by Kate Davis

Young Adult Materials Mini-Collection Project

Written and Selected by Kate Davis
SJSU INFO 265-10 Materials for Young Adults
Prof. Beth Wrenn-Estes
Fall 2015

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Relish: My life in the Kitchen

Bibliography: Knisley, L. (2013). Relish: My life in the kitchen. New York, NY: First Second.

ISBN: 978-1596436237

Genre: graphic non-fiction; memoir; cookbook

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+; 15+

Plot Summary: Lucy values a good McDonald’s french fry, even though she’s been brought up appreciating the finer points of world cuisine. Her foodie parents practically worshipped food and took her on trips around the globe, exploring the differences of esoteric dishes. In Japan, though, she discovered not only mochi, but also a great appreciation for cartoon characters and graphic arts. If food was her hobby, then art became her passion. After graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago, Lucy had a brainstorm! Combine art and food! And so Relish was created. Through colorful images and a storyboard format, Lucy takes the reader on a journey from her first oysters (and how to cook them) to her ongoing efforts to create the perfect croissant. Interspersed between her graphic anecdotes are recipes of her favorite foods; they, too, are graphic. A cup of flour is drawn as a cup of flour, with the measurement written on the measuring cup. Necessary directions are inserted between graphics and bridged, when needed, with arrows and other design elements. Lucy’s witty commentary throughout her entire memoir is a great reminder that there’s humor in even the most trying situations.

Critical Evaluation: Part cookbook and part graphic memoir, Relish is a comical homage to food. The recipes, interspersed between goofy stories the challenges of growing up with foodies parents, are creative, both in flavor and in format. Author Knisley revamps the standard and tired recipe format with doodles, graphics and lots of arrows to indicate order. The illustrations throughout the book are quirky and vivid and unexpected, using not-so-subtle detail to entertain the reader. (She graphically illustrates getting her first period.) But in using this technique in combination with her off-beat sense of humor, Knisley brings a level of comradery from the book to the cook, without formality and false expectations of expertise. Because its graphics are at times slightly edgy, so the book is better suited for older teens and young adults. Countless reviews of Relish describe it as catchy, innovative and a fun way to present cooking to the graphic novel-loving demographic. Because the author’s integrates her memories with her artwork and love of cooking, this book definitely adheres to the educating, inspiring and entertaining tenets of many libraries’ missions

Reader’s Annotation: The efforts of her foodie parents backfired when Lucy ate Kraft Mac n’ Cheese for the first time. But despite her deep appreciation for processed food, she is fascinated the explosive tastes of truly delicious foods. Follow Lucy through her adventures of gorging on Pixie Sticks, stealing fruit, selling cheese and her endless pursuit to bake the perfect croissant.

Author Information: Lucy is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she went to study painting, and ended up making comics. She then studied at the Center for Cartoon Studies, where she received a scholarship to pursue her MFA (completed in June, 2009). She lives in Chicago, where she makes comics, does freelance illustration, and teaches the occasional comics workshop.¹

Curriculum ties: multi-culturalism

Booktalks: If you could create a graphic non-fiction book, what would it be about? What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Challenge issues: none

References: ¹Lucy Knisley. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2015, from http://www.amazon.com/Lucy-Knisley/e/B00BU8J70A/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

The Green Teen Cookbook

Bibliography: Marchive, L., McElroy, P. (2014). The green teen cookbook. San Francisco, CA: Zest Books.

ISBN: 978-1-936976-58-4

Genre: cookbook

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15+

Plot Summary: Teens want to be healthy. They want to be green. But knowing how combine the two can be overwhelming, to say the least. The Green Teen Cookbook presents a whole new level of information to today’s health-conscious teens.  With an informative and easy-going tone, the authors (who are teens themselves) explain the concepts of organic, fair trade, veganism, freeganism and a host of other specific diets. They include 70 recipes and encourage the use of fresh, seasonal vegetables. Keeping track of when fruits and veggies are in season is not second nature to many teens, so the authors included a list of when to find the best tasting produce for the least amount of money. Even better, they provide sources for farmer’s markets around the country and an extensive online index for further research.

Critical Evaluation: The full-color photos and natural graphics help make this book an entertaining way for teens to appreciate the taste, beauty and creation of organic, healthy foods. All 77 recipes are contributed by teenagers and are edited to provide just the necessary amount of detail to help support the learning of new techniques. They involve more adult flavors, thus helping teens to develop a taste for flavors that go beyond standard kid fare. To provide insight on the various techniques to eating and cooking green, Editors Marchive and McElroy asked a garden designer, a cooking instructor, a teenager, a fair trade expert and a circus performer to share their insights. The essays are informative and fun to read, yet still emphasize the countless benefits of organic, healthy eating.

Reader’s Annotation: Shock your friends with your amazing cooking skills! Just be aware that they’re likely to show up randomly at your house, begging to try your latest creation!

Author Information: Laurane Marchive studied journalism at the Institute of Political Sciences, Lille, and Modern French Literature at the Sorbonne, Paris. After working as a journalist in France, Indonesia, and India, she moved to London, where she is now working as an editor, translator, and rights agent. She also works as a freelance circus performer.¹

Pam McElroy, editor of The Green Teen Cookbook, edits books of all genres (although her favorite to work on are cookbooks!). She’s also been involved in the food industry since she was a teen, whether in a restaurant kitchen, as a caterer, or as an editor for dining magazines. Her hobbies include reading cookbooks cover-to-cover, shopping at farmers markets, and cooking epic and seasonal meals for friends and family. She lives in San Francisco, California.²

Curriculum ties: health and fitness

Booktalks: organic cooking; can grocery shopping be fun?

Challenge issues: none

References:
¹Marchive, L., & McElroy, P. (n.d.). The Green Teen Cookbook. Retrieved September 9, 2015, from http://www.amazon.com/Green-Teen-Cookbook-Laurane-Marchive/dp/1936976587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445199817&sr=8-1&keywords=Green+Teen+Cookbook

²Pam McElroy. (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2015, from http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7204795.Pam_McElroy

Here


Bibliography: McGuire, R. (2014). Here. New York, NY: Pantheon.

ISBN: 978-0375406508

Genre: graphic

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15+

Plot Summary: Here is not a novel, so it doesn’t have (or need) a plot. Instead, it uses graphic images to tell the story of a particular corner in a particular room in a particular place in America. Before that corner even existed, though, that spot of Earth was occupied by water and trees, dinosaurs, mammoths and wolverines. Native Americans swam, hunted and played. As time passed, the land changed. Water dried. Land solidified. Europeans arrived and fought over the future of the country. Homes were built and families created life together--birth, laughter, tears, heartache, joy, excitement, terror, adoration, death. With an unfailing eye for detail and color, Richard McGuire brings to light the history--and the future--of a space we call home.

Critical Evaluation: Innovative, imagination and delightful, Here gives the reader a spectacular change in perspective by characterizing a place. The characters (human, robotic and animal) are secondary, acting only as support to emphasize what exactly happens in this very specific place. Just as characters in a story require depth to develop believability, these few feet of space also require complexity. Richard McGuire achieves this by layering graphic panels, each featuring a different point in time, but carefully maintaining its detail and position. The main graphic, always a two-page spread, serves as a focal point, but smaller cells highlight other points in time. For example, one particular spread highlights the room in 1969, but graphic snapshots of history are layered on top, pinpointing a child in 2017 building with blocks on the right side of the room, a baby in 1956 playing with a balloon on the left and a woman from 1911 facing the window. Various themes are intertwined throughout the illustrations, sometimes on a single page spread, sometimes weaving back and forth through the book. Sometimes this is portrayed through illustration alone; when text is necessary, speech bubbles are used. One such example features a woman in 1996 saying “I lost my self control”, a man in 1959 baffled by his missing keys and a man in 2222 searching for his car. All three cells are layered over a graphic showing a solitary (maybe lost?) mammoth in 50,000 BCE. The culmination of images and storytelling create a modern day Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book, giving the reader permission to flip back and forth, read and absorb, and discover the adventure a single room can hold.

Reader’s Annotation: The very place you’re sitting right now was once home to dinosaurs, mammoths, Native Americans and someone much like your Great-Aunt Mildred. Take a peek into all the history that happens in this one particular corner of the world.

Author Information: Richard McGuire (born 1957) is an illustrator, graphic designer, comic book artist, animator, children's book author, musician and toy designer. His illustrations have been published in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Le Monde, and other publications. He has written and directed two omnibus feature films, designed and manufactured his own line of toys, and is also the founder and bass player of the post-punk band Liquid Liquid.¹

His short story Here is likely the most lauded comic book story from recent decades. He began the concept as an influential 6-page comic which was published in Raw Volume 2 #1 in 1989. In 2010, McGuire announced the graphic novel version Here (expanded to 300 pages, full-color). It was published by Pantheon Books in December 2014.²


Curriculum ties: sociology; anthropology

Booktalks: What do you think happened in this very place 10 years ago, 50 years ago, 1,000 years ago, 1,000,000 years ago?

Challenge issues: none

Challenge resources: n/a

Reasoning: This is an innovative way to incorporate history with the incredible popularity of graphic books. Just as the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books captured the attention of countless children in the 1980’s by allowing them to become an interactive part of the story, Here gives readers permission to flip back and forth, compare and contrast, the different storylines. The sparse text and engaging illustrations also make this book a great tool for reluctant readers to become enamored with both the possibilities within a book and the mystery within history.

References:

²Here. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_(comics)

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Transworld Skateboarding


August 01, 2015 issue of Transworld Skateboarding
Issue Date: August 01, 2015

Editor in Chief: Jaime Owens

Publisher: The Network Enthusiast (TEN)

ASIN: B005TK6H3A

Genre: sports

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+

Plot Summary: Transworld Skateboarding is a monthly periodical dedicated to profiling the latest and greatest skateboarders in the industry. With its strong bend towards textural photography and fluid movement, the magazine gives skaters the pictorial storyline they want. As the world’s number one skateboarding magazine, TWS is full of action. It’s all about movement—moving on your board, moving through the industry, moving through exciting new techniques. Even the photographs and graphic layout of the magazine itself show constant motion. There’s high contrast, ample white space and a distinct flavor of youth. The entertainment factor is strong throughout the articles, with tone and voice appropriate to young adult males. Interviews are an integral part of the magazine, answers always sparse and humorous. TWS is focused on connecting skaters with entertainment, information and quality.

Critical Evaluation: The tone of Transworld Skateboarding is very much on par with the easy and conversational manner of skaters. It’s informal to the point of becoming its own cultural dialect. Grammatical rules and proper pronunciation are less important than providing a voice that skaters can connect with. Mild profanity is commonplace, but stronger epithets are filtered. This style doesn’t imply that creativity or strong writing skills are lost. On the contrary, TWS writers communicate with a wit and humor necessary to maintain a devoted readership.

Reader’s Annotation: Catch some incredible moves and get insider info on the biggest talent and newest equipment in skateboarding!

Author Information: n/a

Curriculum ties: photography, physical education

Booktalks: skateboarding

Challenge issues: poor grammar; profanity; disrespect for authority; lack of text

Challenge Issue Resources:
  • Library Selection Policy
  • Rationale explaining why the item was chosen for the collection
  • Active listening skills
  • Awards
  • Reconsideration form (as a last resort)
  • Illinois Library Association (Banned Books Listings)
  • National Council of Teachers of English “Right to Read”
  • Positive and negative reviews: expert, parent, student
  • ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
  • ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom
    • Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
    • Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Reasoning: Sporting magazines are a great way to encourage teen boys to engage in literacy. Transworld Skateboarding caters to the typical young adult male in providing a higher ratio of graphics than text, concise articles and entertaining interviews.

The First Part Last

Bibliography: Johnson, A. (2003). The first part last. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

ISBN: 978-1442403437

Genre: realistic fiction

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+; 14+

Plot Summary: Then: Finding out that his girlfriend is pregnant is not the sixteenth birthday present Bobby expected. But he knows responsibility and he knows that he’s got to take care of her. He brings her food and rubs her swollen feet. He holds her hand and wipes her tears. He’s scared, but figures that Nia is probably even more so. Together they have to decide how they’re going cope with the situation. Now: Bobby has never felt a love as deep as what he feels for his daughter. But he’s also never felt exhaustion so completely or confusion so acutely. He struggles to find balance in being a teen and being a parent. How can the two ever become one? With little help from his family, Bobby figures out parenting, diaper changes, sleep schedules, formula amounts and day care coordination. If he can barely figure out today, how can he ever figure out the future?

Critical Evaluation: Angela Johnson does a fabulous job in using tone and dialect to portray teenage boys. Sentences are short. Thoughts are succinct. These help create a nest of realism that so many other books lack. Character development in Bobby is difficult, necessary and instinctive. The reader feels his confusion and his adoration. We feel his dismay and his exhaustion. Johnson builds upon all this and by the last couple chapters, Bobby's thoughts have deepened. He sees things with more clarity, describes them more fully, considers things with a heightened sense of awareness.
At its core, the premise of the book is as controversial for the readers and it is for the characters. Many people would feel that a teen boy raising a child alone is not in the best interest for that child. Teenagers, males especially, haven't yet developed the ability to fully analyze a situation; active parenting requires an unequivocal amount of mental strength and constant awareness of all possibilities of any given situation. Bobby and Nia's parents felt the same way. The book doesn't go into great detail of the parents' opinions, but does say when the two teens decided on adoption, "My mom and Nia's parents looked like they just got released from Oz, and not the one with the yellow brick road. I think Nia's dad took his first real breath since the first time he found out she was having a baby" (105). When Feather is born, though, the all-encompassing love Bobby felt for her changed not only his mind, but gave the reader hope that the strength of this love could carry him through the sacrifices required of parenting.
Johnson created a magical dance with her writing in The First Part Last. The back and forth format gave us snippets of Bobby's acclimation to parenthood while simultaneously providing background, almost memories that Bobby continues to mull. In every chapter, the reader is treated to a deep, careful and beautiful illustration of truly captivating writing.

Reader’s Annotation: Bobby is 16, smart and about to become a father. Is it possible to be a parent when he’s still a kid himself?

Author Information: Angela Johnson is the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor picture book When I Am Old with You; as well as A Sweet Smell of Roses, illustrated by Eric Velasquez; Just Like Josh Gibson, illustrated by Beth Peck; and I Dream of Trains, which was also illustrated by Loren Long. She has won three Coretta Scott King Awards, one each for her novels Heaven, Toning the Sweep, and The First Part Last. In recognition of her outstanding talent, Angela was named a 2003 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Kent, Ohio.¹

More than 40 books later, Johnson is not only a writer, but an award-winning author who is hailed as a leading voice. From moving picture books that celebrate African-American families, history and relationships to stirring young adult novels, Johnson’s stories touch readers in ways that endure. Rich with memorable characters, lyricism and meaning, Johnson transports us to new places and keeps us there by exploring the threads that connect us.²

Curriculum ties: writing (using dialect in writing)

Booktalks: teenage fatherhood

Challenge issues: tagging; underage sex; teen parenting

Challenge resources (for usage in a challenge situation):
  • Library Selection Policy
  • Rationale explaining why the item was chosen for the collection
  • Active listening skills
  • Awards
  • Reconsideration form (as a last resort)
  • Illinois Library Association (Banned Books Listings)
  • National Council of Teachers of English “Right to Read”
  • Positive and negative reviews: expert, parent, student
  • ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
  • ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom
    • Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
    • Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Reasoning: The First Part Last takes a common theme--teen pregnancy--and turns it around into a completely unexpected storyline. Providing a unique perspective, author Angela Johnson helps readers understand that teen fathers are no less capable or less in need of support. She expands the genre of young adult literature into an unusual, but very much needed, avenue of perspective.

References
¹Angela Johnson Author Page. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://www.amazon.com/Angela-Johnson/e/B000APRUUI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

²Johnson, A. (n.d.). Home | Angela Johnson. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://ajohnsonauthor.com/

Breakfast Served Anytime

Bibliography: Combs, S. (2014). Breakfast served anytime. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

ISBN: 978-0763667917

Genre: realistic fiction

Reading Level/Interest Age: 7th grade and up

Plot Summary: Gloria has earned a much coveted full scholarship at the University of Kentucky. The only caveat is that she has to attend a summer long class and live on campus. Leaving her best friend is catastrophic enough, but enrolling in a class called “Secrets of the Written Word”, that doesn’t even have a blurb in the catalog, doesn’t give Gloria much hope that the summer will be anything but miserable. She arrives to find a world of people she never could have imagined becoming friends with: rich kids, glamorous girls, geeky nerds, bible thumpers and just plain weirdos. Her first class assignment comes in the form of a note: a direction to follow, a place to meet, a mystery to solve. Gloria will have to work closely with her classmates to figure out just what their crazy professor is doing and where this crazy class is going.

Critical Evaluation: Within the 272 pages of Breakfast Served Anytime, blue butterflies are mentioned seventeen times. Butterflies hold countless symbolic meanings for people the world over, with many believing that butterflies represent transformation and spiritual growth. This symbolism is a powerful look into the protagonist’s growth and maturity throughout the story. Gloria comes into the story grieving for her recently deceased grandmother. She’s not ready to move on from the literal comfort of her grandmother’s or the figurative comfort of her advice. Gloria’s summer-long stay away from home gives her the opportunity to break out of her comfortable cocoon and, much like a butterfly, discover that change can lead to beautiful and unexpected adventures. Butterflies appear near Gloria just as opportunities for great change are about to present themselves to her. The fact that they are always blue is a subtle indicator to Gloria that she can trust in the lessons she’s learning and revel in the loyalty of the people she’s opening up to. She continually sees the butterflies for the beauty the reveal, yet recognizes that their spontaneous and brief appearances provided her a kind of magic that she never before experienced. This deliberate and successful use of symbolism is a perfect mirror of the development of young adults: change is a fundamental and beautiful part of becoming an adult.

Reader’s Annotation: Following clues with a bunch of strangers is not exactly what Gloria had in mind for her summer college class. But because she has to work so closely with them, she’s about to find out a lot more than she bargained for!

Author Information: Sarah Combs hails from Louisville, Kentucky, where she lives with her husband and sons. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky.¹

Combs leads writing workshops in the Young Women Writers Program and teaches fiction writing for youth and adults at The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, where she lives with her two sons, two bird dogs and her husband, whom she met at a geek camp similar to the one featured in her novel. She has worked as a high school Latin teacher, college literature instructor, and youth and teen librarian.²

Curriculum ties: literature analysis; natural resources

Booktalks: What kind of mystery class would you teach and what kind of clues would you leave? Is there anything in particular that holds symbolism in your culture?

Challenge issues: none

Challenge Issue Resources: n/a

Reasoning: Author Sarah Combs skillfully parallels the storyline of investigating strange class assignments with the emotional discovery that every teen has to go through. Her characters are realistic enough to identify with yet quirky enough for readers to maintain interest in. Breakfast Served Anytime also emphasizes the importance and fun of being culturally literate.

References
Animal Symbolism: Meaning of the Butterfly. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://www.whats-your-sign.com/butterfly-animal-symbolism.html

The Color Blue. (n.d.). Retrieved October 05, 2015, from http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-blue.html

¹Sarah Combs. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2015, from http://www.teenreads.com/authors/sarah-combs

²Harder, W., & Hale, W. (2014, April 23). Women Writers' Preview Party to Feature Sarah Combs, Debut Novel. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://uknow.uky.edu/content/women-writers-preview-party-feature-sarah-combs-debut-novel