Article Review: Can photos alone make nonfiction more fun?

Article:

Cart, M. (2010). The eyes have it - other visual forms: Photo essays and the new nonfiction. In Young adult literature: From romance to realism (pp. 179-185). Chicago: ALA.

Nonfiction for youth has certainly had a rough history.  Cart guides us through the last century or so of nonfiction meant for children and teens, with some distressing statistics.  Thanks to library grants from the National Defense Education Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, unimpressive nonfiction titles were made a thing of the past and series nonfiction were released in all their colorful, photographed glory... until the money ran out and children and teens (and let's not forget the librarians) were, again, left disappointed.

Cart mentions the emergence of "lexigraphical" nonfiction, as famously produced by Dorling Kindersley (DK Publishing) (181).  The combination of detailed, colorful, or otherwise interesting photos and illustrations with informational text was revolutionary in that it got kids to read and enjoy nonfiction.  I am in full agreement that the images and text inform each other and help to improve the reading (and learning) experience for the young reader--even for the old reader!

I think that readers, young and old alike, do not truly realize that, unlike fiction, nonfiction does not need to be read fully or consecutively.  Unless you are truly interested in a subject, or are particularly immersed in the reading experience, there may not be a need to read a nonfiction book in its entirety.  I feel that this is part of what turns people off from reading nonfiction--it has a (long) history of being boring and unappealing, and there is that connotation of it being "just a school thing," (184) so why would anyone want to read it in full, when there are so many more interesting things you could be doing?  You can still enjoy a nonfiction title while maybe not reading the entire text--just stick to what catches your eye (hopefully, it's not just the pictures) and continue as you see fit.

While children's nonfiction is certainly plentiful, having seen many juvenile nonfiction sections across libraries, oftentimes young adult fiction seems to get very little notoriety or attention in the teen room.  What little may exist in the collection is likely collecting dust in the space, or is relocated to adult nonfiction with no indication but a simple "YA" spine label.  Teens do not seem to realize that nonfiction can be enjoyable, so these titles get left on the back burner (or, rather, in the adult stacks) and they rarely see the light of day.  Children's nonfiction has had quite the number of makeovers in its existence as a genre, so that now we have access to beautiful photographs in each nonfiction picture book, with enthusiastic colors and text, simply bursting from the shelves.  I see plenty of kids that are excited to take home a nonfiction book, whether it be on mammals or outer space, and even though publishing is still working hard to make nonfiction more appealing for a teen audience, I think they still have a long way to go before teens stop rolling their eyes at the YA librarian for suggesting they take home that JFK biography for some light weekend reading.

Adding more photos, illustrations, fiction-like narratives, or comic book elements to nonfiction are a great start to reinventing the reputation of youth nonfiction.  At the same time, it is a science that has still not been fully explored.

I cannot say for sure whether or not the inclusion of photos or illustrations are the only way to improve youth nonfiction, but maybe that just means it is time to experiment!

Reviewing the Book Reviewers: Professional Journals vs. Bloggers

For my teen lit class, we are required to write a paper comparing professional book reviews (such as those printed in professional review journals such as School Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus) to "amateur" reviews (such as bloggers and commenters on websites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble).  In order to achieve this, I sought out a total of ten reviews for the books Every Day by David Levithan and The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater--three professional reviews and two amateur reviews for each title.

Here are the highlights from my findings:

•  Professional book reviewers must be concise--they have space to worry about, as they often share the page with other books (and other reviewers).  Bloggers do not necessarily have such restraints (unless they purposely choose a word limit).
• Bloggers get much more personal with their audience--they may share personal anecdotes, or outright "fangirl" over the book they are reviewing.
• Book bloggers may borrow the book's summary from another source (such as Goodreads or the book jacket) and post that at the front of their review, rather than re-writing their own summary--by letting someone else summarize it for them, they can jump right into the review.  This differs from the professionals in that they (the professional reviews) are primarily focused on summary.
• Posting or publishing a book review before the book's release does not seem to be absolutely necessary for either type of reviewer, but submitting the review amid the book's release (say, within a 2-3 month window) is very common.
• While professional reviews seem very formulaic (and particularly strict with language), book bloggers have various review styles and rating systems that they apply when reviewing a book.

When searching for my blog reviews, I came across some great sites--old favorites and some new ones, too!  Please check out these bloggers to get some great recommendations.

• Forever Young Adult (Every Day review here)
• Pretty Books (Every Day review here)
• Pirate Penguin's Reads (The Raven Boys review here)
• Bookishly Yours (The Raven Boys review here)

Fan Fiction and Readers

Collins, Tara. "Filling in the gaps: What is happening in the world of fan fiction." Library Media Connection 24, no 4 (2006): 36-38.

For readers looking to continue the experience of reading a favorite or particularly gripping story, they may turn to fan fiction writing.  Those who are not quite ready to leave Hogwarts or Middle Earth, or feel that some characters simply have more to say, can use fan fiction writing as a creative outlet in order to remain close with the characters and worlds they have come to know and love.  Tara Collins invites 80 decidedly "popular" fan fiction authors whose content is hosted on fanfiction.net to participate in a survey about their writing: their preferred characters, settings, and opinions on why readers are drawn to their re-imagined (and expanded) stories and characters.  She shares the results of her 30 responses in her article, Filling in the Gaps: What is Happening in the World of Fan Fiction (2006).  Much of her focus is spent on the preferences of writers' character choices, meaning, their reasoning behind choosing one character over another to lead their story(-ies).

Rather than consistently, habitually choosing the previously designated "main character" from the original works, fan fiction writers have been known to select minor characters to be the face of their creations.  Instead of having Harry be the star of a Harry Potter series fanfic, fan fiction writers may elect to tell the story from a smaller-scale character's perspective.  This is due to various factors, including the desire to be more creative with a less (officially, or "canon-wise") fleshed-out character, or even the fear of offending readers with a new (and possibly inaccurate) interpretation of a much-beloved character.  A respondent of Collins's survey confirms this with her use of a minor character in the Lord of the Rings universe, in that "[he] is a minor character but with fan fiction you can extend this.  There is little we know about [him] and because of this you can let your imagination as an author run free without going against what Tolkien wrote."  By choosing to write about minor characters and their adventures, one has less of a chance of either offending other fans of the original story, or tainting the history that has already been established.  They are allowed a creative experience without detriment to the series they know and love.

Collins's findings represent a small window into the world of fan fiction, yet presents stimulating and interesting information, unveiling the secret inner-workings of fan fiction authors' minds.  Each reader takes away something different from the stories they read, and they may choose to apply those feelings and discoveries in different ways to share that love with others.

Like this, like me, like my view.

Media and marketing companies have had their eyes on teens for ages in the hopes of securing some of the most profitable audiences in existence.  With their constantly changing interests, it is incredibly important for media and marketing companies to study the young adult population and make sure they’re always on top of the latest trends.  Teens can fall in love with shows, books, music, and products, but they are a trick audience to secure a hold on.  But for the last thirteen years, the message remains the same: the media needs to market to teens, and they will do whatever they can to stay relevant.  However, they also want to market with teens, whether the teens realize it or not, and certainly do so even without their explicit consent.  In Merchants of Cool (2001), we see teens and their families pay thousands of dollars for the opportunity to network with and perform in front of marketing professionals and media agents, hoping to secure contracts and a head start in the industry.  These teens are voluntarily coming forward to be used to promote and perform whatever the media is pushing. 

The media has always targeted young adults as perhaps their most promising customers, and although this view has remained unchanged since Merchants of Cool, they now hone in on these teens in different ways.  Teens are now much more active participants in marketing campaigns for their favorite movies, books, and products, thanks to the advancement of the Internet and the popularity of social media sites.  The media, much like the teens they so desperately want to connect with, has had to mold and adapt to the new technology available.  If the teens are frequenting social media sites, then you will certainly find media and marketing giants parading the likes of Facebook and Twitter, among others.  Generation Like (2014) emphasizes the necessity to reach out to teens via these online services, yet drives home the point that it is hardly the only goal.  When companies reach out to teens, they are not just trying to sell them something, but are in fact trying to get the teens to sell for them.  Liking, sharing, and otherwise talking about products and pop culture are all benefiting the media and marketing world, and the teens hardly feel exploited or otherwise overworked.  Merchants of Cool shows a side of the media that is desperately curious about teens, and the measures they to find them, while Generation Like reveals that they have finally come willingly.

These documentaries further emphasize teens’ desire to share with the world, whether it is through in-person interaction, or through social media in exchange for likes and Internet popularity.  My interviewees are all over social media, promoting the books and shows they love, much like the featured teens of the documentaries.  Trends in the teen universe are spreading like wildfire, and this is certainly not going unnoticed by the teens themselves.  My interviewees were enthusiastic and even excited about endorsements, and cannot wait to start talking about how the things they love are being received by the rest of the world.  As with the teens of Generation Like, they feel gratified when they can spread their love of books and other media, and whether they realize how much they are being exploited or not, they continue pursuing a life rich in likes and shares, hoping that their voices are heard.

Novels and their Playlists

In my class tonight, we discussed making connections between books and other forms of media.  Pairing books and movies together was one of our first suggestions...  A classmate suggested pairing David Levithan's Every Day with Memento, which I have not actually seen (but am now fully aware that the director, Christopher Nolan, was not responsible for the new Transformers franchise...  Sorry, Michael Bay; oh, my sides...).  The point of the exercise was to get us thinking outside the box, which we so often do in librarianship--we can't help it.  Boxes are helpful.

At one point, my professor brought up the idea of playlists for books, like with Eleanor & Park.  There are plenty of fan-made music playlists out there to go with E&P, and various other titles.  The playlist discussion made me think of a few authors immediately: Maggie Stiefvater, Stephenie Meyer, and Stephen Chbosky.

Maggie is a fabulous example of pairing music with writing.  She's a gifted musician who often writes her own music to go with her stories (color me impressed, as long as it's purple).  Additionally, she creates playlists to complement her books, and for her fans to enjoy.  It's such an inviting part of the Maggie Stiefvater experience.  You can check out her website to see the music created for the book (I'm a big Wolves of Mercy Falls fan, but I am also very much in love with the story/music of The Raven Cycle), or her blog for all of her playlists.

Back in the days when I was reading the Twilight series, I stumbled upon Stephenie Meyer's website and discovered that she loved writing while playing music, and she provided her personal playlists for each book.  I loved that!  She lists her musical choices for each book on their individual pages, but here is the playlist for Twilight.  She was probably the first author I knew of that did this, so I'll always appreciate that she shared this with her fans.

Stephen Chbosky may be a little more indirect (or more direct, if you think of it another way), but if you've ever read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you know what I'm getting at.  Chbosky's main character, Charlie, loves to make mix tapes for his friends, and describes making a mix for Patrick about winter.  He picks several songs that remind him of the season, starting (and ending) with Asleep by the Smiths.  Ever since I read that book back in high school, I cannot help but think of Charlie when I hear the Moody Blues's Knights in White Satin (another song for Patrick).  When my head was still swimming with the book, I went searching for the songs on iTunes and found that someone had already compiled the entire mix tape into a playlist that you could download instantly.  Chbosky provided a list of all of the songs and fans went ahead and replicated the playlist so that they could enjoy the story in a different way.  Although published in '99, when CDs were new/popular, I have to wonder how many readers made their own mix tapes in honor of Charlie.

Fans themselves make their own playlists of songs that remind them of their favorite stories.  I've never really made an entire playlist based on a book, but I like when songs remind me of things I've read.  "Jump Into the Fog" by The Wombats makes me think of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins each time without fail, and there's a great Death Cab for Cutie song called "Be Still My Heart" that, embarrassingly enough, always makes me think of Bella's love for Edward in Twilight (again, I know; I'm sorry).  Once you make those connections, it's hard to shake them!

I've included my two songs so that you can experience the same connection I made with them.  I hope you enjoy!

 

What are some songs that make you think of your favorite books?

Grad School

In order to become a librarian, you need to have a master's degree in Library & Information Science (or something very similar).  I am currently finishing my MLIS and have plans to graduate very soon!  I'm already working as a librarian, but need to finish the degree in order to obtain full-time positions in any civil service library.

For the fall 2014 semester, I am enrolled in a teen lit class--really, Materials for Young Adults.  This is the last class I need to finish my youth services certificate.  Some of the course requirements are to keep a blog to post reviews, reflections on scholarly readings, and reactions to articles.  Any posts I make for grad school will include the tag "LBSCI739."  Submitting posts for this class has been one of the most enjoyable (and practical) assignments I've had, so I hope you all enjoy seeing them.  At the very least, it's making my blogging experience a lot more concrete--I'm posting on a schedule, after all! :)

About MaejorlyBookish

Hey!  My name is Maeghan, and I am a children's and teen librarian in NY.  I'm finishing up my master's degree in library & information sciences so that I can be fully initiated into the library world.  I design and run programs for kids ages 0-18, help with homework, answer reference questions, and (best of all) provide reader's advisory--I get to help you find something you'll (hopefully) love to read.

I've had this blog for about 5 years, and I'm trying to use it for more professional development and, of course, gushing over books.  I read things you'd find in the children's department as well as teen, so most of my reviews will cover either of those age groups.

Check out my blog for book reviews, youth news, and library-related fun!

Here's a quick list of my favorite things:

Authors - Diana Wynne Jones, Maggie Stiefvater, Ned Vizzini, Suzanne Collins, Rick Riordan, JK Rowling

Genres - Fantasy, contemporary, dystopian fiction

Formats - Prose, graphic novel/manga

Treats - Chocolate, veggie chips, popcorn, pizza (all the time)

Video games - Harvest Moon, Mario Party, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, Tetris

TV shows - Futurama, The Walking Dead, 30 Rock, Doctor Who, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Sherlock

Movies - The Princess Bride, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Spirited Away, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Reviews

Looking for a specific book?  See the list below to find my review.

I do two styles of reviews--a personal one which may be more opinionated, and a VOYA style review.  VOYA reviews are a professional style found in YALSA's journal, Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA)!  Click here to see my post about VOYA style, and to get more information.

A
Alexie, Sherman.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (VOYA Style)

B
Burgess, Melvin.
Doing It (VOYA Style)

C
Cashore, Kristin.
Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1) (audiobook)

Condie, Ally.
Matched (Matched, #1) (VOYA Style)

D

E

F
Flinn, Alex.
Beastly  


G
Gallego Garcia, Laura.
The Valley of the Wolves (VOYA style)
 
Green, John.
Looking for Alaska 

H
Haberdasher, Violet.
Knightley Academy (Knightley Academy, #1)

I

J

K

L
Langan, Paul.
Summer of Secrets (Bluford High, #10) (VOYA style)

Levithan, David.
Every Day (Every Day, #1) (VOYA Style)

M
Montano, Mark.
The Big-Ass Book of Crafts (VOYA style) (non-fiction)

N

O

P

Q

R

S
Shan, Darren.
Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare (The Saga of Darren Shan, #1) (VOYA style)

Starmer, Aaron.
The Riverman (The Riverman, #1)

Stiefvater, Maggie.
Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)

T

U

V

W
Westerfeld, Scott.
Uglies (Uglies, #1) (VOYA Style)

X

Y

Z

Every Day by David Levithan

Image from Goodreads

4.5Q 4P J S

Levithan, David. Every Day. Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. 324p. $16.99. 978-0-307-93188-7

What if you woke up in a different body every day?  What if your life always had to be lived under the guise of someone else?  What if you fell in love with someone while in someone else's body?  And what if you wanted nothing more than to be with that person every single day?

A knows exactly how this feels.  This has been A's life for sixteen years.  Never truly a boy or a girl, A wakes up in a new body each day and borrows the life of someone else, trying to disrupt as little as possible...  That is, until A wakes up as Justin, and discovers Rhiannon.  But how can they be together when A has never had a body to call home?

Levithan tackles this beautiful love story with fluid, poetic prose and the ability to foster a deep connection not only between the story's main characters, but between the story and its reader as well.  A's ambiguous identity, being neither male nor female, allows the reader to consider a love that transcends all labels and all boundaries.  A's involvement in others' lives allows us to consider our effect on the world around us, and the people whose lives we touch, however minimally.  Readers will be hard-pressed to abandon Every Day for even a moment, desperate for Rhiannon and A to find a way to be together.

For anyone who enjoys a good "what if" story, and the excitement of a new and powerful love.

So, your book is challenged... Now what?

As a librarian, I feel that it is immensely important to share the materials I love with patrons as part of my professional duties.  However, I do have a small, consistent fear that follows me in my line of work: that of being challenged by a community member about something I have either personally provided, or that my library has provided in general.  Sometimes my (and, collectively, our) beloved books are challenged, removed from the shelf, or get banned entirely.  These are not always permanent changes, but they can be haunting.  My biggest worry is facing a challenge unprepared.  ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) offers a list of strategies for librarians presented with challenges to materials in their collection.  Although copyrighted in 1999, this resource still yields tactful, efficient ways to respond to a material challenge.

Under Communicating Effectively, the OIF provides information on how to deal with the challengers themselves, and the media attention that the challenge may draw.  For an individual challenger, it is important to speak to them politely and convey a sense of understanding, but it would be ill-advised to speak to them using "library jargon" or by citing documents that they've likely not heard of (Library Bill of Rights).  While it is important to convey the message that freedom of speech and the freedom to read are essential to the community at large, if someone is angry about something, they are unlikely to take it well.  The OIF reminds us that we need to keep even footing between the library and the challenger.  This is accomplished by remembering not to talk down to them with library-specific terms, nor in an overly defensive manner.  It is essential to be respectful of their feelings and of the delicate situation at hand.  When we are at the receiving end of a material challenge, it can be quite easy to get emotional or protective.  Regardless, we have to remember that there is a time and place for everything.  For a classroom assignment on intellectual freedom, it's easy to cite the Library Bill of Rights or the First Amendment to win the battle, but in the face of a person, in real time, the results would likely be off-putting, to say the least.

Say the hypothetical challenge your library faces attracts media attention.  While it may be possible to keep news of a challenge small, and within the confines of your library, there likely will be an individual (or a group) that takes their cause for book banning to the streets.  If the media tries to get involved, how do you respond?  Politicians face similar obstacles when campaigning--you watch your words carefully and try to be as neutral as possible, especially if you are not the library's appointed spokesperson.  The idea of assigning the responsibility of discussion to a sole staff member, and politely refusing questions otherwise, can help diffuse a media riot before it even becomes one.

While school library media specialists must adhere to in loco parentis (acting "in place of the parents"), public librarians serve an entire population consisting of varying ages, as well as values.  The OIF addresses several sample questions that could be posed by parents and other community members, which prove useful in those unpleasant situations.  Regarding their right to use the library as they see fit, the OIF suggests:

I pay tax dollars to support the library. Why shouldn’t I be able to control what my kids are exposed to?:  You can control what your children are exposed to simply by going with them to visit the library or supervising what they bring home. The library has a responsibility to serve all taxpayers, including those you may not agree with—or who may not agree with you. We believe parents know what’s best for their children, and each parent is responsible for supervising his or her child.

This is a debate that comes up even in the absence of book challenges.  While patrons' tax money does contribute to the library's services, one person's contribution does not entitle them to total control.  By (gently) reminding patrons that they share the library with the rest of the community, which may or may not share those values and opinions, you are better able to make your case.  Public libraries must defend the rights of the entire population, and not bend to the will of one person or group without consideration of the rest.  Avoiding solipsistic arguments from patrons by encouraging their participation in the selection of materials for their families is a healthy and much-preferred alternative.