Dear 15 year old girl,
It's okay to read YA. You aren't above it.
Love,
Librarians
Dear Moms,
It's okay to read YA. We do, too.
Love,
Librarians
Dear middle-age male teacher,
It's okay to read YA.
We'd want to know what the kids are talking about, too.
Love,
Librarians
Dear EVERYONE,
It's okay to read YA.
There are some awful good stories to be discovered.
Love,
Librarians
As a girl who decided she was above YA in her teen years, I am now becoming one of YA's strongest advocates.
Nobody is above YA. I mean, maybe it's true. Maybe YA used to all sound the same, about girls and their problems.
Sometimes it still sounds like that.
But it's real literature.
Just because it's written about teens and/or for teens doesn't make it any less important or profound than your John Grisham novel.
Don't let Twilight speak for all of YA.
So, I dare you.
Go to your library and check out a YA title.
I bet you'll love it.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Why the Emotional Librarian?
Let me be honest: I have not kept a blog, or even a diary, in a very long time. After years and years of journaling and blogging, I just...stopped. I kept a livejournal alive for I don't know, something like, seven years. Nothing was particularly interesting or worthwhile, but I was at least writing. After I graduated college, I just stopped. I don't know why. It wasn't because I didn't have time. Maybe it was because I have a Twitter, and a Facebook, and countless other ways to tell everyone what I'm doing. I guess I didn't have to do it in paragraph form anymore.
But I'm back. With this blog, The Emotional Librarian.
Why emotional?
Well, here's the thing. I got an idea for a blog - book reviews either in one word or one picture of me reacting to the book. It's not an original idea. I follow Scott, who is the brains behind One Photo Reviews. I absolutely love his reviews. They're perfect. And I wanted to do something like that with books.
I realized sometime in the middle of library school that I don't react to books like we're encouraged to do. I don't pick apart the language. I don't say things like, "Wellllll, I could tell it was her first novel, it certainly wasn't perfect." I think I avoid saying things like that because I haven't written a novel. I don't even know if I can write a novel. But I also just react emotionally. I like a book based on how it made me feel, and that's about it. I can come up with a decent review and certainly had to in library school, and will have do for years to come as a librarian, but I don't prefer to.
I just like a book. Or I don't like a book.
I just like it because it made me happy, or I don't like it because it made me want to throw it against a wall. I like it because of a character, or I don't like it because of what happened to a character. That's about it. That's just how I react naturally.
I've found that's pretty much how kids react to books, too. And most other things. I've found that how I feel about a book emotionally really helps me connect with younger readers.
So I thought, why not start a blog? It will help my reader's advisory at the very least! This blog won't be limited to reviews. It will be about my professional journey as a librarian, one that I hope is going to start very soon! I am eligible to apply for jobs in my system, and I am eager to start interviewing (mostly so I can practice interviewing). I have an exciting journey ahead of me, and I hope you'll join me for the ride.
So, here we go.
But I'm back. With this blog, The Emotional Librarian.
Why emotional?
Well, here's the thing. I got an idea for a blog - book reviews either in one word or one picture of me reacting to the book. It's not an original idea. I follow Scott, who is the brains behind One Photo Reviews. I absolutely love his reviews. They're perfect. And I wanted to do something like that with books.
I realized sometime in the middle of library school that I don't react to books like we're encouraged to do. I don't pick apart the language. I don't say things like, "Wellllll, I could tell it was her first novel, it certainly wasn't perfect." I think I avoid saying things like that because I haven't written a novel. I don't even know if I can write a novel. But I also just react emotionally. I like a book based on how it made me feel, and that's about it. I can come up with a decent review and certainly had to in library school, and will have do for years to come as a librarian, but I don't prefer to.
I just like a book. Or I don't like a book.
I just like it because it made me happy, or I don't like it because it made me want to throw it against a wall. I like it because of a character, or I don't like it because of what happened to a character. That's about it. That's just how I react naturally.
I've found that's pretty much how kids react to books, too. And most other things. I've found that how I feel about a book emotionally really helps me connect with younger readers.
So I thought, why not start a blog? It will help my reader's advisory at the very least! This blog won't be limited to reviews. It will be about my professional journey as a librarian, one that I hope is going to start very soon! I am eligible to apply for jobs in my system, and I am eager to start interviewing (mostly so I can practice interviewing). I have an exciting journey ahead of me, and I hope you'll join me for the ride.
So, here we go.
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