On October 17, 2012, help YALSA celebrate Teen Read Weekâ„¢ by joining the conversation about teen reading and young adult literature via a Tweet-a-thon!’ YALSA wants to know: what’s on your YA lit reading list right now? ‘ Steampunk? Audiobooks? ‘ Horror? Graphic Novels?’ Nonfiction?’ Something else?
We’re encouraging people of all ages to Tweet their YA lit reading lists, recommendations, thoughts and ideas with the hashtag #TRW12 any time on Oct. 17.’ We’ll be following and re-tweeting our favorites.’ We want to hear from teens, librarians, library workers, educators, authors, editors and more!’ What might you Tweet on Oct. 17? Here are just a few ideas:
- What you are reading, or want you want to read
- Your opinions on who the contenders are for the Printz or other YA lit awards
- Innovative ways that libraries are bringing reading to teens
- Quotes about YA lit, or about reading in general
- Book recommendations for others
- Tips for getting more teens reading
- Links to booklists, contests and other resources
- What trends you’re seeing in YA lit right now
- Visuals! Show us what you have going on for Teen Read Week by Tweeting a photo
- Whatever else you’d like to share about teen reading and YA literature
So, librarians, library workers and educators please alert your teens — and encourage all the adults you know to participate, too. ‘ ‘ To learn more about Teen Read Week, please visit www.ala.org/teenread.
Who knew! Teens actually can read? And here all along I thought they could only play video games, fill their heads with rot music, have sex, do drugs, not to mention having their brains rewired by all the must-have technology.
Wow Lulu, not cool. Not cool at all.
Lulu,
Your comment makes me sad, so sad. Remember these so-called illiterate teens will be taking care of us when we are old and gray. But, with comments like that, they may not want to take care of some of us.
People like Lulu are why we, as teen librarians, need to show the public that teens are people too, and amazing and talented people at that. Too many think just what she did, that they are just troublemakers. Remember that you were a teen once.
I think one of the reasons why teens aren’t reading is because almost every educator out there thumbs their nose at what they want to read. They start reading Harry Potter or The Hunger Games and they can’t get enough. Then their English teacher catches them with a copy of Deathly Hallows or Mockingjay, and either doesn’t acknowledge it or dismisses it with a comment on how “fun” of a read it is; how “it’s nice to read something light and fluffy every once in a while.” If books like THG are taught in classrooms, teachers treat them like dentists treat candy: They’ll give it to you to make you happy, but that won’t stop them from scowling with disapproval and handing you a toothbrush the moment you’re done. The instant students finish unpacking THG, their teachers immediately move on to a big, dense book that doesn’t hold the students’ interest nearly as well as THG.
Now, don’t think I’m saying it’s wrong to teach the classics, because it’s not. I grew up reading the classics, learned them in high school and, as I type this, I’m itching to get back to reading Dracula. But after high school English, where I had books I hated (All the Pretty Horses, Oedipus, Heart of Darkness) forced down my throat, where I was practically told I was a heathen for not liking them, I had a hard time rekindling my love for the classics. If I find a classic is not for me (I tried We Have Always Lived in the Castle and couldn’t get past the nastiness of the narrator) I feel this sense of guilt. I SHOULD like this book. The Literature Gods chose this book for a reason, and by golly, if I don’t like it, then I must be too dumb to appreciate it.
I think what middle school and high school educators need to do is to continue what their elementary counterparts did: Teach kids to love reading. Let them analyze some popular books for practice–I can think of five separate themes kids could pull from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows alone. Conquering a book like that in terms of analysis will build their self-esteem AND teach them to analyze some deeper books they’re given; it will prepare them to analyze a book like The Great Gatsby or The Scarlet Letter. And if kids don’t like a classic, let them say so, but only if they can provide specific reasons why they don’t like it, and support their reasons with evidence from the book in question. This will, ideally, open the floor to debate on the book, allowing supporters to argue points with opponents of the book, which will teach critical thinking and debate skills.
All educators have to do is let their students speak their minds.