ALA
Young Adult is for All Readers
I found this newspaper article from ilovelibraries.org about young adult books. I love the library and I’ll admit that I don’t scan the YA section as much as I should. I don’t like to put books into age groups, since many can be enjoyed by different ages. For example, Harry Potter mania has been read by both genders to grandparents to young children. Young adult books offer a wide range of topics, such as peer pressure, drugs, coming-of-age, relationship struggles, bullying, school conflicts, biographies, society issues, adventure, and so many wonderful new life experiences. There has been debate that YA books may be graphic, bold, and too mature for readers. Well, life isn’t perfect and many individuals deal with these issues on a daily basis. Reading helps us understand how we fit into society. Books help us understand ourselves. Reading YA books as a parent or teacher can also help you understand those teens around you. So, next time you’re unsure about which book to read next stroll over to the Young Adult section. You may be pleasantly surprised about what you found. I promise to take a closer look too.
Selected Young Adult Books:
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne-Collins The Book Thief by Markus Zusak To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Giver by Lois Lowry Looking for Alaska by John Green The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Monster by Walter Dean Myers The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner Forever by Judy Blume Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles The Secret Year by Jennifer HubbardWhat Young Adult books do you suggest?
American Library Association’s 2011 Best Young Adult Book ListAmazon’s Essential Young Adult Books
Book Smorgasbord
Walk into a buffet restaurant and you’ll find many choices. Grab a plate and pile on your favorite dishes. We’ll pretend that calories don’t count and you have a bottomless stomach for this meal. Select your meats whether it’s roast beef, spicy sausage, meatballs, or barbeque chicken. Perhaps you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t select a meat choice. Continue through the buffet to find pizza, french fries, fruits, vegetables, and even jello. Of course we need room for delicious desserts, such as cookies, berry cobbler, and ice cream. Finish your selections and head to your table to compare your choices with friends. You may see food on a friend’s plate that you didn’t notice at the buffet. Maybe you make a sour face to a food you dislike on someone’s plate. Perhaps you snitch food from others. Buffets often change weekly, so each visit is new.
Instead of a restaurant, you’re now walking into any library, bookstore, school, or garage sale with discount paperbacks. Maybe you decide to ‘walk’ into your Amazon account from the comfort of your home. Depending on the location, your ‘plate’ today is a library card, wallet, school pass, loose change, and most important an open mind. Everyone has different ‘tastes’ when we select books to read. There are endless ‘dishes’ from mystery, romance, science fiction, biography, contemporary fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, picture books, reference books, magazines, journals, newspapers, history, foreign language, poetry, best sellers, photography, travel, geography, audio books, religion, how-to books, and much more. There’s even subcategories for each book ‘dish’. You can ‘travel’ to different countries with books about its food, landmarks, transportation, geography, historical aspects, and more to fully ‘explore’ the location. Similar to a buffet, you don’t need to select every book. Also, you don’t need to have the same book ‘taste’ preference as your friends. However, friends can always share ‘dish’ recommendations about which books to read next time. Of course, new books are stocked so numerous trips need to be taken to satisfy your ‘hunger’ for books to read.
Banned books week is next week, however we need to celebrate book diversity all year. Individuals should have the freedom to read anything they desire without criticism from others. I’m not going to forbid you from picking a book I dislike. Nobody should have the right for books to be removed from classrooms, schools, and libraries. Often individuals don’t even read the material before deciding if it should be banned. You never know, you may learn something new or gain an appreciation for different perspectives. We all have different book tastes, so allow others to enjoy their choices without judgement. Experience the diverse flavors of a book smorgasbord.
Dare to think for yourself.
– Voltaire
Information about banned books week:
American Library Association (ALA) information about banned books
52 Ways to use your library card
Hopefully, you’re inspired from yesterday’s post and quickly signed up for your library card. The American Library Association created this list of 52 ways to use your library card. So go ahead and explore your library to its fullest.
52 Ways to Use Your Library Card
(for each week of the year)
1. Take the kids to see a free movie.
2. Download an e-book.
3. Update your Facebook page.
4. Learn about job seeking resources.
5. Find a list of childcare centers in your
area.
6. Learn about local candidates for office.
7. Pick up voter registration information.
8. Check out your favorite graphic novel.
9. Pick up a DVD.
10. Get free wireless access.
11. Attend a family game night.
12. Attend a resume writing workshop.
13. Get new ideas for redecorating your house.
14. Attend a family crafts workshop.
15. Attend a lecture or workshop.
16. Hear a local author reading his/her latest novel.
17. Book a meeting room for your club or community organization.
18. Attend preschool story hour with your child.
19. Get help with homework.
20. Look up all kinds of health information.
21. Start a parents and teens book club.
22. Trek to another planet in a Sci-Fi novel.
23. Take a cooking class.
24. Research your term paper.
25. Learn about the history or your city or town.
26. Decide which computer to buy using a consumer guide.
27. Explore new opportunities and research
technical schools, community colleges and
universities.
28. Borrow or download an audiobook for your next road trip or commute.
29. Use the library’s resources to start a small business.
30. See a new art exhibit.
31. Volunteer as a literacy tutor.
32. Broaden your world by checking out cookbooks of foods from other cultures.
33. Ask for a recommended reading list for your kids.
34. Learn a new language with books or online databases.
35. Get a book from interlibrary loan.
36. Enroll your child in a summer reading program.
37. Take a computer class.
38. Find a new hobby.
39. Take out the latest fashion magazine.
40. Enjoy a concert.
41. Trace your family tree.
42. Check out a special collection of rare books.
43. Investigate a legal questioner issue.
44. Follow your friends on Twitter.
45. Learn about home improvement.
46. Borrow some sheet music.
47. Take a class on how to use your new digital device.
48. Get involved – join you library’s Friends group or teen advisory board.
49. Pick up tax forms.
50. Connect with other people in the community.
51. Find a quiet spot, curl up with a book and enjoy.
52. Take a fitness class.
**Library Card Sign-Up Month**
I absolutely, positively love my library. Yes, I have my library card number memorized and can state exactly when it’s open. This little card is your passport to endless knowledge.
The library opens up so many possibilities to individuals and the community. It’s a shame that so many libraries in the United States faced with economic troubles have closed. My own city closed two libraries. It is during challenging times that individuals most use their public library. The library provides résumé workshops, job search tutorials, technology support, guest speaker seminars, research on computers, and much more. It’s a safe place where individuals interact with the community and gain information. At the library you can learn a new language, listen to audio books, sample new music, complete homework, catch up on the latest DVDs, attend book readings, participate in summer reading programs, listen to story hour, socialize during teen activities, watch monthly movies, and provide endless reading materials. The best part of the library is that all these activities are FREE for EVERYONE.
September is library card sign up month. The process couldn’t be more simple to get a pass for all materials at your finger tips. Most libraries you need to be at least age 5 and can write your name. Normally, children thirteen and younger need parent or guardian permission. You also need to present some proof of residency. Here are some links that promote library card sign up month and information about libraries.
http://atyourlibrary.org is a wonderful site that gives you overall information about everything you can do at the library, how to use your library, locate a library, reasons to use a library, and additional information such as individual’s connections to the library. (For example, author readings and guests such as Julie Andrews who provide comments about the library.)
http://atyourlibrary.org/september-national-library-card-sign-month-american-public-libraries
Library Association (ALA) provides a brief overall of the event.
http://www.ala.org/ala/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card/index.cfm
The readwritethink organization link provides numerous activities, classroom resources, event description, and additional links.
This is a cute Arthur cartoon video about all the fun that you can have at your library.
In an earlier post, I gave a book description for Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. I think it’s a great introduction for younger ages to become excited about the library. I added the link, so you don’t have to search for it.
https://passion2read.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/did-you-hear-the-roar-at-the-library/
The message is clear: get your library card today. It’s almost silly not to get a card, since it’s so easy to obtain. Enjoy all the wonderful materials and resources for FREE!!!
