Interesting Article on Dystopian Fiction for Teens

There is an interesting article on the New Yorker site this week about teen fiction:

Fresh Hell
What’s behind the boom in dystopian fiction for young readers?
by Laura Miller

The adult dystopia extrapolates from aspects of the present to show readers how terrible things will become if our deplorable behavior continues unchecked. The more utterly the protagonist is crushed, the more urgent and forceful the message. Because authors of children’s fiction are “reluctant to depict the extinction of hope within their stories,” Sambell writes, they equivocate when it comes to delivering a moral. Yes, our errors and delusions may lead to catastrophe, but if—as usually happens in dystopian novels for children—a new, better way of life can be assembled from the ruins would the apocalypse really be such a bad thing?

What are your thoughts? Favorites?

Our Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian teen fiction list, created by Jocelyn.

Steampunk and Teens

Steampunk certainly does seem to be growing. But does it have the strong appeal with teens that has been forecast?

Here is a panel from BEA with Scott Westerfeld, Cherie Priest and Cory Doctorow that explores "Steampunkery: Why are today's teens embracing 19th-century technologies?"

Steampunk Panel - SLJ Day of Dialog, BEA 2010 from School Library Journal on Vimeo.

What do you think? Are your teens into it?

Adorable Teen Clique: Texas Werewolves

Ok, this isn't groundbreaking news. Teens want a group they can feel is their own. This clip from a local San Antonio news show captures this perfectly.



I'm amused that they claim they are not trying to get attention.

Any interesting groups evolving in your communities?

Second Guessing Social Networking

At last week's Teen Project seminar, David M. mentioned this article from the New York Times:

Antisocial Networking?
How Does Technology Affect Kids' Friendships?
By HILARY STOUT
Published: April 30, 2010

One of the concerns is that, unlike their parents — many of whom recall having intense childhood relationships with a bosom buddy with whom they would spend all their time and tell all their secrets — today’s youths may be missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial expressions and body language. With children’s technical obsessions starting at ever-younger ages — even kindergartners will play side by side on laptops during play dates — their brains may eventually be rewired and those skills will fade further, some researchers believe.

What do you think? Should people be more concerned? Can libraries provide essential face time?

Video games score one for literacy

For every time we cringe at the movie tie-in cover:

"I was at the library Reference Desk ready to answer questions and help people find stuff when a teenage boy came up to me looking for Catcher in the Rye. I checked the catalog for Salinger and didn’t see any hard cover copies available so I walked the kid over to the uncataloged Classic Paperbacks. His mom followed behind us and while I was browsing the S’s I overheard this incredible bit of dialog.

‘Hey, Mom! See this book?’ He grabbed a copy of Inferno, the first book in Dante Alighieri’s trilogy The Divine Comedy. ‘Remember that game you bought me? This is the book it was based on, but this book is even sicker the game! It was awesome!’"

via Game Couch.

Teens Prefer Texting

Kathleen forwarded this interesting article to me this week:

American Teens Say Texting is Favorite Way to Communicate

In the past week, using its SMS text-messaging service, ChaCha asked nearly 1500 teen and young adult users: "What's your favorite way to communicate?" Their answers:

Mobile Text 67.53%
Mobile Call/Voice 9.22%
Facebook 8.84%
Instant Message 2.88%
Email 0.29%
*Other 11.24%

I find this pretty fascinating. I've heard for a while that teens found email "old fashion" (which pains me). I like email and still prefer it myself...though I do enjoy texting. Maybe we do need to reconsider how we communicate with teens. Though perhaps this is just preferred with peers? I'd be curious to see statistics on that.

Choose Privacy Week

We are in the middle of Choose Privacy Week!

Choose Privacy Week Video from 20K Films on Vimeo.

So much interesting stuff to think about here. What are your concerns?

How Fast Are Teens Growing Up?

There is an interesting article this week in the New York Times reflecting on a new study by the MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood called “What’s Going on With Young People Today? The Long and Twisting Path to Adulthood”.

The Slow, Winding Path to Adulthood
By LISA BELKIN

Many a parent believes that their children are growing up too fast. Eight is the new 12, and 12 is the new 18. Today’s middle schoolers dress like adults, know how to swear like adults and are exposed to drugs. They also know about sex, talk back and reach puberty earlier than we ever did.

But then, they stop. And reverse. A study by researchers at Oregon State University, which appears this week in the journal Transition to Adulthood finds that “despite living in an age of iPads and hybrid cars, young Americans are more like the young adults of the early 1900s than the baby-boom generation: They are living at home longer, are financially insecure and are making lower wages.”

The gist of the article seems to be that there is no set or normal age for maturation within our culture or species, but it seems to have a lot to do with financial ability as much as anything.

How do you see this manifesting with teens in your life?

Reducing Risky Behavior Through Reading

Michael Cart has an interesting article out this week in American Libraries:

A Literature of Risk
By Michael Cart
Teens dealing with violence and other risky behaviors can get help from young adult fiction

Spring Booktalks @ AMS

Spring 2010 Booktalks on Prezi

I did something a little different with prezi this time. This wasn't a visit like what we do when we go to present summer reading, this was a more casual drop-in lunch in the library of one of my middle schools. It was a two day engagement, so what you see here reflects the additions I made after the first day, when I learned they wanted more zombie and apocalypse books (I was more than happy to oblige).

SO, what you'll see here is that there is no path, no slideshow, PowerPoint-esque intended order to the presentation. Students would walk in on the "What to Read" text, and we'd chat for a couple minutes so I could remind them who I am, etc. Then I'd scroll out, and ask them what they wanted to hear about. They'd indicate a cover, I'd booktalk it, we might talk a little about other books they or I know of that were similar, then we'd move on to a title another student wanted to hear about.

The library media specialist wanted me to bring books that her students could check out from me. I wasn't sure exactly how that would work out at first, but I, by exploiting my poor personal library record (at the time), realized that the OPAC reveals a patron's standing, whether it's good or limited, or blocked. Students who had their library card or knew their number would log onto their account, I'd verify that they were in good standing and then I'd just write down their numbers and the item numbers to check them out manually when I got back to the branch. It worked out great, and I'll definitely do it again. I of course, got an okay from the branch manager to do that.

We only had the lunch period (three lunches total), so we weren't necessarily able to get through all of the books, but that's the way I always design my school visits - I want them to realize there's definitely more at the library than I can talk about in 30 minutes.

It was also a great way to use the Explore and paperback titles. I had multiple copies and then could meet demand when five kids all wanted the same book. Two days was great for this because students who forgot their Sno-Isle library card the first day could come back the second day and hope that the book they wanted would still be there. The school library media specialist and I are now planning to do one of these a month starting in the fall, and hopefully the entire event will become routine for everyone.

I also deliberately had both old and new titles. I wanted to make sure that some of the books I talked about were available in the school library for those who didn't have public library cards. And frankly, almost everything is new to THEM. In case it isn't, it's kinda nice to have a kid attest the awesome (see: The Ranger's Apprentice). Gives ya cred. ;)

Books:
Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
Bloody Jack by LA Meyer
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
Cut by Patricia McCormick
The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
Green Angel & Green Witch by Alice Hoffman
Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Messed Up by Janet Nichols Lynch
Never Slow Dance with a Zombie by Ehrich Van Lowe
Northlander by Meg Burden
Outlaw: the legend of Robin Hood by Tony Lee
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas
Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
The Rock and the River by Keekla Magoon
Samurai 7 by Akira Kurosawa & Mizutaka Suhou
Swim the Fly by Don Calame
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby

To see the actual booktalks click here.

I'm now afraid I might run out of books. I need to read faster.

Edible Book Festival - Should We?

Jackie sent on this delightful article about a program that the Calvin College Libraries did:

Calvin College celebrates its first book-eating contest

Calvin librarian Lois Dye, a self-proclaimed "foodie," founded Books in the Baking this year after learning about the International Edible Book Festival, a similar contest that has been celebrated worldwide on April Fool's Day -- or as they like to call it, Edible Book Day -- since 2000.

Seems to me this could be a delightful inter-generational program. Think we should try for it next year?

Love Tearjerkers? Here is a Great Display Idea!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE books that pull my heartstrings and evoke sniffling. Some of my favorites are the lovely picturebook Faithful Elephants, If I Stay, Last Days of Summer, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, and especially The Time Traveler's Wife.

Lynn Rutan and Cindy Dobrez made this fantastic interactive Sob-O-Meter display where teens get to add books and rate the level of weepiness. I love the huge gage and giant tissue boxes!

What are your favorite tearjerkers?

Don't have one? Check out our teen booklist - Tearjerkers: Books to Make You Cry

Cracking Down on Gangs in Snohomish County

Gang signs: a growing battle for the soul of Snohomish County's streets

Police, advocates for children and families, and other community leaders are working together to find the answer. Snohomish County was awarded more than half a million dollars to combat gangs and youth violence.

This is a tough topic and may seem beyond individual community agencies, but if we all work together, I truly believe we can make a difference.

Bullying

I don't know if anyone else has been following the headlines about the teens facing criminal charges for bullying Phoebe Prince, but I have. I found an interesting article about traditional responses to bullying as well as a strategy that has thus far proven to work well.

Here's the article: Bullies: They can be stopped, but it takes a village.

This Books Gonna Be a Good Book...

I seriously would cry tears of joy if someone entered something in the teen video contest this great:



From Marin on our Collection Developments blog:

Oprah interviewed the students on Friday’s show via satellite and delivered the news that along with the help of a corporate sponsor, the school’s library will receive 2,000 new books and brand new computers. pretty cool.

Awesomesauce!

Legality of Teens as Sexual Beings

Ever since I attended the ALA annual meetings in Chicago last summer, I've been following the blog of Dr. Marty Klein: Sexual Intellegence: Sex--and Culture, Politics and the Media--and Sex. I was immensely impressed with Dr. Klein, who spoke at YALSA's program Sex in YA Lit: From Blume to Block and Beyond. He is a sex therapist who has very solid opinions about how to raise healthy teens, most of which focus on recognizing that they are sexual beings whether we like it or not, and that teaching them to feel ok with themselves is immensely important.

Today he posted a piece about the recent court decision that determined teens can not be tried for child pornography for sexting photos of themselves:

Court Finally Limits Persecution of Teen Sexuality

The good news is that our judiciary has finally told prosecutors enough is enough. A U.S. Appeals Court just upheld a preliminary injunction barring local prosecutors from filing felony child-porn charges against a teenage girl who took a topless photo of herself with her cellphone...

Hopefully none of this will effect us in libraries, but it is a very interesting part of the bigger picture of teen rights, development, and culture that is worth knowing about.

The Future of Publishing

From DK, how the next generation feels about publishing:



Which, if you know, is a take on this:



But obviously, they have the same core message.

Awesome Interactive Storywriting Idea

One of the interesting things coming out of SXSW is an interactive storywriting competition:

Starting this Friday, March 12th at 10 AM central time, we’ll be hosting an interactive storytelling exquisite corpse-esque competition over at The Future of the Story. How it works:

Follow us on Twitter to receive the kickoff sentence for each story (contributed by some of your favorite web storytellers)

@ reply to @itwasadarkand with what you think happens next; your sentence will show up here

Vote up the best sentence

Every round, the winning sentence becomes part of the story and it’s time to write the next!

Once each story closes, we’ll be adding it to our story archive where it will be given a title and illustrated by Figure-1. AND (just to make things super extra saucy fun) we’ll be choosing one contributor from each story at random to win a choice of radtastic books (either Miranda July’s Learning to Love You More, or Jeffrey Zeldman’s A Book Apart), AND the original, signed illustration that accompanied their story!

I know Kathleen's writing group at Mukilteo Library already does some group writing with elements of this. Seems to me this could be a fun contest in person or online!

Great documentary on PBS: Digital Nation

Last week PBS aired a Frontline that has been getting a lot of buzz:

Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier
Episode One: Distracted by Everything


Sound like anyone you know?

How might this effect the way we try and serve teens in libraries?

What do you think?

"How Video Games Can Help"

From Frontline:

"They may be able to teach problem-solving skills better than textbooks. James Paul Gee is a leading proponent of developing video games for education and a professor of literacy studies at Arizona State University. His most recent book is Good Video Games and Good Learning."

What happens when we succeed?

One thing I often think about, is the fact that while many people say they want teenagers to hang out at the library, they are often unprepared for what happens when they actually do.

Such as what Boston Public is currently experiencing at one of their great new branches:

Trouble touches an urban oasis
Struggling to keep peace at new Mattapan library

Mattapan residents spent more than a decade pushing for a public library in their neighborhood, to be an intellectual hub amid the nail salons and corner stores and to help occupy young people who might otherwise stray to the streets. Last year, they got their wish, a sparkling, $17-million glass-and-marble building with an abundance of books, learning materials, and programming.

But they also got an unexpected problem: throngs of young people who have daily overwhelmed the library’s staff of eight and created a hot spot for trouble. There have been fights, thefts, and a host of problems inside and outside its doors. Police have stepped up foot patrols in the area and had officers inside the building, but a library meant as a haven has instead become a worry for some parents.

Public officials give a lot of lip service to community services for teens, but do they really think about what success looks like? And what comes next once you have built it and they have come? If your library is full of teens, how do you manage it? If your library is picked as a Teen Center, how will you prepare for success?

Report on Youth Suicide

I received this in an email today, and thought you might all be interested...

Youth suicide prevention plan offers guidance to intervention

OLYMPIA -- Washington's youth suicide rate remains higher than the national level, and the state is taking steps to turn that around. A new statewide plan offers tools and resources to help keep young people in Washington from taking their own lives.

Washington's Youth Suicide Prevention Steering Committee developed "Washington State's Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention" (www.doh.wa.gov/preventsuicide). The committee includes suicide experts and health professionals from across Washington.

"It's a tragedy whenever a young person commits suicide, or hurts themselves trying to do so," said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. "We hope that Washington residents will see this plan as a guide to prevent youth suicide in their communities. It's not any one agency's plan. It's a plan in which everyone wanting to prevent youth suicide can find a place for their work."

On average, slightly more than two youths in Washington kill themselves each week. About 17 more are hospitalized after suicide attempts. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Washington youth. Nearly twice as many suicides as homicides kill people between 10 and 24 years old. Our state's youth suicide rate is higher than the national average. Between 2002 and 2006, the rate was 8.3 per 100,000 in Washington. This compares to a 7.0 average for the nation.

However, suicide can be prevented. The new plan provides a framework for individuals, organizations, communities and agencies to end these tragedies. For instance, anyone who knows a youth is considering an immediate suicide attempt should call 911. People who see warning signs should contact a mental health professional or call 1-800-273-TALK for a referral.

The plan gathers up-to-date information and statistics. This includes information from a variety of state and national sources, including the most recent Washington Healthy Youth Survey of school students.

The document identifies warning signs and risk factors for teen suicide, as well as factors that can protect against it. Warning signs include a previous suicide attempt, current talk of suicide or making a plan, and a strong wish to die or a preoccupation with death. Others are giving away prized possessions, signs of depression, increased alcohol and/or other drug use, and hinting at not being around in the future or saying goodbye.

It also identifies the economic cost to society. For example, the 120 youth suicides in Washington each year cost an estimated $231 million in medical bills and lost productivity. The 892 hospitalizations cost an estimated $18 million.

The plan has five goals:

Goal 1- Suicide is recognized as everyone's business.
Goal 2- Youth ask for and get help when they need it.
Goal 3- People know what to look for and how to help.
Goal 4- Care is available for those who seek it.
Goal 5- Suicide is recognized as a preventable public health problem.

"Washington State's Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention" was developed under the leadership of the Department of Health's Injury and Violence Prevention Program. It was funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

You can get a copy of the plan (www.doh.wa.gov/preventsuicide) online, or by calling the program, 360-236-2800. If you are concerned about a youth who may be depressed or suicidal, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or find help on its Web site (www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org).

White Flight Online?

Here is an interesting article (in draft form) by Danah Boyd about the split between Facebook and MySpace by teens depending on race, economics and self-perception.

White Flight

Online Social Networks and Schools

An interesting article about how schools might capitalize on online social networking.

Fifth Period Is Facebook
Why schools should stop blocking social network sites.
By Nicholas Bramble

Free Scavenger Hunt Reading Program

Author and library lover Kay Cassidy has come up with a fun reading promotion your library can take part in. It is called The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest. 150 YA authors have created trivia questions to go with their books. Teens read the related book, turn in the their answers, and if they get at least 8/10, they are entered in the monthly drawing for a $50 giftcard to the bookstore of their choice.

The list of YA books you can choose from to feature are here.

Looks like a fun and easy way to promote books that might otherwise be sitting neglected on the shelf!

Reaching teens with Ustream?

I came across an interesting article in http://www.mtvsticky.com/ (part of their European division) about how more bands and DJs are promoting themselves and connecting with their audiences by using the social networking website Ustream.

Set up in the United States by ex-Army officers John Ham, Brad Hunstable and Dr. Gyula Feher in 2006, Ustream was used by soldiers overseas as an alternative to telephone and instant messenger for contacting their families. It’s now an exciting and expanding young business. In less than 2 minutes, this platform can turn the average Joe (or Lucy) into an overnight star with an infinite global audience.

I have a cartoonist friend who for a while did weekly shows where she interviewed her fellow artist friends, and viewers could follow along live, ask questions, and interact with each other in the accompanying chat room that scrolls next to the video box. A moderator can be assigned to kick out obnoxious trolls, and bad words can be blocked.

How could we use such a tool? I really like the idea of doing author interviews. Maybe booktalking? Live coverage of gaming tournaments? What else can you imagine?

stress and teens

Kathleen found this great article that talks about stress in American kids, and how parents may not realize the danger this poses to their health and education:

APA Survey Raises Concern About Parent Perceptions of Children's Stress

Teens and tweens were more likely than parents to say that their stress had
increased in the last year. Nearly half (45 percent) of teens ages 13-17 said
that they worried more this year, but only 28 percent of parents think their
teen's stress increased, and while a quarter (26 percent) of tweens ages 8-12
said they worried more this year, only 17 percent of parents believed their
tween's stress had increased. Similarly, only 2-5 percent of parents rate
their child's stress as extreme (an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale) when 14
percent of tweens and 28 percent of teens say they worry a lot or a great
deal.

What can we do to help with teens and stress? I think the best thing is to let them know they can talk to us when they are feeling overwhelmed, and help them get into a calmer state of mind. But providing them library resources to help them get organized and get things done can't hurt either. Perhaps we could offer a series of stress-busting programs?

What do you think?

What do teens want?

Great article in PW about a survey of teen "uber-readers" from teenreads.com that disseminates what teens want in books and how they relate to literature and the internet in a marketing sense.

"Consistent with our 2005 survey, book copy was the most important factor that would make teens pick up a book. A stunning 91% saw this as the most important influence. The cover was important to 79%. The next most important influence, with 77%, was familiarity with an author's previous work; 74% were looking for the next book in a series. For 73%, the title was important."

It's worth a few moments of your time. Whole article here.

Craft-licious

Crafts (DIY, Altered Objects, whatever you call them) were so popular this summer, that I've begun to offer them monthly. Not being that much of a crafty person, I've really needed all the help I can get.

Yesterday, I found Threadbanger.

They have crafting instructions, and better yet, video tutorials.

Threadbanger is my new best friend.



Also? We're SO DOING THIS:



My teens wanted to make masquerade masks anyway.

Links & Alliances LGBTQA Youth Conference

Here is an upcoming program you may be interested. Please pass on to any LGBTQA youth you might know. They can attend this for free!

Formed in 1998 to provide support to gay and lesbian youth seeking safer environments in school and the community, the 13th annual Links and Alliances LGBTQA Youth Conference will be held on Saturday November 14th from 11am-7:30pm in Everett Community College’s Parks Student Union, 2000 Tower St. The invitational conference is for youth, parents, educators and community members who serve youth, and will cover issues impacting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth ages 14-20.

The cost is $25 for adults; free for youth age 14-20. Meals are included.

The theme of the conference is Telling Our Stories and is sponsored by EvCC’s Diversity and Equity Center. Snohomish Health District, Compass Health and 22 community agencies from Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom Counties join Everett CC as cosponsors and supporters.

For more information about the Links & Alliances conference, call 425-339-5251 or e-mail sgeissler@shd.snohomish.wa.gov or bnewell@shd.snohomish.wa.gov. If you work for a youth service agency and would like to reserve a resource table, please call Kelly at 425.339.5241 by November 11.

Keynote speaker will be one of Washington State's six openly LGBT members of the WA State Legislature. Workshops include: OMG! ISO 411 RE: STDs & HIV; Telling OUT Stories; My Life During GLOBE, My Life After GLOBE; Our Lives in Transition; Inner Journey - Stories from Within; Telling Our Stories Through Altoid Art; Youth Groups & GSAs Setting Sail to Change Our World. Free HIV testing offered. Cookies, fruit, drinks, appetizers, dinner and an evening entertainment featuring DJs and a drag show included.

I'll be out of town, but if anyone can attend this I would love to hear a report. I'm quite curious about the Altoid Art ;)

YALSA: The Library is NOT a Supermarket

There's a great post on the YALSA blog today about teen perception and needs about/from libraries. It reminds me of a lot of the things we talk about in regards to the Teen Project, so it's worth a read:

What makes a library more than a supermarket for teens? Is it:

• Hours that go beyond the traditional 9 to 5 or 9 to 9 model? Do successful hangout places for teens open early and stay open late?
• Staff across library departments that is welcoming, interested, and willing to build relationships?
• Flexible furniture that is easy to move around and that promotes sitting and talking with friends and peers?
• Space that actually has space for moving around, standing and talking, and even sitting on the floor?
• More than a collection of books and what’s in the collection (books, media, technology, etc.) is of interest to teens 2009/2010 and not just favorites of current or past librarians, staff, parents, etc.?
• A place where teens know their ideas are welcome, supported, and even acted upon?

Some of that sounds pretty similar to the service models we've been talking about, doesn't it?

Interesting new Pew Report on Hispanic youth

Another interesting report found by Terry:

The Changing Pathways of Hispanic Youths Into Adulthood,
Richard Fry, Senior Research Associate, Pew Hispanic Center

"Young Latino adults in the United States are more likely to be in school or the work force now than their counterparts were in previous generations. In 1970, 77% of Hispanics ages 16 to 251 were either working, going to school or serving in the military; by 2007, 86% of Latinos in this coming-of-age group were taking part in these skill-building endeavors, according to a comprehensive analysis of four decades of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. The growth over time in the share of youths involved in such market-oriented activities is not limited to Latinos. Similar changes have occurred among black and white youths. But the Latino trends are particularly noteworthy because their share of the young adult population has risen so dramatically during this period—to 18% in 2007, more than triple their 5% share in 1970."

World Bank Targets Adolescent Girls

Terry shared this intriguing article with me this week:

The World Bank Group will launch The Adolescent Girls Initiative on October 10 with the participation of President Robert B. Zoellick, Nobel Laureate Michael Spence and Nike CEO Mark Parker. This public-private partnership aims to economically empower girls and young women. Three studies on young women and employment will be released in October prior to the launch.

Basically, the idea is that a great way to fight world poverty, is to break the cycle of poverty for girls. Check out the video:

I wonder if there is any way we could do related programs in our libraries? And why is it we rarely hear talk about breaking the cycle of poverty in our own communities?

Zombie fun for game days?

One of my teens brought this to one of our recent Teen Gaming programs. Last Night on Earth is a zombie-themed board game where each player takes on the role of a small town archetype in order to survive the zombie hordes now spilling through town. Rules are simple and intuitive, games can last from 20 minutes to an hour or more, and it was really a LOT of fun.

One of my teens, who had brought his XBox 360 and a copy of Left 4 Dead discarded his controller to play the game and on the edge of his seat the entire time. I belive the word "Epic" was used at least a dozen times.

I have offered Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Cranium, and Settlers of Catan at Teen Gaming and never gotten this type of enthusiastic response for a board game. Based on that I purchased a copy for use in both Teen Gaming programs as well as our Zombie Survival program coming up in October.

Teens coming out in middle school.

The New York Times has an excellent article about teens coming out in middle school, how things have changed, and what remains challenging for them:

Coming Out in Middle School
By BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS
Published: September 23, 2009

“When I first realized I was gay,” Austin interjected, “I just assumed I would hide it and be miserable for the rest of my life. But then I said, ‘O.K., wait, I don’t want to hide this and be miserable my whole life.’ ”

What has changed, that more kids are coming out at a younger age?

Not only were there increasingly accurate and positive portrayals of gays and lesbians in popular culture, but most teenagers were by then regular Internet users. Going online broke through the isolation that had been a hallmark of being young and gay, and it allowed gay teenagers to find information to refute what their families or churches sometimes still told them — namely, that they would never find happiness and love.

A humorous moment of frustration for one boy:

“It’s not like I have a lot of options anyway,” he said, echoing what I would go on to hear from many gay middle-schoolers. “I like guys who are nice and caring and don’t act like jerks to everyone. But this is middle school, where guys think it’s funny to pick their nose and fart really loud and laugh.”

One thing I found particularly interesting is how many adults instantly think coming out or having a Gay-Straight Alliance at a school is somehow about sex, but for the most part these kids are pretty innocent. For them it is about being comfortable and honest about who you are, and being able to talk openly about themselves, their hopes and dreams. Which is what I would want for any middle school kid.

Book Talks

As promised, here are the book talks from the Teen Contacts meeting.

Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger
Dave and his friends Victor and Curtis, turned 15 this year, which means they can get summer jobs. But everyone knows that once you start working at 16 (not 15), you are expected to keep working until you retire. So, they consider this summer their last summer of freedom...

Until their dads tell them they have no choice. And what will three teenage boys do to get out of having an "optional" summer job?

Pretty much anything.

They decide NOT to get jobs. Oh, they tell their families that they have jobs, even though they don't. And to prove to their suspicious dads that they have jobs, they'll get the money they would have earned (about $7,000) some other way...leaving the rest of the summer open for fun. And so, Project Sweet Life began.

Will the boys earn the money? Can they keep it secret from their families all summer? Read Project Sweet Life and find out.

Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow
What would you do if your dad, who went hunting a few nights ago and never came home, returned as a zombie and attacked you?

Yeah, it really sucks having to kill your own dad.

Dru Anderson has always known about the zombies, suckers, wulfen, and other things that go bump in the night...or, the "Real World," as she calls it. Ever since her mom's death, Dru and her dad have hunted the bad things most people don't know about.

But now she's all alone. Except for her Goth friend Graves, who gave her a place to stay, she doesn't know anyone in the area. Now they are the ones being hunted. And Dru must learn more about who she is and what she can do if they hope to survive long enough to get out of town alive.

Conflux Festival - fun tech ideas

Penni sent me a link to this article about a cool arts and technology festival in New York City:

Conflux Festival Turns New York Into a Digital Playground
By Jenna Wortham
September 18, 2009

Folks are doing lots of imaginative and fun things with technology for this including:

* using iPhones to play virtual golf around the city
* The Urban Disorientation Game: Players are challenged to find their way back to the headquarters after being blindfolded and driven to remote parts of the city. Players will be asked to create maps and explore their surroundings as they make their way back to the starting point.
* Human Scale Chess Game
* IPhone Drum Circle

I don't imagine many of our teens have iPhones, but what sorts of fun and challenging events can we come up with that use the technology they do have access to? I've already gotten requests for more game tournaments and digital photography scavenger hunts. I'd love to see some innovative ideas for Teen Tech Month. The YALSA theme is Learn, Create, Share @ your library. What could we do that would help teens learn new skills, create cools stuff and show it off through our website?

virtual author visits

Interested in having an author interact with your teen group, but don't have the big bucks to spend on getting them to fly in? Consider using the internet! Jackie from Lynnwood found this great article on having virtual author visits using Skype.

Met Any Good Authors Lately? Classroom author visits can happen via Skype
By Kate Messner -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2009

Includes a list of those who do it for free!

More on gangs...

Gang graffiti in Mountlake Terrace

First, I want to thank Dawn for arranging Heidi's presentation about gangs today. Even though we don't have as much of a problem on the island, I think it's important to be aware of the signs. Especially in Oak Harbor, I think there are a lot of teens that might find the gang lifestyle enticing.

The various signs and symbols got me thinking about some things I've seen a couple of kids drawing when I let them write on the white board, and I set off on a search to try and find reference to it on the internet. No luck yet, but I did run across a couple of things I wanted to share with you all.

Northwest Gangs - a resource specific to gang activity in the northwest. Be sure to visit the Flickr site that goes along with this resource. He's got a lot of pictures of graffiti and symbols from all over Washington.

I'm still looking for my particular symbol...

Leviathan

Last month Dawn sent me the ARC of Scott Westerfeld's new book Leviathan, with the promise that I'd blog about it on one of the blogs within 30 days. I believe today is exactly 30 days from that offer - I actually thought I'd missed it by a day or two. Whew!

Anyhow...

Leviathan seems to be getting some pretty good hype, what with the book trailer and release of illustrations ahead of the book release date. It's a new direction for Scott Westerfeld, away from the contemporary or futuristic books he's already written. That's something I like about Westerfeld's books and series - the fact that they're all different from each other.

So - how does Leviathan stack up to his other work? I've read So Yesterday, Uglies, and the first Midnighters so can't compare it to everything he's written. But I think it holds up well - I really liked it. I will admit that I'm already a fan of the Steampunk genre, so that might bias my opinion a bit. Just a bit. And I'm becoming more and more fond of alternate history tales as well - which of course could bias me a bit further.

The premise of the story - the leadup to WWI - is accurate to some degree but this of course is where Westerfeld tweaks history and runs with it. The Austrio-German side are the "Clankers" - reliant on metal, engines, and machinery, including walkers with varying numbers of legs and big guns. The British allies are referred to as "Darwinists" and have developed their vehicles and weaponry through the combination of biological creatures. Each force is formidable in its own right.

The main characters are believable and decently fleshed out, and I found them likeable. Alex, the Austrian prince who has been forced to flee after the assassination of his parents, has a few appropriately snotty royal moments but also learns from his mistakes and has compassion. Deryn, the young Scottish girl masquerading as a boy so that she can become a soldier and fly on the airships, is tenacious and spunky.

The tale is full of action from the beginning. There are chases, battles, and plenty of close calls for Alex and Deryn as their paths draw closer and closer together. By the end of it, I was grumbling that now I'm going to have to wait who knows how long for the next book!

Who should you recommend this book to? I think there will be a certain number of Westerfeld fans that will read it just because it's him, though it's possible not all of them will like this departure into the past. Teens who enjoyed Kenneth Oppel's Airborn series or Philip Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles will be certain to enjoy Leviathan. I would not hesitate to recommend it to both boys and girls, but overall I think the book may appeala bit more to boys.

Looks like I only need to wait a year for the next installment... better get going on those Mock Printz books!

books to...video game?

Books being made into video games is nothing new. Lord of the Rings, Nancy Drew, Where's Waldo and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are just a few. But I confess, I was surprised to see that the Clique is being made into a game. From the Warner Brothers press release:

In The Clique: Diss and Make Up players are immersed in the fabulous world of "The Clique," complete with fun fashions, cool classes, after school 'Jobbies' and, of course, all the latest gossip. Players can take teen gossip to a new hi-tech level by wirelessly connecting with their real-life clique using BFF mode. This mode enables two players to trade character information and send messages – all while unlocking secret gossip in the game.

I know there has been a lot of talk over the years about making more games that appeal to girls, but focusing one around gossip and struggling to get popular, I find it a rather depressing. But on the other hand, multimedia tie-ins are so natural for this generation who don't view it as a sell out or commercialization of their favorite books, but a way to enjoy them further.

What do you think?

Discussing the Pew report on teen cell phone use

Terry sent out this report the other day:

Teens and Mobile Phones Over the Past Five Years: Pew Internet Looks Back, August 2009:

Teenagers have previously lagged behind adults in their ownership of cell phones, but several years of survey data collected by the Pew Internet & American Life Project show that those ages 12-17 are closing the gap in cell phone ownership. The Project first began surveying teenagers about their mobile phones in its 2004 Teens and Parents project when a survey showed that 45% of teens had a cell phone. Since that time, mobile phone use has climbed steadily among teens ages 12 to 17 – to 63% in fall of 2006 to 71% in early 2008. In comparison, 77% of all adults (and 88% of parents) had a cell phone or other mobile device at a similar point in 2008.

Reading through it, at first I felt there were really no surprises. But then I came to this line:

Internet users are more likely than non-users to have a cell phone; however half of teens who do not go online do own a mobile phone.

And I thought, "who are these teens who do not go online?" and suddenly I was hit by one of my own poor assumptions. In my mind, ALL teens go online! And when we are concerned about reaching teens using the technology they are using it is easy to hear generalizations like "teens love to text!" and assume that is where we need to go to reach them all. But according to this report, only 2 in 5 teens text at least daily. These kids who are so dialed in, are they the ones we need to be working hard to get connected to libraries? Or should we be reminding ourselves to reach out to those on the other side of the digital divide?

Thoughts?

Understanding the Mysteries of Teenage Brain

Recently I attended a great training with Victoria Tennant on Understanding the Mysteries of the Teenage Brain. I though it was just terrific and have arranged to have it offered to staff at Sno-Isle. This workshop is for any library staff working directly with the teen population. You will improve your communication and community building between you and the teen customers and create a greater sense of confidence working with them.

The workshop will take place Tuesday November 3rd at the Service Center. Please submit a Continuing Education application to reserve your place...space is limited!

boys and books, revisited

The debate on what it takes to get boys to read (with the assumption they aren't reading enough) goes on. A school librarian in School Library Journal recently made the statement that we need more books with boy protagonists, and that "lots of books with female characters aren't really about being female. In fact, in many cases, the main characters could just as easily have been males—and that would make my job a lot easier". She sights Siberia as an example.

Over on MSN's Mom and Pop Culture page (a cleverly titled blog for parents about pop culture), Martha Brockenbrough argues that "But the problem isn't the books, it's the way we're raising our boys. If they aren't willing to read about girls, and if we're indulging that sort of nonsense, then we are raising boys who will have a hard time functioning in a world where girls play serious roles. In other words, the real world."

What do you think? Should authors be writing fewer books staring girls? Or should we stop just accepting that boys are less inclined to read about girls, and start actively encouraging them to get over themselves?

Dawson Place - help for violated teens

I recently went to a meeting where there was a speaker from Dawson Place, which is a child advocacy center in Everett, WA. It is a partnership between the Division of Children and Family Services, Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse, Compass Health, law enforcement agencies of Snohomish County and the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. These partners work together to provide all the services a child or teen who has suffered from abuse or an assault, to make the care and reporting experience as trauma free as possible. Most importantly, they provide a 24-hour crisis line that can help connect kids to the care they need. If you know any teens who mention current (or anything from the past few years) abuse or assults, please encourage them to contact Dawson Place. These folks know what they are doing, and are a vital resource for our community you should know about. Plus, they have an adorable service dogs on staff (Stilston, seen above) to help relax and distract distressed kids. Tours of the facility can be arranged for adults who work with youth who want to see where they will be refering them.

Neilsen Company reports on teens and media

re-posted from the Collection Developments blog:

Neilsen Company reports on teens and media

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 09:00 AM PDT

The Nielsen Company published an in-depth report on how teenagers use media — the myths and realities of teen media trends. They look at how teens use: TV, online and mobile video, Internet, mobile phones, games, movies, music and advertising.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype around teenagers. The notion that teens are too busy texting and Twittering to be engaged with traditional media is exciting, but false.

This report will make you reconsider your preconceived notions about what teens are doing.

via PW Children’s Bookshelf, June 25, 2009

posting by Lorraine

easy September program idea: Talk Like a Pirate!

Looking for a easy, silly fun program idea for that busy back-to-school month between Teen Summer Reading and Teen Read Month? Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th!

Find out how other people celebrated last year, or just get some pirate advice. Perhaps you could have a program on tying knots, show Pirates of the Caribbean, or find a local history expert to talk about our own pirate history. Or maybe get some of the Seafair crew? Looks like The Seattle Knights has a pirate division now, too!

sad study on teens & death

I know teens love love love books about death and dying, but I had no idea how many believe they will die young!

Many Teens Expect To Die Young

Writing in the journal Pediatrics, Dr. Iris Borowsky of the University of Minnesota Medical School, and colleagues studied data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which involves more than 20,000 teens from grades 7 through 12.

They found that almost 15 percent of adolescents believed they had a 50/50 chance at best of living to see their 35th birthday.

Wow! The article goes on to talk about this is why so many teens engage in risky behavior...they are literally hopeless. So sad.

How do you think books about death and dying help teens with these worries/fears/hopelessness? What are some of your favorites?

new trend in hip hop

Being a middle aged librarian, I find it sometimes challenging to stay up on teen music trends, so I'm always delighted when someone exposes me to some fresh beats before they've already grown old.

Anne directed me to this great article (just posted last week) about a new trend in hip hop: jerk culture.

Jerky boys and girls: New Boyz, Rej3ctz and more lead a new youth movement

Jerk dancing has apparently been around for a while, but dance trends without musical backup tend to die quickly. This appears to be fresh and fun, embraced by teens in L.A., and has its own new look...think 80s tight jeans and patterned pants, with fitted baseball caps.



I'm especially smitten with the fact that these kids are confident enough to sport Sesame Street hats! I know my brother would love the Elmo one. Me, I'm leaning towards Cookie Monster .

new approach to bullying prevention

The New York Times has an interesting article this week on new approaches to treating bullying - as a pediatric health problem.

At Last, Facing Down Bullies (and Their Enablers)
By Perri Klass, M.D.

In recent years, pediatricians and researchers in this country have been giving bullies and their victims the attention they have long deserved — and have long received in Europe. We’ve gotten past the “kids will be kids” notion that bullying is a normal part of childhood or the prelude to a successful life strategy. Research has described long-term risks — not just to victims, who may be more likely than their peers to experience depression and suicidal thoughts, but to the bullies themselves, who are less likely to finish school or hold down a job.

The article goes on to suggest that pediatricians be in contact with school principals when the become aware of problems, that a zero tolerance policy be in place in schools, and that youths are educated that "the bully is someone who has a problem managing his or her behavior, and the victim is someone they can protect." I love this theory of "activating the bystanders" as they call it, but which is in a way nothing more than the sort of extensive community partnering our libraries are striving to achieve...increasing communication, awareness and participation of teens and those who work with them for the good of all.

What can we as libraries do to prevent bullying? The most important thing is to have a zero tolerance policy ourselves. I try to be consistent about tolerating no roughhousing or name calling - no matter how jokey or friendly it might seem, we cannot gauge of the true hurtfulness. By not putting up with any of it, we create an atmosphere of respect and safety that makes it easier to spot truly problematic behavior. When disturbing patterns then can be seen, talk to school contacts to get information and help them see a bigger picture of their charges. Libraries are so extremely careful about always protecting identity of our patrons, I was surprised to discover school police officers and counselors are often quite willing to discuss behavior issues of specific students for the purpose of helping them. The more consistently issues can be address within the community, the better it is for teens, and for all of us.

"It's All about the Teen"

It's a great article in PW, covering a panel that happened at BEA. It's absolutely worth a read.

Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite:

"Debraski mentioned that sometimes programs are a flop, but you’ve got to keep on trying. Her experience in programming has given her the knowledge that “no one program fits all.” She emphasized the fact that some programs, like crafting and gaming, may seem like they aren’t related to libraries in a direct way, but in actuality, they are. “It’s all about making a connection with the teens. They’ve got to know that the library is a fun place to be,” she said."

What do librarians wish teachers knew about the library?

Abby (the) Librarian has a great blog post to teachers, letting them know what librarians wish teachers knew about public libraries:

• We would love to know about your assignments ahead of time.
• We appreciate when you make sure there are resources available before giving your students an assignment.
• Other teachers in your school (and in other schools) might be doing the same units that you are.
• There are lots of different book-leveling systems.
• We are happy to have your class visit, and your visit will be better if we know you are coming (and when and for what purpose).
• We need your help to promote our programs over the summer and during the school year.
• We'd love a copy of your summer reading list.
• The public library may have more freedom to buy materials that aren't approved by the school board.
• Many libraries offer teacher cards or school loan programs.

Here is the full article, which expands on all these ideas. Good talking points for sharing what we do when you reconnect with teachers in the fall!

What would you add?

program ideas from Sakura-Con

Hello everyone,

Anne and I attended Sakura-Con way back on April 12th, and I've been meaning to share a bit of that experience, but couldn't think of the right way to approach the random information. And then I was thinking of ways to improve this blog, and realized this was a perfect place to download this sort of info. Especially after I spent a little time yesterday playing with the Flip video camera software and made a tiny movie with the footage we shot there!



Sakura-Con is all about celebrating anime and manga, plus the culture that surrounds them. I went with the main objective of coming up with programming ideas. I contacted a number of young artists, and unfortunately did not find many who were excited about teaching classes at the library (most were sweetly quite shy and inexperience in dealing with the public). Here are a few possibilities:

Elie and Rae - Above*Rain are based out of Lake Stevens.
Rebecca Barnes - Washington state - Bluessence
Rich Schleifer - Schleifer Studios - Bothell

Costumes are a huge part of Sakura-Con! One of my favorite parts was when they would have Cosplay photo gatherings scheduled, so kids who dressed as characters from the same anime would come together in one big group for photo ops. (Anne always has great photos). Probably wouldn't work as a library program, but maybe a cosplay party?

We attended an awesome Gothic Lolita fashion show, and afterwards I spoke to the presenter, Aimee Skeers, who said she would be willing to do her PowerPoint at a library for a program, and might be able to get her Lolita group to do meet-up as part of the program. (She is part of a Lolita convention in Bellevue this August) My idea is that the library could throw a tea party for them and the teens who attend. Could be fun!

I learned from the Seattle branch of the Consulate-General of Japan about the JET (Japanese Exchange and Teaching) program. They are very excited to promote this if you would like to have a program where teens and young adults can learn about the JET program. Contact Lynn at jet@cgjapansea.org for more information.

Another organization that might be worth talking to about doing something in the library is the Japan-America Society. They have a Japan in a Suitcase program they offer for young elementary school students, and Japanese Language and Culture Visits they do for secondary school students. Perhaps they could do a mini-immersion program for your anime group, or as a program?

Another both I checked out where the folks seemed interested in doing programs at the library was Tsubomi Seishin Kan Dojo - Japanese Martial Arts & Culture. They are located in both Shoreline and Everett adn teach Aikido and Iaido (Japanese swordsmanship!) They are part of the PNBA (Pacific Northwest Budo Association) who coordinates instructional programs on Japanese language and culture, including meditation, calligraphy, bonsai, flower arranging and tea ceremonies!

One final program idea that would be cheap and fun is to have a classic console gaming night. Borrow ancient Atari 2600, Nintendo 64, etc...from your staff and friends and let the teens experience the glory that is old school video gaming!

tattoo contest for teens?

This is a fresh idea I saw on GNLIB, from Susan Bohn of Hononegah High School :

Our high school library has a library advisory group and they help me plan events for the library. We recently had "ani-May-nia" and one part of the program was a drawing contest. The students submitted drawings inspired by their favorite manga characters and the kids at the program voted for their favorite. I had them turn in their entries prior to the day of the program so I could scan them and make them into temporary tattoos which we scattered on the tables for the kids to take during the program. The tattoo paper I used was a "laser temporary tattoo paper kit" by papilio.com. It costs $11.89 for a pack of 5 sheets. You need a color laser printer to print them. I used five sheets and made 125 tattoos, so the kids could take several. Our students really like contests--drawing contests, trivia contests, etc. This was a fun way to use the entries from the drawing contest and give something to everyone who came.

Pretty neat, eh?

Some display ideas for teen summer reading

I came across a very cool PowerPoint today by by Valerie Voss of Tulare County Library, in which she shares some great ideas for Express Yourself @ the Library. Though it may be too late to add any of these things as programs, you could incorporate a few of the ideas in to displays or local contests at your branch:

• Your Life in Six Words
• One/Two Minute Video Poetry Slams
• Teen photo display (found photo collage or teen art)
• Mail art (exchange with other branches?)
• Express Your Secret @ the Library (PostSecret type display)

Wish I had found this sooner...some really cool ideas!