New York Times Discussion on Dystopian YA

Just the other day I posted my favorite science fiction read in 2010 and noted that all were dystopias.  Today I popped over to nytimes.com and what to my wondering eyes should appear? A "Room for Debate" discussion on the rise and popularity of dystopian YA!  Young adult authors including Scott Westerfeld, Paolo Bacigalupi and Maggie Stiefvater are in on the debate (along with other authors and children's lit folks).  Check it out.

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A Few of My Favorite Things (Version 2010, Part Two: Historical Fiction)

I have been quite terrible about writing reviews this year, opting instead for hastily put together posts that typically link to an article I read online. You noticed, didn't you? I'm sorry.

To make up for it, I'm trying to cram in reviews of my favorite reads before the calendar turns the page to 2010.  In my last post, I wrote about my favorite science fiction reads from 2010. In this post, I'll blather on about the best historical fiction.  I think that most people's lists would include Jennifer Donnelly's Revolution (which I really enjoyed, but had a few issues with) and Deborah Wiles' Countdown (nothing against it, it just wasn't my favorite), but I found other books just drew me in deeper and left me more satisfied.

Free as a Bird by Gina McMurchy - Tear. Jerker.  A moving story set in the 1960s about a girl with downs syndrome who is put in an institution after the death of her caretaker grandmother.  The depictions of life in an institution are gritty and realistic, yet also accessible for younger teen readers.  The girl, Ruby Jean Sharp, is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take part in a fledgling "life skills" program which could lead to life outside of the institution.  Possibly the most awesome thing about the book, however, is that the author actually worked in the institution which she describes in the story AND has a younger sister with downs (who, incidentally, was NOT institutionalized).  I have been recommending this to my middle schoolers and every student who has read this has LOVED it.  Read this book.

Letters From Wolfie by Patti Sherlock - This was published in 2004 and I only read it because we received a parent complaint at school* but I wound up loving this book so much that I had to put it on my list.  Mark's older brother has shipped off to serve in Vietnam, and seeking some attention, Mark winds up donating his Sheppard mix, Wolfie, to the US Army.  Only after Wolfie begins training and Mark starts a correspondence with Wolfie's trainer does Mark realize he's not getting Wolfie back. Ever.  Army dogs are considered equipment, and as such, are used up until they aren't up to standard, and then retired by being put to sleep.  Mark starts up a campaign to change the way the Army treats dogs, requesting they serve tours, just like soldiers, and then be allowed to return to "civilian life."  But it's not just about the dog.  Mark's whole world is filled with the current events of the time: his brother away at war, his father a steadfast supporter of the war, his mother seeking new independence and questioning her support of the war, teachers in trouble for speaking out about the war, it's all there.  An author's note (which made me cry) at the end briefly explains the history of military dogs.

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen - This is embarrassing to admit, but Woods Runner is the first book I've read by Gary Paulsen.  I'm not sure why it took me so long, but it did.  It's set during the Revolutionary War and mixes fiction and nonfiction in a really neat way that I haven't seen done before.  I wrote up a long review of this one, but then never posted it until today.  Oops.  But, now that it's up, you can find it here.

*On page 34 the term "reproductive processes" is used and then on the next page, Playboy magazine is referenced.  Fairly harmless, but every parent has the right to make decisions about his or her child's reading.

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Review: Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Wendy Lamb Books, 2010

Recommended for: Grades 5-8

As a middle school librarian, my collection includes at least one copy of every Gary Paulsen book; from The Island to My Life in Dog Years, we’ve got them all.  Rarely does a week go by that I don’t recommend one of Paulsen’s books to a student looking for an adventure, and I always have satisfied customers.  But I have a confession to make.  For all the Paulsen books I’ve circulated, I’ve never read a single one.  At least I hadn’t until yesterday, when, while shelving books, I decided it was high time I cracked open one of his books and gave it a once over.

Woods Runner is a historical fiction novel set during the time of the Revolutionary War.  The protagonist, Samuel, and his family are blissfully living the rugged frontier life in western Pennsylvania until everything changes in a single day.  While Samuel is out hunting in the woods he sees thick black smoke coming from his family’s settlement.  By the time he travels the miles back to his home he finds everything burnt to the ground, friends and neighbors shot and scalped and his family missing.  Using his tracking skills and woods-sense he determine his parents have been taken prisoner by an invading troop of Iroquois and British soldiers and sets out to find them.  On his way he encounters his share of those looking to hurt him and those looking to help.

In contrast to most historical fiction where historical knowledge is interspersed with the narrative (including Paulsen’s own, as he writes in the Author’s Note), each chapter of Woods Runner begins with a brief non-fiction section focused on a specific aspect of Revolutionary life (and death) before returning to the story.  I wasn’t used to this format, but I found that I rather enjoyed how the non-fiction pieces provided a scaffold for understanding the coming chapter.  While I found this helpful, my complaint would be the absence of even a single bibliographic reference.  I trust Mr. Paulsen did his research, and it’s likely that he’s done so much that his knowledge of the topic on which he writes is so deeply ingrained that he’s no longer sure where he learned it, but if Eric Foner can cite where he finds his information, I think Paulsen should as well.

My other small quibble was with Paulsen’s confusion of hay and straw.  In the book, a farmer invites Samuel and his friends to sleep on a bed of hay and hay bales.  Hay is what horses eat.  It’s brown, damp and kind of stinky.  Nobody would want to sleep on hay.  Straw, however, is a different story.  Straw is made from dried plant stalks and is commonly used for animal bedding.  It’s an honest mistake, and one I’ve made myself in the past*, but it’s a careless mistake, and one that pulled me away from the action of the story.  I’m not sure it would have the same effect on a twelve-year-old who was reading the book, but it was a sticking point for me.

These two issues aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my first foray into the works of Gary Paulsen.  The characters voices and descriptions of weapons and hunting felt authentic to the time period, providing an access point for history lovers.  Short chapters that tied off as the action sequence concluded made the book accessible to more reluctant readers.  An engaging story with enemies and danger at every turn satisfies the need for adventure.  And for those needing something a bit more sentimental, the brother-sister relationship and family reunion do the trick.  With its appeal to a variety of audiences, this would be a solid choice for a grade-wide required reading.

*A mistake that I stopped making after my husband, who does political advance, did a town hall event in a barn in Iowa and requested (and received) hay to use in the stage design.  A smelly error, indeed.  Thankfully, they were able to switch out the hay for straw and everything worked out.The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.


The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

A Few of My Favorite Things (Version 2010, Part One: Science Fiction)

As 2010 comes to a close I can't help but look back on the books I've read this year and think about which ones were my favorite.  With just 10 days left, my GoodReads account tells me I've read 74 books this year.  My goal was 100.  There's still time, but I don't think I'll make it through 26 books, even though I'm in the middle of at least 10.  Alas.  But I did read 74 books, and some were quite good!  Here is the first installment of my favorites.  I'll begin with my favorite science fiction read this year.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - It's the third book in the dystopic science fiction Hunger Games trilogy, and if I have to say anything more than that, you need to get yourself a copy of The Hunger Games and come back to me when you're finished.

Matched by Allie Condie - I can't remember who said it, but back in September(ish) some blog noted the recent rise of dystopian YA, citing Matched as an example.  I hadn't realized dystopias had EVER gone out of style, but perhaps?  Anyhoot, this is definitely a good one.  I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC at BEA last May and was immediately hooked by the story: It's the future (duh), and society has taken statistical analysis to the ultimate level.  All decisions - what you eat, what job you have, who you marry, and even when and how you will die - are made for you, based on data.  Coming from a background working with Teach For America, where ALL of our decisions are based on data, I found the premise enticing.  The story's twist - what happens if you play with the data in controlled experiments that involve real people - plus the romantic element, had me hooked.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Okay, so this one doesn't even come out until February of 2011, but this was another book that I read the ARC of over the summer and just absolutely devoured.  Another dystopia (surprise!), but in this society, love (aka delirium nervosa) is seen as a disease, and on one's 18th birthday he or she gets the procedure that prevents the illness.  It's just a few months before the main character's 18th birthday and she can't wait to get surgically altered and then matched up with her future husband.  She meets a guy, starts getting feelings for him, starts questioning her society, a page-turner ensues.

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Just in Time for Christmas...

...Entertainment Weekly has come up with 15 Great Gifts for Hunger Games Fans.  I'll take one of each, please!

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The Best YA Books of 2010

It's December, and that means that it's time to start rolling out the "best of" lists!  Here's what I've seen thus far...

Kirkus got it started a few weeks ago with their picks.
NPR had Gayle Forman create a list of her "Year's Best Teen Reads."
YALSA announced the shortlist for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award.
Publisher's Weekly issued their Best Children's Books list (see pages 2 and 3).
School Library Journal has their Best Books 2010 lists.

I'm sure there are more out there that I haven't seen, so I'll update this list as I come across more.

The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.