All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!

Last Friday I attended a Library conference on Young Adult Literature thanks to a generous grant from PAWS, our wonderful parent organization.

I spent an entire day discussing books, participating in book activities and buying new books for the Media Center. The conference centered on new 2012 titles and 2011 paperback releases. I was able to learn more about some of the books currently in our collection that I haven't read yet and make a wish list (one of my favorite tasks) for our Spring order.

Most adults agree that they'd never want to go back in time to their high school years, but as a reader I sure wish I was a teen again. The Young Adult market is exploding right now and the titles, themes and subjects are vast and varied. Paranormal (like the Twilight series) and Dystopian (like The Hunger Games) are still the big trends in the YA market, but I was pleased to see many books about families, relationships and non-apocalyptic events (not that I don't love a good zombie apocalypse novel).

Here's a sneak peek at some titles I'll be purchasing for our students-

Doggirl- by Robin Brande (who hails from Tucson)- Riley is a 9th grader who prefers her dogs over people until she meets a young man involved with the drama department. It's like Glee meets Animal Planet.

Trapped- by Michael Northrope- A group of teens get trapped on their high school campus in a blizzard. High stakes survival at its best!

Running Dream- by Wendelin Van Draanen- Star runner Jessica is in an accident that leaves her body forever altered when her leg is amputated. This is the story of how her friends from the track team help her to accept and enjoy her new life.

Since our big Fall book order arrived three weeks ago, books have been flying off our shelves. Please don't let anyone try and convince you that libraries aren't relevant to today's teens. Our Horizon students have figured out that fresh, new fiction is on campus and they often will check here before heading to Barnes and Noble or the public library. As our collection continues to grow (thanks to your support) I'm able to say "yes we have that" more often than ever before.

Happy Reading!