YA Shelf Talk

    I remember when John Green's YAL novel, The Fault in Our Stars (2013, 313 pages), was made into a movie. I didn't watch it but had contemplated reading the book. I didn't read the book then though either. Fast-forward to now and I'm taking a graduate course focused on adolescent literature. The Fault in Our Stars immediately came to mind when I had to propose twenty books to read over the course of the next few months. It doesn't fit the diversity of characters or diverse author requirements that so many other proposed texts do but I read Green's Looking for Alaska a few months back and really enjoyed it. I thought I'd use this opportunity to finally read the novel that drew so much attention ten years ago--a time before I was married, before I was a mom; before I became "old."   ☺         Agustus (Gus) does reference Shakespeare's Julius Caesar to explain the story's title. Cassius: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But...

      I initially chose to read this text because it was a well-received fantasy novel. After researching YAL more, I realized that this fantasy novel is written by a smart and creative BIPOC author who is also an Ivy League graduate and daughter of Nigerian parents who emigrated from Nigeria. She is also a writing coach and knows how to craft a beautiful and epic story. The creativity in this story is amazing as Adeyemi crafts an epic tale in the fictional land of Orisha.       The land's King Saran has ruled very carefully and brutally over his kingdom for the last eleven years since magic died. He found a way to end the feud between noble elites and the Maji, who possessed the magic. The king will go to any extremes to maintain his power as he is often quoted throughout the story: "Duty over self."      Z é lie, along with her brother, Tzain, and the king's rogue princess daughter, Amari, work together to try to restore the magic of t...

I absolutely loved reading Mexikid by  Pedro Martín (2023; 320 pages) ! The book is part memoir, part comic book; and both parts seemed to come together so beautifully. It was so fun to experience Peter's (Pedro) view on life in the 1970s as the oldest of the younger siblings in a family of nine children with loving parents who immigrated to the United States as young parents. Unlike Peter's parents and his older siblings, he has always lived in the United States. Peter embarks on a journey with his entire family as they road trip from their home in California 2,000 miles to his parents' hometown on the west coast of Mexico. The trip's purpose is to convince--and then move--his abuelito/grandpa back to the US with them. There are crazy side trips throughout the family's journey to and from Mexico along with reunions with extended family members back in Peter's parents' hometown. Throughout the trip, Peter learns more about his abuelito's life and finds w...

      I whipped through Jason Reynold's graphic novel, Long Way Down (2017), in a little over an hour; it was so good! I then went back through the pages so that I could take in the beautiful watercolor illustrations by Danica Novgorodoff. Here are a few more details.  208 pages Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel, 2018 (Reynolds) John Newbery Medal, 2018 (Reynolds) Yoto Kate Grenaway Medal, 2022 (Novgorodoff)      The story chronicles Will, a fifteen year old who's older brother has just been shot and killed. Will remembers three rules his brother shares with him and one of them is to get revenge; therefore, Will--armed--sets out the following morning to do just that to the guy he thinks killed his brother. The bulk of the story then takes place in the elevator Will takes the elevator from his apartment to the lobby as he runs into ghosts of his past that cause him to contemplate his decision to avenge his brother's killer. I chose to read Long Way...

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson (2020), 297 pages Awards and Recognition New York Times Bestseller Amazon Best Book of the Year ALA Rainbow List Pick Kirkus Reviews Best Book New York Public Library Top Book Chicago Public Library Top Book     Johnson's memoir is heartfelt and emotional as he chronicles his upbringing and young adulthood. He's a young black boy who is also queer. The love of his family is palpable in his story as he talks warmly of his relationship with his grandmother, "Nanny" and his relationships with his parents, siblings, and cousins.  Nanny won't win any awards from GLAAD. She won't have her picture hung up during Black History Month, or make any headlines for operating out of a place of love. But because she saw me, I get the chance to tell everyone about her. And maybe, just maybe an LGBTQIAP+ person's family members or peers will read these words and enough of her spirit will rub off. (pg. 143)      I chose to read t...

Hi! I'm Amy and I've just set off on a journey towards reading twenty young adult novels/books (YAL) in the next few months. This endeavor is part of a graduate course that counts towards the completion of an MA in Teaching.  I'm an educator who is currently working with struggling readers and writers. I believe that giving students choices in what they read--and texts that involve characters and authors they identify with--will help them become better readers and experience deeper meaning (comprehension).  As an educator, I feel that it is my job to know the literature, the trends in literature, and current issues that relate to adolescents and children. Reading and analyzing texts that I would expect my students to read is one step towards doing my job a little better. I'm excited to start this journey! Thanks for stopping by!