February 17, 2013

You are here: Home / Archives for Teens & YA

An Interview with Jerry McGill, the author of Dear Marcus

By Amy Cheney on September 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
10312dearmarcus

On a recent trip to Portland, OR, I made sure to leave time to meet Jerry McGill, the author of Dear Marcus: A Letter to the Man Who Shot Me (iUniverse.com, 2009). I discovered this memoir a few years ago while browsing iUniverse, and now it’s a contender for the Alex Award, which honors books that have been written for adults but also have teen appeal. McGill was only 13 when he was shot in the back while walking home on New Year’s Eve, and the attack left him a quadriplegic. On a gorgeous late-summer day, much to my surprise, he rolled up to our meeting place under his own power, and joined me to talk about his book.

Filed Under: Author Interview, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Pitch Perfect—and a Roundup of Reads about Divas, Virtuosos, Rockers, and Other Music Mavens

By on September 27, 2012 Leave a Comment
10312pitchperfect

Perfectly pitched to fans of TV’s Glee and reality competition shows such as American Idol, The Voice, and X Factor, this musical comedy from Universal Studios opens nationally on October 5. Set in the fascinating—and surprisingly bodacious—world of collegiate a cappella singing, Pitch Perfect (PG-13) harmonizes crowd-pleasing acoustic production numbers with plenty of sassy and brassy girl-power attitude and ribald humor (hence the tagline—“Get Pitch Slapped”). The film is inspired by Mickey Rapkin’s nonfiction title, Pitch Perfect (Gotham, 2008; Gr 10 Up), which has been re-issued with an eye-catching movie-poster cover.

Filed Under: Read- & Watch-Alikes, Teens & YA, YA reviews Tagged With:

A Record 40,000 Attend New York’s Brooklyn Book Festival

By on September 25, 2012 2 Comments
brooklyn

More than 280 authors attended the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival in New York on September 23 to celebrate books, free speech, and all things literary.

Filed Under: Books & Media, Featured, Teens & YA Tagged With: , , , ,

Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

By on September 19, 2012 2 Comments
Emma Watson as Sam (Summit Entertainment)

The ’80s comes roaring back in Stephen Chbosky’s sensitive adaptation of his coming-of-age novel, The Perks of a Wall Flower (1999, MTV Books). Though the book and film take place in 1991, there’s a distinct pre-hip hop, early MTV vibe, thanks to the soundtrack, dominated by the likes of Dexys Midnight Runners and the Smiths.

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews, Teens & YA Tagged With: , , ,

Fresh Paint: Works Well with Others

By on September 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
91912libprogram

The public library is an information center providing resources that the community needs and wants. To know exactly what the community needs and wants the library relies on comment cards, conducts online surveys, and closely follows local issues and trends. But what if there are no customers to poll, no users for librarians to have a discussion with? This is exactly the situation that my library system is currently facing, because we are building a library where there has never been one (for many, many miles) and therefore there are no statistics, surveys, or discussions to base our collection, preliminary programming, or resource needs.

Filed Under: Budgets & Funding, Buildings & Design, Public Libraries, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Book Reviews from Young Adults

By Bookmarked, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Tech Academy, Jefferson, LA on September 19, 2012 Leave a Comment
91912everyday

Two new titles from masters of YA lit are featured in this issue’s teen review column, and both get rave reviews. David Levithan’s Every Day is already available. Sorry you all have to wait so long for Cory Doctorow’s Homeland (Feb. 2013)—though if you want to hear him speak about his thoughts on technology, digital rights management and the internet, you can register now for The Digital Shift: Libraries, Ebooks and Beyond, a full day virtual event happening on October 17. The closing keynote, What We Talk About When We Talk About Copyright: The Internet is not a glorified cable TV system, to be delivered by Doctorow, is sure to have attendees cheering in the virtual aisles!

Filed Under: Teens & YA, YA reviews Tagged With:

SLJTeen Talks to Shannon Hale

By on September 18, 2012 1 Comment
91912palaceofstone

Shannon Hale’s follow-up to Princess Academy, Palace of Stone picks up the story of Miri, a girl whose smarts and sense of fairness have just brought a new age of prosperity to Mount Eskel, a remote area of Danland. She’s also destined to serve the princess-in-waiting and her dear friend, Britta, who has recently sent for her to come to the royal city of Asland. I’m delighted that Shannon Hale will be visiting with her fans via a free live-stream event on October 1, sponsored by Bloomsbury Children’s Books (register here!), and that she took time to answer a few questions about her latest book.

Filed Under: Author Interview, Featured, Grades 5 & Up, Teens & YA, YA reviews Tagged With:

Win a Copy of The Book of Five Rings

By on September 18, 2012 Leave a Comment
91912bookoffive

Many attendees enjoyed the Classic Twists webcast during this year’s SummerTeen virtual event. Author/illustrator Sean Michael Wilson was a panelist on that presentation (still available for on-demand viewing!), and just got in touch with SLJTeen to announce that his latest title, The Book Of Five Rings, is now available —and Shambala Publications is giving away ten copies to SLJTeen readers!

This manga version of Japanese classic The Book of Five Rings, the iconic book of confrontation and victory by the famed [...]

Filed Under: Awards & Contests, Graphic Novels, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Calling All Kid-Friendly Administrators!

By on September 18, 2012 Leave a Comment
91912smilingchildren

Have you launched an exemplary children’s after-school series? Or set up outreach services for a daycare program? If you have, consider nominating yourself or a colleague for the 2013 Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children. The annual award honors an individual who has shown exceptional understanding and support of library services for kids.

Filed Under: American Library Association (ALA), Awards & Contests, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Music Reviews from Young Adults

By on September 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
91912havoc

Our music reviews feature three very different albums. You might say that Owl City’s The Midsummer Station is a bit like an anthology, while Havoc and Bright Lights from Alanis Morissette is more of sequel. North, from Matchbox Twenty, is a bit harder to slot—though our reviewer doesn’t see it as a bestseller!

Filed Under: Multimedia, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Dear Teen Me Giveaway!

By on September 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
dearteenme

How many times have you looked back on your teenage years and cringed, wishing that you could offer your younger self some guidance? That is exactly the inspiration behind Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves, the upcoming book by E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally, in which seventy young adult authors—including Ellen Hopkins, Nancy Holder, Lauren Oliver, Tom Angleberger and more—write letters to their teenage selves.

Filed Under: Awards & Contests, Books & Media, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Watch and Read: Spotlight on Media Tie-ins: ‘House at the End of the Street’ and Spine-tingling Thrillers for Teens

By on September 12, 2012 Leave a Comment
Book cover with Jennifer Lawrence on black cover

Fans of the The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence will be flocking to see her newest, The House at the End of the Street, opening September 21. Suggest these gripping tales as read-alikes, or consider making them part of a Halloween display or booktalk.

Filed Under: Collective Book List, Read- & Watch-Alikes, Teens & YA Tagged With: , , , , ,

Promoting Regional Book Awards: Give Teens a Chance

By Melanie Borski-Howard, Youth Services Specialist, Boulder (CO) Public Library on September 12, 2012 1 Comment
91912bsbooks

It all started with “Pete the Cat.” Well, actually it started with the fact that author Eric Litwin was coming for our library’s summer reading program and my boss wanted to promote his visit. We have a fabulous teen volunteer, Rose, who does great artwork. I asked her if she could make a big Pete the Cat, and she pulled it together in one day! I couldn’t believe it. When given the opportunity (and materials), Rose can do anything artistic! So, naturally, I went to her when we received our promotional kit for the Colorado Blue Spruce Award, an honor that recognizes the most popular books among middle and high school students in our state.

Filed Under: Awards & Contests, Books & Media, Programs & Programming, Teens & YA Tagged With:

SLJ’s Printz Blog Has Returned

By on September 10, 2012 Leave a Comment
Frog Prince sitting on pile of books

Once upon a time, a new blog discussing possible contenders for the annual Michael L. Printz Award for exemplary teen titles was born on SLJ.com. Now in its second year, Someday My Printz Will Come is back and ready to take on the challenge of speculating which literary gem will wear this year’s crown.

Filed Under: Awards & Contests, Featured, Teens & YA, The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Tagged With: , , , ,

How to Build a School: Floral Park Memorial High School Students Go to Nicaragua

By Donna Rosenblum, school librarian, Floral Park (NY) Memorial High School on September 5, 2012 1 Comment
worksite

You know how folks say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step? Well, that’s what happened when Swati Malik, one of our Floral Park (NY) Memorial High (FPMH) students, approached social studies teacher Christina Blanc about building a school for kids in Nicaragua in late 2011. Swati came up with the idea after hearing about buildOn, a nonprofit organization that offers extracurricular service-learning programs in our nation’s high schools and builds schools in developing countries, such as Mali, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

Filed Under: Librarians & Media Specialists, Students, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Coming Soon: Fresh Paint!

By April Layne Pavis, Loudon County (VA) Public Library on September 5, 2012 Leave a Comment
9512freshpaint

There’s a new column coming to SLJTeen – Fresh Paint: Notes from a Public Library. We’ll hear from April Pavis, teen services librarian, as she prepares to move into the eighth library branch in Loudoun County, Virginia, the Gum Spring Library which will deliver 40,000 square feet of space for materials, programs, education, and entertainment to an area of the county that has never had a library.

Filed Under: Buildings & Design, Industry News, Programs & Programming, Public Libraries, Teens & YA Tagged With:

NCTE 2012 – Dream, Connect, Ignite!

By on September 5, 2012 Leave a Comment
9512ncte

There is still time to register for the 2012 National Council of Teachers of English annual conference, being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 15-18. It’s going to be quite the party, with 5500 attendees, 700 sessions, and 125 plus exhibitors.

Filed Under: Events, Industry News, NCTE, Teens & YA Tagged With:

Book Reviews from Young Adults

By Bookmarked, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA on September 4, 2012 Leave a Comment
9512middleground

If you’re wondering why we’re a little short on reviews this issue, blame it on Hurricane Isaac. Bookmarked’s leader, Elizabeth Kahn, emailed me these two reviews on August 28, from Jefferson Parish, LA, adding, “The lights are flashing, so I don’t think that I will have Internet access much longer. Let me go.” That’s dedication. Let’s all send a little positive karma to our friends, family, and colleagues in the Gulf this week, OK?

Filed Under: Books & Media, Teens & YA, YA reviews Tagged With:

Love Story: The Best New Paranormal Romance Titles for Teens

By Bonnie Kunzel on September 4, 2012 3 Comments
Illustrative image of teenagers - Paranormal Romance

Ever since Bella bumped into Edward and Jacob, the world hasn’t been the same—especially within the hot and hair-raising pages of paranormal romance. Thanks, in part, to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight Saga,” tales about teen vampires, werewolves, and other sexy shapeshifters that have threatened to take over libraries and bookstores nationwide—and young readers just can’t seem to get enough of them.

Filed Under: Collection Development, Featured, Teens & YA Tagged With: , , , , ,

On the Radar Teen: Top Picks from the Editors at Junior Library Guild: New Offerings from Favorite Authors

By on September 3, 2012 Leave a Comment
Pinned2

When the font of the author’s name is larger than the title, that’s an author you should know. This fall’s releases include many of our favorite writers whose names overshadow the title on the book jacket. From romance to edgy fantasy, high school readers should have some strong competition for the spending of their time. I’m betting that print (or the digital version) wins.

Filed Under: Books & Media, Collection Development, Teens & YA Tagged With:
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »