Shock of Fate

I enjoyed this book and will be reading the next book in the series. It did take me a little bit to really get hooked on the story though.

I enjoyed Van and her growth as a heroine through the story. This is a good YA fantasy full of action, magic, magical creatures and much more. I liked the addition of unique species, like the bunfy, as well as those many readers are familiar with such as trolls and goblins.

I did find the world the author created a little confusing at times and a little hard to follow, but by the end I had a much better grasp on the world the author created.

Here is a link to the book trailer:

https://youtu.be/FdPvtHKXA08

Title: Shock of Fate
Author: D.L. Armillei
Published: April 11, 2017
Publisher: Diamond Cove Publishing, LLCPages: 405Series: Anchoress #1

Crewe Chase and the Jet Reapers

Title: Crewe Chase and the Jet ReapersAuthor: E SiscoDate Published: May 9, 2017Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLCPages: 283Series: Crewe Chase

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This is not just another story about magic which is what I was expecting, but it quickly deviated from the typical Harry Potter story line. This story has magic, revenge, friendship, intrigue and so much more. I did not expect to get completely pulled into this story after reading the synopsis, but I was hooked!  This story is about Crewe Chase and his journey to revenge his Uncle's death and become a great magician. There are many books about magic in the market today, however this book holds it's own through amazing characters, humor, and a great story line.  (Rockcave is definitely my favorite animal sidekick) I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read the next one! Crewe Chase and the Pearl Defender

Blistered By Deidre Huesmann

Title: Blistered
Author: Deidre Huesmann
Date Published: 11/9/2016
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Pages: 236
Series: A Modern Greek Myth

This is not Percy Jackson's Story.......Azalee has been imprisoned by her own people since she was three because she is Blistered. Azalee has white hair, white  skin and red eyes due to a curse from the gods at the age of three. Joel believes his fate is to deliver Azalee to the island of Mykonos to join others like her. A third member joins their trip to reach Mykonos, the girl Azalee blaims for her curse, Niribelle. This story is full of determination, sacrifice, romance and much more. I love the way the author blends Greek mythology and the modern era. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a female heroine and Greek myths. I highly recommend it! Next in the series!

Week Thirteen Prompt - Adults Reading YA

Though this week's group of "genres" all seem very different, they all have in common the fact that many people don't feel that they are legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn't be spending money on them or promoting them to adults. The common belief is that adults still don't or shouldn't read that stuff. How can we as librarians, work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels? Or should we?

I find this a very interesting topic, especially considering I primarily read YA Fiction.

   

There is a great article that was featured in The Guardian that also addresses this topic, I highly recommend it. The article also states “A survey in 2012 showed that 55% of YA readers are actually adults”. As I have taken classes for my degree in Library Science I have learned that I am definitely not the only adult that reads this genre and the article coincides with that thought. The article gives many reasons for why this genre is so popular for all ages.

Why are so many adults reading YA and teen fiction?

I personally think the Harry Potter series attracted many adults to the genre to begin with, followed by the Hunger Games and Divergent. These stories all feature another world and allow the readers to use their imagination while reading. The storyline in all of these is also one of good vs. evil, a classic.

Another reason that I believe this genre is more popular is because it doesn’t totally focus on sex or violence. These topics might be referenced or featured but it doesn’t consume the story or go into graphic detail. I believe more attention is given to the characters, story line and world building as a result making it so popular.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with adults reading YA fiction, as long as they are reading. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences and that definitely should include choice of genre. During our studies this semester I have also seen book clubs focused on adults that read YA, and I know I would love to participate in one! Pinterest if full of recommendations for adults that enjoy YA!

Georgina Howlett (Britishbiblioholic). "Why are so many adults reading YA and teen fiction?." the Guardian. 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 9 Apr. 2017.

YA Annotation - Everything, Everything

  
Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Date Published: 9/01/2015
Setting: California & Hawaii
Pages: 310

Maddy hasn't been outside of her house in seventeen years because she has a very rare disease, SCID (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency). The only people she has any contact with are her Mother and her nurse, she handles this with ease until a family moves in next door. The family has two children, one of them is a handsome teenager named Olly. Maddy soon becomes obsessed watching him from her window, and they soon establish an online friendship. Maddy knows she is falling in love with him, but will she survive it?

Young adult fiction is typically written for ages 12-18 and the main character will be within in that age range as well. This genre deals with contemporary issues and experiences while having characters that teens can relate to, and uses contemporary language. The issues faced in this book are lying, abuse, health, and parent relationships.

I chose this book because I often feel like I am allergic to the outside world because of all my allergies and was able to empathize with the character. I like that the main character was an Afro-Asian girl, more books need to feature characters that represent the different ethnicities in our country. Based on the reviews I have read most people either love it or hate it. I don't hate the book but I also don't think it is very realistic.


The book has been made into a movie and will be released May 19th. I am looking forward to the movie because Amandla Stenberg is playing Maddy, for those that don't know she played Rue in the Hunger Games. I can't wait to see how closely it follows the book.

Read Alikes:
The books all feature a character that deals with some type of illness.

             

                      














These options feature multi-racial characters. Everything, Everything does not focus on the fact that the main character is multi-racial; however, I feel that it is important to promote these books.

Special Topics Paper - Reader's Advisory For Teens

Social Media is a great tool to use in Reader's Advisory for Teens. Here are some ideas on how social media platforms can be used to provide book recommendations for teens.

Reader's Advisory for Teens

Booktalks are a great way to to promote reading to teens. Many social media platforms now allow videos to be posted including: Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. When creating a booktalk to post on social media, the librarian needs to keep in mind the time constraints of each platform, for example Snapchat videos are limited to ten seconds. Snapchat also allows the user to add filters that pertain to the setting or content of the book. Videos could be created for new items in the Teen Section, Read-alikes, and other items the library is currently promoting.

A book snap is a picture of text from a book that is focusing on a quote or idea in the text with emojis, text or other content added to illustrate the point. The book snaps are typically shared on Snapchat and Twitter.  The librarian can share quotes or highlights from the book they are reading or promoting and post it to the social media app. Book snaps could also be used to share what the librarian is currently reading by posting a picture of the book cover with a few words about the book or with the words, currently reading. Book snaps of a book cover could be shared on all social media platforms. Sharing what one is currently reading or has read recently is a great way to get teenagers talking about books.

There are multiple websites available that will allow a patron to get a reading recommendation, Goodreads and Library Thing are among some of the popular websites. The teen librarian could create a profile on these sites to promote what they are currently reading and assist teen patrons in doing so as well. Posting links to these accounts on the library website and social media platforms will allow the library to reach more users. Goodreads allows a user to add friends and follow what they are reading and make recommendations to others as well.

Infographics are graphic visual representations of information and have become very popular. There are many free programs that allow you to create these, such as: Piktochart, Canva and Venngage. This is a great way to recommend books through the use of Read-alikes or specific topics.  For example an infographic could be made about what to read if you like the tv series The Walking Dead. These posters could then be displayed at the library in the teen section or shared on the library’s social media platforms.

Works Cited

Brown, David W. "How Young Adult Fiction Came of Age." The Atlantic. N.p., 01 Aug. 2011. Web. 2 Mar. 2017.

Burgess, Dave. "#BookSnaps!!" Blog post. Teach Like a Pirate. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Graves, Alanna. "How To Use Snapchat for Readers' Advisory." School Library Journal(2016): n. pag. Web.

Thorton-Verma, Henrietta, and Meredith Schwartz. "The State of Readers' Advisory."Library Journal 03 Feb. 2014: n. pag. Web. 2 Mar. 2017.

The Jewel - A Kirkus Style Review

 The Jewel

By: Amy Ewing

Publisher: HarperTeen

Date: September 2, 2014

Series: The Lone City

Violet enters servitude in the Jewel when she is auctioned off as a surrogate to the royalty, but a forbidden love threatens the balance of their whole world.

Violet, born and raised in the marsh, has been raised to be a surrogate since a young age.  It was not by choice that she entered this arrangement, the royals may have wealth but they are unable to have their own children, necessitating another arrangement. Violet is greeted with a slap by the Duchess and soon realizes she will have to fight to survive in this treacherous world full of lies, backstabbing, and violence. One bright light in the Jewel is a hired companion to the Duchess's niece, but he is one thing she can't have. The author does a fabulous job looking at the issue of a caste system and how those relationships work when the people start to realize their importance.

This book will appeal to YA readers that enjoyed The Selection and other Dystopian series.

Crime and Forensic Science Young Adult Pairings

Crime and Forensic Science Young Adult Pairings

I am focusing on pairing crime fiction and forensic/true crime

nonfiction for young adults. My inspiration for this topic is the recent

Holiday, many students love scary movies and I recently read My

Friend Dahmer, I really enjoyed it and I know it has a high circulation

at our school library. I would design a display with most wanted signs,

crime tape, magnifying glasses, and evidence bags. I would set the

display up close to the Young Adult section and on a major path in the

library. I would advertise on the library website, Twitter and Facebook

pages. A potential problem could be that some parents may not like

the graphic nature of the material. The benefits of these pairings is

that it can introduce a variety of type of nonfiction books to young

adults.

My first pairing is about Jack the Ripper, a famous serial

killer from London in the 1800s. A study or display is not

complete without Jack the Ripper.

Jack the Ripper: A Journal of the Whitechapel

Murders 1888-1889

Rick Geary

This is a black and white graphic nonfiction work about the

serial killer Jack the Ripper. This case is very fascinating because the killer

was not found and the murders were never solved. I chose this option

because it is done in black and white so it is not as controversial as some of

the other graphic novels about Jack the Ripper.

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Kerri Maniscalo

This gothic thriller is set in the 1800s focuses on a lord’s

daughter who secretly studies forensic science in her

uncle’s laboratory. Her work brings her close to the

investigation of a serial killer which may put her in grave

danger.

My second pairing takes a look at what it looks like when someone is trying

not to be a serial killer. I thought this pairing would be unique because in My

Friend Dahmer, Jeff doesn’t know how to escape his unusual desires and in

I Am Not a Serial Killer, John has a very strict set of rules to ensure he does

not become a serial killer.

My Friend Dahmer

Derk Backderf

This graphic novel is a true accounting of what Jeffrey

Dahmer’s high school experience was like. It is written by

one of his high school classmates and probably one of his

only friends. This memoir gives real insight into some of

the things that probably led him on his path.

I Am Not A Serial Killer

Dan Wells

John is obsessed with serial killers and knows he is

dangerous. Is he really capable of being a serial killer, he

thinks he can prevent it by following a set of rules that will

make him appear as normal as possible. Will he be able to

keep this up when presented with danger?

My third pairing is based on a novel that kind of resembles the Natalee

Holloway case. The first is a novel and the second is an informational text

about forensic science.

Dangerous Girls

Abigail Haas

On a spring break trip to Aruba Anna’s best friend is brutally

murdered. Anna is trapped in the country and everyone is

convinced she is guilty. Will the judge agree or will she be

proven innocent.

Hidden Evidence: 40 True Crimes and How Forensic

Science Helped Solve Them

David L. Owen

This informational text explains the scientific procedures that

helped solve 40 cases. This includes: fingerprinting,

autopsies, handwriting analysis, ballistics, hair sampling,

blood typing, DNA testing, dental records, gas

chromatography, mass spectrometry, compound and electron microscopes,

and toxicology.

My fourth pairing is all about bones, can you solve a crime just based on a

skeleton, can you solve a crime without a body?

The Lovely Bones

Alice Sebold

A family is devastated by their teenage daughter’s

disappearance. Susie describes the murder from heaven,

while the family suffers not knowing what happened. Susie

keeps vigil over her family while hoping her murderer is

found and punished.

Forensic Identification: Putting a Name and Face on

Death

Elizabeth A. Murray

This book looks at how forensic scientists identify victims

and criminals by studying autopsies, facial

reconstructions, fingerprints, and DNA evidence.

My fifth pairing is a novel about cold cases in the FBI being solved with the

help of gifted teenagers and a nonfiction forensic title looking at how forensic science plays a role in the criminal justice system. This would be a great

pairing for those that love TV shows like Criminal Minds and CSI.

The Naturals

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Cassie has been asked by the FBI to help use her gift

at profiling people to help solve cold cases. As Cassie

works with other gifted teenagers to solve these cases

they are caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic

Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA

Bridget Heos

The author uses real life cases to tell the history of

modern forensic science. In doing this she shows the

the essential part forensics plays in the criminal

justice system.