In your dream everything seems normal, its not a nightmare at all. Then something touches your arm. You brush it away but still persists. Your concentration is broken so you look for the source of your distraction. To your horror you see a giant spider. No matter how you try you cannot brush it off your clothes.
In a panic you wake up. Terrified and feeling a bit like Ron Weasley who is equally terrified of spiders, you wonder “Why spiders? Why couldn’t it be “Follow the butterflies?” (IMDB) Freud might have a lot of explanations for your dream. But a better interpretation is: you need fiction to solve your nightmarish concerns. No need to psychoanalyze when some reader’s advisory has the cure.
To see a spider in your dream indicates that you are feeling like an outsider in some situation. Or perhaps you want to keep your distance and stay away from an alluring and tempting situation. (DreamMoods)
While all dreams have positive and negative connotations, this dream interpretation will focus on the good outcomes of seeing a spider in your dreams. Spiders can represent going against the popular crowd and finding your own way. These YA novels will inspire you reject disruptive influences in your life by thinking about who your friends really are.
Conversion by Katherine Howe – Strangely similar illnesses strike the students at St. Joan’s
Academy in Danvers, Massachusetts as the disease that sicked girls in Salem Village three centuries ago. Colleen Rowly is determined not to panic as the symptoms spread among other students and several of her friends. While accusations fly and talk show hosts salivate over such a juicy story, only Colleen sees the connection between to the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible. Can Colleen find the cause of the illness before she becomes sick as well?
Shelter by Harlan Coben – After tragic events tear Mickey Bolitar away from his parents, he is forced to live with his estranged Uncle Myron. After switching high schools, Mickey finds both friends and enemies, but when his new new girlfriend, Ashley, vanishes, he follows her trail into a seedy underworld that reveals she is not what she seems to be. Other mysteries wait to be unraveled as Mickey’s dad may not be dead. Secrets from the Bat Lady and his mother’s drug addiction create a reality of suspicion and intrigue for Mickey to navigate solo.
In your dream you are walking along a path in the woods when suddenly the trail becomes writhing snakes. You cannot walk, you slip, fall and land among them. The snakes climb over and above you. You cannot see the sky. You are suffocating.
You wake up suddenly. Startled and confused you wonder, what did it all mean? Freud might have a lot of explanations for your dream. But a better interpretation is: you need fiction to solve your nightmarish concerns. No need to psychoanalyze when some reader’s advisory has the cure.
As a positive symbol, snakes represent healing, transformation, knowledge and wisdom. It is indicative of self-renewal and positive change. (DreamMoods)
This nightmare about snakes sounds like an impetuous for growth. Are you heading to college soon? Are you taking driving lessons this spring? What other opportunities are you facing? The following titles will inspire and guide you to reach your potential.
The Lookby Sophia Bennett
Ted has the ultimate epiphany about modeling while on a photo shoot. There is never a wrong time to choose what is right for yourself. Learn to be yourself by reading about Ted’s struggle to escape her beautiful sister’s shadow.
Black Boy White Schoolby Brian F. Walker
Ant is going to get out. He’s getting out of dangerous neighborhood. He is going to find a new life at a new school. Too bad the new school has its own problems. Now lines have been crossed and choices have been made. Its time for Ant to take a stand and prove wherever he is, he can make a difference. Continue reading YA Lit Dream Interpretation: Snakes
Each year, YALSA’s Morris Awardhonors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The award winner will be announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting Youth Media (YMA) Awards on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. Join us for a live webcast of the YMA Awards press conference or follow I Love Libraries on Twitter or Facebook to be among the first to know the 2015 winners. The official hashtag for the 2015 Youth Media Awards is #ALAyma.
Today we bring you an interview with Len Vlahos, a 2015 Morris Award finalist for The Scar Boys.
I listened to the audio book edition of Scar Boys, narrated Lincoln Hoppe.Had you listened to him on another audiobook?What made you choose him to be the voice of Harbinger “Harry” Jones?
I was so excited when I learned the Random House had acquired the rights to do the audiobook of The Scar Boys, but I was also mystified. I knew nothing about how the process worked. The producer, Kelly Gildea, sent me clips of four possible narrators. The production team had their eye on one in particular, but he sounded too old to me. I knew as soon as I heard Lincoln’s voice that he was Harry. Plus, he’d read King Dork by Frank Portman and absolutely nailed that.(I should also note that I got to play guitar for the audiobook, which was a great experience.)
What music are you listening to right now?
Right this very second? The tapping of keys on my ancient Macbook. But in general, lately I’ve been playing Roxy Music’s Manifesto, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, and Jackson Browne’s Solo Acoustic Vol 1. (In fact, your question made me stop what I was doing, pull out the Bose Speakers, launch Spotify, and put on some Jackson Browne.)
Were there any songs you wanted to use as chapter titles that didn’t make it to the final novel?
Actually, the original manuscript did not use song titles as chapter heads; it used snippets of lyrics. So, for example, the chapter that currently starts with “Bad Brain (written by Dee Dee Ramone, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, and Marky Ramone, and performed by the Ramones)” originally started with “Gives me the shots, gives me the pills, got me takin’ this junk, against my will…”—New York Dolls Only, it turns out that pesky US copyright law doesn’t allow you to use a snippet of a poem or lyric in a work of commercial fiction without first getting permission. I tried to clear permission, but no one wrote me back. This part of Fair Use law — the copyright law governing use of others’ intellectual property — is actually a bit of a gray area, but it made my publisher nervous, so I changed all the chapter heads to song titles (which can;t be protected with copyright). I spent two weeks searching for appropriate titles that we recorded before 1987. It was a challenge but fun.
If money and copyright were not issues, would you have included all the songs from the titles with the audiobook or as part of a cd soundtrack or downloaded playlist?
Egmont made a Spotify playlist of the chapter heads: Scar Boys
And yes, I would love it if they were in the audio book. However, those songs were chosen for the textual content. To get a better sense of what I really listen to, check out the playlist I made for my book tour.
I admit I judged this book.I had an expectation that was far exceeded.I loved the pervasive misery, the subplots of sadness like ;reading The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Mrs. Mac dying so unexpectedly of cancer, Mr. K’s patient commits suicide, Richie’s accident, and even Harry’s dad loosing his job. Do you see yourself as an optimist, pessimist or realist?What do you see for your future?
Oh man, what a question. :-) Okay, if we were playing truth or dare and you asked this question, I would have to tell you that outwardly I’m all pessimist, and inside I’m all optimist. I’m a consummate dreamer, My future? I see hard work, happy kids, and fresh air.
Be warned, by the way, Scar Girl — the sequel scheduled to publish in late August — is a lot darker than The Scar Boys.
I spent way too much time thinking about the lost dog the family finds near a lighthouse while on vacation. I wanted a lot of things for Harry but I felt especially determined that he keep the dog. The impact of this scene changed when I reread it.Instead of focusing on the dog, I was fixated on Harry’s dad and their terrible encounter. His dad’s quote “pain and stress can hijack a man’s soul and twist it out of shape” made me see how strong Harry was.I didn’t think Harry’s soul was mangled from his accident. I felt an intense understanding of both characters at this exact scene. Did you write this scene in particular to help us understand forgiveness?
Great question! There were a lot of things going on in this scene. First, when my family drove across country when I was six years old (I have an older brother and sister, and all five of us were crammed in a Plymouth sedan for three weeks), we found an abandoned dog at a rest stop in Texas. My dad really did throw his back out trying to coax the dog into our car so we could bring him to a shelter.
Second, I was paying homage to Philip Roth’s American Pastoral. There’s a pivotal scene early in that book where the dad accidentally makes fun of his daughter’s stutter. It’s a powerful scene that has always stayed with me, and I was thinking of that when Harry’s father let’s his most horrible of insults slip.
Finally, I was thinking about ways of showing how Harry’s armor became hardened and how it shaped him as a person. That said, Harry doesn’t really come to understand the concept of forgiveness until he figures out how to forgive himself, which is kind of what happens with his story arc. (Whoops! Spoiler!)
Do you have a favorite music video that inspired your work? Or do you have a favorite video that was inspired by your work that we could share on The Hub?
I can’t say that any one music video inspired The Scar Boys, but I will share some video clips of students that were brave enough to play guitar and/or sing at my book events. It made the entire experience so wonderfully special.
Now that Scar Boys has two awesome covers, do you love them both equally or do you have a favorite?How involved are you in designing the covers?
Publishers have the decision making power over book covers, and I have been really fortunate that Egmont has included me at every step of the process. And really, there have been four covers. There were two proposed covers for the advanced reader’s copy, which was changed for the hardcover. I kind of love them all equally. Designers are amazing people. It’s a talent I just don’t have. Finally, we just revealed the cover for Scar Girl.
Pretty cool, huh?
Yes, Len, yes you are.
-Laura C. Perenic is currently reading Fat Boy Vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach
I love historical fiction. The drama, the intrigue and, oh– the fashion. I just assume all the period details regarding clothing are accurate. Or I did until my friend Liz shared it was her secret delight to troll the adult fiction section and find anachronistic apparel. Curious to know how Liz knows all that she does about fashion? Read her bio found in our first two collaborative blog posts for The Hub:
Turns out a lot of books from specific dates and locations feature outfits as cover art that either haven’t been invented yet or were way out of fashion. I was eager to know if these same mistakes were being made in Young Adult historical fiction. After all, how was I to know? Here are some examples of books that got it right and those that got it wrong.
The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare
Hit: The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. This series takes place in Victorian London, 150 years before Clare’s popular Mortal Instuments series. The first book, Clockwork Angel, is a 2011 Teens’ Top Ten winner. The Victorian Era runs from 1837 to 1901 spanning the entire reign of Queen Victoria, and despite the inherent vagueness of generalizing fashion from one monarch’s rule, examples for men’s dress and women’s dress on these covers are very typical of the 19th century and are therefore good examples despite being in a magical fantasy setting. Continue reading Fashion Hits and Misses from YA Historical Fiction Book Covers, Part 4
I love historical fiction. The drama, the intrigue and, oh– the fashion. I just assume all the period details regarding clothing are accurate. Or I did until my friend Liz shared it was her secret delight to troll the adult fiction section and find anachronistic apparel. Curious to know how Liz knows all that she does about fashion? Check out her bio in the first post Fashion Hits and Misses from YA Historical Fiction Book Covers.
Here are some Young Adult historical fiction novels sent during the Roaring Twenties with covers that try and sometimes fail to reflect accurate costuming/
Set in 1918, bombarded by the war and Spanish Influenza Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black is mistrustful of popular fad spirit photography until a seance takes on personal meaning. This dress is a bit short length-wise, at this time you would expect to see a longer hem. Overall style is decent. The fashion of the time often featured a waist that was accentuated with a belt or sash.
I love historical fiction. The drama, the intrigue and, oh– the fashion. I just assume all the period details regarding clothing are accurate. Or I did until my friend Liz shared it was her secret delight to troll the adult fiction section and find anachronistic apparel. Curious to know how Liz knows all that she does about fashion? Check out her bio in the first post Fashion Hits and Misses from YA Historical Fiction Book Covers.
Turns out a lot of books from specific dates and locations feature outfits as cover art that either haven’t been invented yet or were way out of fashion. I was eager to know if these same mistakes were being made in Young Adult historical fiction. After all, how was I to know? Here are some examples of books that got it right and those that got it wrong.
In Mozart’s Shadow by Carolyn Meyer
Hit, sort of – In Mozart’s Shadow: His Sister’s Story (alternate title In Mozart’s Shadow: Nannerl’s Story) by Carolyn Meyer
The novel In Mozart’s Shadow: His Sister’s Story is set in eighteenth-century Europe. Older sister Nannerl remains home in Salzburg, Austria while her brother Mozart travels and performs. How does the cover art compare?
The idea of the appropriate style of dress is there, but the quality of the fashion is poor and ill-fitting. This particular dress looks like one you would wear for an “old-timey†photo. The style of the time was a low-necked gown made from woven silks in elaborate patterns worn over panniers, a cage-like garment which extended the hips at the sides. The bodice would be tightly fitted over a stiff pair of stays, known by modern terminology as a corset. The front of the bodice exposed a stomacher, which was a triangle-shaped piece which was elaborately decorated. Sleeves were normally close-fitting and worn to the elbow with ruffle and lace embellishments. The skirt was often open in the front to expose the petticoat which was decorated to match. There were several different types of dress worn at the time, but most did follow the same silhouette as described here. Continue reading Fashion Hits and Misses from YA Historical Fiction Book Covers, Part 2
I love historical fiction. The drama, the intrigue and, oh– the fashion. I just assume all the period details regarding clothing are accurate. Or I did until my friend Liz shared it was her secret delight to troll the adult fiction section and find anachronistic apparel. Curious to know how Liz knows all that she does about fashion? Here her bio:
I have had an interest in fashion history since I was young. My mother would take me to estate sales and auctions where I would buy vintage fashions with my allowance. After graduating from high school I found I did not know exactly what I wanted to do and ended up going to Miami University for costume design. While studying I found the thing I loved most about designing costumes was actually doing the research that went into the design. After this discovery I finished up my Bachelor’s Degree at Miami and moved to New York City to study what I loved most. I got my Master’s Degree in Costume Studies at New York University and have been working in museums since.. Being with the objects in such an intimate setting has allowed my passion to continue to grow and for me to learn more about every aspect of fashion and clothing construction.
Turns out a lot of books from specific dates and locations feature outfits as cover art that either haven’t been invented yet or were way out of fashion. I was eager to know if these same mistakes were being made in Young Adult historical fiction. After all, how was I to know? Here are some examples of books that got it right and those that got it wrong.
This series is set in Brittany in 1485. Brittany is a region of North West France. The book covers features the main character Ismae and Sybella. Both of these costumes are acceptable imitations of clothing found in 15th century France. The v-neck style does appear to be more indicative of middle 15th century fashion instead of what you would find in the later half of the century. But because fashion didn’t change as fast at that time it would have still been common later in the century, especially for the masses. Fashion was fairly limited at the time due to the production method and dyes used to make textiles. Nicer textiles would have been astronomically expensive and impossible for commoners to own because of strict sumptuary laws that restricted the clothing that could be worn by different classes. The hair, on the other hand, is very inaccurate as you can see from the comparisons below. Continue reading Fashion Hits and Misses from YA Historical Fiction Book Covers
I belong to a book club where we do a roll call to see what everyone is reading. I am always interested to know what other people are reading or waiting to read- but just knowing what is popular in Ohio or the whole United States no longer satisfies my curiosity. I want to know what teens are reading all over the world.
Though the nation has existed since the Neolithic Age, it just gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first municipal library opened in 1910. In 1998 the library was officially named National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has a very unique geography which includes , steppes, taiga, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. (Kazakhstan) This diversity is reflected in its population of 16.6 million people who comprise over 130 ethnicities.
Which makes me wonder: what are all of them reading?
Thank you to Celia of Haileybury Astana who has the answers. Here’s what Celia has to say about her school: Haileybury Astana, is a private British international school with over 350 pupils from nursery up through secondary school, growing every year. The operate two libraries, one for primary students and the other for secondary students. The school is located in Astana, Kazakhstan, which is billed as the second-coldest capital in the world — so we enjoy staying indoors and reading in the winter! **All commentary here is of course my own, and is not an official statement from the school!
What are the most popular titles for teens at your library right now?
Matched by Ally Condie with German cover
Right now our teens are picking up new dystopian novels like Matched Ally Condie, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, but others are still reading perennial favorites like Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz, Jacqueline Wilson’s fiction.
What genres are most popular with your library’s teens?
Our teens read a variety of historical, fantasy, or scary stories. Nonfiction gets a good go as well, especially in science or history, and anything in our adventure or teen relationship categories tends to go quickly!
In your teen collection, what languages are the books available in?
Most of our books are in English, but we have a growing collection in Russian – and we’ve even had donations of teen books in German or Kazakh! I’d love to see our pupils get the chance to read more intelligent teen fiction in Kazakh.
Do your teens prefer to read print novels or ebooks?
Right now, they prefer print, but many haven’t yet been introduced to ebooks – I hope to do that soon.
I hope to learn and share about teen reading around the world. If you or someone you know lives overseas and works as a teacher or librarian with teens, please message me so I can do a post about the country they live in. To learn more about what other teens are reading, check out my previous posts in this series:
It is snowing at my library. It might be snowing at your library too. Even when I am not reading I like to imagine things. I wonder what people are doing other places. Sometimes I like to role play and suppose I am another person. If I were a teen and not a librarian, would I read the same books? Would I suggest the same books I suggest now? Below are suggestions of awesome teen fiction as recommended by young adult patrons.