The Bookmark

What is Young Adult Literature? Or What Isn’t Young Adult Literature?             Young Adult literature is a very fluid thing. It is not just a book, or books, it is a co-captain on a literary adventure. It is hard to define sometimes because there is not particular topic that is more, or less, “Young Adult.” I love the fact that it is typically dominated by an independent protagonist! Bring on the early independence in teenagers!             YA also shows young readers that other people have gone through similar experiences to their own! It is a very comforting thing to know that you are not alone in an experience. The readers can also learn from somebody else’s mistake, even if that somebody is fictional. When these kids are reading, these people are not fictional. They are the reader! That can be a very powerful experience!             Most of these books are also short enough to keep the attention of youth without overdoing it and losing them. They cannot learn from a pro

Genres and Formats             If you are not sitting down right now, please do so for your own safety. I have some pretty earth shattering news for you that will affect your life as you know it. Poetry is not a genre.             That blew my mind. I was taught all through school that there were many genres and even have some genre posters in my classroom. But we have all been misled my friends, because Poetry is a FORMAT not a genre. The only two genres in existence right now are Fiction and Non-Fiction. This will forever change the way I teach and I will shed this upsetting light on my coworkers tomorrow. Wish me luck.             It was very interesting to consider the pros and cons of “genrefying” a library, (even if we are kind of doing it wrong). Part of me likes the idea of readers being able to wander a section in search of something horrifying and finding something horrifying! Unfortunately, a side effect of that is that if they like “Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman,

The Anatomy of a Book             I did not know all of the parts of a book, and for that, I am ashamed. I have grown up with the things and slept on them, eaten on them, read them, felt them and lived them. I had no clue what a headband was, or where a book would wear one (headbands don’t work well on me, but books can rock them). The process of creating these little (or sometimes big) wonders is pretty neat and something we should know as librarians. Just as doctors understand the anatomy of their patients, so should we so that we may fix them when they need it.

Divisions of Young People's Literature             Have you ever tried to recommend a book to a kid and stopped to think, “Uh oh, is this subject appropriate?” This video chapter showed the differences between subject matter at different age levels, which was news to me! The tiny readers are easier to choose books for. Picture books at first, then easy readers etc. It is when the readers get to middle school (around 11) that things get… awkward. It can be hard to judge what a kid is ready for and it is A LOT of responsibility!             The difference between Middle readers and Young Adult readers astounds me. They change so much in such a short time and it is hard to gauge their readiness for a certain subject. If it is something they might be going through at the time or soon, yes of course they are ready! Ready or not, life happens to them and we need to be there with just the right book at the ready to help them face life head on. 

Why We Share Literature with Children (or anybody for that matter) This video chapter brought to mind the old adage "sharing is caring." When we share literature with children, we are sharing so much more that words on paper!  Reading to our children develops their vocabulary, which then lends itself to their independent reading in the future, which leads to more intelligent citizens which then leads to a happier, healthier environment for our old age! See the chain reaction? It is a valuable experience for everyone involved! Also, when we choose a certain book to share with a child, we are exposing a piece of our inner-self to them. Showing them that I enjoyed a book and that I think they would too, makes a connection between us that they understand in a way without words. It shows that we have similarities when it is sometimes difficult to find common ground. I love the idea of sharing experiences and developing a worldliness without actually traveling or expe