yay, ya!

It turns out that tween and YA books aren't just for kids (and library students) anymore. In The Kids' Books Are All Right, Pamela Paul confesses that, though she is an adult, she's hooked on books for tweens and teens-- and she's not alone. From Harry Potter to The Hunger Games, Paul writes, adults are devouring books marketed towards kids. She cites a number of reasons for this. Some writers who have traditionally written for adults (Carl Hiassen, Francine Prose, John Grisham) are trying their hand at books for the younger set, and adults familiar with their work give these books a try. Paul cites the burgeoning youth lit consumer culture as another reason; time, money, and energy are devoted to capitalize on this fast growing market.

The biggest reason adults are reading YA and tween books is the simplest, says Paul: they're just great books. They are exciting, suspenseful, and fun. You don't have to work too hard at them. They're straightforward, heartfelt, and satisfying. There are books written in a series, and there is tremendous collective excitement and suspense as fans anticipate new additions featuring their favorite characters and settings (the hype Paul describes surrounding the forthcoming release of Stephanie Collins' Mocking Jay almost makes me want to try reading The Hunger Games again, but for the pesky dead children theme).

As the field of tween and YA literature has grown and expanded, this genre has made a name for itself as innovative, fresh, and exciting. Why wouldn't adults want to read along? This article made me think about my own experiences with the genre-- leaving a wedding early to stand in line for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, laughing along with Diary of a Wimpy Kid (and incessantly saying "Bink says Boo!"), introducing the Eragon audio book to my husband, who now enjoys his hour long commute to work, but mostly thinking about kids out there enjoying the same books. Not only do adults want to read these books, but kids want to read them. And that is the whole point.

Paul, Pamela. "The Kids' Books Are All Right." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 6 Aug. 2010. Web. Retrieved 10 Aug. 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/books/review/Paul-t.html?_r=3&ref=books

a series of unfortunate events

Snicket, L. (1999). The bad beginning. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
ISBN: 978-0064407663

Lemony Snicket. Don't you want to read books written by a person called Lemony Snicket? Even if it is a pseudonym?

The Bad Beginning (and the subsequent 12 books in this series) chronicles the misadventures of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, three siblings whose parents have died in a mysterious, tragic fire. With no responsible adults to care for them, the Baudelaires are left to their own devices to survive--and prevail over the evil Count Olaf, a most delicious villain who is intent on claiming the Baudelaire fortune.

In The Bad Beginning, the first book of the series, the Baudelaires find themselves all of a sudden thrust into a world where adults fall into one of two groups: kind, sweet, well-meaning adults (like Mr. Poe and Justice Strauss) who are completely ignorant to the truth of any situation, or evil adults like Count Olaf and his bizarre gang of accomplices. Klaus, Violet, and Sunny quickly learn that they will have to fend for themselves. This they do, by each capitalizing on their special talents. Violet, a brilliant inventor, creates contraptions to help her siblings out of sticky situations, always pausing to tie her hair up with a ribbon first, which maximizes her creative thinking. Klaus, a bookworm, uses his knowledge of everything from trains to grammar to snakes to pasta sauce to stay one step ahead of count Olaf. And Sunny? Well, Sunny bites. She’s just a baby, after all. But her sharp teeth come in handy over and over again.

Each book involves near-misses, dangerous scrapes, inept adults, crazy inventions, bravery, and adventure. As the series progresses, the Baudelaires begin collecting clues about a mysterious group called the VFD that is connected to their parents somehow, and the second half of the series deals with this mystery in addition to the continued battles with Count Olaf.

The books follow a fairly predictable plot structure—near-misses, dangerous scrapes, inept adults, crazy inventions, bravery, and constant exhortations to stop reading (a delightful bit of reverse psychology that works). Snicket's lyrical, verbose writing is as much a character as any of the people in the series; puns and impressive vocabulary words are peppered throughout. Each book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, and readers will want to read through the whole series to see what becomes of the Baudelaires. The ending isn't happy. But you are warned at the beginning that it won't be. A fabulous read aloud selection; great also for a third or fourth grader looking to get hooked on a series.

charlie and the chocolate factory

Blake, Q., & Dahl, R. (1964). Charlie and the chocolate factory. New York: Knopf. 

ISBN: 978-0142410318

Like Oliver Twist before him, and Harry Potter since, the odds are stacked against Charlie Bucket. Poor, worried, and well aware of the injustices in the world, he goes through life quiet, lonely, and a bit sad. Unlike Oliver and Harry, however, Charlie has the support of a loving family, including four grandparents who never leave their bed (and provide comic relief). Charlie’s hometown is dominated by the presence of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory, a place where “Nobody ever goes in—and nobody ever comes out.”

The town and the world are thrown into an excited uproar when it is announced that Wonka’s factory will open and five lucky visitors will be taken on a tour. To determine who will enter the factory, five golden tickets have been hidden inside Wonka bars. The race for golden tickets is an exciting beginning to this story, but the real fun begins when Charlie, along with his Grandpa Joe and four other children, enter the factory and meet the peculiar Willy Wonka. Readers will delight in the descriptions of the candy in the factory (eatable marshmallow pillows, fizzy lifting drinks, everlasting gobstoppers), and in the fates that befall the not so pleasant children Charlie meets.

This book was criticized when it was first published for being too nasty, and for containing unflattering portraits of children in competition with each other and meeting bad ends. That was pre-Hunger Games, of course, so those issues are perhaps less of a concern in the contemporary world of tween and YA literature. While film adaptations of books vary in quality, both Charlie movies—starring Gene Wilder (1971) and Johnny Depp (2005) are fabulous. Want to start a tween book-into-movie club? Here’s your first selection. Read, watch, enjoy.

alice's adventures in wonderland

Tenniel, J., Carroll, L., Carroll, L., & Carroll, L. (2007). Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. London: Macmillan Children's. 
ISBN: 978-0230015135

Forget Disney, or even Tim Burton: this is the wild, trippy original. With lush language and adventure at every turn, this rambling ride would be a fun choice for tweens who are good readers with a bit of patience. The writing style may elude some; for those ready for it, it's a treat.

freaky friday

Rodgers, M. (1972). Freaky Friday. New York: Harper & Row. 

ISBN: 978-0064400466 

Before it was a movie starring Lindsay Lohan, and before it was a movie starring Gabby Hoffman, and even before it was a movie starring Jodie Foster, it was a book. A book about magic, surprises, and family.

 

Thirteen-year-old Annabel is our hero—she’s smart, sassy, and outspoken, and she can’t wait to grow up. Tired of all of the injustices she experiences (annoying parents, unfair teachers, a pesky little brother), Annabel finds herself, the morning after a big fight with her mother, transformed into her mother. She now must fool everyone long enough until she can figure out how to get back into her body again.

Along the way, we meet Ben, (the aforementioned pesky younger brother, otherwise known as Ape Face), Annabel’s loving but slightly distracted father, and Boris, the upstairs neighbor who cooking specialty is meatloaf—or something like it. We meet Principal Dilk and the evil English teacher Mrs. McGurk, but mostly we watch Annabel grapple with the responsibilities and freedom of adulthood. Between picking Ben up from school, attending parent-teacher conferences, and breaking the washing machine, there’s not as much time for fun as Annabel expected.

We learn that speaking up against injustice is something that adults can do too, and that being a 13 year old can be kind of fun—especially when you’ve got your mother’s credit cards. We learn that Sugar Coated Snappy Crackles are sometimes the perfect breakfast—and that little brothers might not be so bad after all

With surprising plot twists along the way, freaky Friday is a great ride. Originally published in 1972, some of the slang and pop culture references are outdated, but the story is timelessly winning. A great selection for young tweens, especially those who have enjoyed Ramona’s antics and are ready for something more mature.

  

censorship and the role of the librarian

I think a lot about intellectual freedom and access to information when it comes to tweens. This age group is in need of information about all kinds of topics, and today's tweens are growing up during this great age of information. My general viewpoint is, information is good. Guidance about how to interpret information is also good. While I'm not always as gung-ho as my colleagues about information access ("sure kids, look at porn on the library computer!"), it seems to me that a librarian is not in the position to arbitrarily limit tweens' (or anyone's) access to library materials. Right? Right.

Apparantly, a librarian did just that recently, and it's causing an uproar. According to School Library Journal, the library director of the Burlington Country Library System in Burlington, NJ has issued a directive that all copies of Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology (Alyson, 2000) be removed from circulation. The librarian did this despite no formal challenge being raised, and cited child pornography as the reason for the removal of the book. The book in question has earned praise from School Library Journal as well as GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network). It is unclear exactly what prompted the librarian to order the book's removal, but her decision was upheld by the Library System's Board of Commissioners.

It's hard to tell from the outside, but this seems like a pretty outrageous and egregious exercise of power. It also reminds me of the enormous power librarians possess as gatekeepers of information, and the restraint with which that power needs to be exercised. Certainly, if a book is genuinely pornographic, that I say, get it out of the library.* But it's hard to believe that whoever works in collections development is choosing pornographic titles for the library. Also disturbing is the lack of a clear challenge to this book. There might be occasions where it is truly appropriate to remove a book that is inappropriate or offensive, based on concerns raised by the community.* But in the absence of a clearly documented challenge process, the whole situation winds up feeling fishy to me, especially given the "controversial" nature of this book. The irony, of course, is that there may be tweens out there who desperately need exactly this book, and it's a shame for their information access to be muddled in this way.

*cue the ALA and their pitchforks...

Barack, L. (2010, July 27). NJ library, citing child pornography, removes GLBT book. School Library Journal, Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/886066-312/nj_library_citing_child_pornography.html.csp

UPDATE: Not such a random act by this librarian after all. The facists religious right put her up to it.

teens cook

Carle, J., Carle, J., Boone, J., & Carle, M. (2004). Teens cook: How to cook what you want to eat. Berkeley, Calif: Ten Speed Press.  
ISBN: 978-1580085847

With recipes like Baked French Toast, Taco Salad, and Eggplant Parmesan, Teens Cook is an appealing primer for those interested in getting into the kitchen. Recipes for breakfasts, snacks, family meals, and desserts are included, and instructions are straightforward. This book was written by two teenagers, which lends it an air of credibility.

meanwhile

Shiga, J. (2010). Meanwhile. New York, NY: Amulet Books.  
ISBN: 978-0810984233

A maze, comic book, and choose your own adventure in one, Meanwhile is a fun, innovative book that former Captain Underpants fans are sure to enjoy. Jason Shiga's innovative graphic style and inventive book format, full of puzzles and codes, are pleasing to the eye and to the mind. Full of robots, invetions, and time travel, it's great fun, perhaps especially for reluctant readers.

ella enchanted

Levine, G. C. (1997). Ella enchanted. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. 
ISBN: 978-0060275112

A retold fairy tale reminiscent of Cinderella, Ella Enchanted tells the story of Ella, a girl cursed with an unusual personality trait: she is compelled to obey whatever she is told to do. This becomes a liability, and Ella begins a quest to rid herself of this spell. Full of princes, fairies, and other fantastic creatures, this Newbery honor book is a delightful read.

because of winn-dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 978-0763644321

"My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog."

So begins Because of Winn-Dixie, named for the dog that India finds, who she names after the grocery store where she finds him. He's big, dirty, and strange looking, but he's friendly, and he can smile. Winn-Dixie is Opal's constant companion as she comes to know her new neighbors in Naomi, Florida, the town where she and her father have just moved to. She meets Amanda Wilkinson, a girl with a pinched, sad face; Miss Franny Block, the town librarian, and Gloria Dump, and old, blind woman who the neighborhood children fear, and Otis, the clerk at the local pet store, who plays his guitar for the animals. Each person Opal meets has their own secret sadness, and it is the revelation of the shared experience of sadness that ultimately connects them all.

A Newberry honor recipient, this small, spare book is perfect for tucking in your pocket on a summer day. The subtle themes may be more appreciated be slightly older tweens.

eragon

 

Paolini, C. (2003). Eragon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 
ISBN: 978-0440240730

For those finished with Harry Potter but not quite ready for The Lord of the Rings, who are looking for another meaty series full of fantasy and adventure, then Eragon and the Inheritance trilogy might be just the thing. When Eragon finds a mysterious blue egg, it opens up a whole new world of adventure. An exciting tale of good and evil.

bad news for outlaws

Christie, R. G., & Nelson, V. M. (2009). Bad news for outlaws: The remarkable life of Bass Reeves, deputy U.S. marshal. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books. 
ISBN: 978-0822567646

This Coretta Scott King award winner profiles Bass Reeves, an African-American deputy U.S. marshal in the Wild West in the late 1800s. Included is a glossary of terms, a timeline of Reeves' life, and a bibliography with suggestions for further reading. A fascinating true story.

rapunzel's revenge

Hale, S., Hale, N., & Hale, D. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge: Graphic novel. London: Bloomsbury. 
ISBN: 978-1599900704

A fun retelling of a classic tale; this Rapunzel story isn't for little kids. After using her long hair to escape from her castle tower, Rapunzel discovers a new world outside of the castle walls, wholly different from what she's experienced before. She teams up with Jack (of Beanstalk fame), to defeat an evil witch who is terrorizing the kingdom. Witty dialogue and smart illustrations make this a great read.

the strange case of origami yoda

Angleberger, T. (2010). The strange case of Origami Yoda. New York: Amulet Books. 
ISBN:  978-0810984257

Hooray for books that are pure fun. The action here centers around a sixth grade class, Dwight, a "weird" outcast, and his paper Yoda finger puppet that is unusually wise. Is Origami Yoda real or not? A fun summer book that even reluctant readers will enjoy.

american girl magazine

American girl: Magazine. (2010). Middleton, WI: Pleasant Co. Publications.

One of my favorite Hebrew words is stam. It's a word that's a little hard to define, but essentially means "ordinary" or "for no particular reason." You can use stam to describe things that just are the way they are, things that are inexplicably unremarkable, or maybe a little boring.

To me, American Girl Magazine is sort of stam. Not terrible, just not particularly innovative. It covers general topics of interest to young tweens: friends, craft projects, quizzes, stories, and helps keep the AG empire intact. Sort of girl power lite.

the egypt game

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley, & Raible, Alton. (2007). The Egypt Game. Paw Prints. 
ISBN: 978-1435211827

A group of friends get involved in creating an elaborate game based on their fascination with ancient Egypt. This book, a 1968 Newbery Honor recipient, is full of mystery, intrigue, and adventure. A middle school English class mainstay, this one's good enough to read just for fun.

where the wild things are

 

Jonze, S., Eggers, D., Hanks, T., Goetzman, G., Carls, J., Sendak, M., Landay, V., Warner Home Video (Producers). (2010). Where the wild things are. Burbank, CA: Distributed by Warner Home Video.

This lovely, haunting movie is an adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic, Caldecott Award-winning picture book. Tweens may think this is a little kids' movie at first, but its themes are quite mature and deep. A less sensitive treatment of the material wouldn't have benefited this well-loved book, but this beautiful film gives new dimension to the original story.

harry potter

The Harry Potter saga (1998-2007)
J.K. Rowling

Okay, so I'm not breaking any new ground here, but no collection of tween titles would be complete without mentioning good old Harry, Hogwarts, and You-Know-Who. Readers who have already encountered this series in book or movie form may enjoy a second go-round, especially since gulping down the books to satisfy curiosity about the plot may have caused readers to miss some of the more subtle and lovely moments (or maybe that was just my experience). The expressive audiobooks are the perfect accompaniment to a family road trip.

guys read

Guys Read is a website where the goal is simple: get guys to read. The Guys Read endeavor was started by prolific children's author Jon Sczieska, and the website emphasizes reading selections that boys will enjoy. Suggested titles are organized by theme, with categories like "Scary," "Sports," "At Least One Explosion," and "Classics that Actually Hold Up." Authors are invited to share their personal recommendations, and suggestions are provided to help parents, teachers, and librarians encourage the guys in their lives to read. A valuable, accessible resource.

dairy queen

Murdock, C. G. (2006). Dairy queen: A novel. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN: 978-0618683079

D.J. is a 16 year old daughter, sister, friend, part-time dairy farmer, and football player. Dairy Queen follows D.J. as she struggles to reconcile all of these roles with each other, and within herself. The smart yet conversational tone of the writing makes it a winning read. "Officially" designated as a young adult novel, tweens who enjoy reading up will respond to this coming of age story. Read the book, then watch the episode of Glee where Kurt tries out for the football team; a perfect pairing.

the golden compass

 Pullman, P. (1996). The golden compass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
ISBN: 978-0679879244

Reminiscent of the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Golden Compass is suspenseful, spiritual, and exciting. The story follows Lyra through an epic adventure full of witches, talking animals, and mysterious creatures. The first in the three-volume His Dark Materials trilogy.

coraline

McKean, D., & Gaiman, N. (2002). Coraline. New York: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0380977789

Not for the faint of heart, Coraline is a suspenseful, finely-drawn thriller. When young Coraline discovers a secret world, strangely parallel to her own, she is faced with a choice: where does she want to remain? When things go terribly wrong, it is up to Coraline to save herself and her family. Beautifully written and totally creepy, Coraline has been adapted into a graphic novel and a movie.

summer reading

Yesterday, on the phone...

Me: "What's your summer reading this year?"
My 17 year old brother: "Oh, The Odyssey and some other sh*t."

I had to laugh.The Odyssey was written about 3000 years ago, and has probably been assigned to every high school or college student to read since then. Presumably, my brother's English teacher has some good reason for assigning The Odyssey. Does that make my brother excited to jump into his summer reading? Not so much. Give him the 497 page manual for his Emergency Medical Technician training course, or Facebook, and he's perfectly happy to read. Reading about colleges holds his interest; also reading texts from friends. Should this sort of summer reading "count?"

According to Tara Parker-Pope, yes. In her article, "Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book," Parker-Pope describes the academic benefits of children continuing to read over summer vacation. According to a University of Tennessee study, a group of low-income students retained reading skills over the summer when given high-interest books to read during vacation, as compared to students who didn't have access to books. The key to the success of this project, researchers asserted, was letting students choose books that were of interest to them; books like biographies of Britney Spears and The Rock, and books connected to popular movies and TV shows like Hannah Montana. When children are excited about their reading choices, the article claims, they read more. And reading more is good.

The students profiled in the University of Tennessee study were first and second graders, but its findings have implications for tween students as well. Librarians have an important role to play in helping connect students of all ages with books and other high interest reading materials. Since teachers (who assign summer reading) and parents may have a specific type of book in mind for tweens to read. Librarians can interact with kids around books without an agenda, and we can empower them to make choices that are exciting and engaging.
 

Parker-Pope, T. (2010, August 2). Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/summer-must-read-for-kids-any-book/

 
photo credit: The Art of Manliness blog, featuring a post on the 50 best books for boys and young men

when you reach me

Stead, R. (2009). When you reach me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. 
ISBN: 978-0385737425

Winner of the 2010 Newbery Award, When You Reach Me is full of mystery and excitement. The story follows Miranda, the 12 year old protagonist, as she attempts to decipher anonymous notes being sent to her that seem to predict the future. A thrilling puzzle, it is also the story of connections between people, and the transformative power of love and friendship. For a deeper appreciation for this book, read Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time first; it figures heavily into the plot of When you Reach Me.

the phantom tollbooth

Juster, Norton, & Feiffer, Jules. (2008). The Phantom Tollbooth. Paw Prints. (original publication date 1961)
ISBN: 978-0394820378

Milo, a young, bored, boy, discovers a mysterious tollbooth in his bedroom and journeys to Dictionopolis, and readers are invited along on the adventure. A whirlwind of language and puns, this book is an ideal read aloud selection, so readers can mull over the puns and puzzles together. Whimsical illustrations complete this classic.

beezus and ramona

(You thought I was going to use the Selena Gomez cover?
No ma'am. I'm old school.)

Cleary, B. (2006). Beezus and Ramona. New York: HarperTrophy. 

ISBN:  978-0380709182 

Beverly Cleary's story of delightful, mischievous Ramona and her long-suffering sister Beezus is a timeless delight. Originally published in 1955, the book spawned a series of Ramona sequels, a TV series, and a newly released movie.

In this book, we meet almost-10-year-old Beezus (neé Beatrice) and her four-year-old sister, Ramona. Like the great comedy teams of literature, Beezus and Ramona are opposites in every way. Beezus is quiet, thoughtful, methodical—a good girl who follows the rules. She colors inside the lines; she carefully unwraps gifts so as not to tear the wrapping paper. Ramona, however, is loud, accident-prone, and a daredevil. She follows Beezus everywhere, making mess after mess, wiping her paint-smeared hands on the cat, challenging authority left and right. It is up to Beezus to figure out resolutions to Ramona’s catastrophes. This book is the first of the Ramona series, and the only one that is written from Beezus’ perspective; older brothers and sisters everywhere will relate to the trials and frustrations of younger siblings.

While the reading level of this book will be most appropriate for younger tweens, children of all ages will enjoy reading about the misunderstandings, frustrations, and squabbles that these sisters encounter. Ramona is an irrepressible delight, and readers will empathize with Beezus' attempts to eke out a peaceful existence for herself. Some of the language is a bit dated (readers may wonder what a davenport is), but that doesn't detract from a simple, satisfying story, well told. 

the sisterhood of the traveling pants

Brashares, A. (2002). The sisterhood of the traveling pants. London: Corgi.  
ISBN: 978-038573058 

Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen have been best friends since childhood. The summer after their sophomore year of high school is the first summer they've spent apart. This novel chronicles their adventures-- in Greece, Mexico, South Carolina, and boring Bethesda, Maryland-- and explores the connections between them as they grow, change, have excitements and disappointments, and reunite. Through it all, their friendship connects them, as does a pair of magical pants, which fits each of them perfectly.

As the four friends set off for their respective summer adventures, they promise to share the pants equally among themselves throughout the summer. Through letters that accompany the pants, we read each girl’s account of her experiences with them. First thought to be lucky, the pants seem to make already complicated situations worse. Lena almost drowns while wearing the pants; Carmen receives some surprising news about her father. Bridget, at soccer camp in Mexico with a crush on a coach, can’t seem to make things work the way she wants them to. Lena’s trip to visit family in Greece is foreign in more ways than one. Though the pants at first seem to confuse things, they also provide the girls with confidence and insight as the book progresses.

Touching on some YA themes (sex, etc.), this is a good selection for older tweens. This book is a funny, exciting, surprising, and ultimately quite touching testament to the power of friendship.This is the first in a series of four books about the girls and the pants; the first three books were also adapted into a movie.

on twitter

“If all the world was once a stage, it has now become a reality TV show: we mere players are not just aware of the camera; we mug for it.” –Peggy Orenstein

In “I Tweet, Therefore I Am,” Peggy Orenstein considers the impact of social media like twitter on users’ sense of empathy, privacy, and self image. Orenstein describes her own meta-awareness of her actions as she searches for tweetable moments, from the grocery store to political sphere. And while she describes the creative fun of crafting poetic tweets, she wonders also if all of this external identity manufacturing leaves a deficit of introspection or present moment awareness. While writing about an afternoon spent with her daughter, Orenstein realizes her tweet “was not really about my own impressions: it was about how I imagined — and wanted — others to react to them” (Orenstein, 11).

How does growing up with this performance-oriented awareness affect tweens? During a time that is by nature self-centered, when identities are shifting and connections are sought with peers, how does the extra layer of creating an online persona amplify the journey of tween identity? What impact does it have on a developing sense of privacy to have social media outlets that can make everything public? Websites like twistori.com are emblematic of this public/private dynamic. Orenstein cites a study by Sherry Turkle, whose forthcoming book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, explores the impact of social media on relationships. Turkle’s study concluded that the presence of an audience does indeed influence young peoples’ relationship to their own self-identity. As Orenstein describes: “Among young people especially [Turkle] found that the self was increasingly becoming externally manufactured rather than internally developed: a series of profiles to be sculptured and refined in response to public opinion” (Orenstein, 11). To me, this sounds like a negative effect of social media. Perhaps, though, there’s another, more positive side to this phenomenon. Maybe this practiced self-awareness can translate from the external to the internal, and will help tweens who use social media like twitter become more genuinely self-reflective in other areas of their lives. Maybe the presence of an audience can help influence tween behavior in positive directions, too. Here's hoping.

Orenstein, P. (2010, August 1). I tweet, therefore I am. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/magazine/01wwln-lede-t.html?_r=1

diary of a wimpy kid

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid: Greg Heffley's journal. New York: Amulet Books. 
ISBN: 978-0810993136

"Let me just say for the record that I think middle school is the dumbest idea ever invented. You got kids like me who haven't hit their growth spurt yet mixed in with these gorillas who need to shave twice a day." -Greg Heffley

From the opening pages of this "novel in cartoons," we empathize with its narrator, Greg, who is smart, insightful... and wimpy.  Greg's words and pictures make up this journal ("not a diary, he is quick to correct us), and through it, we learn about the many trials and tribulations of middle school.

Greg's got a lot to complain about. He's the middle child, stuck between clueless Manny and tyrant Rodrick. He and his best friend, Rowley, aren't getting along like they used to. Girls don't seem to notice him, and he gets kicked off the Safety Patrol for an incident involving a worm. Through it all, Greg keeps his sense of humor, which he channels into drawing comic strips. The comics serve both as illustrations for the reader and as a central component of the plot. They are hilariously funny.

This book's format is a great bridge between traditional novels and the graphic novel medium-- the combination of words and pictures enlivens the story. Greg is a lovable protagonist-- think Bart Simpson but more insightful. A nice choice for those looking for a boy protagonist in a non-fantasy book. A delightful read for adults, too.

harriet the spy

Fitzhugh, Louise. (2008). Harriet the Spy. Paw Prints.
ISBN: 978-1435273252

An oldie but goodie-- originally published in 1964. Harriet Welsch, an 11 year old New Yorker, wants to be a writer. With her kind but distant parents constantly busy, Harriet’s most trusted adult is her nanny, Ole Golly. Golly encourages Harriet in her quest to be a writer. To hone her journalism skills, Harriet spies on everyone and writes down her observations in a secret notebook. Harriet is a little odd; her favorite sandwich is tomato and mayonnaise, and while she has good friends, Sport and Janie, she has enemies at school, too.

While Harriet lives a charmed life in some ways, a string of hard events befall her. First, Ole Golly leaves her post as nanny to get married. Then, Harriet’s notebook goes missing, and falls into the hands of her rivals at school. Harriet must now fend for herself as she does battle with the “Spy Catcher Club” that forms to exact revenge for what she wrote in her notebook.

This book showcases a strong female protagonist who’s not afraid to speak her mind, an understanding adult who encourages her, and the power of words—a potentially thought-provoking topic in this age of twitter and Facebook. A great independent or read aloud selection for those who like realistic fiction.