Go to Town

Paper Towns

John Green

Dutton Books, 2009

Genre: Realistic fiction

Read if: You want a complex and thought provoking read (with a lot of pee jokes).

Best for: High School aged teens, adults, and anyone else who's interested in the human experience (and pee jokes).

If you like it try:

Bridge to Terebithia by Katherine Paterson

How i live Now by Meg Rossoff

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Rating: 5/5

A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;

How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is, any more than he.

-Song of Myself, Walt Whitman

At the age of ten, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and his neighbour Margo Roth Spiegelman, find a dead body in the park. Too young to make full sense of the event, but not young enough to forget it, Margo concludes that the man must have died because "maybe all the strings inside him broke."

Years later, Margo and Q still live side by side, but have very separate lives: she is a living high school legend, known for her free spirit and barely believable capers, and he is just another face in the crowd. But a night of wild pranking, followed by a disappearance leads Q on the trail of a mystery that changes everything.

Paper Towns is about many things: a mystery, Walt Whitman, the possibility of the future, Orlando, Black Santas, love, and how hard it is to pee during a road trip. But at the heart of it all, this novel is a thoughtful exploration of what it means to try and really imagine another person. The idea that it is both impossible and imperative to imagine the other fully is what makes Paper Towns a very moving and worthwhile read.

 I have been a fan of John Green for a while, having read both his previous books (Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines). I think Green's greatest strength as an author is that he is able to be both really funny and very emotionally honest simultaneously. His books carry big laughs and big ideas, and this latest effort carries the biggest yet, with the most success. This book will appeal to older teens (and adults too) who want a funny and thoughtful book that will stick with you long after its finished. 

YA Reads Special Feature: Reading 2.0

I experienced Paper Towns in an unusual way before I had even read it. As I have mentioned before in posts, Green is one half of a youtube project known as Brotherhood 2.0. Green was writing Paper Towns during the project, so several of his vlog posts discuss the writing process of the book. After the novels release, Green did several vlogs answering reader questions about the book. 

The cynic in me wondered whether this was partly a marketing ploy, and while selling the book is obviously an element, I really think Green cares about his readers and is interested in connecting and interacting with them. Being able to both see the glimpses of the writing process and getting questions answered about the finished product adds another dimension to the reading experience, one that I think is ultimately positive.

YA Clearinghouse (There's Always More to Read)

I've reviewed a few sources for this project, but its just the tip of the young adult iceberg. After reading contemporary YA titles (and a few oldies but goodies), I'm convinced that young adult literature is one of the most exciting areas in the writing world right now.  

I have a few theories about why YA is so exciting right now (the words "Golden Age" are being bandied around quite a bit in the media). My unscientific, unfounded opinion is that authors are catching on that teens today are intelligent, diverse, hungry for really good stories, and ready to take whatever authors throw at them. Contemporary YA authors seem willing to experiment, to write complex, introspective, funny and searching novels that play with form and explore deep issues. This is the kind of writing teens want and deserve, and YA today is a great read, no matter what walk of life you're from.

And there's so much of it! So much that I couldn't possibly talk about it all. But I've read some really amazing young adult novels in this past year that I didn't get to talk about here. So, to finish off the project, welcome to the YA Clearinghouse: where this Future Librarian tells you about more things she's read and  she thinks you should read too.

Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Realistic fiction)

John Green is probably one of my favourite young adult authors today. He's written on his blog that he tries to make his novels all-the-way-funny and all-the-way-serious, and the result is amazing.

How I Live Now by Meg Rossoff (Science fiction/Speculative fiction)

This is a devastating, beautiful, intense, original novel about not-so-distant dypstopia. So unique its difficult to describe, but its a must read for fans of contemporary young adult lit

AngelMonster by Veronica Bennett (Historic fiction)

My blog has been very North American centric. This doesn't mean that there isn't great YA coming out of other parts of the world. This English author (who I've had the pleasure to meet on a few occasions) writes great historic novels for young adults featuring famous figures. This one is about Mary Shelley and her dramatic love affair with Percy Bysshe Shelley. This is just a really lovely and heart wrenching novel that I highly recommend.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (Romance)

Just made into a big screen feature, the superior book is a clever look at the ups and downs of new love. The 'he said' 'she said' chapters alternating between Nick and Norah's point of view is a clever device that gets across the misunderstandings and insecurities inherent in all romantic relationships. And there's lots of fun music talk too!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Realistic Fiction)

An unassuming little novel with one of the most engrossing narrators I've read in a long time. Tackling dark issues in a sensitive and real way, this is a great novel that's earned much acclaim.

Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner (Humour/Realistic)

Shakespeare Shapiro has to write his memoirs for his Grade 12 English class, and we get to read about the embarassments and mishaps that have made up his life. This book is laugh out loud funny, and a great guy pick.

Happy reading!

Music that rules

Fantasies

Metric

Last Gang Records, 2009

Produced by James Shaw

Artists: Emily Haines (lead vocals)

      Joules Scott-Key

      James Shaw

      Josh Winstead

Genre: Canadian Indie-pop

Listen if: You like synth-heavy alternative pop with a national edge

Best for: Older teens (16+ - there's some minimal questionable language)  who like pop hooks and clever lyrics

If you like it, try: Stars

Rating: 4/5

Fantasies is the fourth effort from Canadian indie-pop band Metric. Emily Haines and co. Based out of Toronto, the band has a is poppy, with lots of catchy hooks and heavy synth. But unlike more manufactured pop, the band has a distinct sound and interesting lyrics ("after all this is gone/who would you rather be/ The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?/ Oh seriously/ You gotta make mistakes, you're young").

Fantasies is a catchy, addictive album that will appeal to teens who aren't into top 40 music, and want something mellow but fun. With songs like "Gimme Sympathy" , "Sick Muse", "Help, I'm alive" and "Twilight Galaxy", the band talks about growing up in a surreal, imagistic way. Metric isn't marketed as strictly "teen" music the way artists like Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers are, but they have a lot of teen appeal. This is an album you to over and over and get something new out of it in every listen.

Providing teens access to good Canadian music is something I think all Canadian libraries have a responsibility to do, especially local indie music. Metric's Fantasies would be a great addition to a young adult collection.

Teen 2.0

Halifax Public LIbrary Teens Website

www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/teens

Genre: Teen Library Website

Use it if: You want to know what's happening at Halifax Public Library, you want to find book suggestions, and you want to connect with other teens in the community. 

Best for: All teens who use the Halifax Public Library

Rating: 3/5 (and rising)

Teen webpages have been cropping up on public library websites for a number of years now. Having a dedicated virtual space for teens is becoming an increasingly important way for libraries to connect with teens. Booklists, forums, contests and more all contribute to a space that teens can call their own. The best teen websites are interactive and allow teens to contribute to the site, rather than just take information from it.

Halifax Public Libraries (the home system of this future librarian) just launched their teen website in the new year. I was curious to see what they had produced, as I'm not particularly enamored of the HPL's main website: I find it hard to navigate, and not very visually appealing (the colour scheme is a rather matronly dusty rose and murky blue). Their kids' site, which I looked at for a class last year, is not a very useful resource either. 

So I was pleasantly surprised to see an attractive, easy to use teen site with lots of great features. The site includes:

• Contests - Features current HPL contests. The teen poetry contest is going on right now

• Creative Warehouse - teens can post drawing, writing, and other creative projects for others to check out.

• Teens RC - connects to the national Teen Reading Club online forum, where teens can discuss books, participate in author chats and create booklists with peers from across Canada

• Read: Book lists - book lists organized by themes like "Vampires" and "Chick Lit". Book lists allow you to access the catalogue so you can see what's in and place holds

•  Programs - links to HPL's list of current programming in various branches

• Volunteer - lists teen volunteer opportunities at the library

HPL has really stepped up to the challenge of a teen website, and created something that teens can make their own. I was really pleased with the interactive elements, especially the creative warehouse. Its great that teens have a place to display what they've worked so hard to create. The link to the Teen Reading Club is really great too - the TRC is probably the biggest and best run teen library forum in the country. Organised and moderated by librarians, teens are able to connect with the library, librarians and each other without having to physically be in the library. My only criticism of using the TRC is that it might be nice to have it in addition to an HPL created forum. Having both a local and national forum might help connect teens even further to their local library system. I don't think the interactive portion is finished - more could be added to make this truly the teens' site, like interactive booklists etc. But I think its a great start.

I was also really impressed by the book lists provided on the site. Readers' advisory is an important function of a teen website (many teens find choosing material a big challenge). The lists were attractive, available for download in PDF so you could keep them on your own computer or print them out, and connected to the catalogue so that teens can get the title they want quickly and easily. Covering a wide variety of genres and interests, these lists are balanced, up-to-date and useful. An cool extra feature on the bottom of the site is a scrolling display of "quick picks" - click on the book cover and you get sent to the catalogue record. Connecting teens to books is at the heart of young adult library services, and its nice to see the website supporting it. This portion could be further improved by highlighting other parts of the teen collection, like the audio and film collections.

The visual elements of this site are really pleasing too. Many library websites fall into the trap of trying way to hard to be hip. They scream in desperation LOOK! We are cool! Our website is LIME GREEN and there are NO ADULTS ALLOWED! WE ARE DOWN WITH YOUTH CULTURE!  This approach doesn't work. Teen sites are tricky because they should look appealing and distinct without trying so desperately to be young. HPL succeeds in this area. The golden background and graphic typeface are artistic and kind of funky but still pretty subtle. The layout is easy to navigate, and its the kind of site you'd want to explore.

That's not to say this is the paragon of teen library websites - it has some weaknesses. The programming portion just connects teens back to the matronly web page of the regular site.The volunteer portion of the site is a vague paragraph about one volunteer opportunity with a link to the sign up sheet. This page would be a lot stronger if it described volunteerism at the library more generally and thoroughly, and then had specific postings. Because HPL's teen services revolve a lot around teen volunteering, it is important that this part of the site be expanded.  And there is a glaring omission on the site - there is no homework help. Traditionally teen library sites used to be only homework help, so it is understandable that HPL wanted to get away from that - but this service is still important. It shouldn't be the whole site, but it should not be left out.

Because the HPL teen site is so new, I'd anticipate that it is going to grow and adapt as they gain feedback and figure out its strengths and weaknesses. It's off to a good start, and I look forward to seeing it get stronger as time goes on.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Fearless

Taylor Swift

Big Machine, 2008

Genre: Country/Pop

Listen if: You like songs about new love, young love, and betrayed love

Best for: teens who like sweet, sugary mainstream country

If you like it, try: Carnival Ride - Carrie Underwood

Rating: 2.5/5

Fearless is nineteen year old Taylor Swift's second album. In 2006, Swift released her first, self-titled album to good acclaim in country music circles. It is Fearless however, that has made her into a mainstream teen queen. Released in November of 2008, the album went #1 on the Billboard charts and broke several records.

Fearless is full of slow love ballads and mid-tempo songs about romance. Swift writes her own lyrics (she works occasionally with a collaborator), and most of her songs are about her personal relationships. Songs like "Fifteen", "White Horse" and "Breathe" speak wistfully about past experiences. The more feisty tracks, like "Your Not Sorry", "Love Story" and "Forever and Always"  are break-up tunes that question romantic ideals: "Romeo save me/I've been feeling so alone/ I keep waiting for you/but you never come". There's been lots of talk in the press lately about how the angry "Forever and Always" was written for Swift's famous ex, Joe Jonas. Swift's public airing of her breakup with the famous boy band brother probably has something to do with her recent extreme popularity.

 The album itself is fine, although its nothing special. After listening to it a few times, the songs melted together, so that I had difficulty distinguishing one from the other. There's also not a lot that is truly "country" about this album. Swift has a little twang, but it doesn't fit into the traditional country music mold. This is definitely "new country", much more pop than anything else. 

The lyrics are very simplistic, but they are also honest, and they deal with subjects on most teens' mind: love and breakups. This is probably Swift's main appeal. She is a teen herself, writing straightforwardly about her teen life. These songs aren't clever or particularly original, but they are genuine, and I think a lot of teens connect with that. This is very mainstream music, but its focus on emotions rather than exhibitionism makes it less crassly commercial than some of the popular music of today.

Fearless is extremely popular, and so it is probably an item that would be in demand in a libraries young adult music collection. It wouldn't be appropriate for a specialized or indie collection, but as a popular item it will probably be much used. Fearless will appeal to a wide age range, from junior high to high school students who like easy listening, light, poppy country.

The Zine Scene

Broken Pencil

Edited by Lindsay Gibb

Produced by the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Foundation for the Arts 

Issued 3 times per year since 1995

Genre: Magazine (Arts/Indie)

Read if: You're interested in zines, indie art culture and DIY

Best for: This magazine is very detailed and text-heavy, and assumes the readers knowledge of the indie art scene, so it is probably best suited to older teens (16+).

Rating: 4/5

zine (noun): a non-commercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter  (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Broken Pencil is a tri-annual print magazine devoted to "zine culture and the independent arts" (as its tagline states). This Canadian publication is full of interesting articles including:

•  profiles of zine and other underground artists (one issue profiled Sarah Evans, who started the Anchor Archive in Halifax)
  
• Tons of reviews of zines, books, and music
• Samples from current zines
• Reader submitted fiction
• How to's and DIY instructions for a variety of projects (ex. how to make your own vampire blood, how to throw your own covert film screening)

Each issue revolves around a theme - zombies, multiculturalism, games, food to name a few - and content reflects each theme. Articles in this publication are well written, substantial and very detailed. Although it is shelved in the Young Adult section of my local library, it isn't aimed specifically at a teen audience (although teens are often mentioned). Rather, its value as a YA resource is that many teens will find the subject matter really involving. Unlike most magazines that focus on consumerism, Broken Pencil focuses on creation.

Broken Pencil is a great magazine about an underwritten topic. It is the only Canadian magazine devoted to zine culture. Every article demonstrates the grass roots, do-it-yourself aesthetic of the indie art scene. The biggest strength of this magazine is its value as a resource: readers are informed about what is going on all over Canada in the independent arts, and are exposed to a huge number of zine titles  and artists. Teens who want to feel connected to the indie art scene will find this magazine invaluable.

The only criticism I have of this magazine is about the layout. This is a publication payed for by Canadian arts grants, so by necessity it is not flashy. Nor should it be - clearly the agenda of a magazine like this is different than Bop or YM. However, the magazine is entirely in black and white. Visually, there is not a lot to grab the reader, which is unfortunate for an art magazine. Teens may not be immediately attracted to this magazine, which has to compete with flashier publications on the shelf. This aside, this is a really well done magazine that obviously has a lot of devoted people behind it.

Broken Pencil is a great source for information about the zine scene. 

YA Reads Special Bonus Features: Broken Pencil's website is almost as good as getting your hands on a print copy 

Whistle While You Watch

Sydney White

Directed by Joel Nussbaum

Written by Chad Gomez Creasy

Morgan Creek Productions, 2007

Starring: Amanda Bynes, Matt Long

Genre: Movie/Re-told Fairy Tale

Watch if: You like modern updates of classic fairy tales

Best for: This movie will appeal to a wide age range of junior high and high school students. Probably best suited to the 13-16 range.

If you like it try:

Ella Enchanted

She's the Man

A Cinderella Story

Rating: 3.5/5

Sydney White has had a dream since girlhood: to join the fraternity that her mother was part of in college. Sydney sees becoming a Kappa Phi Nu as a way to connect to her absent mother, who died when Sydney was a child.  So she packs her bags, kisses her father goodbye and journeys towards her destiny at Southern Atlantic University. 

But college is no fairy tale. Genuine and spunky Sydney doesn't fit in with the vain Kappa Phi's, and she's soon kicked out by sorority president Rachel Witchburn. With nowhere to live, Sydney ends up at "the Vortex", the residence of seven nerdy guys excluded from college society. With the help of the 'seven dorks' will Sydney triumph against Rachel and find her prince charming?

Hi ho, hi ho, its off to college in the 21st century we go

Sydney White is one of many teen movies that re-work traditional fairy tales. Like the recent A Cinderella Story starring Hillary Duff, this movie takes a popular young comic actress and makes her the every-girl who triumphs over evil and gets the guy in the end. I have to admit I didn't have high expectations for this movie - I was dissapointed by the aforementioned A Cinderella Story  and thought this movie would be more of the same. To my surprise, this is actually quite a clever adaptation of the Snow White story. This is thanks to both the writing and the acting. There are clever allusions to the original tale throughout the film, and there are lots of genuinely funny jokes. And Amanda Bynes is an engaging heroine that teen girls will be able to relate too. She's not afraid to laugh at herself, and a lot of what she does in the movie is goofy - its nice to see a girl-lead who isn't prissy or bland . Being yourself is the message here, and the movie pulls it off with humour and charm.

This movie will probably appeal most to teen girls in the 13-15 year range, although the 'seven dorks' put in a funny performance that many guys might find surprisingly appealing. This is a fun and clever re-worked fairy tale that's well worth the watch. 

We're All In This Together

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Directed by Kenny Ortega

Disney, 2008

Starring: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale

Genre: Movie Musical

Watch if: You wish the everyone around you would burst into random song, you like light, fun movies, and you want to see Zac Efron angry dance in a shower of basketballs.

Best for: Tween and young teens (11 +) looking for a sweet, feel-good film.

If you like it, try: 

Camp Rock

Hairspray

Rating: 3/5

It's senior year at East High School, and everything is changing. Troy and Gabriella (who became a couple through the trials of auditioning for a musical in the first made-for-tv installment) are faced with the reality that they will soon be apart for college. Amidst the pressures of choosing a college, picking a prom dress and saying goodbye to good friends, the Wildcats come together to perform one final musical.

The third installment in the High School musical franchise, HSM: Senior Year is the first to debut on the big screen. Although this movie is designed for fans of the series (and there are MANY of them), its not necessary to have seen the first two to understand  the plot ( I watched this one first, and then went on to watch the first and second).  

High School Musical has been a huge franchise for Disney, and I was interested to see what all the fuss was about. These movies have obviously struck a cord with teens (especially young teens and 'tweens'), and after watching them, its easy to see why: HSM is a sweet, joyful and fun fantasy about the way high school life should be. The characters overcome the trials of cliques, fitting in and finding yourself through sparkly dance numbers and catchy songs. All three HSM movies talk about real concerns (especially concerns that young teens anticipating what High School will eventually be like) in a very safe way. Troy and Gabriella find love despite their differences, friendship triumphs above tension, and there is always a song to sing. 

Wildcats everywhere, put your hands up in the air

www.popcrunch.com

What I found interesting about this particular installment is that it deals with the fears teens have about leaving high school and embarking on a new phase in their lives - but this is not a movie that actual high school seniors would watch or glean any wisdom from. These movies are very much designed for early teens who are interested in the fantasy of high school in their future. I liken this franchise to something like Seventeen magazine - most seventeen year olds don't read Seventeen. It was at 13 and 14 that I really loved Seventeen, because it was a guide to  a slightly older world that I was poised to enter. High School Musical: Senior Year works in the same way, talking about teenage hood to early teenagers in an appealing way.

Senior Year is a light, feel good watch. The production values are really high - Disney didn't skimp. The songs are catchy and there are tons of big musical numbers that make you wish you were dancing in the cafeteria beside Sharpay and the gang. For wholesome fun for the early teen set, this movie is a good pick.

Meg Brag, Unit!

Feed

M.T. Anderson

New York: Candlewick Press, 2004

Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia

Read if: You like dystopic fantasy that comments on our modern world

Best for: Older teens (16 +) who are thinking about the conflicts and hypocrisies of today's society.

If you like it, try:

How I Live Now by Meg Rossoff

Rating: 3/5

This is what the future looks like: information has been freed from its physical confines; computers no longer exist, because everyone has a feed implanted directly into their heads. These feeds send instant information to everyone at a rapid pace. Instant messages, entertainment, advertisements - it all appears instantly inside your head. 

Titus and his friends have all grown up with the feed (it gets implanted in infancy). They spend their time going to the moon, hanging out, experimenting with going "mal" (a drug like coma induced by certain programs from the feed) and consuming products introduced by the feed.

Everything changes for Titus when he meets home-schooled Violet. Violet got the feed late, and questions what the feed is doing to her and her peers. She sees the lesions growing on their skin as a bad omen rather than a fashion statement, and the consumeristic world around them as menacing rather than utopic. Through Violet, Titus begins to understand that life with the feed may be a threat to them all.

I could talk about the plot of Feed for many more paragraphs: this novel is complicated and surprising (what else would you expect from M.T. Anderson). Everywhere you think its going, it doesn't go.  But you'll have to read it to see.

There are two major things I think are important when talking about Feed  and its place as a resource for young adults: controversy and teen culture.

First, controversy. There are certain requirements I have to fufill for the parameters of this project, and one of them is to read a controversial young adult novel. Feed  was one of the novels on the list, and after reading it,  I had to clarify the reason with my professor. I was confused about Feed's status as a controversial book, because although it is difficult book, a challenging book, and a disturbing book in many ways, the content is not 'objectionable' in the way we usually think of that word. Don't get me wrong - Feed is devastating, but this is because it tells us things we already know - that we are not far from the vapidly consumeristic culture that is rotting the world of Feed. But upsetting as these ideas are, I would not call them particularly controversial.

The reason for Feed's status as a controversial book is a matter of language. In portraying his future youth, Anderson uses slang that is close, but not quite, that of our own (dude becomes unit, cool becomes brag, really becomes meg). He also uses quite a bit of swearing. In the very thoughtful interview "Hungry for M.T. Anderson" by Joel Shoemaker (VOYA, 2004), Anderson directly answers the question of some librarians being hesitant to shelve Feed because of the swearing. Anderson says the language was necessary to the plot, to show the degeneration of language in the world of the feed. 

My personal feeling about the language in Feed is that it is not extreme enough to warrant controversy. It is not gratuitous and is there to serve a very specific purpose. Teens will be discerning enough to understand exactly why Anderson wrote the way he did. And, the swearing isn't actually that prevalent. I have read several other young adult novels where the language was much more prominent. There is so much going on in Feed that the 'objectionable' language is, I would argue, not very objectionable at all. In the end, I think this controversy should not be a controversy at all: Feed should be on the bookshelves of school libraries.

On to the second point: teen culture. Anderson has written a scathing satire of modern culture, an the role that teens play/fight against in that culture. It's for this reason I found this book difficult to take at times. It definitely wasn't my favourite read for this project. There is something about Anderson's message that is at times heavy handed, and could be seen as criticizing or blaming teens for the way they live now. Teen culture is something to be reviled. This is not to say that teens (or any of us) should not be challenged on the way we live our lives. Its just that this book is at times so bleak and accusatory that it leaves the reader out completely. I never felt totally connected with this book, and I think it might be difficult for a teen audience to connect with it too. Feed is ultimately hollow; maybe that is the point Anderson seeks to make. The problem is, its hollowness alienates readers.

After reading the VOYA article, I felt I understood better just what Anderson was trying to say about teen culture.  Anderson is someone who is deeply concerned with the state of America and he talks about how angry he was as a teen that society expected him to be part of the teen culture machine. From this standpoint, the book seems less accusatory. 

All this aside, I think Feed is a book that will appeal to teens who are questioning the world around them (and who isn't?), although they may ultimately find it unsatisfying. Anderson is a very talented and versatile young adult author, and Feed deserves a place on library bookshelves.  Read it, unit, and see where you weigh in on the controversy.

Don't leave it behind

The Leaving

Budge Wilson

Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co., 1993

Genre: Realistic Fiction/ Short Fiction

Read if: You like short fiction dealing with the small epiphanies of every day life.

Best for: Older high school students (16 +) who like character driven writing about the nuances of our lives. Most of the stories focus on the lives of adolescent girls, but the stories are universal enough to appeal to both genders.

Rating: 3/5

A daughter who spends every day of her fifteen year old life inventing stories about her handsome and heroic absent father; a best friend who is betrayed by a poetry contest; a young girl who's life is changed by an attractive strangers arrival on her doorstep; a wife takes her only daughter on a trip to Halifax that changes her marriage forever: these are the women who's stories are told in The Leaving, Budge Wilson's collection of short stories about being a Canadian teen.

The Leaving is different than any other item I have reviewed here, being the only short story collection for young adults. Short story collections in YA are unusual. The Leaving is a slightly older book than most I have looked at (published in 1993). Novels are much more popular than short fiction for teens today. This does not mean that its format disadvantages it; The Leaving is a quiet, clever and beautifully written book about  adolescent life.  Each story is sharply observed and rings true. These stories are honest, and I found myself more than once nodding my head while I read, feeling like I had lived the same experience as the stories' protagonist. Wilson writes such strong characters, it is hard not to think of them as ourselves.

Its also nice to read a book that is so unapologetically Canadian. Wilson writes about Haligonian springs and Lunenburg summers, about characters who come from the Prairies to live in the Maritimes, and characters who leave the Maritimes to seek other lives out west. Wilson adds an often missing Canadian context to the world of young adult fiction.

However, while I read I wondered whether the stories, which are mostly set in the 1950's and 1960's , would seem antiquated to teen readers. These stories are beautiful, and they are about teens, but I almost think they are better suited to adult readers looking back on their teen lives. There is something nostalgic about many of the stories that I am not sure would connect or appeal to teen readers. 

While I was reading, I was reminded of the time I was in grade seven and tried to read W.O. Mitchell's Who Has Seen the Wind. That book had a protagonist very close to my own age, and he lived very close to my own home, but I hated the book. Despite our similarities, I couldn't find anything to connect to in Brian O'Connals story. I have since re-read the book and loved it, but it took me twelve years. I think The Leaving could be a similar experience for teenagers, especially young ones. This doesn't mean that I don't think it has merit as a young adult novel  - it does. But I do not think it will connect with all teens, and I do not think it is suitable for younger teens. Older teens who love realistic fiction and want their own experiences and settings reflected in fiction will find this book appealing.

 One of The Leavings main characters: cold Nova Scotia winters

The Leaving is best suited to readers who are interested in small nuances and slow burns. The rewards of this book are subtle but substantial.

New Kid in Town

American Born Chinese

Gene Luen Yang

Henry Holt and Co., 2006

Genre: Graphic Novel

Read if: You've ever felt like an outsider.

Best for: This graphic novel will be enjoyed by a wide range of ages, from middle to high school students. 

If you like it try:

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Rating: 5/5

Jin Wang moves to a new school where he is the only Chinese-American student ;  the Monkey King thinks he is the best warrior in the land and spends hundreds of years locked under a mountain for his hubris ; Chin-Kee, the personification of the worst Asian stereotypes imaginable, comes from China to cause major embarrassment to his American cousin. American Born Chinese blends these three seemingly unrelated stories together using the graphic novel format to create an imaginative and powerful exploration of ethnicity and identity.

I have to admit that I had not read many graphic novels before I picked this one up. The ones I had read (mostly in the Alan Moore cannon) were enjoyable but dense, and while the drawing was beautiful, I often found it crowded and overwhelming. American Born Chinese is completely different than what traditionally comes to mind when you think of comics. The drawings are sparse and simplistic, and the layout is very clean looking, with only a few panels to each page. This does not mean that the story (or the art) is in any way "simple" or dumbed downed for teens. Yang tells a very complex and emotionally charged story in a clever and accessible way ; teens will connect to themes of isolation, identity, and acceptance. This book is beautiful to look at and beautiful to read, and it is the kind of story gains new meaning every time it is read. 

Yang won the Michael L. Printz award in 2007 over Octavian Nothing and The Book Thief , both stiff competition, which should give you an indication of how high quality this work is. American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to win a Printz, and is a great illustration of the power and potential of this genre to tell great stories. 

Manga Madness

Shojo Beat

April 2009,volume 5, issue 4

VIZ Media, LLC

Genre: Magazine

Read if: You want to get into Manga or you already love it. If you like comics in lots of genres (sci fi, historical fiction) that focus on romance, this magazine is for you.

Best for: Middle school girls (12 -15) who want to follow several manga series in one go, and get some art and fashion tips too!

If you like it try:

Apple by Udon Entertainment

Rating: 4/5

I picked this magazine up not really knowing what to expect. It turns out this is a great resource for teens who love manga (japanese for comic), or for teens who want an introduction into manga. 

The magazine contains six different comics from ongoing series. Series in this issue included the new "Tail of the Moon" by Rinko Ueda ("can a lowly caretaker with amnesia find love with the dreamy castle guard?"); Crimson Hero by Mitsuba Takanashi ("Nobara and Yushin fight off a host of admirers. Must be nice"); Honey and Clover by Chica Umino ("Takemoto goes on a search for himself, and Morita sort of does the same"); and more! Each comic starts with a synopsis of the entire series, what happened last episode, a list of characters, and an author bio.

Besides the comics, the Shojo Beat also has a "Manga Update" with recent Manga news, a fashion and beauty section, culture and trends (the issue I read had a great article on how to create attractive food presentations), and how to draw manga. All the articles in the magazine have a clear artistic bent to them, and focus on aesthetics. The layout and subject matter of the magazine is clearly aimed at teen girls (Shojo is Japanese for "young girl"). 

I really enjoyed reading Shojo Beat. This magazine would be a great way to get into manga, as it allows you to follow several short comics in one go, from month to month. The other articles were also well written and fun, and would appeal to girls who are interested in art, aesthetics, and Japanese culture. This is a well made magazine that's well worth a look.

Get in line for the new issue of Shojo Beat

Interested? Check out their website where you can preview new issues, read about creators and download online manga.

He'll Always Be Alberta's Child

Bull Rider

Marilyn Halvorson

Orca Soundings

Victoria, British Colombia: Orca Book Publisher, 2003

Genre: Hi/Lo (part of the Orca Soundings series, level 3)

Read if: You are looking for a fast paced and action packed story about  a boy's rise in the rodeo.

Best for: Reluctant teen readers age 12+ who are looking for a fast and rewarding read.

If you like it, try:

Any of the other Orca Soundings books. Orca is a Canadian publisher that produces high quality hi/lo books in a wide range of subjects.

Bonus Features: Listen to an audio excerpt from Bull Rider here.

Rating: 5/5

Growing up on a ranch in southern Alberta, 15 year old Layne has one ambition: to enter the bull riding competition at the next town rodeo. There's just one problem - Layne's mother forbids it. His father, a bull riding champion, was killed in a riding accident two years prior. Since that time, his mother has done everything in her power to keep Layne away from danger, even threatening to kick him  out of the house if he goes anywhere near a bull pen. 

But Layne won't let anything stop his dream to be great the way his father was. With the help of his sister Tara (or Terror, as she is affectionately known), and his friend Jana, Layne goes up against angry bulls and angry mothers to make his dreams come true.

Bull Rider was my first hi/lo book, and it didn't disappoint. For those of you who aren't familiar with the genre, hi/lo refers to high interest, low reading level books published for reluctant readers. Generally, hi/lo books are written three levels below the intended age group. 

Canadian author Marilyn Halvorson has written a book that is definitely high interest.This book is short without seeming rushed; there is lots of action, and lots of real feeling (I almost cried in one chapter).  The characters are well developed and real.  Gripping from the start, and well and simply written, this book will definitely appeal to readers who are looking for a fast, good read.  

This is the way hi/lo should be done, and Orca has many quality titles that I'm excited to read. 

Romance on the High Seas

Girl At Sea

Maureen Johnson

HarperTeen, 2007

Genre: Romance/Adventure

Read if: You love adventures, fear jellyfish, and want a little romance in the mix.

Best for: High school students who want a fun, clever, fast paced read that ties romance, realism and travel together.

If you like it, try:

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Awards: 2008 Romance Writers of America RITA Young Adult Finalist

Rating: 4.5/5

Clio's summer is going to be perfect: she just got the the job of her dreams in an art store, where she'll be able to to get discount art supplies and get to know the gorgeous guy who works at the counter. 

But Clio's father has a way of ruining things. First, he left Clio and her mother when she was twelve. Now he's back, and he wants her to spend all summer on a boat with him, his new girlfriend and his crew. The purpose: to be part of a team looking for a buried treasure deep in the Mediterranean Sea. 

So, instead of selling art supplies and making her crush her boyfriend, Clio cooks for the crew, helps read maps, avoids Aidan, her father's surly research assistant, and begins to unravel a mystery. There are secrets in the sea and on the ship, and everything is not as it seems.

What do jellyfish have to do with love? This book answers all.

Girl At Sea is a smart and romantic adventure novel. Or maybe its an adventurous romance novel. Either way, Johnson skillfully blends a mystery with exotic settings, great action sequences and real emotions to create a fun and thoughtful novel about family, risks, and first love. 

I've thought a lot about the label "romance novel" this year in library school. Romance is a difficult genre in a lot of ways because for a lot of people it has immediate, and often negative, connotations. The implication is if it is romance, it is probably not a very good book. Girl at Sea is definitely a romance, and it is also definitely a good story. Like all genre's, there is a varying range of quality in romance writing. Girl At Sea is a very high quality romance, but it is also just a very high quality young adult novel that deals playfully but also sensitively with something on every teens mind: relationships.  

Unlike the previously reviewed Does My Head Look Big in This  and Twilight, Girl at Sea deals with a teen romance without reducing the characters to stereotypes. Clio is vividly depicted and easily relatable. While the romance is a main focus of the book, it grows out of a shared adventure, and that is what makes this read rich and exciting. Truly funny, sweet and fun, this is the romance you've been waiting for. 

One more thing:  Johnson also keeps a really entertaining blog that has a lot of interesting things to say about being a YA author.

Vampire Spectacular: Part Two

My Swordhand is Singing

Marcus Sedgwick

London: Orion Books, 2006

Genre: Horror/Folktale

Read if: You are interested in the origins of vampire stories, and like eerie mysteries.

Best for: Middle school students who are interested in dark, moody mysteries with a historic setting. Because the story is straightforward and gripping, this is a great book for many levels of reader.

If you like it, try:

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

Rating: 3.5/5

"I was living in a devil town

Didn't know it was a devil town

Oh lord it really brings me down about the devil town

All my friends were vampires

Didn't know they were vampires

Turns out I was a vampire myself

in the devil town"

-Devil Town lyrics by Daniel Johnston

His whole life, Peter has lived like a nomad. Roaming the countryside with his father Tomas, taking odd jobs in small towns and never staying long, Peter has never found a place to call home.  Then Peter and Tomas come to Chust. Settling down on an island at the edge of the forest, Peter spends his days cutting wood for the villagers and nursing his often-drunk father. Slowly, Peter builds a life for himself in Chust, with a job and a sweetheart named Agnes.

But Peter's peace begins to break with the death of one of the villagers. Witnessing the burial himself, Peter does not know what to make of reports that Radu is being seen at night, apparently alive. 

When other deaths follow, Peter finds himself caught in a mystery involving gypsies, his father's past, a sword, and a legend of the deadly Shadow Queen. The undead are haunting Chust, and it is up to Peter protect the only place he knows as home.

My Swordhand Is Singing is a contemporary vampire folk tale. Drawing on sixteenth and seventeenth century vampire traditions, Sedgwick writes in his Author's Note at the back of the novel that he "sought to capture the flavour of the early reports of vampirism." Sedgwick goes on to say that "the suave, sometimes overtly attractive vampire of modern myth is very far from the original revenants of the folklore where these creatures originated." 

With My Swordhand is Singing, Sedgwick de-Cullenizes the vampire tale. The vampires of Chust are frightening, unglamorous and unstoppable. Almost zombie-like in their pursuit of prey, the nosferatu, vrykolakoi, or hostages, as they are alternately called (the word vampire never actually appears in the novel), are possessed of a disease that causes their state. Death, and the acceptance of its presence in our lives, is a running thread in this cleverly constructed vampire story.

The biggest strength of this novel is the setting and tone Sedgewick establishes. Using the folklore framework, Sedgwick is able to create a moody, gripping world very quickly. The deep Transalvanian winter is so clearly depicted readers will find themselves immediately immersed in the novels world. 

The story itself is simple and straightforward. More hesitant readers will find it  easily accessible. Although the book is a return to vampire-tale roots, it contains very light horror. Readers looking for a true scare won't find one here. There is also more mystery than action, so some readers looking for violent vampire fight sequences may be dissapointed (that's not to say there's NO vampire fighting though, because there definitely is). This book will probably appeal most to early junior high students (ages 11-13), although older readers may find the folk tale angle interesting and appealing.

My Swordhand is Singing is a well written book that takes the vampire back to where it started. If you're looking for a different kind of vampire novel, this book is a great start.

Vampire Spectacular: Part the First

Twilight and New Moon

Stephanie Meyer

Little, Brown Young Readers, 2005, 2006

Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Romance

Read if: You like light horror, fantasy and especially romance

Best for: A wide age range from early middle school to late high school. 

If you like it, try: The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Rating: 2.5/5

What happens when you have a very vivid dream about a boy and a girl talking about how they are falling in love, and about how their love is impossible, because the boy isn't really a boy at all: he's a vampire. If you're Stephanie Meyer, you take that dream and write your first novel that then spawns  one of the most successful series for young adults in recent memory.

Unless you have been living in a crypt, you probably already know at least some of the plot. Twilight is the tale of Bella Swan, a gawky seventeen year-old who moves from the bright sunshine of Pheonix, Arizona to the rainy gloom of Forks, Washington to live with her father. Life in Forks is dull until Bella meets Edward Cullen, a beautiful, mysterious boy with a secret. When Bella uncovers the truth about Edward and his family she must decide: put herself in  certain danger, or walk away from the only person she's ever loved. 

In New Moon, the series' second installment, Bella must deal with heartbreak in the face of Edward's sudden absence. Unable to handle the pain, Bella finds peace in her growing friendship with Jacob Black. Sweet and understanding, Jacob helps Bella to become herself again. But like Edward, Jacob is more than he appears, and his dark secret will force Bella to choose between the two people she cares about most. Obsession and desire, friendship and the lengths we'll go for love are the essence of this series.

I read Twilight and its sequel New Moon over the Christmas break, but I have been hesitant to write this post. The reason: I have talked to a lot of people about the Twilight phenomena, and the violence of the reactions to it has made a little nervous to add my voice to the mix. People either love them or hate them. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground. I however, feel like I am of two-minds about the series. 

Edward is not impressed that I can't make my mind up about Twilight

First, its strengths: Twilight is engrossing. Told in the first person, the reader is immediately drawn into Bella's world. From the loneliness of being a stranger in a strange town to the first pangs of love, you feel it all with Bella. Through a vampire story, Meyer is able to speak of the intensity and often forbidden nature of first love and first passion. 

Just as engrossing as Twilight, New Moon is in many ways the mirror of its predecessor. About heartbreak instead of love and friendship instead of romantic relationships, New Moon is in ways superior to Twilight because the characters become more real and three dimensional. In New Moon Bella grows up through the pain of her first heart break.

Now for the weaknesses: this series is not particularly well written. Although it succeeds in depicting an intensity of emotion that is felt by the reader, the writing itself is weak. Too much needless description and wordiness bog the books down. New Moon shows definite improvement from Twilight in the narrative, but both books suffer from their style. 

The characterization is also worrisome. Bella is eternally clumsy and needs Edward to save her; her desire for Edward must be controlled because if they succumb to it she will die. The characters, especially Edward, are sometimes one-dimensional, and this takes away from the story's power. 

Whether you love them or hate them, there's no getting away from Twilight. What this series has done for YA is get people talking about the genre, and looking for more, and that is perhaps its greatest strength.