When Barry Lyga finished writing his second young adult (YA) novel, he knew there'd be trouble. After all, "Boy Toy" was about a 12-year-old who has sex with a beautiful teacher twice his age, and Lyga expected it to spark letters to local papers, trigger complaints to the school board, and incite some parents to yank it off library shelves. But…

This article presents an interview with Libba Bray, author of "Going Bovine," the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award as the year's most distinguished title for teens. Since the publication of "A Great and Terrible Beauty" in 2003, Bray has captured the imaginations and loyalties of a host of teen readers. This initial entry in a trilogy--which…

2010 marks the fifth year the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) has selected an honor list of international books. Once again, titles on the list crisscross the globe. They have been published in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, India, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. This…

Each weekday when school let out, the Queens Library at Far Rockaway--a branch of the Queens Library in New York City--would fill with nearly 100 teens. Drawn by the public-use computers, many others, who had dropped out of school, would also crowd in. To invoke a cliche, the situation was both an opportunity and a challenge. The popularity of the…

No one believes that bullying is a problem isolated to teens and tweens. Children tease one another from a very young age; they discover power by rejecting someone or by taking another's toys. Adults are hardly immune. By addressing bullying behavior early on, at every grade level, and in a variety of ways, educators have a better chance of…

Five years ago, when the author transferred from a local elementary school to her current position, she took one look at the dismal circulation figures and knew she had her work cut out for her. One of the first things she did was create a graphic novel section to attract young male readers. She also began stocking up on guy-friendly adventure and…

Pat Scales, a spokesperson for First Amendment issues, provides school librarians with guidance on: (1) how to handle questions from parents about books that employ offensive language; (2) selecting age-appropriate books for middle school libraries; (3) the difference between banning books and removing reevaluated books; and (4) whether books…

This article offers a savvy guide to the best graphic nonfiction books for teens. Many of these titles work well with teens, offering them quick access to facts and an enjoyable encounter with books and information literacy. In putting together this list of essential titles for high schoolers, the author searched for graphic nonfiction that is…

Street lit is controversial stuff. Even though street lit is a huge hit with today's teens, one will not find the semiautobiographical novels of Vickie Stringer and Nikki Turner, the grandes dames of urban fiction, on many (if any) high school reading lists or, for that matter, on some public libraries' shelves. That's because street lit (aka…

The author presents 10 best digital resources for 2009. As librarians prepare for the next school year--or as public libraries develop the budget for a new fiscal year--these are the products for children and teens that should be advocated to add to one's digital collection. These include: (1) American Indian Experience; (2) Animoto…

In this article, the author presents a list of her favorite romantic young adult novels to tempt the hearts of the tweens and teens. They are arranged in their appropriate Cupid-inspired categories.

Young adults have an insatiable thirst for blood, violence, and the supernatural. They love to be scared, and if something grosses them out, so much the better. That is why horror stories--tales that spark powerful feelings of dread, aversion, guilt, anger, and other deliciously dark emotions--are such a hit at libraries. In this article, the…

Defines graphic novels as meatier and longer comic books and discusses their appeal for teens. Lists online and print sources of reviews; explains how to build a collection; and includes an annotated bibliography of 30 titles suitable for a middle school or high school library's core collection or for a public library's teen collection. (LRW)

This bibliographic essay cites fiction titles for adolescents in grades seven through 12 on a wide range of subjects and reading levels. Suggestions for preparing booktalks to promote current books, introductions and summaries to be used for particular titles, and the effectiveness of booktalks are highlighted. (EJS)

This article discusses how Skype and other video-conferencing software have become a staple for teachers, librarians, and authors who want to get kids excited about reading. The past year has brought a huge increase in the number of schools and libraries using Skype to connect classrooms and bring in experts to talk with kids. And with cuts in…