Monthly Archives: August 2013

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YA Guy Lit: Reality Bites – Boy 21

I thought we would start off this theme of guy lit with a more traditional selection within the popular genre of realistic fiction. Many feel that sports are a natural focus for most of guy lit, and there really are many great YA books with different sports taking the spotlight to prove this point. It was common for older YA guy lit selections to only offer these books though, which made them fall out of fashion in recent years due to the idea of being ‘over done.’

 

Cut to Matthew Quick’s Boy 21. It was only released in 2012 and shows just how much the sports-based genre for realistic fiction still has to give. The story follows the teen boy named Finley who uses basketball as his escape from a very troubled life where he must take care of his disabled grandfather due to his father working nights. He lives in a very run-down town called Bellmont where Irish gangs rule and there is plenty of drugs, violence, and race rivalries. Wearing his number 21 basketball jersey is really the only thing that makes him happy, and he hopes that it might one day help him get free of Bellmont to a better life.

 

Finley himself is a great character to follow. His voice truly stands out and helps to create a very interesting story. The book itself is a easy and smooth read combined with the interesting social story. Therefore, it is a great pick for reluctant readers. It is still great for those wanting a good tale with plenty of basketball and sports references yet the ability to stir up suspense and intense emotions.

boy21

 

Bring It to Life (BITL)!

 

Basketball fun. Woot!

basketball

Play basketball with friends on a real court, a drive way court, or even a simple toy ball and hoop at home. You can also arrange for a basketball watching marathon with the help of ESPN and sports snacks like popcorn, chips, and cheese with crackers.

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An update note to my YA lit peeps

Hey guys,

Just to explain what is going on this week…

I am moving on the 1st, which means packing needs to start now if I don’t want to kill myself in the process. I’ve decided to extend the guy lit theme to be this week and next week. There will only be one post a day until after I get settled though. Thanks for reading!

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Investigating Guy Lit

guy lit3Before we start this week, I wanted to dedicate a single post to guy lit in general. What is guy lit? Does it have an actual definition? What are my criteria for making selections for this theme?

 

I feel that these questions should be answered before I actually get to work on putting together the awesome books for this week. Let’s start with the general first two questions. Anyone can tell you that there is actually no definition for ‘guy lit.’ Like many ‘new’ genres, there is no official definition because academics in high and mighty towers refuse to acknowledge it. The idea of YA guy lit is even more dismissed by most of these people, which creates an interesting situation. Not having a traditional definition means that the genre can be flexible. It can change, shift, and include many more literary options than a standard genre. Honestly, not having a straight-up definition is a GOOD thing for this newly popular book variety.

 

Now, to the widely assumed definition…

Guy lit in its most raw form is literature made specifically for men. They generally have male protagonists and stick to some standard themes. Many people consider it to be the polar opposite of chick lit (duh). This opposite nature means that guy lit in the public option is gritty, tough, action-based, and very little mentioning of relationships other than ‘bow-chikka bow-wow.’ YA guy lit is this type of literature but aimed at young adult males.

 

Here is where I pull away from this stereotype though…

To me, guy lit is any literature that appeals to men on any level. Yes, they are generally more fast-paced than the majority of standard chick lit fare, but the themes and plots do not necessarily have to be all hyper masculinity and brawn. Also, I don’t like the idea of guy lit just being for guys. I happen to love a good deal of it. The pacing, in-depth plots, and being reluctant-reader friendly can make for amazing reads. This broad-based definition means that this week will be broken into several genres and selections within those genres will be items aimed at young guys and friendly for reluctant guy readers, which happens to be the case more often than not in the teen years. In fact, I’ve heard many librarians call young men from 13-18 ‘the lost generation.’ Some people even call it the ‘boy problem.’

 

Having a younger brother 10 years younger than me who loves me enough to be my guinea pig quickly taught me that there is no ‘boy problem’…unless you consider the problem to be that most children and YA librarians are women and do not understand what boys want from books at those ages. I even did an action research study in a school library to show that boys could be just as avid readers as girls if properly approached with the right reading selections. Also, until very recently, a lot of YA guy lit (aside from killer graphic novels obviously) sucked. Therefore, do not be surprised by the fact that basically all my selections for this week are from the last several years.

 

That’s my bit! Feel free to comment though. I’d like to hear your opinions.

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YA Classics – Modern Editions: The Hunger Games

Like I previously mentioned, the 1980s and 1990s were full of YA literature with *le grit* that showed how intense the real world could be. The majority of these themes and plots revolve around issues of reality like drugs or abuse. Despite these trends, there was an unspoken rule about avoiding gratuitous violence. It is even included in teen-centered shows.

 

The Hunger Games was one of the books that helped to shift this rule though. It showed that some hardcore violence (Rue, anyone?) was actually an interesting way to increase shock value, intrigue readers, and really explore previously taboo topics in YA literature. Some people (who have no idea what they are talking about) say that The Hunger Games is just a remake of Battle Royale. Anyone who even has a working knowledge of history and literature knows that is complete bullcrap. The Most Dangerous Game was written in 1924 for goodness sake. There have been countless incidents of bringing in slaves/enemies into a single arena to fight to the death for entertainment in world history. The Romans were especially fond of this arrangement. Therefore, anyone saying that The Hunger Games is just a knock-off of Battle Royale should claim that the original story is simply a knock-off of history.

 

Sorry for the rant…it bugs me.

 

Yet, it is the combination of writing style, narrative (especially from a girl’s perspective), and continuing books of rebellion that make these three books amazing young adult classics. It helped to show that teen boys could even get into YA fiction despite the fact that the main character is a girl as long as the story was awesome enough. Therefore, anyone in their right mind should be able to see that these books are super amazing YA modern classics.

hungergames1-3

 

Bring It to Life (BITL)!

Make your own mockingjay pin out of polymer clay!

 

The following graphic from Art Seats sums up the process with great follow-along pictures so that making the pin is easy even without artistic talent.

how-to-make-mocking-jay-pin-with-polymer-clay

 

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YA Classics – Modern Editions: Twilight Saga (Read THEN Judge!)

Ok. Ok. Ok. I know that just by reading the title of the post many people will avoid it.

HOWEVER…I have to do this post because I feel it needs to be said. It has become so common to grind the Twilight Saga into the ground, but the books ARE young adult classics. They helped to change the YA lit game just like Harry Potter, and that contribution needs to be recognized.

Here are the reasons why these books need to be respected for the classics they are:

  • They showed YA lit was here to stay

Twilight emerged around the same time that Harry Potter was winding down. Some critics of YA literature felt that once Harry Potter was gone then the entire genre would start to stagnate then collapse. The phenomenon associated with Twilight showed just how wrong they were. Harry Potter created millions of eager YA fans and without Harry Potter they simply wanted something new to grab onto. Twilight was the answer for many of these readers.

  • They allowed for YA paranormal romance to become their own genre

Before Twilight, most of YA romance was focused on simple flirtations or people who already had a boyfriend or girlfriend with preassigned traits. The widespread popularity of Twilight showed that teen romance could be just as in-depth as adult romance. It also helped to present the idea of romance being “more” than the real world. Such romance can present the idea of a romance to which readers can relate with real-life desires of love yet distant enough to allow for more excitement in a parallel underworld of sorts. Tons of authors took up the cause to supply paranormal romance to these now eager fans. In fact, many adult paranormal romance authors (like my personal romance goddess Sherrilyn Kenyon) embraced this shift and broke into the YA market.

  • They brought the entire concept of romance books out of the closet

It was common for women to keep their romance in a secret place for quite a long time. I knew many who kept it in the closet or in plastic containers under the bed. They would prefer to do this than put them on the bookshelf. Romance was for silly women. Yet, Twilight showed romance could be more than a dirty secret you keep hidden behind a collectible World of Warcraft murloc action figure (true story). It’s widespread popularity resulted in many people reading these books in public without shame. This surge in YA romance caused a ripple effect through the adult romance books, making them more popular as well. I mean Fifty Shades of Grey is a friggin erotica novel (not just simple romance), and it was on the national best seller list. Twilight helped many romance readers to not be ashamed of their love of love and their sexy-based reading habits.

Now for my freely admitting the bad and how I can actually excuse some of it:

  • The relationship between Bella and Edward is MESSED UP. He is a control freak. She is a whiny pants. However, their love and the length they will go for each other helps to show truth. Many critics of Wuthering Heights said similar things about Heathcliff and Catherine. Therefore, I am going to defend Bella and Edward with the same tidbit that is applied to Heathcliff and Catherine. It is their LOVE that redeems them. It is their love that makes two imperfect people seem better than they are. Honestly, that is far more real than the majority of love stories people like to tout as the “perfection” of love since most romance and couples are definitely not perfect.
  • Bella going comatose for multiple months in New Moon is extreme. Still, I’m going to explain why I think this incident is not what it seems. Most people feel that she went out of it because of her love for a boy. I completely disagree. Bella explains often during the later books that it is not about one boy or the other. It is ultimately about who she “should” be and who she actually is. With Edward she found her place in the world, finally fit into something, finally had friends with whom she could truly connect, and finally knew for certain what her future should be. When he left, she did not only lose him but also herself. How would you feel if you had grown up, gotten through the rough parts of early adult life, found your dream job, your dream mate, and friends you truly enjoy only to lose it all and be tossed back into the mundane world of high school where you have to fake most of your personality just to survive? I would be pretty messed up…probably not comatose for months but it is a book and some exaggeration is necessary.

There…I’ve said my piece. I hope you listened and hope you understand what I meant. If you disagree, I get it. Please feel free to comment on this post because I’d love to hear your beliefs.

twilight-books

 

Bring It to Life (BITL)!

Make Jacob’s dream-catcher for Bella! This piece is a great symbol from the book that can be an awesome decoration at home.

 

What You Need:

  • Small grapevine wreath
  • 4 yards of hemp or twine
  • 12 inch suede cord
  • Glass beads or charms
  • Monofilament
  • Scissors

Instructions:

  • Cut a 70 inch piece of the hemp or twine. Tie one end to the wreath. Then, start making half hitches all around the wreath, pulling string firmly between each loop.

half hitch

  • When you get to the middle you can tie on a large glass bead if desired. Trim the hemp or twine.
  • Cut a 15 inch piece of monofilament. Tie a large glass bead or charm to one end. String additional glass beads or charms on to the monofilament until you have a 5 inch beaded dangler to hang on your wreath. Make four more shorter danglers to add extra shine and style.
  • Tie all to the bottom of your wreath. Trim any left over hemp or twine. Cut a 12 inch piece of the suede cord. Make a loop on the top for hanging it anywhere you like!

dream catcher

 

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YA Classics – Modern Editions: Harry Potter

Many feel that the term ‘classic’ is meant to be applied to older works. I’ve even meet several people who think that a classic work of literature with proper ‘literary merit’ has to be at least 50 years old. Obviously, being a lover of YA lit, I have argued with these people until I turned blue in the face. I tried to explain that just because something is old does not mean it is classic. There is plenty of crap literature in the stacks of libraries across the nation that are at least 50 years old. The opposite is true too. There is a great deal of amazing literature that is relatively brand new.

I feel that the majority of YA classics actually do fall into this category. YA lit was not taken seriously until the last decade or so, and it still faces opponents every day. At least publishers have recognized the buying power of teens and the wide appeal of good YA literature since many adults (ahem…me and plenty others) love an awesome story just as much as anyone. Yet, the source of this shift arguably came with one of the greatest books of all time that happened to be targeted toward juveniles and young adults.

HARRY POTTER!

Just those two words can inspire joy, passion, and extreme fandom. It was really the first book (beginning with Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone) to show great YA lit was possible, and it did fill a need. Before that time (and somewhat still today) people claimed that teens just didn’t want to read. Harry Potter proved them wrong. They wanted to read, but they didn’t find books that they were passionate about! The Harry Potter series helped an entire generation learn how amazing books could be if the genre was supported. It is a modern YA classic without a doubt.

harry-potter

Bring It to Life (BITL)!

Harry Potter crafts are some of the coolest and fun projects. They are very popular too. Many sites support these items. I simply couldn’t choose from them! Here is a link to my compiled Pinterest board of some of the best Harry Potter crafts, recipes, and several websites which have collected them.

YA Awesomesauce HP Crafts Pinterest Board