And what about the ALA/YALSA campaign to highlight the edgier side of YA literature? Their BOOKS WITH BITE campaign (as a part of teen read week) seems like smart marketing in their efforts to pique teen interest in reading some books that might veer off the beaten teen path...
I think there has always been a fine line between books written expressly for teens and books that teens pick up that are not necessarily meant for them. Although there are lots of titles in the former category that will resonant strongly with YA's, I can't help but think that some teens may find the lure of books with real "grown up" themes that much more irresistible.
Here are the ten books that won in 2008:
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Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
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Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
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Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
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City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
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The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
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Extras by Scott Westerfeld
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Before I Die by Jenny Downham
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Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
I wonder what the common denominator is?
What would our BOOKS WITH BITE list look like? What would you put on the list?
I'm going to start it off with a book I'm reading right now:
BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette C. Clause (and it's purely coincidence that I'm using this bookmark for this book)
I have to say, I think the choice of Extras was a prescient one in regards to our class. In it, Westerfeld creates a world that runs on a fame economy, with a ranking system similar to that found on Amazon.com for it's reviewers, where many people claim their fame with a futuristic cross between blogs and youtube videos. It's an interesting look at where technology can take a society in a the future.
ReplyDeleteI've yet to read that one by Westerfield. I didn't love UGLIES, ideas interesting, writing not so much, but maybe EXTRAS will be a better one to read.
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