“What super depressing tragedy are you reading about now?” That’s what my fiance said to me the other night as I pulled out my book to read before bed. “The sinking of the Lusitania,” I replied. “Of course. That sounds awful.” I like sad books. I almost always have. Friends ask me for book recommendations…
YA?! Y Not’s Summer Reading List
Psst! Hey! Wanna hear a secret librarian confession? I hate summer reading. Don’t get me wrong: I love summer, and reading, and reading in the summer. Combating the so-called “summer slide”—where students lose reading and math skills over the summer because they are not practicing day in and day out—is really important, but what I…
YA? Y Not?! In Defense of the Love Triangle
Ah, the love triangle—one of YA’s most divisive tropes! Love it or hate it, the YA love triangle is here to stay. In “The Curse of the Love Triangle in YA Fiction” at Acculturated, Abby W. Schachter said, “Romance in YA fiction is fine; but love triangles are boring. Authors who have conjured entirely new…
YA? Why Not?! What Does “YA” Mean Anyway?
If somehow you’ve emerged from a Cold War-esque bunker or have otherwise been under a rock for the last ten to fifteen, you may be wondering, “What is all of this ‘YA’ hullabaloo anyway and why would I care?” If you are, that’s okay! YA as a category has seen an “explosion of books” in…
YA? Y Not?! My New Years Resolutions for YA
It’s the time of year when many people are making New Years Resolutions. For myself, I like to give myself hopes and goals for the year because as soon as I call something a “resolution” it tends to never happen. Instead of sharing my personal resolutions-that-are-really-hopes, I thought I’d make some for Young Adult literature….
YA? Y Not?! Banned Books Week
Welcome to the wonderful world of YA? Y not?! a new column about Young Adult librarianship. I am a YA librarian in a Boston suburb where I do programming, collection development, and staff a room with computers and hang out space for teens in grades 6-12. On any given day, my job can include buying…