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I am on quite the rampage lately. This just makes me boggle. Yes, I know it's old for a blog post, but I just saw it so here I am. It damn near made my head explode. You know, I don't even write original fiction, and I know that most of it requires some degree of research. If I write a book that's set in a hospital, I'm going to visit hospitals. If I'm writing a novel in which the main character extols the virtues of In-N-Out Burger, I'm not going to set it in New Jersey. And one would think that if I wanted to write an urban fantasy novel, I'd read some urban fantasy and get a picture of the genre. Regarding this blogger's recent reading of YA, I'm shocked by the "I'm shocked" factor, too. Maybe that's my emotionally disconnected librarian talking, but the stuff of YA novels does not faze me. It all stems from SOME reality. Yes, it's easy to make smaller truths into huge issues in a book, or on TV, or in a movie, but I really think that's okay. That's the point of art, isn't it, to make us think differently? This passage: Now, I was not expecting Nancy Drew. But... surely this sort of behavior isn't very common? Is it something you'd want your ten-year-old reading? (YA is supposedly for 12-15-year-olds, but in fact younger kids who are good readers consume most of it.)just shows ignorance. 1. No, if it were common behavior the book would be really boring. Who wants to read books where common behavior happens? 2. I've never met anyone who recommended Valiant to a ten-year-old. If you have, please send them my way so I can smack them one. 3. Younger kids who are good readers consume most YA? First, define "younger." Second, where did this statistic come from? It's not like Nielsen Bookscan asks you for your age when you buy a book. I can only speak for the libraries I've worked in, of course, but I found that most of the people checking out books from the YA section are, um, teens. 4. YA is supposedly for 12-15-year-olds? Geez, you better tell YALSA, then, because their "Ages 12-18" service plan is all wrong and most of the books on BBYA are too old. Also, please send that memo to John Green, M.T. Anderson, Nancy Werlin, Robert Lipsyte, Chris Lynch, Sonya Hartnett, and all those other authors that write YA for the 14-and-over age range. Clearly, no one is reading their books and they need to quit writing. So my question overall is: Why on earth is this writer talking about putting together a proposal for a YA novel when she doesn't read YA and hasn't kept up on the genre in years? How could you even think about writing YA fantasy and not know ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) blackholly's work? The number of adult authors writing YA is climbing every day. In some ways this is good: We got Sherman Alexie, Carl Hiaasen, Alice Hoffman, Nick Hornby, Benjamin Alire Saenz, and other authors who have remarkable talent and wrote terrific teenage voices. But on the other hand, we get people like James Patterson, who I'll discuss in Part II: Stop Biting the Hand That Feeds. -- In other news, this is just wrong. Way to ruin my childhood. Sometimes movies are best left alone. You know one thing about Hollywood I never could stomach? All the damn sequels. -- Today in a meeting, someone's cell phone went off. Instead of silencing the phone immediately, she picked it up, answered it, and proceeded to have a short conversation. In front of a very crowded room. Those of us with manners damn near had heart attacks. -- ANTM: I know this makes me unpopular, but TEAM LAUREN! (Not opposed to teams Katarzyna, Claire, or Aimee either.) -- Who wants to beta the SPN fic I'm writing for heidi8's belated birthday? gwendolyngrace? titti? emmademarais? Anyone? Bueller? Tags: i work with crazy people, rants, ya
126:  cranky
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I don't know why I bother reading anything Slate writes about YA literature. All it ever does is get my blood pressure up. Their latest offering is no different. Her Dark Materials: Should children read Philip Pullman's trilogy—or the incest classic Flowers in the Attic?Why does it not surprise me that this article is written by the same woman who completely missed the point of one of last year's Printz honorees and the National Book Award winner The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation? At least she had the smarts to not compare Pullman's writing style to Andrews's. To start on what bothers me about this article, here's a list of the books the author mentions: Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman Forever by Judy Blume One of these things is not like the others. Can you guess which one? That's right, it's Flowers in the Attic, and that's what makes me the most angry about the article. Bazelon is comparing apples and pineapples. Flowers in the Attic, unlike HDM and Forever, was never intended to be sold or marketed as a young adult novel. I can't expect that much from Bazelon, who appears to have never read an actual YA novel in her life, or at least talked to a YA librarian (given that she mentions Sula, Black Boy, and Huck Finn as "classics of YA literature" rather than The Chocolate War, The Pigman, and The Outsiders). Every YA librarian...well, this YA librarian, anyway...will tell you that two of the most popular authors among middle school students are V.C. Andrews and Stephen King but I sure as hell wouldn't put them in the YA section of the library. If Bazelon is going to call FitA a "preteen classic" then it only seems fair to me that she give Stephen King's work the same label and compare HIS books to Pullman's. Fact is, though, FitA is not a preteen classic. It's a book written for adults that has been co-opted by the preteen audience. One cannot call it a preteen book just because it has a preteen main character. If that's the case, then we're going to have to call The Kite Runner, The Lovely Bones, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, etc. YA, and the authors wouldn't like that because, well, YA books don't normally get the big sales and publicity of adult titles. I get asked a lot what separates a YA novel from an adult novel with a YA main character, and this is the answer I give, one that I believe applies to the FitA/HDM comparison: In a YA novel, the main character is describing the events as they happen with only as much wisdom and insight as he or she has at the time. In an adult book with a teen main character, an adult is looking back on events of his or her adolescence and writing them with some degree of adult wisdom, however small. YA books concern "today" and "tomorrow" and adult books with teen main characters concern "yesterday." This is why I don't consider Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep a YA novel; it's told from the perspective of an adult who is describing her teenage years. FitA is not a YA novel because (and please correct me if I'm wrong; it's been a while since the reread) Cathy is telling the story at the time of the end of Seeds of Yesterday. The series is a retrospective, not a narration of the events as they occur. The second paragraph of the article reads: But the depth of my Pullman devotion doesn't make me want to give his books to my two boys, who are near his intended audience. Pullman's work is a hybrid: It's sold to adults as complex fantasy, and to the 12-year-old crowd as Harry Potter-plus. In some ways, the trilogy is part of the coming-of-age tradition of literature for young teens (and inevitably, somewhat younger kids, too). It tells the growing-up story of Lyra and Will, Pullman's wild and enterprising child characters. But it's a complicated and dark and unsettling coming-of-age.... Maybe this is an idea that's more horrifying to read about as a parent than as a child, but giving Pullman to my still-small sons, even a couple of years from now, is an experiment I'm not about to conduct.1. Harry-Potter-plus? It's all about comparing the apples and pineapples today, isn't it? Not all fantasy works for a YA audience are good next reads for Potter fans, and Rowling and Pullman set out to accomplish two entirely different things in their works. I'd be kicked off CHILD_LIT for saying this, I know, but I don't think the two should be compared. 2. A complicated and dark unsettling coming-of-age? Really? The YA world doesn't have any of those! Okay, that was mean, but I couldn't resist. 3. Part of this rant is tied into something that Bazelon is not responsible for, and that's what I like to call the My Child Is A Genius Because He Read Harry Potter Effect. In my personal and usually not humble opinion, Harry Potter was often marketed to too young an audience. It's a YA series if I ever did see one but parents for years have been pushing it on their second- and third-graders. After all, if their kids can get through that big book, they must be smart! But the thing is, Harry Potter was never intended for eight-year-olds any more than FitA was intended for twelve-year-olds. Consequently, two things happened. First, more fantasy series for the middle-grade crowd got published. YAY! There is no bad in that. Second, YA fantasy suddenly became the desired purchases/library checkouts by those parents with genius children who did not understand the idea that YA literature is about content AND vocabulary. I think that might be some of the reason behind my annoyance over the HDM media frenzy. Those books, despite the look of the movie, do not belong in the children's section of a bookstore or library. Your child is not a genius because he read HDM at eight. It just doesn't work that way. A book is more than the words on its pages. 4. The plural of anecdote is not evidence. And I'll leave that at that. And yes, I understand that the point of the article is about the secrecy and defiance of the preteen reading experience, but that doesn't change the fact that the basic comparison is flawed. I really don't see kids reading Pullman with the same "OMG I know I'm not supposed to be reading this" savor that they read Andrews and King. Chances are, most middle-school students will not try to shock or impress their classmates by reading HDM because, yeah, that's what Stephen King and V.C. Andrews are for. Tags: books, rants, ya
780: been caught stealing once when I was five
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Yesterday I: Sat in the Lincoln Tunnel and panicked about being late for a book event. Heard about a lot of cool upcoming books. Had lunch with Jerry Spinelli, who is very wonderful. Came back to the library and proceeded to a co-worker's wake. Wrote 685 words of my ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) reversathon fic. Listened to a lot of Avril Lavigne. Was reassured by lizzb that I am not, in fact, insane. I think I now understand the meaning of the word "whirlwind." --- I went to the grocery store the other day and found a 20-ounce bottle of Vanilla Coke!! My happiness knows no bounds. Now all I have to do is find it in Diet and my life is perfect. --- Those of you who watch America's Next Top Model know who James St. James is. Who knew he was a writer as well as a style maven? His YA novel, Freak Show came out last week and I snagged a copy from a nearby library. Let me tell you, people. This book is FABULOUS. DIVINE. GO OUT AND READ IT RIGHT NOW. Plot: Redneck Florida is anything but ready for sixteen-year-old drag queen Billy Bloom. Influenced by his mother, Billy has grown up on a diva diet of sequins, of Westwood and wigs. Back in Connecticut, Billy was pretty free to be who he was, but when his unstable mother sends him to live with his old-money town-founder dad in Florida, his flamboyant outfits and Lizaesque dialogue make him the target of spitballs and beatings. When his classmates put him in a coma, the only people who stay by his side are Flip, the star football player and Blah Blah Blah, a gossip fiend who loves Billy's openness. Despite his classmates' cruelty Billy is determined to make it through school, and with Blah Blah Blah's help he concocts the ultimate be-yourself plan: He's going to run for Homecoming Queen. Why you should read it, darling: The dialogue, both inner and outer, makes this book. It's over-the-top and spangled, just like Billy, but the book is just the right length to keep it from putting the reader off. The ending is just imperfect enough, and the...I'll call it a relationship to avoid spoiling you, gentle readers...between Flip and Billy is really well done, so teenage. Also, I don't know of any other YA books that fall in the "queer" description if you're categorizing LGBTI/GLBTQ books. Billy describes his sexuality as "largely theoretical," and rather than focus on the "OMG, what sexuality am I" aspect that a lot of other YA books do (which doesn't make them wrong or less important, just different from this one) it focuses on theories of identity, popularity, and friendship. Or at least, that's what's there under the satin and ruffles. I also read Beauty Shop for Rent...fully equipped, inquire within by Laura Bowers, which I meant to post on earlier. I think what I'm finding in 2007 is that there aren't as many literary YA behemoths as there were in 2005 and 2006, but the "lighter" fare is amazing, so much better than it's been in years past. BSFR centers on fourteen-year-old Abbey, who is determined to escape a legacy of teenage pregnancy and become a millionaire by the time she's 35. She's wise about investing, works at her great-grandmother's (Granny Po) beauty shop, and saves, but all her careful financial planning can't seem to bring her the thing she wants most: her mother. When thirty-one-year-old Gena rents Granny Po's beauty shop and gives it the makeover of a lifetime, everyone in Abbey's circle of friends and family is transformed in ways that were impossible before paraffin treatments. The intergenerational relationships are sheer delight, and Abbey's angst over her mother is realistic but doesn't make you want to throw yourself out the window, either. Again, a great book for discussion, especially mother/grandmother/aunt/significant elder female-daughter/granddaughter/niece/youn g woman you're mentoring book groups. -- Today, I heard a tale from a YA librarian in the Midwest who is facing a parent who wants to ban a graphic novel from her library. This parent believes that no person, child, teen, or adult, should read this particular graphic novel and it should not be in the library in any section. (I don't want to go into what the GN is, but I will say that I know many teens who love it and it's certainly appropriate for a teen area; I bought it for my last library.) The librarian, superheroine that she is, did everything all librarians are supposed to do when faced with a challenge to materials: She collected reviews, articles about the importance of GNs in libraries, and lists of recommended GNs that include the challenged novel. She informed her director about the challenge, and her director stands behind her, which is good because... The parent will have no part of any of the librarian's reasoning. The graphic novel corrupts society, said the parent, and the librarian could never understand and is not truly qualified for her job because she... ...wait for it... is not a parent. How APPALLING is that??? I told some of my coworkers, all of whom have children, about the parent's reason for not listening to the librarian, and they all thought it was horrible. I can sympathize very much with the librarian, because I've caught this crap from some people at outlying libraries, too; that because I don't have children there are some things I could just never understand. The thing is, when you're working with children in a public library you don't have to have them, you only have to listen to them (and respond appropriately) and use your knowledge to serve them as best you can. I know of people who believe that people who don't have children should not be allowed to work with them, which is ridiculous and heartbreaking. I'm better at my job than many librarians who have teens at home. The thing is, they have THEIR children, and their children serve as a comparison point for all other teens. This is normal; Dog knows I certainly compare other cats to Beezus and Henry. But normal everyday comparisons are one thing and telling someone she's basically incompetent because she works with young people but doesn't have any at home is quite another. The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence." I'll be following this librarian's story. She'll be meeting with the director and the parent soon. I'd go into my related rant on how awful it is that Mr. Cedar, an Eagle Scout, does not feel comfortable volunteering with a local Boy Scout troop at another time. -- I can't spoil anyone about Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End because I haven't seen it. Maybe next Tuesday. Nothing worse than a movie theater on weekends. Even Orlando Bloom wet is not enough to brave the wilds of stupid people who think their movie commentary is oh so funny. Hey, genius, if you were half as witty as you think you are, you'd be writing for television and movies instead of sitting in a theater eating popcorn. Now please be quiet, you're ruining my pirates. -- So much to write, but so much to read before that. Tags: books, books i'd pay retail for, fangirling, libraries, rants
126:  giddy
780: your bridges were burned and now it's your turn to cry me a river
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The good: Mr. Cedar and I did not have water in our apartment yesterday. We're fine. The cats are fine. My coworkers are fine, except for two who had water in their basements. The bad: I got back from my run last night (I forgot gloves. How do I do these things? I was so freakin' cold.) to find that I had no heat or hot water. It's 48F degrees out. Temperatures here will not reach 60F until Saturday, which is about when we expect to have our heat and hot water back. So I smell and I'm shivering because I don't have a shower at work, nor do I belong to a gym. Sorry. The story from the apartment office is that fuel lines are backed up all over the town, and our entire complex is out, and I did see workers in a spot where I usually don't see them this morning. More bad: Many libraries in my system had to close yesterday due to flooded parking lots. One library had a flood in its children's section and that library is closed. I don't know what the damage is like, but I do know that that particular library's children's section is in the basement, so it can't be good. Another library's children's section flooded, but even though they had much damage to their carpeting, 98% of their books are still intact. My coworker took pictures of his neighborhood, which also flooded, but since they're not public I'll leave you with this picture of Bound Brook and this one of New Milford. Part of the road I have to take to get to a meeting this afternoon is flooded. Currently reading: Does my Head Look Big in This by Randa Abdel-Fattah. Pakistani-Australian Muslim private school student Amal has been inspired by Jennifer Aniston to wear the hijab full time. It's a decision she makes confidently and with the support of her closest friends and family. She's also the only Muslim girl at her school, and is met with opposition from mean girls and less-than-tolerant faculty. It is funny and witty if a little heavy-handed at times, and definitely worth a read. Randa Abdel-Fattah, if you ever read this, THANK YOU for writing this book. Not only is it something we desperately need in the YA world, but you handled it so beautifully, with a warm, charming main character who will inspire readers to be not only tolerant, but confident. Currently watching: Flavor of Love Charm School. Pure comedy gold, but it works best if you've seen both seasons of Flavor of Love. You just KNOW that the person who said, "Hey, we should totally get Flavor Flav to do The Surreal Life" that fateful day at a conference table now has the corner office and his/her own personal secretary, and probably lunch delivered from Spago every day. I'm not sure who to put money on just yet, but I'm leaning towards Toasteee and Goldie. Scuse me. Jennifer and Courtney. Currently annoyed by: Reviewers, writers, publishers, librarians, readers, etc. who cite every dogdamn children's and YA fantasy book or series as "The next Harry Potter" or "The ______ Harry Potter." I'm SICK of it. CAPSLOCK SICK OF IT. I don't want to hear about your dragon rider!Harry Potter or your black!Harry Potter or your green!Harry Potter or your time-and-space-travel!Harry Potter or your girl!Harry Potter. Yes, yes, readalikes, blah blah blah, but none of this "It's the next Harry Potter" actually tells me anything about the quality or content of the book. I don't want to hear how your book is leikomg So Much Better than Harry Potter, because in some ways it might be and in some ways it might not. Eragon certainly wasn't. Stephen King said it best: Harry Potter is Harry Potter, you dolts. Believe me, I appreciate what Harry Potter has done for the publishing industry, plus I love the books. But calling so much fantasy "the next Harry Potter" is akin to calling every chick lit YA book "the next Gossip Girl" or every GLBTQ book "the next Boy Meets Boy." Some of the stories are similar, yes. Pendragon and Harry Potter both use elements of the hero's journey and both have megalomaniac, melodramatic villains. But comparing D.J. MacHale's writing style to J.K. Rowling's is comparing apples and pineapples. She writes better emotions, and he writes better action sequences. Where she has maybe 3 multidimensional peripheral recurring characters, he's got about 7 or 8, and that's on a much smaller scale. Bobby Pendragon is not "the next Harry Potter," he's just Bobby Pendragon. And I like that on its own. So reviewers, writers, publishers, librarians, readers, etc., please do tell me about your really cool upcoming fantasy series about Native American time-traveling gnome hunters. I want to at least take a look at it. But please don't tell me it's the next Harry Potter, because it probably isn't. Tags: 2007, books, rants, tv
126:  thirsty
780: everybody's talking all this stuff about me, why don't they just let me live
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rushed
annoyed