Week Seven: Not Just For Teens

Assignment 1

What to read next? Perhaps we should post this flowchart in the teen area?

Assignment 2

I read Not Just For Teens by Angelina Benedetti, in the Library Journal. I too enjoy YA fiction and will mention that to customers. Some of it is good stuff! This article outlined the why behind what motivates non-teens to read YA, and the reasons are varied. I like good YA because, A. I just love a good classic coming-of-age story. It never gets old! A good writer can bring you back and let you revisit and explore every angst-filled moment. And B. I enjoy the emotional connection you get in the characters.

Also read was New Adult: Needless-Marketing or Valued Subgenre? in Publishers Weekly. I'd say both, if they're asking.

During college, I remember being attracted to books of my age group, like Less Than Zero, so I don't think it is a new topic. It is defined by "voice, style, and theme" and I think edgy-style books centered on this age group will always be popular, but I'm not sure how helpful it is to separate and label them as a subgenre. I think people are wary of being obviously marketed to. While some will eat it up, others will just find it condescending.

I commented on Julie B. and Kathryn T.'s blog.

Assignment 3

I followed the Forever Young Adult blog. The site is nice looking and has a retro feel. From the "About" page: Forever Young Adult is a community for YA fans who are a little less "Y" and a bit more "A." It is also described as a site for Lady Nerds, but it is definitely not "girls only." The bloggers are writers and librarians.

The book reviews are very funny. And I like how they break them down with an outline, as in an old-school book report. Brian Katcher's review of Boy Nobody used the following:

• Cover Story
• Drinking Buddy
• Testosterone Level
• Talky Talk
• Bonus Factor
• Bromance Status

And these headings are used to classify the appeal factors of the books. It is neat and tidy system. The site looks to be geared to YA fans, but judging from the comments I think a lot of teachers and librarians read it.

There is also an advice page "Dr. FYA" that offers advice and readers advisory. Topics like: YA Advice for A's from Dr. FYA. In this post, a plea for books to reach a troubled teenage boy and Dr. FYA prescribes LGBTQ literature for a reader whose teenage brother had come out to their family. I've never seen anything like this; it's very amusing and informative.

One of the funniest blog posts from this week was Cover Story: 1984 where the blogger wrote a mock description of George Orwell's 1984 based only on the cover artwork. It leads with:

The year is 1984. As the world eagerly awaits both the inevitable presidency of Walter Mondale and the highly anticipated New Coke, a lone boy named Winston Smith languishes at Oceania High. Depressed at not being neckless enough to join the Gay Bondage Bricklayers' Club, Winston spends his afternoons jamming on his synthesizer and watching The A Team.

I may come back for it, just for the Dr. FYA section.


I also looked at John Green's Tumblr. This is an online diary/scrapbook profiling his personal interests and some book reviews or discussions here and there. It's fun to have a peek at his personality like this. He shares a post from Diversity in YA with a list of YA books with transgender characters, adding his own comments. He invites people to comment on his posts, which can create some interesting discussions.

Assignment 4

First I looked at Harlequin Teen. This is a popular site for teen romance readers. It has links to every subgenre imaginable, plus blogs, and bulletin boards for readers and authors. Romance readers can discuss books to their hearts' content! Right now, it looks like summer inspired books (vacation/beach) are popular.

I also looked at Teens- Penguin Young Readers. I really like the layout of this site. It's more information and less fluff and socializing (well that doesn't surprise me) and it also has a section for librarians and teachers that looks to be very useful. I like the "most clicked" feature, that changes frequently, but lets you know what is popular. Right now there is a nice summer read of realistic fiction, The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen, a crossover author from the adult shelves, Rick Yancey (The 5th Wave), an adventure/thriller a la Hunger Games,  Proxy, by Alex London, and a historical fiction book, Tarnish, by Katherine Longshore.