One for Your Bookmarks: Sex in the Library

It`s a common situation in a public library: an 11 or 12 year old is transitioning from kids books to teen, and mom is terrified her child will pick up a book with inappropriate things in it.  In other words, sex.  Said mom is convinced you have read every single book in your library and can tell her which ones have bad stuff in them.

Unless your superpowers are speed reading and mind reading (so you know exactly what Mom means by bad stuff), you`re going to have a little trouble answering this reference question.

Enter Sex in the Library, an awesome blog which will make you look like a library superhero.

There are many book review blogs out there, but I can`t think of many that have made it their mission to detail sexual content in YA novels.  Each review consists of a description of the plot, age recommendation and, very helpfully, a list of any violence and everything of even a remotely sexual nature.  In addition, each review is tagged with labels like `no cussing,` `nekkidness`and `homosexuality.`

The blog is meant for other librarians to help them decide if a book is right for their library or not, but it is very helpful when dealing with parents as well.  Because Sex in the Library reviews books with everything from a kiss to graphic sex, parents can find books that they are comfortable with their child reading.  And you can move on to helping the next patron.

Sugru -- the ultimate crafting substance

4YA had a post on a fantastic new product called Sugru: a moldable, self-setting, silicone clay.  It feels like play-doh when you take it out of the package, but within 24 hours it's hardened into silicone rubber.

4YA has two videos and a list of cool projects you could do with your teens.  I would love to get a hold of some and do a craft program with it. 

Not sure when you'll be able to find it at your local craft store, but you can order some on the Sugru website, or through Amazon.

A Fab Booklist from Teen Librarian's Toolbox

Catching up on my blog reading this week (I've gotten seriously behind this summer), and I found this older but excellent post from Teen Librarian's Toolbox on the Top 10 Manga You Should Have in Your Library.  While I haven't read all the titles on the list, it does have a number of my favourites, including Library Wars: Love and War.  How could I not love a series about librarians defending freedom to read with guns? 

Zombie Programming Fun!

Teen Librarian's Toolbox has a fabulous post on zombie programming.  That gives you time to plan a zombie program for Teen Read Week or Halloween.  I love the games:  Zombie Attack Prep Drill and Zombie Hunt.  My teens love group games, so I will definitely be filing those away for future use.


Posts you might also like:  How to Throw a Zombie Ball

4YA - Another One for Your Favourites Folder

One of my favourite go-to blogs for programming ideas is 4YA: Inspiration for Youth Advocates.  It's written by Andrea Graham, who describes it as a "one-stop-shop for youth culture + trend news."  If you are looking for cool craft ideas, want to keep up on the latest crazes and memes, or are looking for innovative outreach ideas, 4YA is the place to go.  There's a handy tag cloud, and each post ends with a list of other related blog posts, which makes it very easy to find what you're looking for. Check it out.

Set to Sea by Drew Weing

I was filling in at another branch this week, and took advantage of the fact by snagging every YA graphic novel on their shelves that I hadn't read.  Okay, not every graphic novel.  I left the ones where they didn't have volume one in the series behind.  But my To Read pile has grown about 2 1/2 feet taller.

The first thing I pulled out of the pile was a charming little book called Set to Sea.  A tiny book with just one panel per page, it tells the story of a young poet who is sent to sea against his wishes, only to discover that life at sea is a good muse for a poet.  The book is nearly wordless, a feat of storytelling which always impresses me when it's this well done.

Graphic novels are more than just superheros and Sailor Moon.  If you're not familiar with what's out there, or want to read something a little different, pick this one up.  It's short enough to read on your coffee break, and it's well worth the time.

Top 10 Reasons You Should Be On Twitter

Teen Librarian's Toolbox (an awesome site for if you're looking for program ideas, book reviews, and general YA lit news) just posted a great piece on the top 10 ways Twitter can help you as a teen librarian. 

I have to admit that I am not on Twitter.  I was involved in getting my library on Twitter, and spent a year tweeting fruitlessly.  Our only followers were spammers.  Sadly, we got more than twice as many followers (legitimate ones, too!) the next year, and we did not tweet once. 

The moral of this story?  Don't ask me for tips on Twitter, but do check out the link.  TLT has some fabulous tips on how you can use it to keep on top of the YA lit world, connect with other people in your profession, and lists a number of good people to follow on Twitter.  This post may have changed my mind about Twitter. One day soon I might feel brave enough to tackle it again.  This time I will make it work for me, and not worry about followers. 

Reading Rants! -- One for your favourites folder

One of my favourite blogs for keeping up with YA fiction is Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists!  What makes this blog awesome are the booklists.  Every single review gets added to at least one of the booklists, which cover everything from Boy Meets Book to Word Up! (poetry).  There are annual top ten lists as well.  The reviews are written for teens, but Jen knows it's not just teens who read her reviews.  She's got a long list of book review blogs for teens, and an even longer list of kid & YA book review blogs for adults.  The newest reviews are all recently released or coming soon titles, but Reading Rants! has been around for over ten years, so there are plenty of older titles here.

Jen Hubert Swan, the author of the site, is a middle school librarian who also reviews books for Booklist and Kirkus.  She has a book out called Reading Rants: A Guide to Books That Rock!Unlike her blog, the book includes suggested audience, read-alikes, and other things of interest to library folk.

Hunger Games Program Ideas

Teen Librarian's Toolbox has a fabulous post up of resources for planning a Hunger Games program, including craft ideas and a Cornucopia game that sounds awesome.

http://teenlibrarianstoolbox.blogspot.com/2012/03/countdown-is-on-feed-their-hunger-for.html


Related Posts:  Hunger Games Read-alikes