aggieamy Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Peter Pan - a deliquent and possibly delusional young man convinces a young lady and her two siblings to run off with him to a land where they encounter a dangerous man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Peter Pan - a deliquent and possibly delusional young man convinces a young lady and her two siblings to run off with him to a land where they encounter a dangerous man Blurb from the back cover of the hypothetical YA edition: Peter was not quite like other boys; but he was afraid at last. A tremour ran through him, like a shudder passing over the sea; but on the sea one shudder follows another till there are hundreds of them, and Peter felt just the one. Next moment he was standing erect on the rock again, with that smile on his face and a drum beating within him. It was saying, "To die will be an awfully big adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 LibraryLover, I couldn't deny you anything. ;) Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre. The victim of heartbreaking childhood abuse, Jane boils with passion and rage beneath her "good girl" exterior. When she falls for a married man, mayhem, mutiliation, and attempted murder ensue. Awesome. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Oh that's funny! I like "The Collected Works of Jane Austen"... Female Lead I secretly love Male Lead. He must never know. Male Lead I secretly love Female Lead. She must never know. They find out I read this to my DDs. They were breathless with laughter. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 My boys have read Jonathan Stroud - nothing else on the list looked.... interesting. My niece would read volumes and volumes of teen-problem books. Her school report specifically said that she had to stop reading junk and start reading something that had style and content, otherwise she wouldn't have enough literary feeling/background to pass her school exams. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 The books on the list you linked are typical of young adult literature. Very thematic-- not much substance. Last year, a ton of the books were about girls falling for vampires or falling for boys who turn into animals. Yeah... great literature they are not! I imagine 10,000 years from now some archeologists will discover remnants of our culture: a section of a Barnes & Noble bookshelf with writing that translates into "Teen Paranormal Romance." It will spark much debate among scholars, many of whom will support the theory that there was a widespread alien invasion during that period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Saying that a list of YA books looks depressing is now akin to trying to ban classic literature? That's kind of a stretch... No, but I do think saying a list of books is "all garbage" based on skimming a series of two-sentence synopses and being offended by their themes and/or the suggestion that they might include some less-than-polite language is a fairly narrow view of the situation. I think the point many folks here are making is that art doesn't have to be clean or pleasant in order to be valuable. Lots and lots of really great, classic books (as well as paintings, poems, operas, plays and more) could be dismissed as "depressing." But that doesn't make them worthless. I also think some people who are objecting to the list misunderstand its origin and purpose. It was not presented as a list of the only books teens should read. It wasn't intended to be a reading list for teens to start at the top of and work their way through. It is a list of books published in a single year that one organization found worthy of recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 So what if you have a teen that hates reading to begin with, and you are just trying to get her to read ANYTHING? DD wouldn't go near Jane Austen. She hated Robin Hood, Romeo & Juliet, and all other classics that I have forced her to read for school purposes. Books have to grab her INSTANTLY to stand any chance at all. She picked up Hunger Games and has stayed up at night reading it. I am ecstatic! At this point, I am happy to see her engage herself a book no matter what it is (within limits...) I would love to have her reading the classics....but have faced the facts that the only ones she will ever read are the ones I force her to read. I am reduced to finding ones that she will "hate the least" as opposed to anything she might actually like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Maybe a handful looked worthwhile, but most were :ack2: not what I think of as "good quality literature" :confused:. Maybe they changed the definition when I wasn't looking. The non-fiction looked fine. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 :iagree: I wouldn't want to read through that list. On the whole it looks like a whole lot of "issue" books. Eating disorders, check, abusive father, check, suicide, check, bullies, check. I also think that 12-18 is an awfully wide age span to really target. What is ok at 18 most definitely might not be at 12! :iagree: We've got enough issues IRL. I'm not saying we wouldn't assign a few here and there. But a steady diet? Nope, not here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 She picked up Hunger Games and has stayed up at night reading it. I am ecstatic! At this point, I am happy to see her engage herself a book no matter what it is (within limits...). I think Hunger Games is a lot more intelligentand thoughtful than a lot of teen "issue" novels, which also tend to be about 130 pages long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 So what if you have a teen that hates reading to begin with, and you are just trying to get her to read ANYTHING? DD wouldn't go near Jane Austen. She hated Robin Hood, Romeo & Juliet, and all other classics that I have forced her to read for school purposes. Books have to grab her INSTANTLY to stand any chance at all. She picked up Hunger Games and has stayed up at night reading it. I am ecstatic! At this point, I am happy to see her engage herself a book no matter what it is (within limits...) I would love to have her reading the classics....but have faced the facts that the only ones she will ever read are the ones I force her to read. I am reduced to finding ones that she will "hate the least" as opposed to anything she might actually like. My colleague was so excited that one of her "reluctant readers" was devouring The Hunger Games. We are considering using it in teaching. There are a lot of issues one can discuss in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk8ermaiden Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 So what if you have a teen that hates reading to begin with, and you are just trying to get her to read ANYTHING? DD wouldn't go near Jane Austen. She hated Robin Hood, Romeo & Juliet, and all other classics that I have forced her to read for school purposes. Books have to grab her INSTANTLY to stand any chance at all. She picked up Hunger Games and has stayed up at night reading it. I am ecstatic! At this point, I am happy to see her engage herself a book no matter what it is (within limits...) I would love to have her reading the classics....but have faced the facts that the only ones she will ever read are the ones I force her to read. I am reduced to finding ones that she will "hate the least" as opposed to anything she might actually like. My father talks about growing up and how he hated reading and his mom threw her hands up in the air as she told the specialist - "The only thing he'll read is comic books!" The specialist's response? "Then buy him comic books. Buy him all the comic books he can read!" My mom was a 3rd grade teacher, and I know her response would be similar. But yeah, I'm imagining the synopsis for Romeo and Juliet: Teens conduct love affair behind the backs of their parents. Die in bizarre double suicide. Lord of the Flies? I don't know, but it would include the nasty pig scene. That remains the MOST disturbing book I have ever read in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Lord of the Flies? I don't know, but it would include the nasty pig scene. That remains the MOST disturbing book I have ever read in my life. I agree. I hated that book and the pig scene ... yeah, that's still with me. Is that book considered a classic? I would rather read a boy loves girl loves vampire muckfest than have to read that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I imagine 10,000 years from now some archeologists will discover remnants of our culture: a section of a Barnes & Noble bookshelf with writing that translates into "Teen Paranormal Romance." It will spark much debate among scholars, many of whom will support the theory that there was a widespread alien invasion during that period. :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk8ermaiden Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I agree. I hated that book and the pig scene ... yeah, that's still with me. Is that book considered a classic? I would rather read a boy loves girl loves vampire muckfest than have to read that again. I'm not sure if it's a classic. It's definitely considered literature and at least down here everyone has to read it in middle school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 These were books recommended that had been published in 2010. So, the list contains recommendations of books that were new for the year. That's why it didn't include 'classics' or older, popular characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 No, but I do think saying a list of books is "all garbage" based on skimming a series of two-sentence synopses and being offended by their themes and/or the suggestion that they might include some less-than-polite language is a fairly narrow view of the situation. I think the point many folks here are making is that art doesn't have to be clean or pleasant in order to be valuable. Lots and lots of really great, classic books (as well as paintings, poems, operas, plays and more) could be dismissed as "depressing." But that doesn't make them worthless. I also think some people who are objecting to the list misunderstand its origin and purpose. It was not presented as a list of the only books teens should read. It wasn't intended to be a reading list for teens to start at the top of and work their way through. It is a list of books published in a single year that one organization found worthy of recommendation. I don't disagree with you in the least. I just thought the overall list looked a bit on the depressing side. Which it may very well be, but that doesn't mean they aren't good books. Also, The Sound and the Fury is one of my favorite books, so I'm not judging, because that one isn't exactly a ray of sunshine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 But...but...where are Cherry Ames? Donna Parker? Trixie Belden? You weren't thinking of criticizing those series, were you? ;) I spent a lot of hours buried in the pages of Trixie Belden books, so of course they must have been good literature. (Jim was my first serious book crush, so stay away from him girls, he's mine. ) The author never came right out and stated it, but I always assumed Jim was a human, from the Planet Earth. He and Trixie were still innocents when I left them, although I suppose fanfiction has since taken care of that. :glare: I always imagined he was really dreamy when they would catch each other's eyes across the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Oh, I was just jokin' around. The three I mentioned are definitely in the TWADDLE category (which explains my feeble mind). They were, however, about humans and about everyday events ... not vampires or the facing down of every possible great tragedy. I'd be willing to bet that the books on the 2010 list could be better *writing* than the ones I mentioned. I was basically going for the old hen crowd...I'm well into my 50s. :0) The word that comes into my mind when I read through the 2010 list is "dark." Whether it is darkness of character or situation encountered...dark. That's the difference. But that's just me rambling on. I seem to be batting a thousand today for being incomprehensible... I'll just bug out for awhile. :0) Ah, gotcha. See, I never read Cherry Ames, Donna Parker, or Trixie Belden. (At least I've heard of Trixie Belden, but that's about it.... :lol:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Come on, where's your sense of adventure. Doesn't this blurb just make you want to run out to the library right now?:tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: "Three novellas explore the power of a kiss, and its possible hazards or thrills, especially if the kiss pulls humans and demons together in a lusty embrace." Ewwww Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Oh, I was just jokin' around. The three I mentioned are definitely in the TWADDLE category (which explains my feeble mind). They were, however, about humans and about everyday events ... not vampires or the facing down of every possible great tragedy. I'd be willing to bet that the books on the 2010 list could be better *writing* than the ones I mentioned. I was basically going for the old hen crowd...I'm well into my 50s. :0) The word that comes into my mind when I read through the 2010 list is "dark." Whether it is darkness of character or situation encountered...dark. That's the difference. But that's just me rambling on. I seem to be batting a thousand today for being incomprehensible... I'll just bug out for awhile. :0) I'll have you know that I loved Cherry Ames books. My grandmother had a stack of them from when she was a kid and I devoured them. It was really kind of sad when I discovered I couldn't grow up and be a WWII nurse. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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