Author: Allison Tran

Past Member Manager for YALSA's The Hub. Passionate about information literacy, social media, and connecting readers with books they'll love.

ALA Annual 2015: Day Two Highlights

It’s a beautiful day in San Francisco, and the American Library Association Annual Conference is in full swing!image

Today started with YALSA 101, which is always an inspiring introduction to the various facets of the organization with lots of advice about how to get involved, from the leadership development opportunities that come with serving on strategic committees to tips for staying on top of all that reading when you’re part of a selection committee. It was also noted in this session that YALSA is one of the best dressed and most productive divisions of ALA. Well, absolutely!

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Next up was the Margaret A. Edwards Award brunch honoring this year’s recipient, Sharon Draper, who may have moved the entire audience to tears. Standing ovation!
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The afternoon brought the Teen Feedback session for the Best Fiction for Young Adults committee– one of the highlights of each conference for many YA librarians. We love to hear the insight and honesty of these teens who have been reading the BFYA nominations! image

And just for fun: Thompson Reuters was giving away selfie sticks at their booth, as modeled by Muoy Li of Los Angeles, Susanne Sakai of San Francisco, Claire Arnold of Washington, D.C., and Lynn Kysh of Los Angeles. Smile!
imageMore to come tomorrow!

-Allison Tran, currently wanting to read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (I got an ARC!)

ALA Annual 2015: Day One Highlights

Hello from beautiful San Francisco! Several thousand librarians are descending upon the city this weekend for the ALA Annual Conference, to talk about our profession, share ideas, and gain new knowledge of trends relevant to our work– including the realmoof YA literature! YALSA has a lot going on at this conference, and we here at The Hub will be doing our best to bring it all to you.

image First up: actually getting to the conference. Never overlook a plane ride for its potential as a reader’s advisory occasion! My seatmate on the plane was reading Paper Towns by JohnGreen, and you know a librarian never passes up the chance to make book recommendations. Since she was enjoying John Green, I suggested she might try Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.

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The entrance to the exhibits hall decked out with an eye-catching Golden Gate Bridge replica- very festive!

And here’s the same spot about ten minutes before the exhibits grand opening… librarian mob! image

The exhibits hall on Friday evening was quite a rush… books everywhere! Librarians everywhere!

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And then, the icing on top of an already fantastic evening– the Printz reception. Being in a room filled with fellow YA lit lovers celebrating some of the best YA books of the past year… it’s a kind of exhilaration that never gets old.

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Stay tuned for more conference coverage coming up tomorrow!

-Allison Tran, currently reading Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

The Monday Poll: YA Lit Theme Park

monday_pollGood morning, Hub readers!

Last week, we asked you which YA book you’d want to read from another character’s point of view. The results were pretty evenly divided! 27% of you would like to revisit The Fault in Our Stars from Gus’ perspective, 21% of you would like to know what Yaqui was thinking in Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, and 14% of you voted to read Grasshopper Jungle from Shann’s point of view. You can see detailed results for all of our previous polls in the Polls Archive. Thanks to all of you who voted last week!

This week, we want to know which YA book you think would make the best basis for a theme park, a la Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Which fictional world would you want to be a tourist in? Choose from the list below, or suggest another approach in the comments.

[poll id=”206″]

The Monday Poll: A YA Book from Another Point of View

monday_pollGood morning, Hub readers!

Last week, we asked you about your reading plans for the summer. A whopping 54% of you plan on doing some serious binge-reading, and 27% of you intend to catch up on those newest YA book releases that everyone’s talking about. You can see detailed results for all of our previous polls in the Polls Archive. Thanks to all of you who voted and commented last week!

This week, we want to know which YA book you’d like to read from a different character’s point of view. Choose the statement that best matches your summer reading personality, or suggest another approach in the comments.

[poll id=”205″]

Get Excited for YA Lit at ALA Annual 2015!

AC15_LearnMore_250x124Shout it out, Hub readers– are we going to see you at the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco in a few weeks? Quite a few of your friendly Hub bloggers will be there, and we’d love to say hi!

YALSA has a fantastic line-up of programs to help librarians sharpen their teen services skills, including a bunch of amazing events and sessions focusing on YA literature. You can read about all of YALSA’s offerings in detail on the YALSA wiki, but I’m here today to give you the highlights for YA lit lovers. Mark your conference schedule for the following!

Friday, June 26

YALSA and Booklist Present: The Michael L. Printz Program and Reception
June 26, 8-10PM. Tickets — $34
Kick off your Annual Conference by attending the best celebration of YA lit all year: the Michael L. Printz Program and Reception! Jandy Nelson, the 2015 Michael L. Printz winner for I’ll Give You the Sun, will speak about her writing. The honor book authors Jenny Hubbard (And We Stay); Jessie Ann Foley (The Carnival at Bray); Andrew Smith (Grasshopper Jungle); and author Mariko Tamaki, and illustrator Jillian Tamaki (This One Summer) will answer questions in an engaging panel format, followed by a reception. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by Booklist Publications.

Saturday, June 27

Margaret A. Edwards Brunch
June 27, 10:30am-12:00pm, Tickets — $39
Everyone likes brunch, right? Now add an AMAZING author to the allure of brunch, and you have a can’t-miss event. Sharon M. Draper, the winner of the 2015 Margaret A. Edwards Award, will speak about her writing. The award honors a significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens, and I can’t wait to hear what wisdom Sharon Draper will bring to this event.

BFYA Teen Feedback Session
1:00 – 2:30 Moscone Convention Center, Esplande 302
Want to hear what teens really think about what they’re reading? Come hear Bay Area teens react to the books nominated for this year’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list. They’re giving the BFYA committee their feedback, no holds barred, and it’s guaranteed to be brilliant, honest, and awesome.  Continue reading Get Excited for YA Lit at ALA Annual 2015!

The Monday Poll: Your Summer Reading Plans

monday_pollGood morning, Hub readers!

Last week, we celebrated National Running Day by asking about your favorite YA book that features running. I just ran my first half marathon at the end of May, so I was especially happy to hear from fellow runners in the comments! Anyway, your picks for a podium finish: The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen took 58% of the vote, Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty pulled in 19%, and Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally gathered 13%. You can see detailed results for all of our previous polls in the Polls Archive. Thanks to all of you who voted and commented last week!

This week, as the days grow longer, we want to know your summertime reading style. Do you like to catch up with the newest releases? Re-read your cherished favorites? Binge read? Choose the statement that best matches your summer reading personality, or suggest another approach in the comments.

[poll id=”204″]

The Monday Poll: National Running Day

Good morning, Hub readers!

Last week, in honor of Memorial Day, we asked you to weigh in on the most eye-opening YA book about war. Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity was the top pick with 61% of the vote, followed by The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin with 17%. You can see detailed results for all of our previous polls in the Polls Archive. Thanks to all of you who voted and commented last week!

This week, we celebrate National Running Day on June 3. How many of our Hub readers run? Give us a shoutout in the comments if you’re a runner! And then vote for your favorite YA book that features running. Choose from the options below, or suggest another in the comments.

[poll id=”203″]

The Monday Poll: Most Eye-Opening Book About War

monday_pollGood morning, Hub readers!

Last week, we asked about your favorite YA title featuring a band or singer. KL Going’s Fat Kid Rules the World tied with Robin Benway’s Audrey, Wait!, both taking in exactly 26% of the vote.  You can see detailed results for all of our previous polls in the Polls Archive. Thanks to all of you who voted and commented last week!

Today, the United States observes Memorial Day, in which we remember those who died serving our country. In honor of this important day, please tell us which title you think is the most eye-opening YA book about war. Choose from the options below, or suggest another in the comments.

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Tweets of the Week: May 22nd

tweets of the week | the hubBooks & Reading

Continue reading Tweets of the Week: May 22nd

The Monday Poll: Musical YA Lit

monday_pollGood morning, Hub readers!

Last week, we had a little technical glitch, so you had a whole extra week to think about the previous Monday poll’s topic. We asked you which YA book or series you’d recommend to Star Wars fans. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld was the top pick with 34% of the vote, followed by Legend by Marie Lu, with 24% and Across the Universe by Beth Revis with 18% of the vote. You can see detailed results for all of our previous polls in the Polls Archive. Thanks to all of you who voted and commented last week!

This week, with the recent release of Pitch Perfect 2, we want to know your favorite YA book featuring a singer or a band!  Choose from the options below, or suggest another in the comments.

[poll id=”201″]