Week 11 - Dystopian Fiction for Teens

Miller, Laura. 2010. "Fresh Hell: What’s Behind the Boom in Dystopian Fiction for Young Readers?” The New Yorker June 14. Available online at:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/06/14/100614crat_atlarge_miller

Dystopia can be defined as "an imaginary place where everything is as bad as it can be" (Wikipedia.org).


In Laura Miller's article "Fresh Hell: What’s Behind the Boom in Dystopian Fiction for Young Readers?” for young readers,"dystopia isn't a future to be averted; it's a version of what's already happening in the world they inhabit" (Miller: 2010). This type of genre is intriguing to teens, which creates dystopian fiction to become a hit for teen literature. For example: Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games is a  huge hit for teen readers. As dystopian literature touches upon the imaginary, the impossible, and the reality of teens lives, teens particularly like it. Miller points out in her article that many dystopian YA books come in series, which is often a hook for teen enjoyment. Some series include Scott Westerfield's the Uglies series and Jame's Dashner's The Maze Runner series. Many dystopian teen fiction series tend to end in cliff-hangers to provoke the readers to want and ache for more. Kay Sambell implies that "dystopian stories for adults and children have essentially the same purpose - to warn us about the dangers of some crude trend (Miller: 2010). These types of books scold readers, but scolding makes sense to the readers who want a shot at revenge, to gain power, or to move forward. Personally I am not very interested in this kind of literature, but if it gets teens reading, and wanting to read, it works for me. Therefor, public libraries and school libraries should purchase dystopian teen fiction for its collections as they will be popular and heavily circulated.

Week 10 - Case of Twilight

Ok I must confess... I have never read any of the Twilight series books by Stephanie Meyer. I have seen and own all of the movies though! It is quite interesting how a book can create such a huge phenomenon.

Vampires have become the new Barbie!
I remember hearing from friends and the news how fans would line up for hours so they could see the movie right when it came out. I have also heard of book launch parties happening at midnight at Chapters (my mom even went to one lol).
Can you believe this energy is all because of books?
I LOVE IT!

Twilight series has created such a phenomenon, making people go to the biggest extremes to show their admiration for this vampire love story. This even includes getting their bodies tattooed with Twilight themed images. See the image above for an example. This is one of the first images you receive when typing in Twilight on Google.com and doing an image search.

After the Twilight book trilogy was released, then came the movies. Now a Twilight Graphic Novel has been published for Young Adults. I have read the graphic novel and have used this book title in my YA graphic novel pathfinder for my LIS 9364 class assignment. I believe the graphic novel really reflected the first Twilight movie design and storyline. The pages where in black and white, unless they storyline took place in a forest/nature scene. This is where green and yellow colours where used to brighten up the scene. The same thing occurs in the first Twilight movie. The movie setting is quite dark, and not really sunny unless there is a nature scene occurring. So there is some correlation with the movie and graphic novel.

But really, isn't the Twilight fad a good thing for young adults? Doesn't this hype get teens to want to pick up a book and read this series/book/graphic novel? Maybe they will actually go out and read for once because all of their friends just can't stop gushing about it. Personally, I think these young adult fiction crazes are actually positive. Whatever works and gets teens to read (even if it is about a mortal falling in love with a vampire), so be it and enjoy!

Thoughts after reading my second graphic novel - Cat Burglar Black by Richard Sala

Sala, Richard. Cat Burglar Black. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2009.

Review:

 

4.5 out of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery - Graphic Novel

I really enjoyed Richard Sala's graphic novel Cat Burglar Black. Despite it being a quick read, as it is only 126 pages, there are great illustrations with an entertaining storyline. The graphic novel is about an orphaned, female, teenager named K Westree. She is sent off to Bellsong Academy For Girls where she meets three other girls that are just like her: a graceful, acrobatic, and sneaky. This eventually makes them become burglars. While being at the academy, they are given a mission of stealing three very important portraits. Being in possession of these three portraits will give the possessor clues on how to find the hidden treasure. 

I liked this graphic novel even more when it touched upon some events that teens are experiencing and maybe even struggling with. Some of these topics include: self-esteem, family bonds, personal relationships, moral dilemmas, and body issues. One thing I really liked was the author chose for K Westree to be an albino teenager. She has been asked why she doesn't dye her white hair to a different colour, but she just says that "it makes me feel connected to my family  or something... it's hard to explain" (Sala: 13). This little characteristic trait that K Westree has allows for many teens to relate to the main character as they can feel like they are not alone when even though they feel as if they are different in some shape or form from the rest of their peers.

I defiantly recommend this graphic novel to any teen or individual that wants a mystery and some quick entertainment. The one disappointment is that the last few pages hints towards a second volume, but after researching online, I haven't come across this book becoming a series. 

What is up with me always choosing graphic novels that seems as if they will be continued but they're not going to be?

Booktalk - The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D

 

Hey everyone!

Please check out my Booktalk video assignment on  

Kat Von D's - The Tattoo Chronicles. 

Here's the link:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-xs8owGD7o

Week 9 - Getting The Laughs

The Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA) states that humor is actually a genre for fictional literature. In Janet Kleinberg and Lynn Cockett's article Why Angels Fly: Humor in YA Fiction, the authors explores humor in young adult literature. They state "Humor allows one to distance oneself from problems, to objectify rather than personalize them, so that they become temporarily part of the non-self... objects to be toyed with" (Kleinberg, Cockett: 425).

However, humor is a slippery and diverse subject (Kleinberg, Cockett: 428). What one individual finds funny may not necessarily be funny to another person. For example, in Kleinbeg and Cockett's case study, their participant Christina, was appalled with the book The Obnoxious Jerks by Stephen Manes. She stated, "The book was stupid and the boys in the book acted like jerks... I was offended by they way they treated girls...It wasn't funny at all. The author tried to make it too funny...it wound up being stupid and sexist" (Kleinberg, Cockett: 431). With this being said, when authors use sexist, racist, slurs or put down jokes, they may not appeal to all audiences and actually offend some readers.

Using humor in teen books can also have a positive appeal as they may become entertained and find humor to events they can relate to. I am also happy that books with heavy topics, such as David LaRochelle's Absolutely Positively Not, (which is a coming out story for a gay, male, teen), are beginning to use humor in hopes of lightening up heavy subjects. This I think would be a great read for any teen; gay, straight, or questioning.

This week's topic on humor made me think of a great public library program for teens and it is related to humor. The program would involve promoting the teen library collection that contains humor and then it could also incorporate having a comedian putting on a stand up comedy routine. Warning for librarians here: watch the comedians routine first to see if it is age appropriate humor, doesn't contain profanities, and that it is not vulgar or offensive. You could recommend the comedian to shed some light on situations that teens are going through. I think this would be an appealing and funnny library program for teens to participate in.

Week 8 - Comic Books & Graphic Novels for Young Adults

The first time I read a graphic novel was when I was in Las Vegas during my reading week of 2011. I have never attempted in the past to read a comic or graphic novel. It just didn't interest me. This got me thinking, why didn't I like them?

Well the comics I heard of before my quest began in the Library and Information Science Masters program, where: Spider-Man, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Even though I proclaim to be a feminist (yes ladies and gentlemen, I am!), I could never see myself reading or being interested in wanting to read Wonder Woman. The graphic novels I heard of in the past where Manga- Sailor Moon style ones, and again, I was not feeling it. So... I never read one. As a teen, I preferred to take out girly magazines from the library.

I decided to do my second YA Materials review on a graphic novel, to actually force myself to read one. I went to the Teen Annex section at LPL Central Branch and took out Detective Jermain Volume 1 by Misako Rocks!. The cover pulled me in, and then the back cover made me borrow it from the library.

It was amazing! It was so good, I couldn't put it down and I finished it in one sitting, which is quite rare for me. I remember being up until 3am Las Vegas time (which is 6am Ontario time) frantically reading this graphic novel wanting to know how it ended. The graphic novel had amazing illustrations, also done by Misako Rocks! They where actually quite beautiful. At the end of reading Detective Jermain Volume 1, it stated "to be continued..." I was so excited! I went online and started researching to find volume 2. As the first volume was published in 2008, the second one should be out by now right.....Wrong.

I was quite disappointed. In April 2008, Misako Rocks! wrote on her personal blog that she was working on Volume 2. There has been no more news on this matter since then. I was really looking forward to getting the second book from the library, but now I will have to wait patiently, well try to do so. Until then, I have to try reading and finishing another graphic novel. The tricky part is finding one I will enjoy.

I enjoyed Lucia Cedeira Serantes' guest speaker lecture we had yesterday in our LIS 9364 class on comic books and graphic novels. After Lucia went into detail about the formatting of graphic novels
(ex. panels/frames, text boxes, gutters, emotions, colour, and styles - all of these things I was really not familiar with), I feel like I will now understand the story lines more  when reading graphic novels. If I knew earlier the information I learned yesterday, about graphic novels, I think I would of started reading them a lot sooner. I am now interested in attempting to read my second graphic novel. To the stacks... here I go!

Library and Reading Advertisements in Las Vegas

For my reading week this semester, my mom and I went to Las Vegas, Nevada. As this was my second trip to Las Vegas, I really thought how cool it would be if the American Library Association hosted their conference here (definitely a large enough city with convention centers and hotels to house numerous tourists).

After being excited by seeing library and reading posters in Las Vegas, I am beginning to realize that I am on my way to actually becoming a librarian. I am already having the "library eye." I went to Las Vegas in May 2010 for my 25th birthday. However, 10 months ago I did not come across the two posters that are posted in the pictures below.

This poster was all over the bus stops on Las Vegas Boulevard strip. It states, "Explore New Worlds. Read a Book" and has a picture of Jim Carey's movie of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.  It is sponsored by the Library of Congress and advertises the website www.read.gov. When I went to the website, I was not overly impressed with the content it provided but it did at least attempt to promote reading to all individuals. The books that were available for children and teens to view are classics and were not of any interest to me personally, but it was neat to see scanned photos of old book pages of the Library of Congress' rare book collection. For example: you can browse through a 1911 copy of the Secret Garden, under the teen section.

This picture is of a poster I saw in the Las Vegas international departing terminal. It really caught my eye when I was on the moving walkway with just the book being in the colour red. I had to walk back and take a photo of the poster promoting the Las Vegas Clark County Library District. I find the slogan at the top "I'm Serious. The Library Is Amazing." as both catchy and witty. I believe the design and layout of the poster is simple but gets straight down to the point, which is promoting the library and it's resources available to the public. What drew me in here was the last part of the resources - Free Wi-Fi.

I found it quite interesting that, despite I was in a city of sex, drugs and rock & roll, I still came across educational materials that promoted libraries and reading. Unfortunately, I did not come across any libraries during my visit, but I was impressed with how the city promoted literacy through posters.

Week 7 Reading - From Zero to Hero

Young Adult Novel:

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini

When the term Squip (a fictional item in a young adult novel) becomes a word in the online Urban Dictionary, you know your teen novel is doing quite well.

Ned Vizzini's novel Be More Chill is a great young adult novel for both males and females to enjoy. Jeremy Heere is the main character in the novel and is, well...a major geek. Unfortunately, he also has no luck with the ladies, and he desperately wants to get...hm mm...."lucky." After purchasing and swallowing a pill sized computer to help him make cooler and wiser life choices, his life begins to change from major dork into a popular socialite.

As librarians, we must realize how many teens are going through awkward stages in this time of their lives. They may be having a difficult time realizing who they are and what is valuable to them. Reading this book offers teens an opportunity to relate to the characters and fantasize about being a different individual. But, the book also gives teens the warning that "the grass may not always be greener on the other side of the fence."

We may want to be someone else, but is that who we really are? I think this is just one question that teens may dabble into while reading this novel. I also really like how this story explores how far one person will go to impress another, as well as how far honesty is needed in human relationships. I would definitely recommend this book to be purchased for any school or public library teen annex collection. I think this novel may help teens become more self confident in themselves as they can come to realize that... $h!t happens!

 

YA Materials Review # 2 - Detective Jermaine Volume 1 (Graphic Novel)

Graphic Novel: Detective Jermain Volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Misako Rocks!
London Public Library Call Number: F Roc v.1

Between the dangers at school and this unexpected love triangle, what will Jermain do? 

If you enjoy manga or Nancy Drew, Misako Rocks! graphic novel, Detective Jermain Volume 1, is a great piece to add to your collection of books to read. This mystery novel will keep readers guessing who the culprit is until the very last page; and most likely your guess will be wrong! Jermain is a seventeen year high school student who is about to graduate. Her parents were famous detectives and now she can’t stop playing detective herself. When she realizes that some of the students and teachers at school are acting very strange, she has to solve the mystery at once; even if that means putting off her school work. The story’s plot line keeps you sucked in and makes you not want to put the book down. Not only does Jermaine have to think about solving the mystery of her school mates and teachers odd zombie behaviours, she has to also think about graduating, what she plans on doing after graduation, as well as which one of her two best friends (Andy and Trevor) she likes best. Trust, love, jealousy, having your first kiss, graduation, applying to post-secondary education, and respect, are just a few of the topics covered within this book’s beautifully illustrated 140 pages. Not only would this graphic novel be a great gift for female teens that enjoy manga series, this book would also be a great item to add to any public library teen annex collection and teen book lists. The clear and uncomplicated language used throughout the novel allows for this book to be a wonderful English as a Second Language book or beginning-to-read item for any school or public library. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read or wants to get into the graphic novel scene.

Word Count = 300 words