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Events Calendar
February 4 at SCLS Express Yourself: SRP meeting
February 5 joint YASD meeting
Feburary 6-8 NYC ComicCon
February 23 YA literature BER
March 4 at SCLS Performers Showcase
March 8-14 Teen Tech Week
March 10 NYLA Lobby Day
March 18 at SCLS Urban Word
March 20 at Sachem PL Advanced Battle of the Books
March 21 at NYPL Books for the Teen Age
April 2-4 PLA Symposium
April 3 at Canadaigua YSS conference
April 4 at Rochester Teen Book Festival
April 12-18 National Library Week
April 23 Fran Romer Memorial Workshop |
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Urban Word
March 18 at SCLS Auditorium
Come experience Urban Word !
"Founded on the belief that teenagers can and must speak for themselves, Urban Word NYC™ has been at the forefront of the youth spoken word, poetry and hip-hop movements in New York City since 1999. "
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Awards, Contests, & Grants
February 12 New Voices Community News
February 15 Open Meadows grant
February 17 Community gardening grant
February 27- March 13 Staples Foundation grant
February 28 Heinz Ketchup Creativity contest
March 1 New York State Essay contest
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| Greetings!
I just returned from ALA Midwinter Conference. The excitement generated by the announcement of book awards, the release of selection lists, and the tantalizing titles offered for 2009 permeated the atmosphere in Denver. My stack of "must reads" keeps building.
So many books to choose. What a delicious dilemma!
Happy Reading in 2009.
Barbara |
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Great Graphic Novels for Teens
 Serving on a YALSA book selection committee is an eye-opening and mind-expanding experience. The eleven-member committee represented a broad cross section of librarians who work in many areas, both metropolitan and rural, throughout the United States. They also brought to the selection process their areas of personal interest and expertise. This helped to create a group capable of speaking to a diversity of interests.
One highlight of the meetings was a sketch of committee members created by Pitch Black artist Youme Landowne as she observed one of the meetings.
The committee received 154 nominations for consideration.
Thanks to Tom Casper of Mastics-Moriches Community  Library and committee member Mike Pawuk, I gained a new understanding of and appreciation for super hero comics. While I have a long way to go, some of the titles have made it to my personal list of favorites published in 2008 are: The Death of Captain America v. 1 & 2 by Ed Brubaker, Atomic Robo: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne by Brian Clevinger, Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle, Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way, and Silver Surfer: Requiem by J. Michael Straczynski
 I also learned a lot about manga, with special thanks to committee members Sadie Mattox and Eva Volin. My 2008 manga favorites are: Metro Survive v. 1 & 2 by Yuki Fujisawa, Slam Dunk v.1 by Takehiko Inoue, High School Debut v.1 & 2 by Kazune Kawahara, Hikkatsu! Strike a Blow to Vivify! v.1, 2, & 3 by Yu Yagami.
My profound thanks goes to Robin Brenner, whose knowledge  of graphic novels plumbs both the depth and the breadth of this format. Her insightful comments helped the committee focus on the relevant points needed to create the list. A few additional graphic novel favorites from 2008 are: Flight v. 5 published by Villard, Echo: Moon Lake by Terry Moore, Usagi Yojimbo: Tomoe's Story by Stan Sakai, Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Major Steinberger, Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka, and Cairo by G. Willow Wilson.
The entire list consists of 53 great titles. Take a look and let me know what you think. |
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Get Lost with Emily
Okay, call me crazy, but I am hooked on Emily the Strange. I  was thrilled (in a dark sort of way) to find two brand new Strange Emily titles at Midwinter Conference. Emily the Strange:The Lost Days was created by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker. This quirky Bowen Press novel chronicles Emily's case of amnesia. Lots of fun and funny stuff. Here's a sample: "I'm locked in the Blackrock jail. All the police are standing around laughing, eating doughnuts, polishing their guns, polishing their guns with half-eaten doughnuts, you know, police stuff." Another great find was a new Emily the Strange: Alone comic from Dark Horse Comics by Reger  and his creative team. A samurai accuses Emily, "You defile the honor of the shogun." She retorts, "I never filed him in the first place."
I am giving away a Curiously Strange Gift Basket with copies of both titles, an Emily the Strange bag and several other strange goodies. Any Suffolk YA librarian is eligible. Send me your name and I will enter you in the drawing. Entries due by February 15, 2009. |
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