Tag: readers

One Good Trope Deserves Another

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There are some things that pop up again and again in various genres and categories of literature, and YA is no different. But that doesn’t mean all tropes are bad. Sometimes they’re comforting or fun in their familiarity. Sometimes they provide the basis for deeper explorations of character or plot.

In this post, the writers at YA Highway share some of their favorite tropes. They’ve all got great choices, and their post inspired me to share a few of mine.

1. Boarding schools–I was never tempted to live at one myself (I like my privacy too much), but I loved the idea of them. Everyone wears uniforms, walks through autumn landscapes, and is a member of a secret society, right?

2. Unusual names–From Anastasia Krupnik to Weetzie Bat to Zooey Glass, I love a character with a distinctive name. I’m practically as bad as a celebrity naming their baby.

3. Victorians–Put ’em in a bustle and I’m there.

4. Fairy tale adaptations–Whether it’s a creative take on Cinderella or a look at a lesser known tale, these books catch my eye.

5. Sisters–I don’t have any sisters, so I’ve always been intrigued by books that feature a close set of sisters.

What are your favorite tropes from YA? Share ’em in the comments.

(image: Edwin Steele)

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everybody–and happy February! February is my birthday month, so I’m gearing up for a month of (hopefully) fun. Including lots of good fifteen-word reviews.

97805532742951. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Everyone in fifth grade cried. Except me. I have a heart of ice.

2. All Around Atlantis by Deborah Eisenberg
Lovely collection of stories. Literary fiction in just the way I like–quiet and grounded.

3. Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Fourth in the series, but I read it first. Great fun for kids into theater.

4. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
“Are you brave enough for Scary Stories?” NO. No. Definitely no. *cowers*

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
I gleefully wrote an essay about why the last section of the book is awful.

Links Galore

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A few more links to get us through the middle of the week:

The Sound of Silence

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I have a very clear memory of learning about long vowels and the silent letters that often accompany them. I was in first grade, and writing in my class journal. I wanted to spell “made” and thought “Okay, I’ve got an M sound and an A sound and a D sound,” but when I tried to spell that out, it came out “mad,” which I knew wasn’t right. Fortunately, that was the day my teacher introduced long vowels. (Nice timing, Miss O’Neil!)

So I was really intrigued by this video, which demonstrates the part that silent letters play in languages like English, French, and Danish.

Language is so fascinating. As someone who has a hard time learning foreign languages, I was really interested to see their use of silent letters as well.

Click through for more information about the Silenc project.

(via The Dish)

ALA Monday

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In case you weren’t at ALA or didn’t catch the livestream today, here’s the ALA Youth Media Award list for 2013–aka, your list of books you already love or books that are immediately going on your to-read list.

I was especially excited to hear that that the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award went to Katherine Paterson and the Margaret A. Edwards Award went to Tamora Pierce. They’ve done so much for generations of young readers and totally deserve these major awards.

Books that are immediately going on my library loan request list: Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, and Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (I KNOW, I KNOW).

Share your post-ALAYMA thoughts in the comments.

Friday Fifteen

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Another Friday, another Friday Fifteen, in which I review five books in fifteen words or less. Onto the books!

97806897118171. Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb
Read a short story excerpt of this in Seventeen; was excited to find the novel.

2. The McSweeney’s Joke Book of Book Jokes by McSweeney’s Publishing and John Hodgman
My dad saw this randomly and bought it for me. Nice move, Dad.

3. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Running away to the Met and figuring out an art history mystery? So much yes.

4. Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Excuse me, I’m having all the feelings. Simple but powerful.

5. Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker ed. by David Remnick
Excellent collection of profiles ranging from Marlon Brando to dog show people.

Links Galore

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A few links to round out the week:

Libraries Are More Than Just Basic Information

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Today in things-that-fuel-my-rage, this article about the death of the library, including this quote:

“I don’t personally use the library. I kind of have the feeling that libraries are going the route of the video rental stores but I’m probably… wrong about that,” said Coun. Ian Paton. “With the access to information now, with everyone having computers in their home, why do we spend so much money?”

My initial reaction:

My second reaction:

Then I finally got around to putting my thoughts into something resembling words.

Libraries are about way more than just accessing information. Sure, when I have a general question (“When was Abraham Lincoln born?” “What’s the difference between flours?”) I turn to the internet. But what about when I need more information than just the basics? That’s when I turn to a library’s resources. Librarians are people who are trained to help you find information. They know way more than just how to Google something, and they have the resources to help you find that information. For example, not all newspaper articles are available online–if you want to read an article from say, 1987, you might want to check with your library. Also, not everyone has internet access at home–but the library sure does.

Also, I don’t know about Paton, but I’m a reader and I can’t always afford (or keep) the books I want to read. Fortunately, the library has books and e-books for free. This is where I cannot understand why anyone would think that library’s aren’t worthwhile. How else are you supposed to get all the books you want to read?

Libraries also offer readings, social events, trainings, etc. A lot of the community loves and depends on events like these. Libraries can also serve as a meeting place for study groups, as an office for writers, or as a safe place for kids and teens to meet and interact.

Basically, I think it’s really short-sighted to assume that the internet can take over pretty much everything a library does. Libraries are invaluable resources for readers and communities, and we need to support them.

(H/T bookshelves of doom)