Geri Diorio

Nonfiction Ways to Enjoy National Hobby Month

The Hub, as you know, is your connection to teen reads. And we tend to focus on fiction. But since January is National Hobby Month, we couldn’t let the month go by without sharing some terrific nonfiction books, magazines, and websites that may encourage you to take part in various hobbies.

For journaling, scrapbooking, and generally awakening one’s creativity, it’s hard to beat Keri Smith’s Wreck This Journal. Not generally found in libraries (for obvious reasons), this book shows you that it’s OK to write in, tear pages of, and generally mutilate a book…as long as it is this book, and it belongs to you! Smith’s cheerful instructions will lead readers to get over the preciousness of their pristine journals, and to unleash the wild side of their brains by spilling coffee on pages, making art from found objects, and thoroughly engaging their creative process. Here are some great Wreck This Journal images found on Tumblr. And if you’re an app addict, catch the review of “Wreck This App,” an app based on the book, over at the YALSAblog.

Knitting is eternal. Our great grandmothers knit, and now, there people are knitting (and crocheting) amigurumi animals, Doctor Who scarves, and cell phone cases. Weekend Knitting: 50 Unique Projects by Melanie Falick and Ericka McConnell is not for the novice knitter, but if you enjoy knitting and can read patterns, this title offers inspiration, gorgeous photos, and fun projects to tackle. From mittens to washcloths to sweaters to handbags, this is not your great grandmother’s knitting book.

Maker spaces are sprouting up all over the world and encouraging people of all ages to do some DYI and make stuff. While there are plenty of DYI books in the world, you might want to consider looking at MAKE magazine for inspiration. MAKE has been around for ten years and they offer ideas, instructions, and encouragement to people who want to mess around and geek out. While 3D printing and electronic components such as the Arduino microcontroller and Raspberry Pi computer get a lot of press, MAKE doesn’t neglect more â€œtraditionalâ€ crafts such as woodworking, papercraft, sewing, photography, and gardening. They really do have something to interest everyone.

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2014 Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge Final Check In

This is it! There are less than 24 hours until the Youth Media Awards at the American Library Association Midwinter conference. (Watch the livestream here.) Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM Eastern, everyone will find out which book won the 2014 Morris Award and which won the 2014 Excellence in Nonfiction Award. (Among other awards.) Did you read all the nominated titles? Congratulations! Please fill out the form below and give yourself a big pat on the back. If you didn’t read as many as you hoped to, that’s OK! You can still read them after tomorrow.

And keep your eyes on The Hub where we will soon announce the 2014 Hub Reading Challenge, encompassing all of YALSA’s 2014 award winning books and finalists, as well as top ten lists, the Schneider Family Book Award and the Stonewall Book Award.
Happy Almost Youth Media Awards Day, everyone! It’s our own Librarian Oscars! Can’t wait to hear about (and read) the winners.

~Geri Diorio, currently reading Ninety Percent of Everything by Rose George

Everyone is a Designer: An Interview with YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Chip Kidd

Chip Kidd is a graphic designer (he created the iconic book cover for Jurassic Park) and a novelist (The Cheese Monkeys), a comic book creator (Batman: Death by Design), and a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist (for his book GO! A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design). Mr. Kidd took some time out of his busy schedule to chat on the phone about his book, about how design is intrinsic to everyone’s life, and about which soap opera star he thinks he’s most like.

The Hub: Well first of all congratulations on being a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction finalist.
Chip Kidd: Thank you, I appreciate that.

TH: Why should teens care about design, unless they’re going to be designers?
CK: Well because they already care about it, even if they’re not designers. And PS, I also have the theory that pretty much everyone is a designer whether they realize it or not. There are all sorts of things about your life that you design either consciously or unconsciously. Whether it’s putting together whatever look you’re going to have for that day, or the way you have things arranged on your desk, or in your room, or in your house. I think there are so many design aspects to young people’s lives and I think it helps for them to just consider them and think about them and to, at the very least, understand some of the thinking that goes into pieces of design that they see or interact with every day.

TH: In an interview you gave to the New York Times, you spoke about how the idea of writing for teens made you uncomfortable and that discomfort was actually appealing to you.
CK: (laughter) It’s called masochism! It’s the cliche of being in or out of your comfort zone. I mean, I certainly don’t like being out of my comfort zone all the time but I think that it helps to spur creativity. And most creative people I know want to be challenged. If everything was easy all the time, it just gets boring. I think it’s an interesting, valuable trait for creative people to have.

Continue reading Everyone is a Designer: An Interview with YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Chip Kidd