A final look

Dear Joshua,

This is my last blog entry as a member of my YA class. I walked out of class yesterday with some friends and we all agreed that it was a sad day. We loved this class; we learned about a whole new world of books that we never really new existed. We knew about “Twilight” and how we wouldn’t touch that thing with a 10 foot pole. We knew about beginner reads like “Charlottes Web” which I loved. But YA can be so much different, so much better.

There were some advocates for the classic literature in the high school English classrooms, who were very adamant on the subject and reluctant to consider YA novels. I hope their minds have been changed. I believe classic literature is important and integral to intellectual growth, but if that’s all you use, then you’re going to lose some kids along the way. We talked about text pairing as a possible solution, like pairing a classic novel with a YA novel covering the same themes. I’m all for it.

We had some debates on what high school kids should read and what’s appropriate. I do not believe in censorship, but I understand there can be legal issues at hand with certain topics. But topics such as diverse cultures, drugs, violence, and even relationships must be mentioned if you are to truly teach a student. I went to Catholic school (unlike you, you lucky bum) and I was never told how to have safe sex. I was never told how to deflect violence. I was told that premarital sex was a sin of a terrible degree and abstinence is key. I was told to turn the other cheek when wronged and that smoking one little joint would be the end of me as I knew it.

These are all lies.

These are potentially harmful lies, especially considering that I know of 3 girls from my graduating class that got pregnant (without marriage) right away without any form of birth control. I currently work in a local high school that recently had a lockdown due to excessive gang violence that resulted in 7 fights in a matter of two hours. I have friends that smoke a little weed every now and then and function perfectly well.

Educators should do their job. They should educate. I don’t care if the subject is uncomfortable. Get over yourself; this isn’t about you. This is about your students. This is about their lives. The information you choose to give them, no matter what the format, will help shape their lives. Give them books to help them with their issues. Show them different sides of the story. Knowledge is power.

Your sister,

Paige

Adult novels should sometimes really be YA

Dear Joshua,

Remember my first post? I said I wanted to mention some adult books that should be considered YA, but I have not yet done that. Well, now’s the time!

First up, we have “Pure” by Rebbeca Ray. I read it during my senior year of high school, so that was about 5 years ago. Bear with me, as I don’t remember it too well. It’s about this 14 year old girl named Pure and how she sees her friends. One is super awesome and can do no wrong and the other is kind of a loner and a little weird (but Pure is still nice to her). Here’s where the book got a little strange to me. One day Pure meets a 27 year old guy in an electronics store and asks for her number. Remember now, Pure is 14 and this man is 27. And he calls her. And they start a relationship. And people think that the 5 year age difference between me and my husband is huge. Think again.

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Now comes “Hairstyles of the Damned” by Joe Meno. If there is any book on this blog that you should read, it’s this one. I would let you borrow my copy, but I have already highlighted in it and it’s more fun to find your own important quotes to cherish in your heart forever. Christmas present maybe?

If you like punk, you’ll like this book. And I’m not talking the new crappy “punk” out there now, I’m talking about the Misfits and Black Flag. And other awesome bands such as the Blue Oyster Cult, Lynrd Skynard, Danzig, Slayer, and Iron Maiden, that do not fall into the category of punk.

So Brian is a Catholic high school student who’s totally in love with his best friend Gretchen and is too afraid to admit it. He’s a punk kid who gets picked on (as does Gretchen, but she’s more likely to kick the crap outta people than Brian is). Brian struggles to find his identity and uses music to help him find it. It’s written from his perspective, and I think he’s someone you would be friends with.

“I’m just trying to get through school without going fucking crazy…I know why I’m miserable, I need to get laid.”

“Is that all you fucking think about?”

“Yes, I can safely say that is all I think about.”

This book was written for teenage boys.

__________________________________

Finally, we have “The Cheese Monkeys” by Chipp Kidd. Kidd is a graphic designer and the book looks pretty cool. Be sure to spread out the edges of the pages and read the message (don’t forget to turn the book upside down during this activity, as well).

This is about a boy who goes to a state college to major in art. Kidd used some of his art school experience to tell the tale of the protagonist (who has no name) and his first year in college. It’s great, it’s wonderful, it has my Art Rule #1: “Something I have never seen before and will never be able to forget. Because that should always be your goal. If you can do that, you can do anything – never attempt anything less.” You want to be an architect, which is really cool. And I imagine you’ll be taking some art related courses (god, I hope so!) so I think you may find this interesting and worth a read. Another Christmas present, perhaps?

Your Sister,

Paige

My most mediocer book

Dear Joshua,

This weeks book is “My Most Excellent Year” by Steve Kluger. As a class, we decided that it is not the most excellent book, however it does have something to offer.

The novel is told through journal entries and IM chats of three different friends, T.C., Augie, and Ale. The parents and other supporting characters can be found by way of memos to each other. This is a story about friendship and family and it’s all wrapped up in a neat little package. T.C. and Augie are brothers, although not by birth. They became friends when they were six years old and decided that being brothers would be much more fun. Ale is T.C.’s love interest and a socially and politically minded individual. She is a strong female character, which I can appreciate. Augie is most certainly gay; although he doesn’t know when everyone else does (he writes his journal entries to his “Diva of the Week” for crying out loud!). He does figure it out and falls in love for the first time. T.C.’s mother died when he was 6 and he has taken in another 6 year old, Hucky, as his friend/little brother. Hucky is deaf so T.C. and everyone else learn sign language pretty quick so they can all communicate.

I cannot honestly say what the story was trying to do. What was the plot? Ummm….I guess it was some friends during their Freshmen year and how they got to know each other with some parents and a deaf child mixed in. I don’t have a clear answer. There was no big drama, no big dilemma; everything was fixed in the end and you are left with a fuzzy feeling inside.

Needless to say, this week was the week on “Innovations With Form.” I enjoyed the book and did not find it difficult in the least to read, but I was part of a select few. After having read plenty of graphic novels I was able to get into the swing of things pretty easy. There is a lot of changing view points and messages and letters and chats that make up the story, but that’s what I found most interesting. I doubt you would like it, Joshua, but it’s still a pretty easy and fun read.

Your sister,

Paige

Relatability, Shrematablity

Dear Joshua,

During this blog, I have been trying to find ways to get you to relate to the books I review. I have tried using your interests, your experiences (that you have had or will have eventually), or lessons you should probably learn. This time I have a book that caused quite a commotion in class, due to the subject of relatability.

“We Were Here” my Matt De La Pena is a book about a Mexican American teen, Miguel, who winds up in Juvenile Detention in California. He is sent to a house to work off his sentence with a Judges request that he write a journal. The journal is to help counselors help him. He meets Rondell, an African American teen, in Juvi who also ends up in the same house. At the house already is Mong, a Chinese American teen who just looks plain crazy to Miguel.

Miguel and his new acquaintances decide to run away to Mexico and find jobs. On the journey, we learn a lot about where the boys come from, what kind of family life they had, what their aspirations are. Miguel is the narrator, we have a limited perspective, but we can see the progression of an unlikely friendship between three kids brought together by actions deemed irresponsible.

“Throughout Missouri, the Division of Youth Services operates 32 residential programs serving 72 groups of 10-12 youth and 10 day-treatment programs. Division of Youth Services programs are located in both rural and urban/metropolitan areas throughout the state.” This was found at http://www.dss.mo.gov/dys/faq/genopt.htm. This means that, in the state of Missouri, there are 23,040 – 27,648 kids in the DYS database at a given time. The discussion raging in class was over how students could relate to a book about Juvi kids. I believe the numbers above deem relatability a moot point.

We know these kids. We see them on the street, in the grocery store, at the mall, cleaning trash on the side of the interstate. To not present a book like this would pretend that these kids don’t exist. I didn’t work at a non-profit crisis care center for abused and neglected children for 12 months to walk away thinking that I will always be surrounded by white, middle to upper class, privileged kids.

Joshua, I know that at your Super Nerd Tech School (just poking fun) probably doesn’t have a lot of Juvi kids, if any at all. But your school recently ended up having the largest Toledo Public High School, Scott, merge into your building. That school is riddled with gangs and violence like you wouldn’t believe. And you share a building with them, despite TTA’s best efforts to prevent that from happening. You are going to see Juvi kids. And you would be better off knowing that they come from a home life that you could only imagine. They need extra guidance and a hell of a lot of support. Read “We Were Here.” These kids are human and worth taking a look at. I don’t care if you can’t relate. Suck it up, boy.

Your sister,

Paige

Now that's more like it!

Dear Joshua,

You are a big fan of Tolkien, just like me and Justin. Justin got us into the books and I can remember reading The Hobbit on our way to Florida the first time. We were sitting in the car and I was reading Gollum’s riddles to dad. I remember you (how old were you? You had to have been super little) trying to guess the answers. It was so cute!

Well, today I have a really great fantasy book for you! It’s called Graceling by Kristen Cashore. It doesn’t have very many of the same elements as Tolkien’s world, but it’s still pretty darn good. Katsa is a Graceling, someone who has a Grace. A Grace in this world is a gift of tremendous ability. Not everyone has one and you know a Graceling by their eyes being two different colors. Katsa has the gift of killing. She can kill any person at any time with any method. She’s quite a phenomenon. She is used in her kingdom as a hit-man (hit-woman?) by the king. She doesn’t like her job and doesn’t appreciate her skill being used to solve petty crimes.

Katsa creates her own secret society to put her Grace to good use. She and her friends stumbled upon a mystery and have decided to take it into their own hands. Someone is causing a lot of trouble, namely kidnapping an elderly man for no apparent reason. Katsa meets another Graceling, Po, who happens to have a strong connection to the elderly man. Katsa and Po’s relationship unfolds into something beautiful and intimate and together they learn of a terrifying man who destroys the minds he meets. It is their duty to put an end to him.

We talked in class about fantasy books and what types of questions they raise and how those questions can be answered by fantasy. Basically, a fantasy book can ask any of the same questions a non-fantasy book can ask. We have discussed how The Lord of the Rings is similar to the Second World War, raising many of the same issues. Well, Graceling presents questions on gender, power, altruism, and relationships. Remember how I said that Frankie was about how NOT to treat a girl? Well, Graceling is about how you SHOULD treat a girl. Po is an excellent male figure, one that I think most young adults would appreciate.

It doesn’t matter what you’re vehicle is. You can write in plain old fiction or amp it up with fantasy. As long as you have some pertinent questions and make use of our higher cognitive functioning, you’ve got yourself a good book. Graceling is one you must read.

Photos!

Dear Readers, Here is a fun post! My older brother, Justin, got married in September and Joshua just sent some pictures to me that were taken from his camera. The first is one of Joshua himself. You can see Justin in the background, just look behind all of Joshua's bulk. The second one is of both Joshua and myself. We really do love each other, I promise!

Take care,

Paige

Remember: I can always bring you down, I don't care how big you are.

Dear Joshua,

I know you. You're an upstanding guy. But I also know you're a guy and probably could use some help in the romance department, not to mention the gender issue department. This is why you should read "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landaue-Banks" by E. Lockhart. This National Book Award finalist is a funny and engaging read that I read in about a day and a half. It's easy to get through, has some awesome pranking material, and offers a little lesson in love on top of that.

Frankie is a sophomore at a boarding school on the East Coast and she has "blossomed" from her freshmen year. "She gained four inches and twenty pounds all in the right places." So she's a hot tamale and now, all of a sudden, everyone is noticing her, including the super hot Senior Matthew Livingston.

She and Matthew start dating and he's kind of a jerk. Here's where gender roles come in: he likes it when she needs him, he likes to do things for her, he doesn't open up to her, etc. Frankie doesn't like this so she follows him one day after he's blown her off for his friends (again) and finds out he's in some secret all boy society that pulls lame pranks on the school. Long story short, she infiltrates the group and organizes a plethora of pranks worthy of getting certain people in deep trouble.

What I want to discuss with you, little brother, is the gender and romance stuff. You know me, I am independent and can fend for myself quite easily. This is what you need to know about most girls: we can do things on our own. Frankie is sick and tired of being looked at as a little girl, defenseless and in need of help. So she does something about it. I would have to say that if any girl you ever date acts the way Frankie does because of you, then you deserve it. Matthew leaves her all the time in favor of his friends. Every once in a while is fine. You know Les (Readers note: Les is my husband) goes off with his friends, that's cool. But he never blows me off to be with them. When you make plans, keep them. Unless of course you end up having knee surgery the day before Halloween and end up having to stay home by yourself (good luck with that!).

I say gender and romance together because they do go together. A man is expected to do certain things for his lady and the lady is expected to do other things for her man. Frankie does not like this. Hence infiltrating an all guys secret society without letting her identity be known. But it's ok to let down societies gender roles and do your own thing. For example, Les does more laundry than I do. Do I object? Haha. And one more important thing about gender that you cannot escape: when guys get even, they do it overtly. Girls, however, are covert. Always. Remember. That. It may save your face someday if you cross a girlfriend.

Your big sister,

Paige

Blargh!

Dear Joshua, Sometimes there comes a book that makes you want to throw it across the room. I have encountered this a few times for different reasons. I have wanted to throw a book because it was just plain terrible. I have wanted to throw one because it hit so close to home that I wasn't prepared for the blunt honesty and the vacant rooms of my soul opened up unexpectedly.

This time I wanted to throw a book because I just couldn't like it. I tried, I really did. I tried finding the literary merit but was blindsided with a truly bore of a book.

"The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing" was written by M.T. Anderson, the same guy who wrote "Feed," my first review. I raved about "Feed" so I thought for sure that I would love "Octavian." Alas, I did not.

"Octavian" is about an African boy and his mother who were brought into a household during the time of the American Revolution. The house contained a group of scholarly men who were apt to perform experiments on just about anything. Octavian and his mother were obviously part of an experiment. Octavian finds that he is being groomed as an intellectual under the presumption that he could never be one, given his race. He grapples with the concepts of logic and feeling, freedom and slavery. Is intellectual slavery worse than physical slavery?

My professor asked us what makes a book literary. Turns out the majority of students (being English savvy and much better at this sort of thing than I am) decided that there needs to be a good use of literary devices (you know, symbolism, metaphors, etc.) and an outstanding plot. My immediate mental reaction to the question was "It's a work of art." I was thinking about how some people really like Jackson Pollock, even though his stuff sucks so bad that no one can tell a counterfeit from an original. And some people find the Mona Lisa to be the symbol of beauty because of her smile (even though it was the fact that this was the very first depiction of a vanishing point that actually made this piece impressive as opposed to totally ordinary).

I want a book to *thunk* me over my heart and say “Wake up!” That’s what I find literary. Maybe it’s not literary as much as something else entirely, but that’s what makes a good book for me. When you look at the Sistine Chapel, you cannot help but be moved by it. The care, the craftsmanship, the fact that this was the culminating work of one of the greatest artists of all time (note: do not eat your lead paint, for crying out loud!) and everyone can respect it for what it is. You do not have to like art, you do not have to be Christian; you just look at it and another room to your soul opens that you never knew was there. That’s what a good book is. Literary? Maybe, maybe not. I’m not an English major, I don’t know these things. What I do know, is what a good book is.

Your opinionated sister,

Paige

Let's rewind

Dear Joshua,

For our week on dystopian literature, I chose to read a second book since I knew this would be a good genre for you. (Yes, I like it too...) My professor brought some books in for those of us who chose to read a second book for this week. Laying on her desk were a handful of books, one of which was M.T. Andersons Feed, the first book I reviewed for this blog. I picked up one that had a fuzzy human figure holding up their hand, pressed to what looks like a screen. I was instantly reminded of Requiem for a Dream, particularly when the mother is tripping on the speed she thinks are diet pills (which, I guess in some sick and twisted way, could be true). If you've never seen the movie, wait until mom and dad are gone, watch it on dads giant TV and try not to cry yourself to sleep that night. That scene at the end...*shudder*.

Task at hand! I chose that book with the cool cover (Unwind by Neal Shusterman) only after reading the first sentence on the inside flap: “In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would ‘unwind’ them.” I was hooked. So basically, in this futuristic world, no one is donating organs and the pro-lifers and pro-choicers are still at odds with each other. So to kill two birds with one stone, it is now common legal practice to retroactively abort a child once they are between the ages of 13 and 18. They are “unwound” and 100% of their body parts are distributed to other people. How does this satisfy the pro-lifers? The kids are still technically alive. Ever heard of muscle memory?

This book could have easily been made preachy. The author could have imposed his views but he chose not too. You only get the idea that chopping up body parts and distributing throughout the country (Need a left big toe? No problem!) while keeping these people alive is wrong. Duh. So we have to ask ourselves how on earth we would ever get to such a point. Here’s a link to an absolutely true report from 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6171083.stm

I’ll stop right here for now. I suggest you read the book and start tackling ethics on your own. The things you find in Unwind are issues that are going to be discussed, fought over, and voted on for a long, long time.

--Paige

Please Sir, I don't want any more.

Dear Joshua,

This week we started reading dystopian literature. You, Justin, and I are all cynics (Readers: Justin is our older brother) and we like to discuss our lack of faith in humanity. I was pleased to begin this genre, knowing I would like it and it would give me an opportunity to send some titles your way that I think you would like as well.

Let’s start with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen, our female narrator and primary character, lives in a place called District 12 in the country of Panem, which used to be North America. It is a coal mining district with no respect from the Capital and its rulers. The Capital is brutal and keeps tabs on its citizens by choosing 24 kids (ages 12-18), two from each district, to play in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a terrifying fight to the death, 100 times worse than the old gladiatorial games. The kids need to kill of each other and face the elements in a ring controlled and manipulated by the Gamemakers. The games are aired on television for everyone to see. That means if things get boring and people stop watching, the Gamemakers make sure something happens to keep viewers.

The Hunger Games is a novel that beautifully describes our selfish desires to see others perish. In class we were talking about reality TV and how we are all guilty of taking pleasure in other people’s pain. One student even said that her whole family would sit and watch the first season of Survivor together. Remember how we did that too? The three of us kids would lie on the floor and mom and dad had the couch. We watched in amazement as people manipulated and tore each other apart. Granted, no one died, but it was still a terrible thing to watch. I thought we have evolved enough to grant each other respect? Am I wrong? In The Hunger Games the Capital keeps these games going as a way of saying “Hey! We’re in charge here! Do you see what we can do to you? Stay in line!” Are we really that far off, now?

--Paige

I'm waiting....

Dear Joshua,

This next review is for a book that I would never recommend for you in a million years. But alas, my assignment is to review all the books we read and since the majority of the class consists of women, I'm bound to have to read something that doesn't pertain to you.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen is a typical teen problem novel in first person narration. The narrator is our main character, Ruby. Ruby has lived with a drunken mother and absent father. Her sister left home ASAP and made a way for herself in the world, seeming to leave Ruby behind. When Ruby’s mother abandons her one day by just not coming home (and staying away for a while), she decides to fend for herself for a few months until she turns 18 and is a legal adult. She would have barely scraped by, but was found out and handed over to Children’s Services. She is reunited with her sister, who takes her in and sends her to a fancy private school. Ruby meets a neighbor boy who attends the same school and is forced into friendship through proximity. Things get complicated and predictable and Ruby finds out that this boy shares more in common with her than she thought.

Dessen is a New York Times best-selling author, but I found the book terribly scripted and predictable. I was felt like I was waiting for more (Something! Anything!) the entire time I was reading it. Maybe the problem teen novel is not my favorite thing, but I figured this could have been done a little better. Maybe not, I don’t know. I do know that there are surely some readers out there that would really love Lock and Key but I am not one of them. Give me something to bite into and mull over.

--Paige

Even a boring narrator can make a pretty awesome book.

Dear Joshua, Looking for Alaska by John Green is an excellent book. I just want to put that out there. The narrator, Miles, is a high school student who's from Florida and is attending a bording school in Alabama. He is the most boring character ever. But this is what makes him so special. He comes from a normal family, had no friends in Florida, is an excellent student that doesn't need to try very hard, etc. He is a blank canvas. When he moves to Alabama, everything in new to him. All the emotional problems, the grudges, even difficult classes, amaze him. He is in constant awe at an age when most kids are sensitized. Miles is quickly taken in by his roommate, the Colonial and is given his own nickname, Pudge, because is anything but. He meets Alaska for the first time and is (surprise!) amazed by how beautiful she is. Alaska is an extremely strong female presence with a feminist attitude. In class we discussed how there are no macho characters in Looking for Alaska and how all of the boys seem to respect Alaska and her womanhood and are careful of what they say around her. If you want a book with some good pranks in it, this one would be pretty solid. Pudge and his friends like to prank, as it is the school tradition. The Weekday Warriors (those who are rich enough to go home every weekend) are the primary target and the WW try to call a truce after the pranks. But the main characters won't have any of it. They prank on principle, not because they are bored. I don't want to give away any more of the book, but I will say that Pudge is very fond of people's last words. The last words he uses the most are from Francois Rabelais, a poet: "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." This is the overall theme. What is this Great Perhaps? Are we looking for it in life or in death? Is it something we can see? Feel? Or simply understand? Read the book, you might find out.

Their eyes are all asking are you in or are you out?

Dear Joshua,

I know you’re straight, so am I. But have I got a book for you to read anyway! It’s Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. It’s about Liza, a girl in her senior year of high school at a private school in New York City. She meets another girl, Annie, at a museum and she instantly feels a connection but is unaware of what kind of connection it is. During the evolution of their friendship she begins to understand their connection and they start a hesitant relationship. Liza is the narrator who is telling the story as a freshman at MIT. She often gets sidetracked in her studies and has Annie, well, on her mind. Their relationship strikes some controversy, but I am not going to go any further. You’ll just have to read the book.

The book was published in 1982 and I am amazed at how sheltered the characters were. There were a number of Gay Rights movements in the ‘70’s through the ‘80’s, but there was little social change. Even today, we can see that the LGBT community is denied rights that you and I have. Reading the book, I felt the story was a little dated, as things have progressed somewhat, but it was still effective. It is not a gay love story where the kids wake up one morning and feel they need to resolve themselves of their sins. It is more of a finding-out-what-these-feelings-are-and-dealing-with-them kind of story. If anything, it can shed some light on us straight people as to what the LGBT’s of our lives go through. I know a handful of gay people and never gave their gayness a whole lot of thought. I figured everything was pretty much the same as hetero couples, but I was wrong. After talking to some of my gay peers, I know that their culture is vastly different. With Annie on My Mind we get a little taste of the gay culture, but more importantly, we gain a sense of empathy for gays and their experiences. It’s a step in the right direction, that’s for sure.

*The title is borrowed from a song by Ani DiFranco. If you haven't heard her, you must seek her out!*

--Paige

Good idea, bad decision....

Dear Joshua,

The first book I read for class was a "chosen book." My professor gives us some slack every now and then and lets us choose our own book. She brought a bunch to class and I borrowed one called Feed by M.T. Anderson. The author's name was familiar and I read the summary in the front of the book where all the publication info can be found. (The library at my school takes off all the book jackets and occasionally you can find one perma-bound as long as it was paperback to begin with. I worked at that library for two years and I was still unable to convince these people that we need to take a look at the jacket. But in case you didn’t already know, flip to the publication page and you find a little summary near the bottom.)

Feed sounded pretty cool: Set in the future, everyone has computers in their heads, and (surprise, surprise) it turns out that those computers cause some problems. Titus, the main character, doesn’t really think too much about his Feed because it’s always there anyway. It tells him how much a pair of pants cost, he watches his favorite shows, finds out what the new styles are, etc. It’s all the same stuff we do on the internet know, only there’s no searching involved: the Feed does this automatically. So Titus and his buddies are on the Moon for Spring Break (the Moon is the 51^st state, by the way) and some hacker gets into all of their Feeds and they have to spend some time in a hospital while the doctors and IT dudes figure out what’s going on. During this time they have no Feed so their heads are actually quiet and they have to communicate using the voice instead of chatting (much like IMing). Titus ends up liking this girl who never really liked her Feed to begin with, but is quick to use it again once they all get better. Titus learns a lot from this girl, as she is home schooled by her father who is a throwback to the olden days where books were the main source of education. School has become trademarked and bought up by major companies so students are taught about how to be savvy shoppers instead of understanding current events. We occasionally get a little snippet of current events and things don’t look good: Forests are rare, the world hates the United States, the president is a bumbling idiot, etc. This is a book about a good idea (having a computer at the tip of our minds fingers) gone horribly wrong. People are no longer close and priorities are a little (ok, a lot) mixed up. It’s definitely worth a look.

--Paige

What's this YA stuff anyway?

Dear Joshua,

As I mentioned in my introductory post, I know you don't read YA literature. You really should, though. I enjoy it more than I thought I would. We have been discussing in class what exactly YA lit is, and we have not found a definitive answer. Some say it is a book written in a teenagers voice as the narrator. Others say there needs to be some sort of "coming of age" epiphany. But mostly, it's just up to the publisher.

We had an assignment to go to a bookstore and take a look at the YA section. I went to a local Borders and found it behind a huge wall (that ended up to be a Manga display), tucked off to the side. Remembering when I was a teenager, I know I would have appreciated the privacy of the giant wall. But then again, with that kind of set up, who knows it's even there? Everyone walks right into the adult section when they come in through the doors. Who's going to wander around looking for "age-appropriate" reads when they are a teen looking to grow up as quickly as possible? Wouldn't it be only logical for someone like you (mature, political, and socially conscious) to browse the adult section?

The answer is no, by the way.

But still, there are some books in the adult section that could have been YA had the publishers thought differently. I have a few on my own bookshelf that I feel should be found in the YA section of bookstores, and yet I found them in the adult fiction. More on those books later.

What I found at Borders was that obviously everyone is jumping on the Twilight bandwagon and writing books about vampires and other such nonsense. If that floats your boat, then go for it. But it drills a hole the size of Texas in mine. I also found that the only "boy books" were ones that had a sci-fi or fantasy theme. I'm not sure you'd really like any of it, even if you're a Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter fan. There was a display table with “Cool Reads” and I took a look through them. Again, I would have been able to find plenty of stuff to read as a girl, but nothing that you would have wanted to read. What are the chances that you would pick up a book that had a girl and guy making out on the cover that was not found in the 18 and over section? Pretty slim, I know.

There are books out there in the YA section that you would like. There are also books in the adult section that could find their home in the YA section. The decision is made by the publishers as to where the book will be placed. And unfortunately authors see a YA novel as a mark of shame; as if teens don’t read at all. It’s totally stupid, I know. So along with my posts on books deemed as YA by their publishers, I will try to occasionally add a book that I feel should be YA but is found in the adult section. I have four sitting on my desk right now, so I know I can offer at least that many.

--Paige

So the assignment is what...?

Dear Joshua, I mentioned to you about a week ago that I had to start a blog for my Adolescent in American Literature class (essentially Young Adult Lit). I also told you that you would be my focal point. Lucky you! I'm supposed to write reviews of books we read in class and I intend on completing my assignments. But in doing so, I plan on reading books that either you would enjoy or learn from. Yes, Josh, I plan on teaching you. I know you love Tolkien (as do I) and Chreighton (can't say the same for that one) but let me tell you a secret: Hobbits and wizards do not exist and dinosaurs no longer roam the earth (but if you ever get a chance to see their bones, I highly recommend it). What you do see is a lot of teenager crap. I'm talking about bad relationships, even worse breakups, exams, college applications, moody teachers, annoying big sisters (let's be honest here), and parents that can drive you nuts. What you could benefit from is some literature that you can relate to, take from and grow with. If you get a chance, email me what you think about the reviews and any cool books you read on your own, etc. and I'll post the emails here as well. Let's hope that mom and dad's computer can handle all of this. You know that thing is 12 years old, right? Your Annoying Big Sister, Paige