by Heather Booth
If you are a librarian or teacher in the Chicago area, you have an rare opportunity to give your teens these three awesome intangibles, all in one day, by bringing them to the Best Fiction for Young Adults Teen Session on Saturday, June 29th from 10:30-12:00.
Power. Their words have power. They will be up there, at the front of the room, holding the microphone. The microphone is power. The room will be full of adults, sitting at rapt attention, waiting for them to speak, hanging on their every word, relishing the opportunity to hear what they have to say. Their opinions on these books are powerful. They are seeds on the wind that will fly home with every librarian in the room and be planted in library collections nationwide. Your teens deserve this power.
Connection. How many times have you talked to a young reader, who was sure that she was the only one who read the things she liked to read? How many of the teens you work with sit alone in the corner, absorbed in a world that they think they are the only ones to know about? Bring them to the BFYA session and show them that they are not alone, that they are a part of a network of like-minded people who understand. Your teens want this connection.
Fun! Imagine the faces of your teens when they leave the BFYA session, full of love for the books, feeling appreciated and brilliant, flanked by a whole slew of other teens from the area that they are already, as of 30 seconds ago, following on Instagram. You shepard them out of the room and down the hall, into the massive Exhibits Hall, where… OMGFREEBOOKS! Piles and piles of books are just waiting there for them. And WHO is that over there? OMGAUTHORS! Yes! It’s her, but she looks a little different than she does on the back of the book. You see your teens’ expressions change as they think, “She looks like… yeah, she looks like someone who would talk to me!†You help them get autographs, shake hands, find the superhero pins, crazy pens, posters, and maybe – just maybe – their new favorite book. Your teens would LOVE to have this kind of fun.
It’s not too late to sign your teen group up to be a part of this truly unique opportunity. The application form is online.
PS – There are benefits for you too! Stay tuned for details.
