YA Materials

[Beth Ringsmuth Stolpman]

What Young Adults materials are you consuming? What have you enjoyed/not enjoyed? Any program ideas?

[Christie]

I'm volunteering in a HS library this semester, and the staff with whom I'm working (not the media specialist, who seems to be more of a tech support guy than anything else) have asked me to recommend new materials. I think I'm going to direct them to some good manga titles, as their library is light on those items.

Right this minute I am having a very hard time getting myself to care about The Golden Compass.

Christie

[Beth Ringsmuth Stolpman]

I haven't even begun "The Golden Compass," but I've seen the movie (though have heard it is very different from the book) but I have an idea of how to imagine it, if that makes sense. Have you read some manga that you could suggest? I really, really liked the Miki Falls series by Mark Crilley. Another series I started but haven't finished is Emma (can't remember the author, Karauo something?).

[Lindsay]

I don't know if I have been consuming a lot of young adult materials, but one of my favorite books to teach is Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. It allows students to learn about the Cultural Revolution in China while looking at some important themes like love, learning, and how education can empower. Colors of the Mountain is also a book set during the Cultural Revolution, which is also a favorite with students--especially with advanced level ninth graders, dealing with similar issues. (I am obviously very interested in this time period). The most recent YA book that I have read and loved was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (also for mature ninth graders).

[Beth Ringsmuth Stolpman]

Cool! I have read Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress and really enjoyed it. I hope your students like it, too. We will be reading the Sherman Alexie book for our YA literature course, and I've looked at it before and thought it looked good. Now that you've said you liked it, I'm even more excited to read it.