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2014 Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #5

2014 March 9
by Carli Spina
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Hub Reading Challenge logoNot signed up for YALSA’s 2014 Hub Reading Challenge? Read the official rules and sign up on the original post. Anything you’ve read since February 3 counts, so sign up now!

How is everyone doing on their reading for the Hub Reading Challenge? Have you read or listened to anything that you wouldn’t have otherwise tried? Did you finally get around to a book that has been on your To-Be-Read list for ages? Have you loved any book from the list? Let us know in the comments. One of the most fun parts of the Hub Reading Challenge is always hearing about everyone’s experience with the books and seeing how different readers react to the books on the list.

I confess I have only read a couple of books for the challenge so far, so don’t feel intimidated if you haven’t started yet! There is still time! You have until 11:59PM EST on June 22nd to finish all 25 books. Just be sure to keep track of your progress. We’ll be posting these check-in posts each week so you can talk about the book(s) you read/listen to that week and share links to your reviews online. If you just can’t wait for our weekly posts, feel free to share your thoughts on social media using the #hubchallenge hashtag, or join the 2014 Hub Challenge group on Goodreads. You can see some of the social media conversation below.

If you have already completed the challenge by reading or listening to 25 titles from the list of eligible books, be sure to fill out the form below so we can send you your Challenge Finisher badge, get in touch to coordinate your reader’s response, and, perhaps best of all, to notify you if you win our exciting grand prize drawing! Be sure to use an email you check frequently and do not fill out this form until you have completed the challenge by reading 25 titlesread more…

Tweets of the Week: March 7

2014 March 7
by Jennifer Rummel
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Here’s some bookish news you might have missed:

Books:

read more…

And Now For Something Completely Serious: Biographical Comics

2014 March 7
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Baby's in BlackLately, I’ve been wanting to branch out from my superhero reads into something a little more serious.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some super serious superheroes out there (my fave right now – Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads’s run on the Punisher, but I digress), but for the sake of my family and friends, I thought I would branch out and read some brand new nonfiction comics so that I could add more to the conversation than just “Did you know that the Punisher has a coyote now?”  Lucky for me and other interested readers, nonfiction comics have just been getting better and better.

In fact, there are so many for me to choose from, it was hard for me to get it down to my top 5 for this post, so I narrowed my search to just books of a personal interest and biographical stories.  For fans of true crime, professional wrestling or The Beatles, there’s something on this list for everyone.  I hope to open it up to a broader nonfiction list later on, since I found so many great reads these past few weeks that will appeal to readers who prefer the true as opposed to the fiction.  And, trust me, I was trying to think of any way possible to get something in about Batman in this, my list of favorite biographical comics, but, alas, I could not.  Oh, well.  We’ll get back to Batty in the weeks to come.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf:  Okay, so this book isn’t exactly brand new, as I had promised in that opening, but this is seriously my favorite nonfiction comic of recent years, so that’s how it goes.  A perfect book for older teens and adult readers interested in true crime and history, My Friend Dahmer brings readers the story of the early life of Jeffrey Dahmer, the horrific serial killer.  Derf grew up with and went to Middle & High School with Jeffrey in the 1970s.  And, this book is neither sensationalistic nor opportunistic.  It’s a story of sadness – Derf, in his narration, often wonders what, if anything, could have been done that would have prevented what happened.  The black and white line drawings that Derf provides gives readers some distance from the subject matter, and his research is meticulous and documented in the bibliography at the end.  (a 2013 Great Graphic Novels for Teens selection) read more…

YALSA Election: An Interview with Nonfiction Award Committee Candidate Shauna Yusko

2014 March 7
by Allison Tran
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yalsa logoGet ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 candidates for YALSA Award Committees.

This week we are focusing on the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee, which honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Shauna Yusko.

read more…

Honoring the Feminist Trailblazers Who Inspire Us Today: The 2014 Amelia Bloomer Project

2014 March 6
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Amelia Bloomer

Amelia Bloomer

In celebration of Women’s History Month, I’m thrilled to share insights, as well as some fantastic titles with YA appeal from the 2014 Amelia Bloomer Project, which is part of the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Roundtable of the American Library Association. Named after the intrepid 19th century women’s rights advocate and suffragist, The Amelia Bloomer Project creates an annual list of fiction and non-fiction books for readers, ages birth-18, containing significant feminist content.

From the sassy heroine in Kirby Larson’s Hattie Ever After to Lynn Povich’s vivid account of sexist practices at Newsweek during the late 1960s in The Good Girls Revolt, the 2014 list underscores the critical role of women in American mass media history. Our committee also noted how the legacy of underground punk feminism chronicled in Lisa Darm’s Riot Grrrl Collection is mirrored in the creative expression of a new generation of feminists including Tavi Gevinson and her band of Rookies.

I am currently serving my fourth term on the Amelia Bloomer Project, and each time our committee meets, I am heartened by the depth of our conversations, as well our intense dedication to highlighting feminist literature with teen appeal. In the few years I’ve served on ABP, I’ve come to value the diverse worldviews each Bloomer brings to the table. In addition to evaluating books that “show women overcoming the obstacles of intersecting forces of race, gender, and class” the committee also recognizes titles such as Malinda Lo’s Huntress (2012 Amelia Bloomer title), depicting fully-realized feminist worlds in which women are invested with agency from the get-go. read more…

Jukebooks: More Than Good Enough by Crissa-Jean Chappell

2014 March 5
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More Than Good Enough by Crissa-Jean ChappellTrent’s insecurities are pulling him into a deep funk. He’s cut so much school that his grades are shot. He’s lost his hot girlfriend. Trent just doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere, not with his British-born mom, and not with his father, a member of the Mikasuki Indian tribe.  When parents decide that Trent should go live with his father at the Rez in the Everglades, Trent’s anger and self-loathing increase. The one thing he still has, however, is music.

Trent can identify with Jimi Hendrix, who was part Cherokee. He feels as if, “…his rage channeled into my hands.” Few know of Trent’s musical expertise, especially that he can compose music worthy of Hendrix comparisons.

Most teens today have heard of Hendrix, either because of his guitar wizardry or because of his tragic death at 27. A smaller number understand that Hendrix created sounds on the guitar that had never been heard before. Below is Bob Dylan’s All Along the Waterfront, which Hendrix recorded in 1968. It’s mentioned by Trent in More Than Good Enough, and stands as an excellent example of Hendrix’s instrumental prowess.

-Diane Colson, currently reading an advanced reader’s copy of In Praise of Hatred by Khaled Khalifa

YALSA Election: An Interview with Nonfiction Award Committee Candidate Barbara Moon

2014 March 5
by Allison Tran
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yalsa logoGet ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 candidates for YALSA Award Committees.

This week we are focusing on the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee, which honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Barbara Moon.

read more…

YALSA Election: An Interview with Nonfiction Award Committee Candidate Amanda L.S. Murphy

2014 March 5
by Allison Tran
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yalsa logoGet ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 candidates for YALSA Award Committees.

This week we are focusing on the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee, which honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Amanda L.S. Murphy.

read more…

YALSA Election: An Interview with Nonfiction Award Committee Candidate Melanie Metzger

2014 March 4
by Allison Tran
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yalsa logoGet ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 candidates for YALSA Award Committees.

This week we are focusing on the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee, which honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Melanie Metzger.

read more…

YALSA Election: An Interview with Nonfiction Award Committee Candidate Kelly Metzger

2014 March 4
by Allison Tran
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yalsa logoGet ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 candidates for YALSA Award Committees.

This week we are focusing on the Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee, which honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Kelly Metzger. read more…
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