Lisa and I spent a couple of hours yesterday going over reviews of newly published young adult books, deciding what to order, what to watch and maybe order in the future, what to forget about entirely.<\/p>\n
Young adult books are, by many accounts, the healthiest area of the publishing field; one young adult author I know told me that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the fastest growing sector of the market.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also heard, from another author who had written what he thought was an adult novel, that his agent told him he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have a better chance of being published if it was a young adult book, and that the book would last longer if it was categorized as young adult.\u00c2\u00a0 All very interesting, and very promising.\u00c2\u00a0 The books that Lisa and I looked at yesterday cover a broader range of subjects than I remember from eight years ago (when I was at Simmons) and are getting to be less \u00e2\u20ac\u0153issue books\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and more quality books.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition, we discovered a lot of great non-fiction books for young adults.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m especially excited about Respect: A Girl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Guide to Getting Respect and Dealing When Your Line is Crossed by Courtney Macavinta and Andrea Vander Pluym.\u00c2\u00a0 Lisa discovered a review of this book somewhere, and requested a copy from another library, so we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been able to preview it.\u00c2\u00a0 Though at first it\u00c2\u00a0 seemed controversial (hence wanting to preview it), it is a thoughtful guide for teenage girls in how to assert themselves in a positive way, respecting themselves and their own opinions while still being kind to other people.\u00c2\u00a0 Particularly great is the chapter on Sex \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I was a little worried at first that this chapter might get some knickers in a twist, but in actuality it stresses the emotional aspect of sex over the physical aspects.\u00c2\u00a0 The authors gently teach their readers that self-respect is a key element of sex, and ultimately their advice might keep girls from getting into situations for which they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not yet ready.\u00c2\u00a0 Best of all, as in the rest of the book, the authors suggest specific wording to use in awkward situations\/conversations (like the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you loved me, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d sleep with me\u00e2\u20ac\u009d conversation).<\/p>\n
Needless to say, we ordered this title today, along with forty-nine others.\u00c2\u00a0 A big order, yes, but it should keep us for a couple of months before we put in another big order.\u00c2\u00a0 Keep your eyes out for these new books to be hitting the library\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shelves in a couple of weeks (when our cataloger\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back from a well-deserved vacation!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lisa and I spent a couple of hours yesterday going over reviews of newly published young adult books, deciding what to order, what to watch and maybe order in the future, what to forget about entirely. Young adult books are, by many accounts, the healthiest area of the publishing field; one young adult author I … Continue reading Young Adult Literature<\/span>