iggi & gabi: YA Cafe

Showing posts with label YA Cafe. Show all posts

Friday, June 3, 2011

YA Cafe: Summer Reading Book Club

What I want to know is... what do you think of this idea? Are you in?

Also, don't forget about our super-fun blogfest next week. Sign up using the linky below and then on June 10, tell us why you write YA on your own blog. Then hop around to different blogs and see what other folks are saying.

Join our "Why Do You Write YA?" Blogfest!

Friday, May 27, 2011

YA Cafe: "Why Do You Write YA" Blogfest!

Why do you write YA? Tell us on your blog on June 10th!

Friday, May 20, 2011

YA Cafe: 5 Facts You Should Know about YA

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I'm your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words. Today we have a few guests joining us: the Editorial Staff from Verbal Pyrotechnics, an online magazine dedicated to publishing the best teen literature on the Internet.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs. We've also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned! Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today's Special: The Stigma of Reading and Writing YA

I think anyone who writes or loves to read YA has experienced the Stigma. It's happened to me more times than I can count. For instance, I tried lending lawyer-hubby a YA book and he said "no" because he couldn't read a teen book on the subway... what if he ran into his boss or someone from the firm? They would think that he *gasp* liked reading YA. I couldn't see what the big deal was but I decided let this one slide, after all, lawyer-hubby doesn't make me read his boring law books.

A more painful example, though, was when I was taking a writing class with students writing in various genres. I was the only writer in the class working on YA and when my turn for critique came up, the teacher felt the need to preface it by telling the other students to take my piece just as seriously as any other, even though it was written for teens. I didn't know who I wanted to smack first, the students for needing the lecture or the teacher for giving it.

It's moments like these that leave me feeling somehow inferior for loving and writing YA. Yet, if you look at the facts, YA is actually one of the most exciting places to be both as a reader and writer.

Fact #1: The YA market is booming... other areas of fiction, not so much. I moderated a panel on Reading and Technology last week and of course, one of the many topics that came up was YA. According to a publisher on the panel, one trend that's partially responsible for the boom in YA is that adults are reading YA, more so than ever before. These phenomenon has made it so that while the rest of publishing is struggling, YA is doing well.

Fact #2: Today's YA is not the same YA many of us grew up with. In fact, it's a whole lot better. When I was a teen, YA books at the time didn't do much for me so I just skipped YA altogether and started reading books for adults. If I were a teen now, though, I'd never want to stop reading YA. There's a lot more risk-taking going on, and books are edgier and more sophisticated. Frankly, YA has just gotten a whole lot better in the last ten-to-fifteen years.

Fact #3: YA fans are really into their books. As a writer, it's so great to be writing in a category that has such dedicated fans and such a vibrant literary community. For an "lesser-genre" we sure have a lot of fans.Want proof? Check out this blog list of all YA book blogs. And let's not forget The Story Siren, who is perhaps one of the most prolific and well-known book bloggers out there, she blogs about YA. So there.

Fact #4: You can pull some stunts in YA you'd never be allowed to do in "regular" fiction. From an anthology about Zombies vs. Unicorns, to a fairytale about a girl married to a polar bear, to a book about the struggles of a transsexual teen, YA lets you do as much or more than adult literature. Maybe it's because readers are more willing to read outside their comfort zones. Maybe it's because the writers are more willing to write outside their comfort zones. I'm not sure.

Or maybe it's because genres tend to meld together in YA. Whereas in adult literature tends to be broken up according to category, teen literature is usually shelved together. This might be because a lot of YA often tends to cross over genres. In adult literature, you have fantasy in one category and romance in another. YA often combines the two. All I know is that as a writer, I feel like I can do things in YA that I wouldn't be able to do if I were writing strictly for adults.

Fact #5: YA is awesome!* It's that simple. YA is fun, it's interesting, it speaks to me in a way that no other category does. Other fiction is fine and I'll read it from time to time, but frankly, I find it a bit dull.
*OK, so this one is an opinion but you get the idea.

Have you ever experienced the stigma of reading or writing YA? Feel free to vent about it in the comments!

Want to hear more about the Stigma of YA? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words and our guests Verbal Pyrotechnics discuss it on their site too! Check it out, then tell us what you think!

Friday, May 13, 2011

YA Cafe: Back Next Week

Because of the Blogger's outage last night and this morning, Ghenet and I are skipping this week's YA Cafe post. We'll be back next Friday, and we'll be joined by a super-awesome guest. Next week's topic is one that will probably get lots of discussion going so get excited and stay tuned for more YA Cafe!

Have an iggilicious weekend!

Friday, May 6, 2011

3 Ways to Make Setting Come to Life

3 Ways to Make Setting Come to Life

1. Make setting central to the story. Settings that come to life are often a central component to the story. One book that is a perfect example is Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan, a story could only be told in New York City. When the setting becomes a central component to the story, it often takes on a life of its own. In Love is the Higher Law, the powerful scene where Claire relights the candles could only happen in Union Square, in New York City. That image of a teenage girl in Union Square, relighting candles that have gone out in the rain, still stays with me.

2. Drop your reader in the middle of the world. In Sarah Beth Durst's Ice, the story opens in the middle of the Arctic pack ice, with Cassie chasing a polar bear. We feel the ice on her face mask. We see the crystals swirling in the air. Right away we are engulfed by the world of the story.

3. Details, details, details. Take time to build details into your story and the setting will come to life. in Love is the Higher Law we have that moving scene where Clair is looking for the railings near Ground Zero. That detail of those railings makes the setting come to life. Even for someone who doesn't live in New York City, they can identify with some of the emotion that Claire feels when she realizes those railings survived. Here is that moment:

"As I turn to walk south, I am sure in my bones that the railings won't be there. As I walk closer, I think it might be possible that they've survived. As I turn and see the Financial Center's plaza, hurt but still standing, I think it's very possible, but still I can't believe it. Nearer and nearer. I see part of it is blocked off. Then I can see it. Right there. I am so happy and so sad at the same time. I am exuberant and despondent and utterly, completely beside myself. There they are, And I know it's ridiculous--with so many dead, so much destroyed that I can feel so much joy over a series of metal letters affixed to a metal railing. Life ends, and life goes on. Words disappear and words remain."

Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Ultimately, it all comes down to this: Believe in your setting. Your reader will believe in you.

What do you think? Are there other ways to make setting come to life? What's your favorite larger-than-life setting?

Want to hear more about larger-than-life settings? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us what you think!

Friday, April 29, 2011

YA Cafe: 3 Tips for Capturing the Teen Voice

     "Did she tell you we used to play checkers all the time, or anything?"
     "I don't know. For Chrissake, I only just met her," Stradlater said. He finished combing his goddam gorgeous hair. He was putting away all his crumby toilet articles.
     "Listen. Give her my regards, willya?"
     "Okay," Stradlater said, but I know he probably wouldn't. You take a guy like Stradlater, they never give your regards to people.

J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

     "Oh." Her voice was mock-pouty. "Are you sure? He's no trouble. He hardly takes up any room. All you have to feed him is a Mini Wheat. Or two grapes. And he won't poop on your rug. Will you Cinnamon? Go ahead, stand up and tell him you won't. Stand up, Cinnamon."
     Cinnamon stood on my sneaker. His eyes shone like black pearls.
     "Doesn't he have the cutest ears?"
     Who notices a rat's ears? I looked. She was right. "Yeah," I said, "I guess he does."

Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl

2. Don't be afraid to add imagery. Just because the voice captures the way teens speak doesn't make it any less sophisticated in terms of imagery and language than adult fiction. Teens respond to beautiful imagery, as long as the language fits the style of the voice. Don't be afraid to use metaphors or similes either, if it fits the voice you're going for. Some examples:

   Cassie killed the snowmobile engine.
     Total silence, her favorite sound. Ice crystals sun in the Arctic air. Sparkling in the predawn light, they looked like diamond dust. Beneath her ice-encrusted face mask, she smiled. She loved this: just her, the ice, and the bear.

Sarah Beth Durst, ICE

     Then the worst thing happened. A boy noticed me.
     He was the most unattractive boy in the room, a dog-face, a Poindexter, the one who hadn't asked any girl to dance, because he knew that no girl wanted him to. But I was a stranger so he figured, why not?

Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied

3. It's OK to break the rules. Some YA novels do a great job capturing not only the voice, but the vernacular of teen speech. To write in vernacular, not only must the author have a great ear for dialogue, but depending on who's narrating the story, the vernacular can carry over into the narration as well. In Coe Booth example below, the vernacular is not over-powering, but it's carried through out the book both in the narration and dialogue. Even just a touch of vernacular in this book gives us a better look into the protagonist's world than if the book had been narrated in standard English. In the M.T. Anderson, the vernacular is completely made up, invented by the author for this futuristic society, but it fits the characters and gives us an idea of what this society is like.

I mean, she the one that called my cell this morning and told me she needed to talk. Then all the way to her place it's like she wanna say something but don't know how to tell me. Se we just walk without saying a whole lot, which is alright 'cause I got a lot on my mind anyway.

Coe Booth, Tyrell

Everything at home was boring. Link Arwaker was like, "I'm so null," and Marty was all, "I'm null too, unit," but I mean we were all pretty null because for the last like hour we'd bee playing with three uninsulated wires that were coming out of the wall. We were trying to ride shocks off them. So Marty told us there was this fun place for lo-grav on the moon.

M.T. Anderson, Feed

Now I want to know, what's your favorite YA voice?

Want to hear more about voice? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us what you think!

Friday, April 22, 2011

YA Cafe: 5 Essentials For a Story Starter

"Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. And in a way, I suppose that's true."
~Gayle Forman, If I Stay

"We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to totally suck."
~M.T. Anderson, Feed

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Point of view (POV) is also central to the voice and mood. Notice that in the three above examples, all of the narrators were in the first person, which allows us to hear the character's voice. There are other scenarios where the narrator is not the protagonist, but the voice of the protagonist still comes through loud and clear in dialogue.

3) You promise the world.
Promise the world? As in the whole world? It might sound huge but it's not just any world you're promising, it's your world. It's the world of your book. It doesn't matter what genre you're writing either. Whether you're writing contemporary YA set in a regular suburb, or some elaborate fantasy story set in another world, you have to let your reader into that world and it must feel real.

4) You promise a problem.
From minute one, your reader has to know that there's a problem the character is facing. Whether that problem is explicit (like the family's financial state in Pride and Prejudice) or a mystery (like in If I Stay) we know from the first moment that the character is facing some difficulty, some problem. This promise is essential because whatever this problem is, it will be crucial in establishing the central conflict for your story.

5) You promise an event.
Every book opens with some sort of event that kick-starts the story. In If I Stay, the event is huge and turns the characters' lives upside-down (not gonna say what it is, in case any of you reader-friends haven't read it yet). In Catcher in the Rye, Holden leaves boarding school and that sets off the chain of events that is the story. In Feed, we start by going to the moon to have fun and the story unravels from there. Whether the event simply nudges the story into motion or gives it a sharp shove, there must be an event early on that gets the story started. Your reader will be waiting for that event, so you will need to deliver. Try not to delay it for too long.

What do you think? Any promises I missed and any you'd like to add?

Want to hear more about YA story starters? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us what you think!

Friday, April 8, 2011

YA Cafe: 5 Reasons Your YA Character Might Flop

Your YA Character May Flop Because He/She is...

1) Pathologically Self-Centered. OK, let me start by saying that everybody is at least a little bit egocentric; that's normal. What's not normal is when a character is so pathologically self-centered that he or she doesn't care about anyone else. At all. Not even a little bit. Take Alaska from Looking for Alaska: she's so wrapped up in this persona of "traumatized-and-depressed teen" that she couldn't care less how her actions affect the people who care about her. Of course, her quirkiness makes her endearing at times so that's her saving grace. But if you really want to make your character the worst YA character ever, you need to make sure he has no endearing qualities whatsoever.

2) Pathologically Quirky. More than the egocentric protagonist, one type of character I detest is the I'm-so-unbelievably-quirky-even-I-can't-stand-it character. A mild form of this character is Stargirl, who is quirky in a charming, funny way. But if you push this quirkiness too far, you end up having a character who's annoying and just plain weird. And seriously, if your character's in high school--don't you think she has enough problems already?

3) Pathologically Stupid. Some characters have plenty of good things going for them, but they are in the habit of making one bad decision after another. Good ol' Harry Potter falls into this category (though despite his lack of sense, he still seems to come out on top and that makes him all the more infuriating). My favorite Harry Potter moment happens in the first book when Neville Longbottom earns the winning points for Gryffindor by standing up to Harry and his buddies for breaking the rules. If you want your character to annoy the living daylights out of your reader have your protagonist always make bad decisions, then make everything turn out OK for him anyway. It'll drive your readers nuts.

4) Pathologically Whiny and Self-Righteous. With this rule we return to my favorite least-favorite character: Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. He whines from the moment the book starts to the very last scene. He believes he's entitled to whatever he wants. He thinks he's SO above everyone around him. *rolls eyes* As if. Self-righteous characters who think they're so much better than everyone else are easy to hate. Add a dash of whiny entitlement and you'll have a thoroughly despicable character in the making.

5) Not A Teen. That's right. If you want your book to have the worst YA character of all time, you need to make the protagonist not be a teenager. Try writing a YA novel about an eleven-year-old. Or maybe a twenty-something frat boy. Because teens just love to read about middle schoolers almost as much as they're dying read about adults (if you could call a twenty-something frat boy an "adult" but that's beside the point.) While there are many crossover books that are originally marketed to adults but have teen protagonists, I am hard-pressed to think of one truly-YA (i.e. not crossover) book with a protagonist younger than thirteen or older than eighteen.

What do you think? What other reasons are there for YA characters that just don't work? Tell me because I'm dying to know. Especially since I want to make sure my main character doesn't reek of awfulness. (Yes, I know it's an ulterior motive, but help a girl out, 'k?)

Want to read a post that's actually about favorite YA characters? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her favorites on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us who your favorite characters are!

Also, the winner of last week's contest (for a signed copy of BITTEN by R.L. Stine) is K.V. Briar! Congratulations! *throws confetti* Thank you to all who entered the contest. K.V., please email me at iggiNgabi[at]gmail[dot]com with your address so I can mail you your prize.

Friday, April 1, 2011

This is Not a YA Cafe Post...

...or is it?

One lucky winner will get a SIGNED copy of R.L. Stine's Bitten (which is actually two books in one: Dangerous Girls & The Taste of Night).

Ghenet and I got a chance to meet Mr. Stine at SCBWI and he's super-nice, not to mention really funny! Here's a picture of the two of us with him.

Want to see more April Fools jokes? Fellow barista, Ghenet is co-hosting this same contest at her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then join the fun by entering the contest!

Friday, March 25, 2011

YA Cafe: 5 Ways Romance Can Enhance a Story

1) It creates conflict. From Judy Blume to Carolyn Mackler, authors know that adding a romantic interest to a story is a great way to add conflict. Even if the story itself is not about the romance, having romantic tension can add an element of conflict to the plot. Take Mackler's The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things for example. In this book, the main issue revolves around the protagonist's self-image and her relationship to her family, but her tension with "the boy" helps add an extra conflict.

2) It offsets violence or sadness. In books where violence (The Hunger Games) or sadness (If I Stay) are central to the story, having a romantic element brings in a breath of fresh air amidst the pain. In The Hunger Games moments between Peeta and Katniss give the reader a little break from the constant chaos of the violence. In If I Stay, the deep sorrow that fills the book is offset by happier flashback moments between the protagonist and her boyfriend.

3) It raises the stakes. Again, The Hunger Games is a perfect example. Until Peeta declares his love for Katniss, the main conflict in the story is "Will Katniss win the Hunger Games and survive?" But the minute we start liking Peeta and we realize that he's willing to sacrifice himself for Katniss, the stakes get higher. According to the rules, there can't be two winners in the games, so for Katniss to survive Peeta will have to die. Voila! Higher stakes.

4) It helps make less sympathetic characters sympathetic. This one was tough to find examples to illustrate, but Dakota in Tangled is a good example. When we first meet him, he seems cruel and manipulative but as the story develops, we learn details about his romantic life that explain his manipulate behavior. His budding relationship with a new woman adds depth to his character and makes him more sympathetic.

5) Even if we know how it will turn out, we still keep reading. I call this the Pride and Prejudice effect. Sure, we know almost immediately that Lizzy and Darcy will end up together, but we keep reading. The interest isn't in what will happen, but how. Unlike any other element or genre in literature, romance is the only one that can be completely predictable and yet will still keep us reading.

Want to read more about romance? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us why romance in YA matters to you.

Friday, March 18, 2011

YA Cafe: Searching for Short Stories

Geektastic (edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci): This is one of my all-time favorites. In this anthology, YA greats (Libba Bray, Bary Lyga, Sara Zarr, M.T. Anderson and David Levithan, just to name a few) share stories about various areas of geekdom. From trekkies to gamers to theater geeks, this anthology is one delicious collection of all things geeky.

Zombies vs. Unicorns (edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier): This book attempts to answer that all-important question: which is cooler, zombies or unicorns? Personally, I'm on team unicorn because animals that fart rainbows amuse me. What about you, are you team zombie or team unicorn?

Love is Hell: Part of the same series as "Prom Nights from Hell" and "Vacations from Hell," this collection has stories by five well-known YA authors that each give a paranormal twist to the typical YA romance. Not as entertaining as Geektastic or Zombies vs. Unicorns but still fun, in that guilty pleasure sort of way. I read this book on the beach; it's the perfect beach read.

But never fear, there are more places where you can find great teen literature and Ghenet will be telling you about one of the coolest ones on her blog. So zoom over there right now and read all about it!

Want to hear more about the AWESOME that's happening in teen literature? Fellow barista, Ghenet gives the details on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us places where you've discovered short stories for teens.

Friday, March 11, 2011

YA Cafe: Adventures in Dystopia

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I'm your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs. We've also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned! Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today's Special: Why do we love dystopian Teen Literature?

I'm probably going to get in trouble for saying this but I don't watch the news. I don't read the newspaper and the only type of online news that I follow is stuff that pertains to writing and literature. Because that's what I like to read: books. In an ideal world, I would live somewhere where I could get my news and current events from novels rather than periodicals, television or the internet. This is why I love dystopian teen literature.

Gabi's Top Five Countdown: Why Dystopian YA is So Much Better than Watching the News

5) It talks about real issues in a non-boring way. Let's face it, political issues and current events can be a bit dry sometimes, but dystopian literature takes those same ideas and talks about them in a way that makes me not want to fall asleep. I'd much rather read The Hunger Games than an editorial rant on why reality television's all that is evil in our society. And M.T. Anderson's Feed is almost scary in how well it predicts that technology is taking over our culture. I love dystopian YA because it gets teens (and adults!) to think about important issues without boring everyone to tears.

4) There can be violence but in reality, no one gets hurt. I'll admit it, I like a good fight scene when I read dystopian literature. Still, there is something comforting in knowing that when I put the book down, no humans or animals were actually harmed in the making of that story. It shocks me how we can watch violence on the news, then change the channel or shrug it off, like it's scenes from some action movie. It's not. People are getting hurt for real. Maybe I'm crazy, but the news should not be "entertainment." This is one of the reasons why The Hunger Games really spoke to me. It's a great commentary about how we allow grim realities of war and violence become "entertainment" on the news.

3) There's love. I love that almost every dystopian YA book boils down to the notion: "The world sucks. Let's make out." There are all these terrible things going on in these dystopian worlds and yet these teen protagonists are still real teens. The world might be falling apart, but they still care whether the person they're crushing on likes them back. Even in books where there isn't a strong romantic thread, there's still some deep and caring relationship that propels the story and gives the protagonist hope. Which brings me to reason #2.

2) There's hope. No matter how bad things get in dystopia, the characters always manage to find hope. Protagonists in dystopian novels are probably the most optimistic people in the universe because even though their world is unthinkably awful, they still hope things will get better.

1) You know when you're being lied to. Dystopian YA literature doesn't pretend it's telling us real facts. It's perfectly clear the moment you pick up The Hunger Games or Matched that the place you're reading about isn't actually real. These days, reports and footage get chopped up and edited so that they tell the "right story" and give the news the right spin. It's hard to know who to trust.

I'm not saying every single news channel or newspaper is out to distort and manipulate our minds, but I do think that we all need to have a healthy dose of skepticism about what we believe at face value. With dystopian literature, we know from the get-go that it's not real; there's no pretense of reality. And I find that rather refreshing.

Want to hear more about dystopian teen literature? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us what you love about dystopian YA!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

YA Cafe: Cover Love

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I'm your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday (Saturday this week, sorry!) we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs. We've also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned! Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today's Special: What covers do you love?

I'll admit it, I'm quick to judge a book by its cover. If a book looks cheesy or too "teeny-boppery" from the cover, I'm likely to set it back on the shelf. I like high-concept covers. You know, covers that capture what the book is about without spelling it out completely. I love when designers use type in a clever way or play with photography. Not to mention, I love book covers that I can read on the subway without people wondering "why is she reading that weird book?"

But enough about what types of covers I love; today I'm going to talk about something I don't love. I profoundly dislike it--dare I say, hate?--when perfectly good hardcover designs get replaced with schmaltzy paperback designs. Here's what I mean: (hardcovers on the left, paperbacks on the right).

Isn't this hardcover gorgeous? It makes me just want to peel that wax seal open and read the book. Also, small details on the cover link to elements of the story. (That basset hound embossed in the seal is there for a reason.) As the I read the story, I was delighted to notice the significance of these details.

Now check out the paperback redesign. It looks so blah, so generic compared to the hardcover. Sure, it's got those shiny award stickers on it, but couldn't they have put the stickers on the original and still used that design? Not to mention, talk about a cluttered design. I am not a fan.

Lest you think the only reason I dislike some covers is because they have people on them, here's an example of a hardcover-paperback pair where both show a person (in this case the protagonist). One works for me, one doesn't. Take a wild guess which is which.

What I don't like about the paperback is that we see a bit of the character's face and hair. It leaves less room for the reader to imagine what that character looks like than does the hardcover. The hardcover, on the other hand, gives us some hints but doesn't show us the character's face so a lot is still left to the imagination.

In terms of layout, the hardcover is a much cleaner, tighter design. You can barely read the title on the paperback cover and the author's name practically disappears. I might be going out on a limb here, but isn't the whole point of the cover for readers to be able to recognize the book? If so, wouldn't it be crucial for the title and author's name to be readable?

Of the covers I'm discussing today, this is the only one where I haven't read the book yet. If I saw these two covers on the shelf side-by-side, I would definitely reach for the hardcover and wouldn't even look twice at the paperback. I mean, how unbelievable is that hardcover? It's so disturbing and haunting and shows me what the book is about without telling the whole story. It's deliciously creepy!

The paper back, on the other hand... um, seriously? I don't even know what to say because this cover is so opposite to the essence and core of the hardcover. All I know is that this looks generic and cheesy; this cover has no personality whatsoever. I actually had to double-check to make sure these were covers for the same book because when I first saw them, I thought they couldn't possibly be telling the same story.

In the end, I don't understand why publishers feel they have to change these gorgeous hardcovers and replace them with generic-looking mass-market-y designs. Wouldn't it be an added cost to redesign a cover? (i.e. Investing more designer hours into the project, not to mention a possible photo shoot for new cover images.) If they already have a beautiful cover that works, why redesign it to make it uglier and less appealing? Or maybe these redesigns do have some appeal to teens--though I doubt it because teens are generally way smarter than adults and they wouldn't fall for gimmicky bells and whistles like these. I'm really perplexed about this, so someone please explain it to me because I just don't understand.

Still craving more YA-licious book covers? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us what covers you love!

Friday, February 25, 2011

YA Cafe: Separation Anxiety

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I'm your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs. We've also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned! Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today's Special is: Why Contemporary YA Rocks!

Have you been in a Barnes & Noble store lately? A few months ago, I was browsing my favorite section (teen, duh) and was stunned to discover that they had re-shelved the books into new sub-genres. There was one huge shelf for Teen Paranormal Romance, one for Teen Fantasy and Adventure and one shelf labeled Teen, which I'm assuming was supposed to house "everything else."

Am I the only person in the world who is horrified by this idea?

For starters, I have serious doubts about separating teen literature from the general fiction section because this type of division does nothing more than imply value judgments as to some books being "real literature" and some being "just for teens." Not to mention that there are so many books that cross the teen-adult barrier, it's hard to know what to do with these books. Do we shelve them in both sections? Make an executive decision? There are some countries where teen literature and adult literature are shelved together and it seems to work just fine. What is it with our American culture that makes us want to quarantine teen literature in its own special section?

And now, the largest book chain is also dividing teen literature according to sub-genres. I suppose I can see the sales motivation behind this idea. Paranormal romance and teen fantasy are really hot right now, so why not make it easy for teens to find the books they really want to read, right?

Wrong.

When all sub-genres of Teen Fiction were shelved together, there was a good chance that readers looking for some paranormal teen stuff would also come across a "quieter" contemporary book or something historical. Maybe a reluctant reader who fell in love with books because of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga, will discover Carolyn Mackler's books (for instance The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things). These books are also about teens and romance, and would be shelved right nearby to boot.

It also goes both ways. Just like a fantasy-reader might pick up a piece of contemporary YA because it's right next to Twilight on the shelf, there may also be a teen who reads only contemporary YA but would be drawn to a work of fantasy while browsing. But now that the books are separated by genre in the teen section, the likelihood of that happening are next to nil.

And while I love fantasy and dystopian YA and even some paranormal romance, I also believe we have to respect the contemporaries. These books show us life as it is in the here and now. The stories aren't set in some crazy futuristic world and people don't have magic powers. In fact, the magic of contemporary YA comes from seeing ourselves (or our teen selves) in the stories.

In the end, separating genres within the teen section seems ridiculous to me. In fact, it seems almost dangerous. Personally, I don't believe in separating books by genre or age-group. Who's to say that some books are for kids of one age and not for kids of another? The minute you start separating books or limiting access to certain books, you're only a small step away from banning them altogether.

This is why, in my new home, I have decided to shelve all works of fiction and narrative non-fiction (from all genres and age groups) mixed together. I've alphabetized by author's last name, but that is for pragmatic reasons only (so I can actually find the books I'm looking for without having to tear apart the whole house). I have E. B. White's Charlotte's Web right next to Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. I have Virgil (translations and original Latin text) on the shelf next to Rachel Vail's Brilliant.

By putting all my books of all genres together, I like to think I'm taking one tiny step toward conceptualizing genres as equal, rather than "separate but equal." (Based on history, we all know how well "separate but equal" turned out in the past. Why, oh why can't we humans ever learn?) OK, so I may not be able change the world with one bookshelf, but it's a start.

What do you think? Should books be separated by genre or age group?

Still craving more jolts of YA-licious java? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us why you love contemporary YA!

BONUS! To celebrate today's topic we're giving away a signed copy of a seriously awesome piece of contemporary YA literature: Sara Zarr's Story of a Girl. Ghenet and I got a chance to meet Sara Zarr at the SCBWI conference and she was so inspiring. Here's a picture of us with her:

Details about the contest...

All you have to do to enter the contest is fill out the form either below. You'll get extra entries for leaving comments here or on About Them Words. Deadline is next Wednesday, March 2nd at 11:59PM EST. We'll announce the winner in next week's YA Cafe post. Good luck!

Friday, February 18, 2011

YA Cafe: The Teen-10

What's the Teen-10 you ask? This is the list of my absolute favorite 10 books from teen literature. These are the books that affected me so much, I can't imagine what life was like before I read them. One of these books I read just a few months ago so I guess you can say my life wasn't completely whole until this past November. (And yes, I do have a flare for the melodramatic. Can't you tell?) Here it is... the moment you've been anxiously awaiting. *drum roll*

Gabi's Teen-10

Listed in order of ranking on my oh-so-scientific scale:

LOL<------>Super Suspenseful<------>Total Tearjerker

• I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President (Josh Lieb) An evil mastermind running for eighth grade class president? Hilarious! This kid has such a great voice, it cracks me up. Some readers might also not fully appreciate the voice, but chances are that's because they're just not smart enough to appreciate the sheer genius that is this book (and this character). Then again, it's easy to overlook genius in its own time.

• The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things (Carolyn Mackler)
A funny, heartfelt book about a girl who's struggling to live up to the unrelenting standards of her seemingly perfect family. It was a tough call between this book by Carolyn Mackler and two of her others (Vegan Virgin Valentine and Tangled) but I chose this one for my Teen-10 because it's the one that spoke to me on the most personal level. Anyone who's ever felt a little too fat or not good enough will relate to this heroine.

• Geektastic (Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci)
This collection of short stories captures geekdom on all it's geekish levels. Geektastic has all sorts of geeky goodness represented here--from trekkies and techies--the stories are written by bona fide members of the "nerd herd." Why I love this book: first there's the sheer inspiration factor; being a geek doesn't condemn you to a lifetime of awkward loneliness (these writers are living proof). Second (in number but not in awesomeness) this book intermingles short stories with super-funny comics. What's not to love?

• Feed (M. T. Anderson)
Feed is one of my favorite books of all time and it most definitely wins the prize for best first line in a novel EVER. I can't think of what else to tell you that won't seem meaningless, because no summary can do justice to the awesome that is this book. But I'll try. Here goes. Imagine a world where everyone has the internet pumped directly into their brains. Sound scary? Maybe because it's not too far from being reality.

• The Looking Glass Wars (Frank Beddor)
Alice in Wonderland meets Star Wars. If you don't find that unbelievably awesome, you need to get your head examined. 'nuff said.

• What I Saw and How I Lied (Judy Blundell)
When I read What I Saw and How I Lied I read it practically in one gulp because I couldn't put it down. Now, let me just say this... with all interwebby awesome out there and reruns of Law and Order on just about every cable channel, the temptation to put a book down is pretty big. But this book grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and would not let me go.

• Ice (Sarah Beth Durst)
Who would have thought a book entitled Ice would be so warm, heartfelt and passionate? The relationship between Cassie and Bear is loving, sexy, and real. I love how this book combines elements from so many different genres and styles; it has the flavor of a folktale with the structure of a fairytale and the strong-yet-vulnerable female protagonist of contemporary YA. A breath-taking book.

• True Believer (Virginia Euwer Wolff)
Of course I had to include a verse novel on this list because verse novels are among my favorites. This book makes my Teen-10 because when I read True Believer (book 2 in the Make Lemonade series), I detested it. I thought it was sappy and silly and ridiculous. The thing is, when a book makes me feel so viscerally against it, I often have to go back and take a second look. In this case, I decided to go back and read book 1 in the series (Make Lemonade) and it's positively lovely and made me reconsider my feelings about True Believer. When a book (or in this case, author) wins me over on a second read, it often becomes a favorite of mine. It's as though I end up liking it all the more because I disliked it so much at first. This is one of those books. The other book I felt like this about is now my number-one-all-time-favorite-book:
Pride and Prejudice.

• The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
A book narrated by Death? A story about the power of words? Love, war, friendship, betrayal, family and sacrifice all woven together? The Book Thief is a bibliophile's dream. Seriously. When I read this book, I cried almost the whole way through. Not because this book is sad (which it is, by the way) but because it's so beautifully crafted that I kept thinking "I'll never write like this!" My writerly insecurities aside, if you haven't read this book, you need to. Right now. Seriously, step away from your computer and Read. This. Book.

• If I Stay (Gayle Forman)
This book made me cry. So much so that I couldn't read the ending right away because vision was blurry. Seriously, I had to get up and make a cup of tea so I could collect myself and read those last few pages. This book has special meaning for me, for reasons I can't quite explain here. Suffice to say, this is a heart-wrenching but beautiful book. Read it with a box of tissues.

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Still craving more YA-licious literary goodness? Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her picks on her blog: All About Them Words. Check it out, then tell us one or two (or ten!) of the books on your Teen-10 list.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Introducing YA Cafe

Welcome to YA Cafe, a place where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I'll be your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words. Each Friday we'll pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.

The fun won't stop there, though. We've got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways! Join the discussion by sharing your thoughts in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today's Special: Why do we love teen literature?

The easy answer would be to say "um, because teen literature is AWESOME" and leave it at that. But the point of these YA Cafe discussions is to move past these easy answers and dig deep into what's really important. The truth is, I owe that classic The Catcher in the Rye* for my love of teen literature. This book sparked my love affair with YA, not because I loved it, but because was the first book I ever read that made me truly angry.

*Note: Technically, Salinger's novel is not YA because it was originally written for adults, but it captures the teen voice so well that it has been adopted as part of teen literature.

When I finally read this book in eleventh grade, I was just about the last person in my grade--no, the whole planet--who hadn't read it already. Everyone raved about how amazing it was and how they either wanted to marry Holden Caulfield or be him. I'll admit, I enjoyed the first paragraph or so, but right around page two I started hating Holden. Yes, you heard me right: I hated him. It was a visceral hatred, an emotion that had hitherto been reserved for only the worst things in my life: Phys Ed, my arch-nemesis and cooked carrots. But now, here was this fictional character--this whiny little pissant--lodged firmly in that category of all-that-is-evil-in-Gabi's-world.

The more I read, the more I wanted to slam the book shut and use it to smack Holden Caulfield upside the head. And yet I kept reading. Secretly, I hoped somewhere along the story, Holden would get run over by a cement mixer. (Spoiler Alert: He doesn't. I was gravely disappointed.)

But what does this have to do with why I care about teen literature? While other types of books might transport me somewhere magical or teach me something valuable, teen literature is the only type of book that can elicit this level of emotion. Reading Cather in the Rye and hating Holden made me realize what amount of a character's crap I'm willing to forgive, and what crosses the line to something I will not tolerate. There are two types of people in the world: those who think Holden Caulfield is awesome and those who hate his guts. I'm one of the latter.

Hi, my name is Gabi and I love teen literature.

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Fellow barista, Ghenet at All About Them Words, shares her thoughts on her blog. Check it out, then tell us why you love teen literature.