Week 7: Assignment 1-Done

Week 7: Assignment 2
YA Comes of Age:  Reading this article, I certainly agree that teens are looking for that crossover appeal.  I think the paranormal and forbidden romance lovers are looking to see a twist of plot for these titles.  They mention The number of stars that has elements of humor and fear mixed into the storyline-it is fresh, new and exciting for teens to delve into something a bit unusual.  My teen daughter loved Beautiful Creatures-a bit dark, forbidden romance, mystery, apocalyptic themes, historical context-she loved every bit of the mixture. New authors will need to add something "spicy" into the mix to keep teens interested and ready for the next sequel.  I felt the movie Beautiful Creatures followed the book and captured the audience from the minute go with the two protagonists. 

Who is buying teen books?  The research captured and assimilated into this article shows readers of teen books surpass that typical 12-17 year age group.  This is very good news for new teen authors looking to write teen fiction.  I see authors like Patterson/Picoult making inroads with teen audiences and attempting to capture them with the hope of keeping them as adult readers. These authors realize the vast potential lying in their wake and they are "seizing the moment" so to speak. 
Week 7: Assignment 3

Stacked:  If time were on my side and I had hours to devote to the task at hand, I'd spend a good amount of that time on "Stacked". It is written by librarians and is really a great resource for librarians, teen readers, writers, editors and essentially, bibliophiles.  The librarians writing on this blog seem quite passionate about their work and do their best to give honest feedback about the books they have been reading-the good, the bad and the ugly.  I appreciate this feedback because life is short, and so many books to read.  I don't usually like to waste my time on stories I know will not deliver a "wow factor". 

Forever Young Adult:  This is my first opportunity to check out this site and it is fabulous.  There are 10-15 writers, mostly females (one male) who have a wide range of experiences with books.  I enjoyed reading their short bios on "Cast of Characters".  There is so much on this site to cover-I did read the interview with Veronica Roth about her Divergent series. They talked with her about her impressions of the movie and if it fit with her vision.  I think teens would really like this site for some of the movie "sneak peaks" and the dialogue with other lovers of YA. Their claim to fame is "...more A than Y", and I do think it may appeal to more of the 18+ crowd. 

Week 7: Assigntment 4

Review of Harper Teen and Little and Brown Books for Teens

Harper Teen  I was interested in looking at the coming attractions for teen literature from Harper Teen and there are some great ends, new beginnings and plenty of action.  The Fame Game comes to a conclusion in Infamous by Lauren Conrad for all of those who love female drama, drama and more drama.  Teri Brown has intertwined plenty of romance, magic and secret societies in her upcoming novel Born of Illusion.  It seems readers are looking for novels remniscent of Beautiful Creatures, a touch of history, paranormal, sorcery and a love that prevails.  Demitra Lunetta's In the After is sure to keep the reader up at all hours of the night-action packed dystopian tale and plenty of twists and turns in plot.  There are plenty of teens with the adrenaline junkie rush and Lunetta's book will deliver.  Lastly,  Pittacus Lore continues the Lorien Legacy Series with I Am #4 as the Gardes and Mogadorians battle to the finish-it is all there for teens who love an intricate plot and world building. 

Little and Brown Books for Teens

This is a Hatchett Publishing site and they do a magnificent job with page layout and book appeal.  The pictures are large and tastefully displayed, plenty of video feeds throughout and getting to know the authors.  I love the layout of this website and all of the book trailers.  I think it is definitely a great marketing tool by Hatchett that appeals to the teen and 18/over crowd. 

I especially enjoyed Welcome to Finishing School, a part of The Academy for Young Ladies series by Gail Carriger.  Her first book in the series Etiquette and Espionage combines elements of mystery, adventure and humor and would appeal to those teens who have a fancy for Steampunk and historical fiction.  In Novelist, a similiar read-a-like to Carriger's series is Kady Cross' Steampunk Chronicles Series- The Girl in the Clockwork Collar.  I think teen mystery readers might be looking for a bit of historical fantasy and steampunk fiction.

The sequel to I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga, Game, will certainly deliver for all of those serial killer fans who want more blood, guts and gore.  Lyga's book Fan Boy and Goth Girl has had great reviews by School Library Journal because of it's appeal for those kids who live life "against the grain" and are trying to find out who they are during those tumultuous years.