Coming soon…

Look for a number of new reviews on All Info About Teen Reading soon. I've finally made it through a backlog of review copies, which means more great recommendations for you!

Interesting teen reading link

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer recently asked the question, "Is young-adult fare too mature for some of its readers?" as part of a larger look at teen reading. I think it brings up an interesting point. Some of the best young adult literature is great because of its realism, realism that often stems from difficult and mature situations. I would certainly pause before giving a 13-year-old the same book I would heartily recommend to a high school senior. However, it depends so much on the individual reader, too. Some teens are more mature than others, and some are more sensitive to troubling topics. What are you thoughts on the appropriateness of young adult literature? How do you decide what's appropriate for specific readers?

Teen Book Review - Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Fever 1793, is back with Twisted.

Tyler Miller returns to school in the fall of his senior year torn between his bullied past and his new "bad boy" reputation. At a wild weekend party, a difficult choice sets into motion a school-wide scandal. A great book, sometimes touching, sometimes heartbreaking, and often hilarious, sure to become one of the top teen books of 2007

Teen book buying reaches new levels

A week and a half ago, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published an interesing article about the number of teens buying books. It seems that a large teen population and a surge in the quality of young adult literature have combined to create unprecedented levels of teen book buying and library use. It's certainly good news for those of us who value reading and teen books.

Dealing With Inappropriate Content

Teen book authors are creating some of the best young adult literature in years as the stories, characters and overall craft of the writing become increasingly sophisticated. But along with increased quality comes increased realism. Sex, drugs, bullying, underage drinking, shoplifting, and other negative behaviors all find their way into today's best and most popular teen books. What should you do if you're faced with content in a teen book that you feel is inappropriate? Read more at All Info About Teen Reading.

Quick Book Review - La Línea by Ann Jaramillo

Yesterday, I had the chance to read La Línea by Ann Jaramillo, and I highly recommend it. The book is on a highly topical subject - illegal immigration to the United States. However, La Línea doesn't speak to the current political debates on the topic. It follows two young teens as they head for la línea, the border, from their home in San Jacinto. They want to be reunited with their mother and father who went north years before in search of better opportunities. The author says she was inspired by her own ESL middle school students, many of whom had to go through similar experiences to make it to the U.S. It's a short but powerful work.

Teen Reading Organization - ALAN

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE (ALAN) is a leading group dedicated to promoting young adult literature. Visit the group's website for interviews, book reviews, and news.

Teen Book Reviews

On occasion, I write teen book reviews for other sites, and I wanted to share some of these great books with AIA Teen Reading visitors. Visit my list of non-AIA teen book reviews for more great reading.

Book Review - Gossip Girl

Dive into the fabulous high-class world of New York's most elite teenagers in this popular series. The Gossip Girl books are practically the definition of a guilty pleasure, but I still love them. I do feel, however, that the series has dragged on a bit past its prime in the most recent installments. That still hasn't stopped me from reading them, though.

Book Review - Seven Daughters and Seven Sons

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy is a novel about one young woman's quest for acceptance in the historic Middle East. It is a good book that has never gotten much attention, as far as I am aware. I picked it up after attending a session at a social studies conference on incorporating more information about the Middle East in the classroom. It's interesting in its own right, but it would also make a great cross-curricular piece in conjunction with a study of the history and cultures of the Middle East. I find I tend to think about this book in teacher terms because I first learned about it in an educational context, but from a pure reader standpoint, I thought it was a good coming-of-age tale if you're interested in historical fiction.

The Ultimate Teen Reading List

Teenreads.com has compiled the Ultimate Teen Reading List. On this alphabetical list, you can find everything from 1776 to You, Maybe, and it includes a great mix of adult, classic, teen, and non-fiction literature. The editors at Teenreads.com say, "Our dream is that schools will use this list to help them make their own for summer reading, or even better, suggest that students just read what they want from this list." It's also a great place to start in creating your own "must-read" list.

Author Profile - The Poetry of Sonya Sones

When you think of poetry, what do you normally think of? Do you think of it telling a story? Probably not. While much of the poetry we come across concerns itself with creating a single image or communicating a specific feeling, there are authors out there who use their skill with poetic verse to create a larger story.

Sonya Sones is one of these talented authors who have perfected the art of creating a novel out of poetry. Give her a try, even if you think you don't normally enjoy poetry.

Author Profile - The Books of Gordon Korman

From This Can’t Be Happening at MacDonald Hall to Son of the Mob, Gordon Korman has been making me laugh for years. I also always enjoyed the fact that he was first published when he was a teenager. Read more about Gordan Korman's books at All Info About Teen Reading.

Resources for Parents

All Info About Teen Reading offers the following resources for parents:

• Five Ways for Parents to Encourage Reading
  
• Dealing With Inappropriate Content
  
• Starting a Teen Book Study Group by Rachel Paxton
  

Resources for Teachers

All Info About Teen Reading offers the following resources for teachers:

• Review of Reading Reminders: Tools, Tips, and Techniques by Jim Burke - one of my personal favorite teaching resources
  
• Five Ways for Teachers to Encourage Reading
  
• Five More Ways for Teachers to Encourage Reading
  
• Dealing With Inappropriate Content
  
• Worksheets - featuring graphic organizers and question sets from several pieces of classic literature
  

Whatever Happened to Samurai Girl?

Over the course of six books, I found Samurai Girl to be an entertaining and action-packed series. And then it just stopped. Searching for information on the series is difficult because searches for "Samurai Girl" bring up numerous pages for Samurai Girl:Real Bout High School, an anime and manga series. I did see a rumor once that the author was involved in a contract dispute with the publisher, but like most online rumors, it's difficult to say how much truth there is to it. Maybe no one else liked it as much as I did, and it wasn't a big seller? I still recommend the series, but you should go into it realizing you will probably never find out how it all ends and just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Book Review - Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Just Listen is the newest book from popular young adult author Sarah Dessen. When Annabel falls from the top of the high school social order, a surprising new friend helps her put her life back together and emerge stronger than ever. I highly recommend this book, along with the rest of Dessen's work.

Why do I bother?

So why does someone who is well past her teen years devote her time to a site on teen reading? Read more about the inspiration for my interest in young adult literature.

Award-Winning Teen Books

Are you interested in learning about the best the world of young adult literature has to offer? Visit All Info About Teen Reading's Award-Winning Reading links. I like that the American Library Association offers such a wide variety of awards and lists, so both the "literary" and the "popular" can be recognized. The 2007 award winners were just announced last month, so this is your chance to catch up on the cream of the teen book crop.

Book Review - Sisters/Hermanas

Sisters/Hermanas, written by Gary Paulsen and translated by Gloria de Aragón Andújar, is a bilingual story about the suprising link between an illegal immigrant and a teen beauty queen. Now I don't know about everyone else, but when I think of Gary Paulsen, I think of Hatchet and similar stories, but this is something completely different. It's a book that I don't think gets nearly enough attention, and I hope someone else tries it out because of my recommendation.