update
Posted by: Erin on: December 9, 2009
I’ve not been blogging as much as I’d like to lately. I came down with what was likely the dreaded H1N1 influenza about a week and a half ago. I’m only now starting to feel somewhat normal again.
I fell a bit behind on my CYBILS reading while I was sick. Fortunately, I’ve pretty much wrapped up all of my school assignments for the term, so I’ve been reading like a madwoman during my free time.
Stay tuned for mini-reviews of Almost Astronauts, The Time Book, and I and I Bob Marley.
Speaking of the CYBILS, a friend recently directed me to this comic which sums up my experience trying to receive all the packages publishers have been sending to me. I never would have thought getting mail would be such a hassle!
Book Review:The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal’s Search for the Truth
Posted by: Erin on: December 2, 2009
The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal’s Search for the Truth
by Susan Goldman Rubin; illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
Holiday House, 2008
ISBN 13: 9978-0-8234-2109-1
$18.95 U.S.
Cybils MG/YA Non-fiction Nominee
This is not, as the title and cover art suggest, the story of Anne Frank, but rather a picture-book biography of a famous Holocaust survivor and “Nazi hunter,” Simon Wiesenthal.
The book opens with a crowd of Holocaust deniers disrupting a theatre performance of Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl in 1958. The incident prompts Wiesenthal to embark on a quest to come up with definitive proof that Anne Frank did exist, which he aims to do by finding the Gestapo officer who arrested the Frank family years before.
This book recounts not only Wiesenthal’s five-year-long search for the man, but also his personal Holocaust story, which is a remarkable tale of survival. Not only does Wiesenthal manage to survive the harsh concentration camp conditions, he narrowly escapes death by firing squad on three separate occasions! Once rescued, he makes it his lifelong mission to bring Nazi war criminals to justice and to educate people about the Holocaust.
The Anne Frank Case is generously illustrated with oil paintings by Bill Farnsworth. The dark and emotional artwork complements the sober tone and subject of the text perfectly. The end matter provided is excellent and includes detailed source notes, a bibliography, and glossary.
YA on Twitter
Posted by: Erin on: November 20, 2009
I was skeptical of Twitter up until fairly recently. I didn’t quite “get” what the point of it was. But then, I was asked to develop an instructional program on Twitter for the library I worked at this summer, which led me to discover just what makes it such an interesting and useful tool.
For me, it’s proved to be a great way to keep on top of what’s happening in the library and children’s and young adult publishing worlds. There are a ton of YA authors using this social networking application to connect with readers, librarians, and other writers. Check out this impressive list of authors on twitter compiled by Alessandra Lee at Blogging YA. Some of my favourite YA authors on twitter include: Ellen Hopkins (@EllenHopkinsYA), Courtney Summers (@courtney_s), Helaine Becker (@helainebecker) and Kelley Armstrong (@kelleyarmstrong).
Twitter has also helped me to connect with the sizable and active community of YA book bloggers. Many use Twitter not only as a tool to drive traffic to their blogs, but also to prompt discussion and debate among bloggers on the common issues they face.
I’ve also found that following publishers on twitter is a quick and easy way stay abreast of new books and publishing trends. Most publishers tweet links to great reviews their books have received and reminders about author events. Twitter contests are also popular. For instance, I recently won a copy of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater from Scholastic Canada by tweeting an interesting fact about werewolves.
I’ve not quite mastered the art of tweeting yet, but I’m slowly starting to get the hang of it. You can follow me at @ErinWalk.
Book Review: Emily (A Louder Than Words book)
Posted by: Erin on: November 18, 2009
Emily
(A Louder Than Words Book)
by Emily Smucker; edited by Deborah Reber
HCI Teens (Heath Communications Inc.), 2009
ISBN 13: 978-0-7573-1414-8
$10.95 Can / $7.95 U.S.
Cybils MG/YA Non-fiction Nominee
This past weekend, I sat down to read Emily, one of the debut teen memoirs in the Louder Than Words series. I was immediately intrigued by this series, mainly because there’s not much in the way of memoir or biography for or about teens, and even less that’s written by teens for teens.
The Louder Than Words series gives talented teen writers the opportunity to tell their life stories. In Emily, 17-year-old Emily Smucker writes about dealing with a mysterious, chronic illness—”Emily flu” as she calls it—in a diary-like format. She describes the debilitating fevers, exhaustion and insomnia which sideline her for what was supposed to be one of the most important years of her life—her senior year of high school. All of her big plans crumble to pieces. She’s too weak and frail to produce the play she wrote, take a course at the community college, or get a part-time job. Most days, she can’t even muster up the energy to go to school.
“I want a normal life for a teenager. I want to ache from a long day at work. I want to be so busy that I don’t have time to post on my blog. I want to run the race of life instead of being pushed along in a wheelchair. I want to be on the ride of my life, you know?”
Eventually, Emily is diagnosed with a rare West Nile virus-like illness. She writes candidly about the emotional and physical struggles of her illness. Although she cycles through several bouts of depression, she manages to persevere with the help of her family, friends and her Mennonite faith. Her keen imagination, insight, and sense of humour shine in the quirky and random thoughts peppered throughout her memoir. Some reflect determination to make the best of an unfortunate situation (I especially liked how she wryly refers to her walking cane as John McCane), while others are simply the meandering musings, rants and ramblings of a typical teenager, turning what might otherwise have been a sober story into an engaging, entertaining read.
I'm a Round I Judge for the 2009 Cybils Middle Grade/YA category.
What I’m Reading Now
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Read Recently
Chelsey (Louder Than Words)
by Chelsey Shannon
Blankets
by Craig Thompson
Pop
by Gordon Korman
The Uninvited
by Tim Wynne-Jones
The Summoning
by Kelley Armstrong
Twenty Boy Summer
by Sarah Ockler
The Lit Report
by Sarah N. Harvey
Oh My Gods
by Tera Lynn Child
True Confessions of a Heartless Girl
by Martha Brooks
