- How do I get a reviewing gig at a professional journal?
- What are the elements of a great professional book review?
- What are the words and phrases I should avoid when writing reviews?
Review: Meet Me in Italy
1 day ago
Showing posts with label yalsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yalsa. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Read my advice in the Summer YALS
Young Adult Library Services (YALS) is the quarterly print journal of YALSA, and it's sent to all members of YALSA in good standing. One of the features YALS runs every issue is the "YA Q&A: Expert advice on tough teen services questions." I answered those tough questions for the Summer 2009 YALS on the subject of reviewing. I was inspired to submit an idea for this section because so many of my newer librarian colleagues and the library students I've lectured ask how I got the jobs I have reviewing for Kirkus and VOYA. This month, I spill it all. The questions I answer include:
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Ex-Librarian's Club Vol. 1: YALSA'S Worst Idea
Because the Columbia Publishing Course magazine workshop begins on the Sunday of ALA Annual, I am not going to the conference this year. This upsets me because I've had to leave the Printz committee AND I don't get to eat the filet mignon they were going to feed me at the 2009 Movers and Shakers Luncheon. I also won't have the opportunity to attend any of the YALSA board sessions. If you're going, you can see more information on the YALSA wiki here. With your ALA member number and password, you can also see the Board documents in the "for members only" section of the site. Thanks to Jen over at Reading Rants, I saw a board document which I found deeply disturbing. It calls for the disbanding of Best Books for Young Adults and replacing it with a sort of reader's choice award. Personally, I say bring on the reader's choice lists. I think they're a great idea. I don't, however, think they're a great idea if it means taking away BBYA in the process. BBYA is 40 years old, and I think it's needed now more than ever because publishers are printing more YA novels than ever.
The need for BBYA as a vetted list done by a panel of YA literature experts with input from teens can best be summed up by the life of Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link.
Pretty Monsters is one of my favorite YA books of 2008. It's a beautiful, macabre collection of short stories, all with a weird, semi-supernatural twist. In Link's stories, a handbag contains a faery world. A group of friends form a fandom over a show that has no set broadcast time or channel. It got starred reviews and acclaim from Link's peers, as it should have. Those things, however, are forgotten as we move on to the next book. Pretty Monsters wasn't eligible for the Morris and it didn't get a nod at the Printz, but it did deservedly make BBYA. Now, it's got a spot on a list that librarians use for collection development, a list with an available archive.
Pretty Monsters would fade without BBYA. It's certainly not popular. It's published by a big house, but it wasn't a lead title. Short story collections, though they have a special place in my heart, are not popular with teen readers. The books that make BBYA are the ones we look back on as a profession and remember. They're the ones that stood out in a year when thousands of books were published. The BBYA committee makes an effort to read a range of genres and formats from both large and small publishers. They recognize quality and potential popularity in books that don't have big print runs or expensive marketing campaigns and they give those books a lasting home. Because books go out of print fast, and because it's easy for us to get saturated with YA titles, BBYA serves as a reminder of the great books of a year, ones on which we can build our collections and ones which are setting today's standard of YA lit.
One of the arguments in favor of disbanding BBYA is that a reader's choice award would allow more people to participate in the booklist selection process. I think there's room for a popularity contest, but why should BBYA have to suffer for the sake of wider participation? We already have rewards for popular books in place. Although not everyone can be a member of BBYA (and why should they get to be?), anyone can nominate a book for BBYA, anyone can contact any committee member about any book, and anyone attending ALA can attend the BBYA sessions. BBYA isn't done in a vacuum.
Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan wrote more about this at the Bookends blog: Replacing BBYA: What do you think? They have some great points about the work BBYA does and how it cannot be replaced by a popular choice award. Also, check out Alex Flinn's blog post about what BBYA did for her first novel, Breathing Underwater.
Please, YALSA, instate that popular choice award. Open it to all librarians and give everyone a vote. I'm all for more chances for YALSA participation. But keep BBYA, because the need for it is greater than ever before.
The need for BBYA as a vetted list done by a panel of YA literature experts with input from teens can best be summed up by the life of Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link.
Pretty Monsters is one of my favorite YA books of 2008. It's a beautiful, macabre collection of short stories, all with a weird, semi-supernatural twist. In Link's stories, a handbag contains a faery world. A group of friends form a fandom over a show that has no set broadcast time or channel. It got starred reviews and acclaim from Link's peers, as it should have. Those things, however, are forgotten as we move on to the next book. Pretty Monsters wasn't eligible for the Morris and it didn't get a nod at the Printz, but it did deservedly make BBYA. Now, it's got a spot on a list that librarians use for collection development, a list with an available archive.
Pretty Monsters would fade without BBYA. It's certainly not popular. It's published by a big house, but it wasn't a lead title. Short story collections, though they have a special place in my heart, are not popular with teen readers. The books that make BBYA are the ones we look back on as a profession and remember. They're the ones that stood out in a year when thousands of books were published. The BBYA committee makes an effort to read a range of genres and formats from both large and small publishers. They recognize quality and potential popularity in books that don't have big print runs or expensive marketing campaigns and they give those books a lasting home. Because books go out of print fast, and because it's easy for us to get saturated with YA titles, BBYA serves as a reminder of the great books of a year, ones on which we can build our collections and ones which are setting today's standard of YA lit.
One of the arguments in favor of disbanding BBYA is that a reader's choice award would allow more people to participate in the booklist selection process. I think there's room for a popularity contest, but why should BBYA have to suffer for the sake of wider participation? We already have rewards for popular books in place. Although not everyone can be a member of BBYA (and why should they get to be?), anyone can nominate a book for BBYA, anyone can contact any committee member about any book, and anyone attending ALA can attend the BBYA sessions. BBYA isn't done in a vacuum.
Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan wrote more about this at the Bookends blog: Replacing BBYA: What do you think? They have some great points about the work BBYA does and how it cannot be replaced by a popular choice award. Also, check out Alex Flinn's blog post about what BBYA did for her first novel, Breathing Underwater.
Please, YALSA, instate that popular choice award. Open it to all librarians and give everyone a vote. I'm all for more chances for YALSA participation. But keep BBYA, because the need for it is greater than ever before.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
If we start it, who will continue it?
This post at the YALSA blog has my alarm bells ringing: Start Something New With YALSA. Quoting the post:
I don't like even the remote possibility of YALSA encouraging the idea of expanding the YA age definition, and I'll tell you why:
I think YA librarians taking on the 18-25ers is a great way for YA librarians to do more work for the same amount of pay and to devalue the work we're already doing. Speaking for myself, in my YA positions I have always had my hands full with the 12-18-year-olds. Doing collection development and library services just for those ages is full time and then some. Being a good YA librarian, to me, means keeping up on pop culture trends, reading a ton of books, maintaining a collection, having interesting, relevant programs, knowing about college and career advisory sources for high schoolers, visiting schools, you get the picture. If we take on the duties of great service to 18-25-year-olds, something for the 12-18-year-olds is going to have to go because we're now making more bricks with less straw. If YA services takes on older young adults, that means less money for books for middle and high school students (and how much crossover will there be between YA and adult collections?). It means less time for the YA librarian to visit schools, never mind attending workshops and conferences.
By saying, "Yes, I already work with the 12-18 group but now I want to expand it to 12-25," YA librarians are sending the message that we don't already have enough to do with our time. We're devaluing the services we already give by saying that it's super easy to get all our work done in the time allotted to us and we're totally willing to do even more work for the same amount of pay. How many YA librarians are also children's librarians or adult librarians? How many YA librarians are doing jobs that should be done by two people? Offering to expand the YA librarian's job to include up to age 25 sends the message to our directors that we're willing to take on more work than we can realistically do well. Aside from this, by adding 18-25 to the YA definition, we're saying that the reference, recreational, and reader's advisory needs of that age group are closer to the reference needs of middle schoolers than they are to those of adults.
I acknowledge that the idea of 25 being the new 18 exists, though I find it silly. At 18, you're an adult for all legal and educational intents and purposes. I know because I watch TV and read YA lit that college is the new high school. I know that the 18-34 demographic is a big moneymaker for television advertisers and Apple computers. None of this, however, means that I am willing to take on more work for the same amount of money. If the 18-to-25 age group is a concern for YA librarians either individually or as an organization, then this is something to be addressed by both YA and adult services librarians. I know that many of my colleagues are making an effort to reach this age group, and that's great; it's an age group long overlooked in public library services. I do not, however, think that the idea of services being offered as part of YA and handled exclusively by YA librarians is a good one. Time should equal money. If we're not going to get more of either of those when we take on a new demographic in YA services, then how can we be expected to perform those services well?
Recently, members of the YALSA Board discussed how the Division defines “young adult.” Specifically the Board wondered if more attention should be paid to the older or younger age edges of the group that makes up what we call young adult. In that discussion, the group realized that it could be useful if YALSA looked at ways to support librarians that serve older teens (including those in college and the work force) and those in their early 20s.
I don't like even the remote possibility of YALSA encouraging the idea of expanding the YA age definition, and I'll tell you why:
I think YA librarians taking on the 18-25ers is a great way for YA librarians to do more work for the same amount of pay and to devalue the work we're already doing. Speaking for myself, in my YA positions I have always had my hands full with the 12-18-year-olds. Doing collection development and library services just for those ages is full time and then some. Being a good YA librarian, to me, means keeping up on pop culture trends, reading a ton of books, maintaining a collection, having interesting, relevant programs, knowing about college and career advisory sources for high schoolers, visiting schools, you get the picture. If we take on the duties of great service to 18-25-year-olds, something for the 12-18-year-olds is going to have to go because we're now making more bricks with less straw. If YA services takes on older young adults, that means less money for books for middle and high school students (and how much crossover will there be between YA and adult collections?). It means less time for the YA librarian to visit schools, never mind attending workshops and conferences.
By saying, "Yes, I already work with the 12-18 group but now I want to expand it to 12-25," YA librarians are sending the message that we don't already have enough to do with our time. We're devaluing the services we already give by saying that it's super easy to get all our work done in the time allotted to us and we're totally willing to do even more work for the same amount of pay. How many YA librarians are also children's librarians or adult librarians? How many YA librarians are doing jobs that should be done by two people? Offering to expand the YA librarian's job to include up to age 25 sends the message to our directors that we're willing to take on more work than we can realistically do well. Aside from this, by adding 18-25 to the YA definition, we're saying that the reference, recreational, and reader's advisory needs of that age group are closer to the reference needs of middle schoolers than they are to those of adults.
I acknowledge that the idea of 25 being the new 18 exists, though I find it silly. At 18, you're an adult for all legal and educational intents and purposes. I know because I watch TV and read YA lit that college is the new high school. I know that the 18-34 demographic is a big moneymaker for television advertisers and Apple computers. None of this, however, means that I am willing to take on more work for the same amount of money. If the 18-to-25 age group is a concern for YA librarians either individually or as an organization, then this is something to be addressed by both YA and adult services librarians. I know that many of my colleagues are making an effort to reach this age group, and that's great; it's an age group long overlooked in public library services. I do not, however, think that the idea of services being offered as part of YA and handled exclusively by YA librarians is a good one. Time should equal money. If we're not going to get more of either of those when we take on a new demographic in YA services, then how can we be expected to perform those services well?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Melissa Rabey for the 2011 Printz
Ballots for the ALA elections have started going out, so now I will take the time to shamelessly pimp someone I voted for.
Melissa Rabey, whose blog is Librarian By Day, is one of the most organized, thoughtful people I know. This year, she's running for a spot on the 2011 Printz committee, so if you've got a vote to spare, give it to her! Every day, she busts her butt to serve the teen patrons of the C. Burr Artz branch of the Frederick Co. (MD) Public Library as best she knows how. She is a font of knowledge in the realms of history, fashion, and pop culture and will even bring her expertise in historical fiction to the YALSA Genre Galaxy preconference in Chicago this June. She also has years of experience on YALSA committees, including Popular Paperbacks and Organization & Bylaws.
Most importantly, Melissa is my good friend of many years, fellow America's Next Top Model addict, and owned by an adorable cat. She can hem pants, review books, and discuss classic movies all at once. She's an asset to YALSA and someone who will be fantastic on the Printz. Give her a vote, won't you?
Melissa Rabey, whose blog is Librarian By Day, is one of the most organized, thoughtful people I know. This year, she's running for a spot on the 2011 Printz committee, so if you've got a vote to spare, give it to her! Every day, she busts her butt to serve the teen patrons of the C. Burr Artz branch of the Frederick Co. (MD) Public Library as best she knows how. She is a font of knowledge in the realms of history, fashion, and pop culture and will even bring her expertise in historical fiction to the YALSA Genre Galaxy preconference in Chicago this June. She also has years of experience on YALSA committees, including Popular Paperbacks and Organization & Bylaws.
Most importantly, Melissa is my good friend of many years, fellow America's Next Top Model addict, and owned by an adorable cat. She can hem pants, review books, and discuss classic movies all at once. She's an asset to YALSA and someone who will be fantastic on the Printz. Give her a vote, won't you?
Monday, January 19, 2009
I'll wait for the paperback
Ask anyone who's been around YALSA for a while and they'll confirm the rumor: Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults is the most fun you'll ever have on a YALSA committee. PPYA's job is to put together themed lists of paperbacks, i.e., a list of sports books, nonfiction, horror, etc. Besides making new friends, I have to say that I'm most grateful for the opportunity to read books I might have missed in the past. This year, I'm reading for the "Death and Dying" and "Fame and Fortune" lists, so I wanted to share some of my new favorites, books I wouldn't have read if they hadn't been nominated (but I'm glad they were):
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. If you've worked a YA desk longer than a week, you've probably encountered some theme and variations on mother-daughter reader's advisory, where the daughter wants true love and hot guys and the mother wants a female main character who can be a role model for her daughter. Keturah and Lord Death is the book they can compromise on. Keturah, lost in the forest, makes a deal with Death: He'll spare her if she can find her one true love in a very short, very specific period of time.
Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp. You all know how much I adored The Spectacular Now. This is Tharp's first offering, about a group of promising football stars from a Friday Night Lights town. Just like in Spectacular, Tharp has created a unique voice and shows that the biggest consequences can come from the smallest towns.
The Luxe by Anna Godberson. Interesting characters, a fascinating look at high-society New York in 1899, and a cover that pretty much sells itself. This is great for readers who want romance and scandal in ballgowns.
Deathnote Vol. 1 by Tsughumi Ohba. It is a fair thing to say I'm not a fan of manga. I'm glad it's there for those who want to read it but I'm generally not much into it. Until Deathnote. Concept: a Japanese boy comes into possession of a notebook. If the notebook's owner writes a name in the book, that person dies. But what kind of people does a generally upstanding if very curious boy kill?
If you want to hear Popular Paperbacks discuss these books and more in Denver, our meetings are open to all conference attendees. We'll be at the Westin Tabor Center, Lawrence Room. Business meeting on Saturday and book discussions all day on Sunday. Our favorites are the people who bring the coffee and donuts.
(Please note that none of this entry in any way expresses the opinion of Popular Paperbacks committee members other than myself.)
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. If you've worked a YA desk longer than a week, you've probably encountered some theme and variations on mother-daughter reader's advisory, where the daughter wants true love and hot guys and the mother wants a female main character who can be a role model for her daughter. Keturah and Lord Death is the book they can compromise on. Keturah, lost in the forest, makes a deal with Death: He'll spare her if she can find her one true love in a very short, very specific period of time.
Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp. You all know how much I adored The Spectacular Now. This is Tharp's first offering, about a group of promising football stars from a Friday Night Lights town. Just like in Spectacular, Tharp has created a unique voice and shows that the biggest consequences can come from the smallest towns.
The Luxe by Anna Godberson. Interesting characters, a fascinating look at high-society New York in 1899, and a cover that pretty much sells itself. This is great for readers who want romance and scandal in ballgowns.
Deathnote Vol. 1 by Tsughumi Ohba. It is a fair thing to say I'm not a fan of manga. I'm glad it's there for those who want to read it but I'm generally not much into it. Until Deathnote. Concept: a Japanese boy comes into possession of a notebook. If the notebook's owner writes a name in the book, that person dies. But what kind of people does a generally upstanding if very curious boy kill?
If you want to hear Popular Paperbacks discuss these books and more in Denver, our meetings are open to all conference attendees. We'll be at the Westin Tabor Center, Lawrence Room. Business meeting on Saturday and book discussions all day on Sunday. Our favorites are the people who bring the coffee and donuts.
(Please note that none of this entry in any way expresses the opinion of Popular Paperbacks committee members other than myself.)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
It's April 17. How are you supporting teen lit?
Support Teen Lit Day is a relatively new project of YALSA's, meant to increase visibility and positive press for teen literature. This year, the fabulous Readergirlz are hosting Operation Teen Book Drop, in which they donate young adult books to hospitals. What did I do to support teen literature? I talked to a library board and foundation.
One of our libraries in BCCLS is undergoing a renovation and plan to expand their teen section and offer more teen programming. The director asked me to speak today as the BCCLS consultant on YA services, and I had a great time. I got to talk to a room full of people who don't read YA lit, and I told them about the amazing array of YA lit available these days, from the literary to the fluff, and how to reflect the lives of teens in a library's collection. Because here's the thing: We can talk all we want about how important it is to communicate with teens, to get teen input on books, all that good stuff, but if we can't make those who fund us (taxpayers, library boards, Friends of the Library groups, etc.) see how important teen literature is, and how it's more than just Eragon and Gossip Girl, all our good intentions and readers' advisory means nothing.
Visit the YALSA Wiki's Support Teen Literature Day page to find out what you can do to support teen literature on April 17th...and 18th, and 19th, and 20th, and 21st...
Thursday, November 8, 2007
What I do in addition to BCCLS: Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
Here is a picture of what my desk looked like two weeks ago. October is the last month for people to nominate books to YALSA's Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, a committee I've been proud to serve on since 2005. In October, publishers are often in a rush to get nominated titles and possible titles for nomination to committee members so we can read them and nominate the for the list. Currently there are two very large boxes full of HarperCollins titles in the corner of my office, and a box of assorted titles by my door, and two book carts getting near the overflowing point in opposite corners of the room. (In the photo, you also see a hardcover copy of Does my Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah. That's for another project I'll address in another entry.)
If I do say so myself, being on Popular Paperbacks is the most fun you will probably ever have on any YALSA committee. Why? First off, we all love to eat. There's an unwritten rule in the committee that whoever is local to the city where various ALA conventions are being held is responsible for the procurement of food for the all-day Sunday meetings. I grew up in Chicago, so in the summer of 2005 we had Lou Malnati's pizza and Amy Joy donuts. We had Tex-Mex in San Antonio and some great Thai in Seattle. Besides the food, the committee encourages open discussion. Anyone attending ALA is welcome to come to our discussion sessions. We laugh a lot and get to discuss some really good books.
Every year, Popular Paperbacks puts together four themed lists, so when you need a list of interesting nonfiction books, or humor, or fantasy, think of us first! Usually two themes a year are repeats of popular genre lists: GLBTQ, sports, mysteries, etc. The other two are lists the committee feels are of current interest, or that might just be fun to put together. In 2006 we put together "Books That Don't Make You Blush" and for 2008 we have "Sex is a Touchy Subject" and "Magic in the Real World."
If you want to be a part of Popular Paperbacks, all you have to do is fill out a YALSA Committee and Task Force Volunteer Form. You don't need special powers or a genius IQ, just an interest in teen books and an idea of what makes for a popular title.
If I do say so myself, being on Popular Paperbacks is the most fun you will probably ever have on any YALSA committee. Why? First off, we all love to eat. There's an unwritten rule in the committee that whoever is local to the city where various ALA conventions are being held is responsible for the procurement of food for the all-day Sunday meetings. I grew up in Chicago, so in the summer of 2005 we had Lou Malnati's pizza and Amy Joy donuts. We had Tex-Mex in San Antonio and some great Thai in Seattle. Besides the food, the committee encourages open discussion. Anyone attending ALA is welcome to come to our discussion sessions. We laugh a lot and get to discuss some really good books.
Every year, Popular Paperbacks puts together four themed lists, so when you need a list of interesting nonfiction books, or humor, or fantasy, think of us first! Usually two themes a year are repeats of popular genre lists: GLBTQ, sports, mysteries, etc. The other two are lists the committee feels are of current interest, or that might just be fun to put together. In 2006 we put together "Books That Don't Make You Blush" and for 2008 we have "Sex is a Touchy Subject" and "Magic in the Real World."
If you want to be a part of Popular Paperbacks, all you have to do is fill out a YALSA Committee and Task Force Volunteer Form. You don't need special powers or a genius IQ, just an interest in teen books and an idea of what makes for a popular title.
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