information addict

July 27

I suggest President Obama read “I Am The Cheese” with Malia next…NOT “Twilight,” which I heard a rumor he was thinking about reading with her now that they were done with the Harry Potter series. I really hope for Malia’s sake he reconsiders this. There’s nothing more embarrassing than reading a romance novel with your DAD.

—
Meg Cabot

July 15

Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity… Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.

—

Andrew Futral (via allisonweiss) (via kittyforeman) (via secretary) (via toocutebyhalf) (via brightlywound) (via mynoisyheart) (via whittakers) (via thirtyrockefeller) (via salpeters) (via captainkirk) (via ifeelweird) (via lucaisstaringtothesun) (via tiiinahoff) (via twofish)

heh.

July 8

Rape, abortion, incest. Is this what CHILDREN should read? | Mail Online

librarianpirate:

Oh dear lord. Somebody give some sense to this journalist? Note: YA novels are not intended for children. In the morning I am going to type up something long and full of rebut towards Danuta Kean, but for now I am going to just go with one (rather minor) point of his.

The story is inspired by Snow White And The Red Rose by the Brothers Grimm. But anyone expecting singing dwarves and a comedy cruel queen, followed by an innocent peck on the cheek by a handsome prince, is in for a horrible shock.

Yeah, the Grimm’s tale is actually called “Snow White and Rose Red” and is very different from the normal Snow White tale and most people know that the original Grimm tales are always, well, grim. And anyone who reads the YA version of a fairytale expecting Disnification is reading the wrong thing.

That is all for now. Goodnight.

Blarg. Maybe if kids knew more about rape and incest, there would be fewer abused kids who didn’t know what was happening to them. Anyone who thinks their kids are innocent little angels and should remain so until they turn 18 is doing them more harm than good.

June 29

A novel sprinkled with racist language and descriptions of masturbation will remain required summer reading for incoming freshmen at Antioch Community High School, district officials announced Monday.

—

Daily Herald | Controversial book stays at Antioch High School

Nice opening paragraph, guys. Couldn’t have mentioned, say, that this book won the fucking National Book Award?

June 21

Daily Herald | Book stirring controversy at Antioch High School

Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, to my mind one of the best books for young adults ever written, is coming under fire from some parents in Illinois who don’t want their children reading “vulgar” content. What I love about censorship in high schools is that now every kid in that school will be dying to read this book.

×

A book is a pathway inside another person’s head. When you are young, you have few deep relationships, maybe no real emotional connections with others at all. You connect in the text. At that age, it is a revelation to see an author has the same dreams and insecurities as you do. Plus, there is a confidence and conviction to a fiction narrative’s voice. You are eager for someone to look up to, but certainly not your parents, not your teachers. A novel is an opportunity to really listen to another human being. The solitude, the sense of emotional connection, and the guidance of a novel are all appealing to teenagers who might otherwise busy themselves exclusively with videogames and the Internet. And it shows.

—
Tomorrow Museum on why so many teenagers are passionate readers. (via somethingchanged)

Amazon.com: W. Hernandez's review of L.A. Candy

Did you know Lauren Conrad wrote a young adult novel?
No, really.
Read this review. Trust me.

June 13

Contest: Win an ARC of Fire by Kristin Cashore

YES PLEASE.

May 24

But we must remember: adults are very delicate. Like horses, they are afraid of loud sounds, sudden movement, skateboards, the internets, slang, and getting band names wrong. So in order to bring more people gently into the fold of Leviathan reading, Simon & Schuster has decided to use a cover that won’t ruffle anyone’s fragile sense of adultiness.

—

Scott Westerfeld - Cover Whiplash!

tee hee.

November 29

Too many times, we say to our young people, “Hey, read this. It’s a fun read. Not too serious, you know. None of that English stuff.” As if there is some kind of dichotomy between good and fun. As if Gatsby is oatmeal and vampires are Lucky Charms. […]

I find it very strange that we acknowledge children’s ability to grapple with endlessly complex plot—that we don’t for one second question whether a novel is age-appropriate when it contains 430 characters with unpronounceable names, each caring for their own particular subspecies of dragon. But we sometimes deny that teenage readers have a similar level of sophistication when it comes to language and theme and emotion.

—

John Green

Couldn’t figure out which part to quote, because the entire thing is so good.

October 9

I just finished this book.

I’m in love.

September 21

YA for Obama