Most of our prior posts on this blog seemed to emphasize young adult books, but the recent post on boys and philosophy books made me think about adult books for young adults. As I mentioned in a previous post, booktalks should always provide variety, but I still wonder if any generalizations can be made about what types of adult books most appeal to young adults. The Alex Awards are always useful to consult, and I'll be interested in what GBN Librarian hears from Michael Cart when she hears him speak at NSLS.
I recently read a harsh, but entertaining, article, "Wonder Bread" on books written by Jonathon Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, Alice Sebold and others, that critiques them for providing overly optimistic endings to traumatic plotlines. It struck me that many of the books mentioned are adult books that appeal to young adults. Interesting.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Philosophy books
High school boys and philosophy...in my early years, it never occurred to me that these two would intersect. My first moment of vague enlightenment occurred when a senior boy came in the library raving about Ishmael and asking for another book like it. Not having read the book (and I am embarrassed to say I still haven't read it--though it's a constant resident on my to read pile), I asked him what he liked about it. "It's all about the meaning of life and the way we live it as human beings," he simplified. This caught me off guard, but no more. That year 2 or 3 more boys made similar requests.
Since then, I've listened more closely to these kids, made some suggestions, and asked them to stop by and keep me posted on their opinions on books I've recommended as well as books they've heard about from others. Some of the titles that might appeal are Way of the Peaceful Warrior and its sequel Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior, Siddhartha, Life of Pi, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and The Prophet. Mitch Albom's books might also be likely candidates. Sherri's post regarding genres applies to this list as well. Some of these books are classified non-fiction, though to me they read like fanatasy...e.g., Peaceful Warrior, a book I did not enjoy, but at least three boys have told me it's their all-time favorite! Others are fiction, and one (The Prophet) is poetry.
Clearly, the meaning of life/human values are among the weightiest of topics, so my guess is that the number of students who seek this type of book is limited. This brings up two questions:
1. My experience is that upperclass boys are the most likely to seek this type of material...I understand the "upperclass"--but why boys more so than girls?
2. Since this may be a niche market, how do I include this into a booktalk...what are the hooks that will reach these kids? Our booktalks are generally geared to free reading...are there some words/terms connected to these books that might sound too "intellectual" and could turn students away?
Since then, I've listened more closely to these kids, made some suggestions, and asked them to stop by and keep me posted on their opinions on books I've recommended as well as books they've heard about from others. Some of the titles that might appeal are Way of the Peaceful Warrior and its sequel Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior, Siddhartha, Life of Pi, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and The Prophet. Mitch Albom's books might also be likely candidates. Sherri's post regarding genres applies to this list as well. Some of these books are classified non-fiction, though to me they read like fanatasy...e.g., Peaceful Warrior, a book I did not enjoy, but at least three boys have told me it's their all-time favorite! Others are fiction, and one (The Prophet) is poetry.
Clearly, the meaning of life/human values are among the weightiest of topics, so my guess is that the number of students who seek this type of book is limited. This brings up two questions:
1. My experience is that upperclass boys are the most likely to seek this type of material...I understand the "upperclass"--but why boys more so than girls?
2. Since this may be a niche market, how do I include this into a booktalk...what are the hooks that will reach these kids? Our booktalks are generally geared to free reading...are there some words/terms connected to these books that might sound too "intellectual" and could turn students away?
Friday, September 21, 2007
More on Genres and Boys as Readers: Strategies for Booktalking
I spent a lot of the morning talking to a teacher about how her students should be blogging more... like 3 times per week. As I was talking, I thought to myself that I was a bit hypocritical as I have neglected this one. So, here I am.
I agree with everything GBN librarian said on the last post, but here are some more random thoughts on the subject.
First, genres. I agree that when booktalking it is good to be aware of the genre labels because it really is hard to get teenagers to branch out and try something different, and by mentioning that label, you could turn them off right away to a book they might otherwise really like. I was the same way in high school. My brother constantly read science fiction, but I refused to try it until I was required by a teacher to read 1984, and Brave New World. After that, I thought it was pretty cool, and realized that there were other things to read besides V.C. Andrews, Danielle Steel. Two other favorites of mine were The Thorn Birds, and Evergreen by Belva Plain.
I also think that at some stage in high school, many students are starting to think more about philosophical and psychological issues, and they start to read for more than just pure entertainment (although entertainment is always important! Maybe satisfaction is a word to add here though). At this stage it could be really satisfying for them to read outside their genre (My experience with science fiction fits this idea, and both of the books you mentioned--Ender's Game and The Golden Compass could too as they can be read on multiple levels. Hmmm....maybe the fascination with the afterlife fits here too--as with Elsewhere and Five People You Meet and Lovely Bones). So, I think many might be ready to branch out to another genre even though they aren't sure how to do so. Related to that, in this library there seems to be a phenomenon with older students (boys in particular) where they start to ASK for books that are philosophical (like Way of the Peaceful Warrior).
Some teachers actually require that students try different genres over the course of the year, so it is good to think about this when booktalking. I liked the phrases GBN Librarian listed, and I also try (with mixed results) to think of new and different ways of grouping books. Examples might be: "these two books are two that would cause you to redefine the concept of courage," or "both of these books are romantic" or "both of these books are about loyalty to friends" ....and then in those groups include two that are very different. (We could start a list--do any come to mind?). I guess the key is to hook them some how and sustain their interest in that title. That might involve not even mentioning any hint about the genre until the end. (We did this a lot with Twilight as you mentioned, and Blood and Chocolate.)
O.K., back to the topic of boys. In a previous post, I mentioned looking at some Cormier books. I have second thoughts about that posting and feel that I oversimplified boys' tastes....I don't want to stereotype. Here's a little story that caused me to stop and think about that posting. The other day, a boy in a football uniform came in and told us that he needed another book. He had already read Forever by Judy Blume, and Diamond Dogs by Alan Watt, and he was looking for something else. While I was talking to him in the stacks, a girl came along and said "Oh, Sebastian likes girly books." He was a little embarrassed, but it didn't stop him from being honest about what he liked. I think we gave him Tuesdays with Morrie, Fallen Angels, and Breathing Underwater, books that aren't normally thought of as "girly." I briefly thought about giving him Year of Secret Assignments because it is about boy/girl relationships, and would be more like Forever than the other three we gave him, but he seemed interested in the 3 in front of him and we felt like we should give him space. The point of this is that I need to remember that variety is important, stereotyping is all too easy, and kids might not be able to be open about what they really like or want. Christine Jenkins, in the YA lit class in my LEEP program, emphasized variety over and over again. Teenagers like all kinds of things. Include everything so that they are aware of choices.
As I write this I also have in front of me the School Library Journal from Sept. 2007 with a cover story called The Boy Problem. I think I'll read that next.
This is way too long. Future posts will probably be shorter, but hopefully I'll be posting more frequently, just like those reading students.
I agree with everything GBN librarian said on the last post, but here are some more random thoughts on the subject.
First, genres. I agree that when booktalking it is good to be aware of the genre labels because it really is hard to get teenagers to branch out and try something different, and by mentioning that label, you could turn them off right away to a book they might otherwise really like. I was the same way in high school. My brother constantly read science fiction, but I refused to try it until I was required by a teacher to read 1984, and Brave New World. After that, I thought it was pretty cool, and realized that there were other things to read besides V.C. Andrews, Danielle Steel. Two other favorites of mine were The Thorn Birds, and Evergreen by Belva Plain.
I also think that at some stage in high school, many students are starting to think more about philosophical and psychological issues, and they start to read for more than just pure entertainment (although entertainment is always important! Maybe satisfaction is a word to add here though). At this stage it could be really satisfying for them to read outside their genre (My experience with science fiction fits this idea, and both of the books you mentioned--Ender's Game and The Golden Compass could too as they can be read on multiple levels. Hmmm....maybe the fascination with the afterlife fits here too--as with Elsewhere and Five People You Meet and Lovely Bones). So, I think many might be ready to branch out to another genre even though they aren't sure how to do so. Related to that, in this library there seems to be a phenomenon with older students (boys in particular) where they start to ASK for books that are philosophical (like Way of the Peaceful Warrior).
Some teachers actually require that students try different genres over the course of the year, so it is good to think about this when booktalking. I liked the phrases GBN Librarian listed, and I also try (with mixed results) to think of new and different ways of grouping books. Examples might be: "these two books are two that would cause you to redefine the concept of courage," or "both of these books are romantic" or "both of these books are about loyalty to friends" ....and then in those groups include two that are very different. (We could start a list--do any come to mind?). I guess the key is to hook them some how and sustain their interest in that title. That might involve not even mentioning any hint about the genre until the end. (We did this a lot with Twilight as you mentioned, and Blood and Chocolate.)
O.K., back to the topic of boys. In a previous post, I mentioned looking at some Cormier books. I have second thoughts about that posting and feel that I oversimplified boys' tastes....I don't want to stereotype. Here's a little story that caused me to stop and think about that posting. The other day, a boy in a football uniform came in and told us that he needed another book. He had already read Forever by Judy Blume, and Diamond Dogs by Alan Watt, and he was looking for something else. While I was talking to him in the stacks, a girl came along and said "Oh, Sebastian likes girly books." He was a little embarrassed, but it didn't stop him from being honest about what he liked. I think we gave him Tuesdays with Morrie, Fallen Angels, and Breathing Underwater, books that aren't normally thought of as "girly." I briefly thought about giving him Year of Secret Assignments because it is about boy/girl relationships, and would be more like Forever than the other three we gave him, but he seemed interested in the 3 in front of him and we felt like we should give him space. The point of this is that I need to remember that variety is important, stereotyping is all too easy, and kids might not be able to be open about what they really like or want. Christine Jenkins, in the YA lit class in my LEEP program, emphasized variety over and over again. Teenagers like all kinds of things. Include everything so that they are aware of choices.
As I write this I also have in front of me the School Library Journal from Sept. 2007 with a cover story called The Boy Problem. I think I'll read that next.
This is way too long. Future posts will probably be shorter, but hopefully I'll be posting more frequently, just like those reading students.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
More reflections on booktalks...and reading genres
The last few weeks have been very busy with booktalks! It is definitely a challenge to do 3-4 booktalks in a day. Prior to GBN, the most experience I had with booktalks was during my student teaching experience. I had prepared the booktalk beforehand, and I had read all of the books I talked about. I did the same books for 5 different classes. It was succesful, but I realize now that booktalking the exact same books 5 classes in a row is rather tedious!
All of the booktalks we have done have given me some ideas for keeping up my enthusiasm. I believe that my attitude is picked up by the students, so if I seem bored, then I'm sure they will be too.
My main method of avoiding this "booktalk burnout" is to just keep reading more books! I feel I have greatly improved my abilities to sell a book without having read it. Example: during a booktalk, I held up Nicholas Sparks' The Wedding and said something like "This book is sort of a sequel to The Notebook. The main character finds that the love has gone from his marriage, unlike the marriage of his in-laws, who are Allie and Noah from The Notebook." I hadn't read either of these books, but after the booktalk, a girl ran up and snatched it, saying she hadn't known there was a sequel.
However, I still feel most comfortable when I have read a book. I don't like to be caught off guard, and I just feel more confident if I actually know the whole story. So, my solution to this is to read as many books as I can, of all genres.
Which leads to my next point: genres. I can recall a time, back in high school, when I read only one type of genre: mysteries. They had to be mysteries by a particular author as well: Agatha Christie. If you tried to suggest other books to me, I would have politely nodded, and then, when you were safely out of sight, headed over to the Agatha Christie section. Luckily, Agatha Christie was a prolific author, and my high school years were happily filled with reading nearly all of her novels (when I wasn't reading for school, of course). I was an avid Christie fan, to the extent that I wrote a 12 page research paper about her in Honors Advanced English my junior year, I read her whole biography, and I researched and later purchased, all of the novels she wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.
Today Agatha Christie remains one of my favorite authors. However, I have discovered a whole world of books out there. During the course of library school, I discovered books that I never would have dreamed of reading in high school, such as Ender's Game , The House of Stairs, or even The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Trilogy). These three books are among my favorites. If I wasn't a librarian, I probably would have never read these books. It has taken me a while to get to this point, so I hope you will bear with me.
How do we get students to read out of their genres? How do we show them that the books they would have walked by without a second glance may turn out to be one of their favorites? Booktalking is a great way to do this. Some phrases that I find helpful are:
"if you liked this...
this isn't your typical vampire story....
if you think sci fi is all about robots, think again...
fantasy isn't just dragons and fairies..."
I especially think that explaining the variety within a genre can be very useful. For example, there are all types of science fiction, from dystopian/utopian societies, cyberpunk, hard science fiction, etc. I believe that it is our job to point out that labels are broad, and one should not avoid a book simply because it has the sticker that says "Fantasy" on it.
Another point about labeling genres: some books simply can't be put into one genre. Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials is a good example. Many people would label it as a fantasy. However, it has elements of science fiction, romance, adventure religion, philosophy, and coming of age stories. This book is not just a book about talking animal companions. It is a complex, delicately woven tale that defies typical genre definitions.
Many other books have multiple elements: The Twilight series, by Stephenie Meyer, is, at first glance, about vampires. But it's also about relationships, romance, suspense, and adventure. Of course, this series has been very popular in our library. I believe that one of the reasons it is so popular is the fact that we have booktalked it as a romance between a girl and a boy...and the boy happens to be a vampire. It's a way of getting out of the whole "vampire/horror" theme.
I believe I have made this entirely too long, so I will stop now. I am curious though: what were your reading preferences in high school? Did you stick to one genre? How have your reading habits changed since then? Have they broadened?
All of the booktalks we have done have given me some ideas for keeping up my enthusiasm. I believe that my attitude is picked up by the students, so if I seem bored, then I'm sure they will be too.
My main method of avoiding this "booktalk burnout" is to just keep reading more books! I feel I have greatly improved my abilities to sell a book without having read it. Example: during a booktalk, I held up Nicholas Sparks' The Wedding and said something like "This book is sort of a sequel to The Notebook. The main character finds that the love has gone from his marriage, unlike the marriage of his in-laws, who are Allie and Noah from The Notebook." I hadn't read either of these books, but after the booktalk, a girl ran up and snatched it, saying she hadn't known there was a sequel.
However, I still feel most comfortable when I have read a book. I don't like to be caught off guard, and I just feel more confident if I actually know the whole story. So, my solution to this is to read as many books as I can, of all genres.
Which leads to my next point: genres. I can recall a time, back in high school, when I read only one type of genre: mysteries. They had to be mysteries by a particular author as well: Agatha Christie. If you tried to suggest other books to me, I would have politely nodded, and then, when you were safely out of sight, headed over to the Agatha Christie section. Luckily, Agatha Christie was a prolific author, and my high school years were happily filled with reading nearly all of her novels (when I wasn't reading for school, of course). I was an avid Christie fan, to the extent that I wrote a 12 page research paper about her in Honors Advanced English my junior year, I read her whole biography, and I researched and later purchased, all of the novels she wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.
Today Agatha Christie remains one of my favorite authors. However, I have discovered a whole world of books out there. During the course of library school, I discovered books that I never would have dreamed of reading in high school, such as Ender's Game , The House of Stairs, or even The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Trilogy). These three books are among my favorites. If I wasn't a librarian, I probably would have never read these books. It has taken me a while to get to this point, so I hope you will bear with me.
How do we get students to read out of their genres? How do we show them that the books they would have walked by without a second glance may turn out to be one of their favorites? Booktalking is a great way to do this. Some phrases that I find helpful are:
"if you liked this...
this isn't your typical vampire story....
if you think sci fi is all about robots, think again...
fantasy isn't just dragons and fairies..."
I especially think that explaining the variety within a genre can be very useful. For example, there are all types of science fiction, from dystopian/utopian societies, cyberpunk, hard science fiction, etc. I believe that it is our job to point out that labels are broad, and one should not avoid a book simply because it has the sticker that says "Fantasy" on it.
Another point about labeling genres: some books simply can't be put into one genre. Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials is a good example. Many people would label it as a fantasy. However, it has elements of science fiction, romance, adventure religion, philosophy, and coming of age stories. This book is not just a book about talking animal companions. It is a complex, delicately woven tale that defies typical genre definitions.
Many other books have multiple elements: The Twilight series, by Stephenie Meyer, is, at first glance, about vampires. But it's also about relationships, romance, suspense, and adventure. Of course, this series has been very popular in our library. I believe that one of the reasons it is so popular is the fact that we have booktalked it as a romance between a girl and a boy...and the boy happens to be a vampire. It's a way of getting out of the whole "vampire/horror" theme.
I believe I have made this entirely too long, so I will stop now. I am curious though: what were your reading preferences in high school? Did you stick to one genre? How have your reading habits changed since then? Have they broadened?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)