rThis post address two issues. First, it will briefly review the contribution and work of Chris Lynch. Chris is a writer whose work has the power to engage readers. He is one of the first writers I think about when people ask about authors that boys might enjoy. Second, I turn the column over to Bryan Gillis so that he can provide information about the 2017 KSU Conference on Literature for Children and Young Adults. What is the connection? Last year Chris Lynch was one of the Keynote Speakers at the 2016 conference.

Many of my students are tired of hearing this story. One of the first times I went to the ALAN workshop and was sitting near the back with my good friend, Melanie Hundley (I still wish I could read and retain information as fast as she does.), I discovered Chris Lynch. As we explored our books. I slowed down as I read the cover blurb for Inexcusable. Before Chris spoke at the conference I was nearly finished with the book. Something about the narrator, the tone, and the topic drew me into the book. I know there has been ongoing controversy about the subject matter, the ending, how it works with or against Anderson’s masterpiece Speak, but it was one of those novels that worked for me. I had to discuss it, I wanted to write about it, and I asked students to read it and share their ideas.  Long story short, I did all of that and it was one of the first papers (find it here) I wrote and had accepted by The ALAN Review. 

Now, a little over a decade later, Lynch has published a sequel, Irreversible. I find his commitment to writing books with characters who are constantly present in the narrative both refreshing and engaging. As I read more of his novels, his male protagonists felt familiar to me. It was as if I had been passing them in the halls for the twenty five years I taught high school. They were there, but because of their bravado, their athletic success, or their “popularity”, the incidents or issues that haunted them frequently went unaddressed by parents, teachers, and administrators. Too often, these are the students who cascade downward and out of control. Chris is brilliant at capturing the essences of these characters. The characters jump of the page; Eric in Iceman, Arlo in Hit Count, or Keir, the trouble protagonist, in Inexcusable and Irreversible all portray, simultaneously, a sense of strength and vulnerability.

I believe Lynch’s fiction embodies an argument for why difficult books should be on the shelves, included in the curriculum, and discussed openly. His characters represent a host of students who struggle with the notions of success, athletic prowess, and violence in a world that praises a box score. At the same time, is seems that our cluture doesn’t know how to address the results of unleashed and unabated inappropriate “locker room” talk and behavior that occasionally accompanies these young men beyond the game.

I recommend Lynch’s work enthusiastically. I would point directly to a rereading of Inexcusable followed by an exploration of Irreversible. Together, both books represent a study in character, unchecked actions, and unavoidable consequences.
In the rest of the blog you will find two galleries of Chris novels and an interview. Below the interview you will find Bryan Gillis’s introduction to the KSU conference. I hope this brief review of Chris Lynch and his work will give you a brief insight to the fine gathering of authors that Bryan manages to gather year after year.

Chris allow has a series of novels that explore how young men react when they are asked to serve their country. His series of military novels set in Vietnam and in World War II confront these complex issues. 

Time sure flies. It seems like just yesterday I was a doctoral candidate under the watchful eye of Dr. Jim Blasingame at Arizona State, and now I’m beginning my 9th year at Kennesaw State and my 6th year as director of the KSU Conference on Literature for Children and Young Adults. Over the past 8 years, we have entertained an amazing group of authors- Chris Crutcher, Gene Luen Yang, Matt de la Peña, Jaqueline Woodson, T.A. Barron, Andrew Smith, Chris Lynch, Jay Asher, Chris Crowe, Lisa McMann, Alan Sitomer, Kate Messner, and Tom Leveen, just to name a few. Not to mention some pretty great presenters as well, including my buddy, Dr. Bickmore! 
​
The KSU Literature Conference provides teachers, preservice teachers, public and school librarians, media specialists, and school administrators with a two-day experience in which participants learn from and interact with several highly acclaimed young adult and children's literature authors and attend presentations from master teachers and experts in the field on all facets of literacy instruction. 

What I love most about the conference is its intimate atmosphere. Attendees are able to converse and network in a relaxed, collegial environment.  

​Each day, featured authors engage participants in interactive keynotes, breakouts, and book signing sessions. In addition, between 25-30 breakout sessions are offered each day, featuring experts in literacy and literature from all over the country.

I hope you will consider attending and/or submitting a proposal to present. I encourage you to register soon as we have limited seating each day in order to preserve the intimate nature of the conference. Information on registration, location, and proposals can be found at  lcya.kennesaw.edu. ​

I look forward to seeing you there!  Bryan Gillis,    Associate Professor, Kennesaw State University

​Today, we have another contribution from Jeff Kaplan. In his role as the Chair of the NCTE Standing Committee Against Censorship, he adds to our recent conversation about banned books. I just reviewed the list of current members and I am reminded about what a great group of people have dedicated their time to this cause. I don’t know all of them personally; but those I do, are wonderful, dedicated educators. A few more of the members I know by reputation. You should examine the webpage. I am sure that many of these individuals stand ready to help. Jeff has contributed in the past on this issue and here is the link to his last post. I would like to offer a gentle reminder that on the contributor page of this website you can find links to past contributions. Occasionally, we cover issues that some teachers might find difficult to introduce into their classrooms--religion (Ostenson), urban literature (Lewis), school shootings (Shaffer), LGBT YA (Hartinger), and sexuality (Sarigianides) to mention a few. If you are considering books in these categories, or any other that might cause someone to pause when they look at your reading list, you might want to pay attention to the advice and the resources that Jeff offers below.

In the highly acclaimed and ground-breaking book Teaching As A Subversive Activity (Delta, 1971), the late Neil Postman and his colleague, Charles Weingartner, wrote about the urgent need for educators to abandon conventional teaching practices – and instead, cultivate a classroom environment where true ‘critical thinking and inquiry’ were highly prominent, visible and recognized.

Easier said, then done.

 As the current chair of the NCTE Standing Committee Against Censorship, I have spent the last few years coming to know a highly talented and gifted group of academics, educators, lawyers, writers, publishers and social activists who are all involved in the pursuit and defense of academic freedom – on the elementary, secondary, and even, collegiate level.

Topics like – academic freedom, book banning, and a term, new to me – trigger warnings  (warnings that a work contains writing, images, or concepts which could act as a trauma trigger) – have permeated our conversations as we have met periodically – online and face to face – to discuss and carry out the charges of our committee – to provide guidance, support and ‘a shoulder to vent on’ – when educators, particularly public school teachers, find themselves face to face with ‘those who want to curtail the right of free speech and reading’ from children and adolescents.

The conversations have been revealing, sometimes intense, but always, enlightening.

​More importantly, our conversations about the right of educators – even those who act as ‘loco parentis’ in our elementary and secondary schools – to select and teach the kinds of books and writings they deem acceptable and appropriate for their students. Our conversations – freewheeling and free-spirited – have been most helpful in allowing all of us – to clarify our own thoughts about what is best for children and adolescents to speak, read, write and hear in their classrooms across this country.

As an educator – you too, will undoubtedly, find yourself - at one time or another – asking ‘should I teach this book – or this essay – or this play – or this poem – to these students – even though some might find the words – or language – or thought – or theme – questionable? Or maybe, even reprehensible?

Teachers – especially teachers in a public school setting – are no different from any other state employee. We want to keep our jobs, our steady paycheck and our reputation for fairness, responsibility and equanimity intact – so we live to see another day and keep our heads above water.

Still, we know that teaching – when done right, when all else is considered, and all our students’ immediate needs are met – safety, security, understanding, - is still a task – like no other – for our job – is to uncover the truth and to allow our students to revel in its knowledge.        

Like journalists, we know that we must always respect what we believe to be true – regardless of how uncomfortable the truth might make us feel – believe - or think.

Teachers must never feel that they should shy away from a controversial book or text or writing – just to play it safe – because they feel that by playing it safe, they will avoid the inevitable.
           
Yet, teachers should also know that taking a risk – that exposing students to an ‘edgy read with foul language and a harsh topic’ – should not be taken lightly. They should know that when they venture into a ‘knowable unknown’ – teaching a predictable controversial read – they should do so ‘with their eyes wide open.’
           
​Simply, they should teach knowing that the possibilities of censorship are real, often imminent, and never pretty.

With that said, here are some ‘do’s and don’ts for working with controversial reading matter in a public school setting with children and adolescents…

• Share with Your Principal
  • Want to teach a text that you know will be controversial? Foul language? Graphic writing? Harsh themes? Let your principal know. No administrator likes to be surprised. So, get their thoughts – and permission, first. If they support, you’re half way home. If not, ask yourself – what are you willing to risk now?
• Share with Your Colleagues
  • Maybe, your colleagues have already taught this ‘controversial text.’ Maybe, they wanted to – but didn’t have the ‘nerve’ to try. Or maybe, they have never heard of it – and now, are just as curious and as eager as you are. In any event, never hide. Let your colleagues know what you want to teach and why.
• Share with Your Parents
  • When you feel the time is right, share what you want to teach with your students’ parents. Tell them what you want to teach, why and how. Most importantly, give them a heads up as to what they should know that might be controversial – language, descriptions, writing – so that they, like your principal, are not caught unaware – and as protocol usually permits, let them know that they have the option to ‘not allow their child to read and/or participate in this controversial read and/or discussion – but not to deny the rest of the class their right to read.
• Know Your Reason
  • Why do you want to teach this text – that might be considered controversial? Do you have a rationale? Do you believe it will add to your curriculum? To your students’ knowledge? Understanding? Be sure to always know why you are doing what you are doing – why you are making these choices – and that you can explain your choices to your students, colleagues, parents and administrators.
• Seek Your Support
  • When you decide to teach a controversial text – and you need support – you should seek it. There are many organizations – for example, the National Council Teachers of English and the National Coalition Against Censorship – which are ready, willing and able to help you in support of your teaching and/or challenge to teaching a controversial work. Never assume you are alone; there are professionals ready to help,
• Seek Your Professionalism
  • Teachers teach because they want to ‘make a difference.’ They want to change lives, change thinking, and change the world. You can do that – by avoiding self-censorship – (not wanting to teach something because you fear ‘trouble,’ – and by taking risks on works that otherwise might not be taught – but, can – with support, guidance and ‘teaching know-how,’ – make a real difference in the lives of young people who are wrestling with real and difficult problems.
• Seek Your Challenge
  • Reading, writing, thinking and speaking should never be ‘passive.’ Young people should recognize that learning requires ‘stretching’ and that coming to grips with difficult, but important issues and concerns is all part of growing up. So, together, you and your students should recognize the validity and value of how just one writer – an author, a playwright, a poet – even a cartoonist – can make a huge difference in the way we see the world. Never lose sight of a teacher’s mission to engage the world – no matter how uncomfortable, at times, it may be.

How lucky we are – as teachers, as parents, as writers, as social justice advocates – and just plain citizens – to have at our fingertips – through the magic of the World Wide Web – so many insightful, thoughtful and informative resources – to help us when we need more clarification in regards to our rights and responsibilities of teachers of social justice…

Resources to Help with Censorship Issues
 
National Council Teachers of English Standing Committee Against Censorship
http://www.ncte.org/volunteer/groups/censorshipcom
 
National Council Teachers of English Position Statements on Censorship and Intellectual Freedom
http://www.ncte.org/positions/censorship
 
National Coalition Against Censorship
http://ncac.org/
 
Banned Books Week Coalition
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/
 
Book Censorship in Schools: A Toolkit
http://www.webjunction.org/documents/webjunction/Book_Censorship_in_Schools_A_Toolkit.html
 
Project Censored – The News That Didn’t Make The News
http://projectcensored.org/about-us/
 
The First Amendment in Public Schools: A Resource Guide
http://ncac.org/resource/first-amendment-in-schools
 
People for the American Way - Schools and Censorship: Banned Books
http://www.pfaw.org/issues/freedom-of-speech/schools-and-censorship-banned-books
 
The Huffington Post – School Censorship
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/school-censorship/
 
I leave you with this remark from Neal Postman….
           
“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we could be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.”

Few things are better than just dumb luck and serendipity. Several months ago, I contacted Syliva Vardell to contribute a blog post and she recruited Janet Wong because they wanted to talk about YA poetry during Teen Read Week. They have produced a great blog that is long overdue.  Then yesterday morning happened.  “ Oh, What did you see, my blue eyed son?/And what did you see, my darling young one?” Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Is it unprecedented? Not really, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 was Rabindranath Tagore who was a Bengali who contributed to both literature and music. What a great day to celebrate poetry! Who knows, maybe the next Yeats, Wordsworth, Stevens, Bishop, Nye, Woodson, or Dylan is sitting in the back of your class writing rap lyrics. For many years, I loved Dylan's explanation about the lyrics of A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall—that the lyrics were taken from the Initial lines of songs that “he thought he would never have time to write.” At the bottom of this post I link to a Youtube video of Dylan singing this song. Now, to Sylvia and Janet.

​It’s Teen Read Week (October 9-15, 2016)! Since 1988, October has been the month for celebrating Teen Read Week™ (http://teenreadweek.ning.com), a time to “encourage teens to be regular readers and library users” according to the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). At YALSA (http://hq.yalsa.net/index.html) you’ll find many great programs and strategies to try, as well as a list of Teens’ Top Ten “teen choice” books, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten). We’d like to advocate for sharing more poetry during Teen Read Week and all year long. Why?

Because poetry is perfect for busy teens. It’s compact and fast to read, fun to share, great to perform, and full of powerful emotions and memorable moments. Reading poetry can lead to writing poetry and offers teens an outlet for expressing themselves. Poetry is not “leveled” or tied to age, grade, or reading skills, so it’s a wonderful equalizer for teens with differing reading abilities who might be learning English as a new language too. It’s image-rich with vivid vocabulary. It’s available in anthologies, picture books, and verse novels—something for everyone. Where do you start in finding poetry to share with young adults? 

Anthologies
One place where we can find the work of a lot of different poets is in the classic form of the poetry anthology. Here, one or two editors gather many poems by many writers and organize them into a variety of themes or topics. It’s a great way to browse and pick and choose and skim. Readers can revisit classic (“dead”) poets and discover new voices too. Here are ten of our favorites for teens.
1. Carlson, Lori M. Ed. 2005. Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young and Latino in the United States. Henry Holt. *Featuring many award-winning and contemporary Latino and Latina poets, plus teens themselves
2.  Greenberg, Jan. Ed. 2001. Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art. Abrams.*Ekphrastic poetry with each poet writing in response to a work of art
3.  Heard, Georgia. Ed. 2006 (reissued). This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort. Candlewick.*Poets write about loss, fear, and grief
4. Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2013. All the World’s a Stage. Creative Editions.*Poems on life’s different stages, from “entrances” to “exits,” with childhood, love, war, and more in between
5.  Janeczko, Paul B. Ed. 2004. Blushing: Expressions of Love. Scholastic.*Both classic and contemporary poems about new love, unrequited love, lost love, love remembered
6.  Lewis, J. Patrick. Ed. 2015. National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry. National Geographic.*Vivid photographs provide a stunning background for poems about the natural world
7.  Nye, Naomi Shihab. Ed. 1992. This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World. Four Winds Press.*A collection of poems in English by writers from all around the world
8. Paschen, Elise and Raccah, Dominique. Eds. 2010. Poetry Speaks: Who I Am.  Sourcebooks. *Candid poems about identity, ideas, and connections in a very accessible format
9. Rampersad, Arnold and Blount, Marcellus. Eds. 2013. Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry (reissued, reillustrated). Sterling. *Stylized illustrations accompany these powerful poems by 27 African American poets from Phillis Wheatley to contemporary poets
10. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2013. The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle Schoolhttps://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Friday-Anthology-Middle-School/dp/193705778X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476453614&sr=1-1&keywords=the+poetry+friday+anthology+for+middle+school+common. Princeton, NJ: Pomelo Books.*110 poems by 71 poets about new schools, coping with family, and being a friend along with Take 5! mini-lessons for every poem

​Poetry by Teens
Teens also enjoy discovering poetry written by their fellow teens and published in mainstream books (as well as online, in magazines, in zines, etc.). They can see the power in getting published and may be encouraged to submit their own writing for publication. Here are several notable collections of poetry written by young people.

1.  Aguado, Bill. Ed. 2003. Paint Me Like I Am.  Harper.*Raw and honest poems explore identity, creativity, and relationships
2,   Franco, Betsy. 2001. Ed. Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls.  Candlewick.*Teen girls offer prose and poems about sexuality, identity, fears, dreams, and angst
3.  Franco, Betsy. 2001. Ed. You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys. Candlewick.*Prose and poetry by teen boys explore angry and honest emotions and experiences
4. Franco, Betsy. 2008. Ed. Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. Candlewick.*Honest poems about love by teens from many different backgrounds and sexual orientations
5.  Johnson, Dave. Ed. 2000. Movin’: Teen Poets Take Voice. Orchard.*Teens write about real life in poetic and evocative language
6.  Lyne, Sandford. Ed. 2004. Soft Hay Will Catch You. Simon & Schuster.*Kentucky poet Lyne gathers teen poems about the search for self, home and family, and connections to place
7.  McLaughlin, Timothy. Ed. 2012. Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School. Abrams.*Powerful prose and poetry by Lakota students at Red Cloud Indian School in South Dakota
8.  Nye, Naomi Shihab. Ed. 2000. Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets. Greenwillow.*Nye collected “100 poems by 100 poets in grades one through twelve”
9.  Tom, Karen, and Kiki. 2001. Angst! Teen Verses from the Edge.  Workman.*Girls share edgy thoughts and frustrations
10.  WritersCorps. 2008. Tell the World.  HarperCollins.*A cross-section of teen voices sharing slices of teenage life

Writing Poetry
And for teens who want to experiment with writing poetry, there are several helpful resource books that can jumpstart the process or guide them toward publication. Several poets have written books for young people ABOUT poetry writing. Here are resources that they may find helpful.
 1.  Appelt, Kathi. 2002. Poems from Homeroom: A Writer’s Place to Start.  Henry Holt.*Appelt combines her original poems with ideas and creative writing exercise
2.   Fletcher, Ralph J. 2001. A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. HarperTrophy. Advice on how to keep notes and then turn them into stories and poems
3.  Fletcher, Ralph J. 2002. A Writer’s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You HarperCollins.*A practical guide to creating poetry, complete with interviews with poets
4.  Holbrook, Sara and Salinger, Michael. 2006. Outspoken! How to Improve Writing and Speaking Skills through Poetry Performance. Heinemann.*A fun and conversational guide
5.  Janeczko, Paul B., comp. 2002. Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets. Candlewick.*A poetry collection with poems and advice from 32 poets
6.  Kapell, Dave and Steenland, Sally. 1998. Kids’ Magnetic Poetry Book and Creativity Kit. Workman.*Tips and tools for making poetry creation fun and game-like
7.  Lawson, JonArno. 2008. Inside Out: Children's Poets Discuss Their Work.  Walker. *23 poets share poems and then explain how the poem came to be
8.  Prelutsky, Jack. 2008. Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem. Greenwillow. The poet shares how he creates poems from anecdotes, often using comic exaggeration
9.  Salas, Laura Purdie. 2011. Picture Yourself Writing Poetry: Using Photos to Inspire Writing.  Capstone.*A clear and engaging approach with writing prompts and mentor texts
10.  Wolf, Allan. 2006. Immersed in Verse: An Informative, Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poet’s Life. Sterling.*A witty guide for “going gonzo over words”

​You Just Wait
Janet Wong and I have recently published a book that does a bit of all three of these things: anthologizes poems by various poets, encourages teens to try writing poetry, and offers guidance on the poetry writing process. Our latest book is called You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book. It’s a mashup of:

• Poems from an anthology
• Plus new poems written in response to those poems
• Plus creative activity pages to jumpstart thinking, brainstorming, responding, and writing

These are all linked together with a story thread involving friends, siblings, sports, school, movies, and dreams. The twelve poems at the root of this book come from our previous collaboration, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School (an NCTE Poetry Notable), and were written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Robyn Hood Black, Joseph Bruchac, Jen Bryant, Margarita Engle, Charles Ghigna, Avis Harley, Julie Larios, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Charles Waters, and Virginia Euwer Wolff. Then Janet created two dozen new poems to join them together in a story featuring Paz, an Asian-Latina soccer player with dreams of stardom in college, the Olympics, and ultimately the World Cup; Lucesita, her feisty movie-loving cousin; and Joe, an older brother with dreams of the NBA. Teens can read the book simply for the poems and the story—a novella in verse. Or they can scribble right in the book to interact with the poems as a reader and a writer.
 
For the educator, the structure of the book provides a five-part model for instruction with each of the following components ideal for guiding the reading, responding, and writing process:
*PowerPlay Activity
*Outside Poem
*Response Poem
*Mentor Text Poem
*Power2You Writing Prompt
 
There are a dozen sets of “PowerPack” linked activities, each with a slightly different focus, encouraging readers to consider the elements of repetition, rhyme (including internal rhyme), structure, dialogue, and form (list poems, prose poems, sequence poems, cinquains, poems of address, concrete/shape poems, acrostic poems, found poems, and odes). Here’s a graphic showing the five components in each PowerPack at a glance. 

In addition, aspiring writers will find helpful backmatter in You Just Wait with a poetry self-edit checklist and lots of lists, including places to publish teen poetry, a list of novels in verse, websites, talking points, and performance tips. And for more sample poems and teaching activities for teens and tweens, check out https://www.pinterest.com/pomelobooks/poetry-for-middle-school/. And for more information on the Poetry Friday Anthology® series, go to http://PomeloBooks.com.

First Lady Michelle Obama, an avid poetry lover, reminds us, “Think about how you feel when you read a poem that really speaks to you, one that perfectly expresses what you're thinking and feeling. When you read that, you feel understood, right? I know I do. You feel less alone. I know I do. You realize despite all our differences, there are so many human experiences and emotions that we share . . . and even if you don't grow up to be a professional poet, I promise that what you learn through reading and writing poetry will stay with you throughout your life.”
 
Citation: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/11/remarks-first-lady-poetry-student-workshop
​

Sylvia M. Vardell is Professor at Texas Woman’s University and teaches courses in children's and young adult literature. She has published five books on literature, as well as over 25 book chapters and 100 journal articles. Her current work focuses on poetry for young people, including a regular blog, http://PoetryforChildren.Blogspot.com since 2006.
 
Janet S. Wong is a graduate of Yale Law School and a former lawyer who became a children’s poet. Her work has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other shows. She is the author of 30 books for children and teens on chess, creative recycling, yoga, superstitions, driving, and more.
 
Together, Vardell and Wong are the creative forces behind The Poetry Friday Anthology series.

This week's post is the product of Dr. Sharon Kane. She is fantastic and a constant source of inspiration. She has contributed before and a link to her previous posts can be found below.  Take it away Sharon.

One year ago, in my first post as a guest blogger on YA Wednesday, I discussed ways of using literary awards to enhance reading for pleasure and academic profit.  Thanks largely to Steve Bickmore’s response, the following Wednesday, and his ability to take an idea and run with it, I now feel like awards have pretty much taken over my life—in a good way, of course. I had brought up the idea of a hypothetical “Meta-Award,” where readers would study past medal winners to determine, or at least argue for, the best of the best. Steve spearheaded an actual project that now involves teachers, librarians, authors, and students revisiting the 100 National Book Award Finalists in the Young People’s Literature category. Stay tuned for future updates on this now heated contest.

Soon after my initial blog post, I introduced students in an alternative high school (CARE Program) housed on the SUNY Oswego campus to the five 2015 NBA finalists; they decided to read them before the November announcement of the winner. They found Laura Ruby’s Bone Gap to be unlike anything they had read before. (Didn’t we all!) They discovered through Steve Sheinkin’s Most Dangerous that nonfiction doesn’t have to read like a textbook. The Thing about Jellyfish, by Ali Benjamin, resonated with both students and teachers; we had all experienced loss, and we had all made mistakes. Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona was a big hit due to the storyline as well as the graphic novel format. Challenger Deep was an intellectual and emotional challenge, but one they accepted and appreciated. I went to the CARE classroom the morning after the awards were announced and we watched clips of the authors reading from their works during the day and evening prior to the award ceremony. Then we watched as Challenger Deep was announced as the winner, and Neal Shusterman gave his acceptance speech, inviting his son Brendan (whose experiences had provided a stimulus for Shusterman’s conception of the novel) to the stage to share the honor.  Our classroom was quiet; we were moved to tears. [Link to http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2015_ceremony.html#.V-_DI_krLIU]

Then those kids, so many of whom had considered themselves non-readers, turned to me. “What now?”
I sang my response: “Someday my Printz will Come.” [Link to http://blogs.slj.com/printzblog/]  We spent the next several weeks making our predictions for the Michael L. Printz honorees, wondering whether Challenger Deep or other NBA finalists might nab another medal. We also found other titles that were being discussed by avid followers of the Printz blog that we wanted to try.  Once again, we chose to be together as the American Library Association awards were announced in January. [Link to http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz]. Bone Gap, which already displayed a silver NBA seal, was the winner. Hooray!

And once again, the teens turned to me to ask, “What now?” Their principal, Robyn Proud, was ready with a visual of the 16 books selected for School Library Journal’s 2016 “Battle of the Books” (BOB) [Link to http://blogs.slj.com/battleofthebooks/2016/01/20/the-2016-contenders/]. The students were thrilled that they had ALREADY read some of the contenders, books that had also been winners or finalists of the National Book Award. They felt like insiders at this point; they belonged to the club. [See the picture of the CARE Program and chart above]

During the literary version of March Madness known as BOB, I facilitated several book clubs, including one in my Literacy Education graduate class; one for the community in our city’s independent book store [Link to http://www.riversendbookstore.com/]; and one online. One of my students, Bird Cramer, adapted and implemented the project in her middle school—“Transmedia responses…”. My students wrote to the students in the alternative high school; combinations of participants from the various venues presented at conferences and submitted their artistic literary responses to an art exhibit. I wrote about some of the books on my blog, www.hhpcommunities.com/youngadultlit.  Meanwhile, some of my former students, including Keri Frazer, a third year teacher in a rural high school [see picture below] facilitated BOB-related activities in the schools where they presently teach.
​
And now it’s autumn again; another round of literary awards has begun. About a week ago, the National Book Award Long List you read about in Steve’s September 12 post was halved to become the list of books that will sport a silver medal [see the images at the bottom of the blog post]. My high school and college students will be shouting hurrahs or bemoaning the elimination of their favorites; it will all be good. And after November 16, after we’ve probably cried our way through another awards ceremony, I will welcome the query of “What now?”  You know the answer, and can sing it to your classes as I sing it to mine.  http://blogs.slj.com/theyarn/

If you will be attending NCTE in Atlanta and want to hear more about how we use awards to enhance literacy, please consider coming to our session, “Awards and Advocacy: Using Literary Awards to Encourage Authentic Reading and Writing” on Friday, November 18 from 9:30-10:45  in the Georgia World Congress Center A 401. Steve and I will be joined by Robyn Proud and Keri Frazer. We are breathlessly awaiting the celebration of award-winning books, and of the readers who read them—winners all.    

I believe it is sign of my growing maturity that I can admit when I am wrong. I know all of us make mistakes and missteps, I just hate to think that I make more than the next guy. Life is full of obstacles, challenges, mistakes. It is one thing if we make them of our own volition, recognize them, and try to make amends and recover. It is quite another if we struggle with obstacles thrown at us by other people. In this case, I am not talking about an assignment we weren’t expecting, a work task we don’t like, or a bad day of traffic were you might have saluted or been saluted by another driver in a manner that, perhaps, your mother wouldn’t have approved. What I am thinking about are the misdeeds that children and adolescents face at the hands of others. 

​Chris Crutcher is coming to the Vegas Valley Book Festival on Oct 15, 2016 and I couldn’t think of anyone I would rather hear speak to students, teachers, librarians, and parents about the challenges some (too many) kids face. As part of his visit Chris will be speaking on a panel about censorship. I know; it is a touchy subject. I continue, however, to have one abiding question about the censorship issues: Why do people spend time banning books instead of assuring the safety of children? I know they are not quite the same thing, but they are related. Many abused adolescents think they are alone, that it is their fault, or that they can’t tell anyone. Of course, from an adult perspective we can see that they are not alone, that it isn’t their fault, and, yes, they can tell somebody. Nevertheless, the topic is frequently silenced in arenas of their lives. Adults in school settings often just don’t talk about sensitive issues or do it inadequately. As a result, too many students live lives of quiet desperation. Books can help and Crutcher's offerings are a giant step forward.

Well, Chris Crutcher is their ally. For more than 30 years his stories have masqueraded in school and classroom libraries as fiction.  Technically, they are works of fiction, but they draw from his experience working with children as a teacher and a child and family therapist.  His Wikipedia page claims that “his books generally feature teens coping with serious problems, including abusive parents, racial and religious prejudice, mental and physical disability, and poverty.” I would suggest they cover even more themes including death, sexual relationships, perseverance, loyalty and friendship, and team work. While many kids feel stifled by the isolation, his novels often demonstrate that there are people who can help—other kids and adult as well. Chris is a master at sitting on a teacher’s desk at the front of the room dressed in a causal shirt, jeans, and sneakers while engaging an audience in truth.  As horrible as the truth may be, it can lead to freedom and a release from the grip of horror; however that horror is evident in a given child’s life. I think we need to trust Keats again. “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” –that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. At times it might be disturbing to realize that children are reading about difficult situations—in any number of ways—but, just remember, there are children experiencing much worse. I have heard Chris explain that in some cases, as he writes he has to tone down the experience he creates so that people will believe it. Can you imagine?

The books in the slide show above are all linked to a brief description. Personally, I don't think you can make a bad choice. My three favorites Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Stotan, and Deadline. Once again, it would be hard to overestimate the importance of Crutcher's impact in the arena of Young Adult Literature. He has continued to support others authors in remarkable ways. Immediately, I can think of three that I have either heard him support directly or who have talked about his influence--Matt de la Peña, Terry Davis, and Bill Konigsberg. Thanks Chris for pointing the way and as Aretha says: Rock Steady.

​It seems important to talk a bit about diversity and banned books at the same time. We point to five articles that discuss diversity in YA literature. They are all different; one is a twitter feed that accompanied an NCTE Chat. The small comments in the tweets are interesting and suggest a number of people worth running into at NCTE. The first article points to a startling fact: the number of multicultural books published has remained at no more than 10% over the last 20 years. BUT, on average 75% of recently challenged books are diverse, and, using the #WeNeedDiverseBooks definition, nearly all of ALA’s top ten most frequently challenged books of 2015 are diverse.”
 
Literacy & NCTE: The Official blog of the National Council of Teachers of English
http://blogs.ncte.org/index.php/2016/09/whats-wrong-diversity/?roi=echo4-36245334792-90917589-07b3f05ca377a3ed28aee83749c87efc&utm_source=2016-08-09+Members&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Inbox
Literacy & NCTE is a blog that promotes a conversation on diversity and the discussions that inform the topic. 
Black Girls’ Literacies
https://storify.com/NCTEStory/september-2016-nctechat-black-girls-literacies?roi=echo4-36245334792-90917590-48854b81c7defdf51c09022fa756f89d&utm_source=2016-08-09+Members&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Inbox&
Black Girls’ Literacies is a blog post that’s hosted by several female bloggers promoting the idea of literacy for females of color, both Black and Hispanic
No Longer Invisible: How diverse Literature Helps Children Find Themselves in Books, and Why It Matters
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0261-sept2016/NoLongerInvisible.pdf?roi=echo4-36245334792-90917591-8b7a905cadc97eeaa71a792d9d705e8f&utm_source=2016-08-09+Members&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Inbox
This post discusses YAL and the conversations that are taking place on kids and diversity in literature. 
Taking the Risk to Teach Diverse YA Books 
http://blogs.ncte.org/index.php/2016/09/taking-risk-teaching-diverse-ya-books/?roi=echo4-36245334792-90917592-21f83b3a0972d99d874d1c592299d3ad&utm_source=2016-08-09+Members&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Inbox
It is an interview with Jennifer Buehler, a YA literature expert, and Ms. Jennifer addresses the theme of Banned Books and teaching with diverse YAL.  She points to key components that are mandatory in promoting and teaching YAL and the theme of students or kids that are outside the dominant culture.
Teaching for the new Majority: A TC institute reimagines education for racially diverse classrooms
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2016/september/teaching-for-the-new-majority/?roi=echo4-36245334792-90917594-5f0613eba2b2404717a8b30590f39c6b&utm_source=2016-08-09+Members&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Inbox
This site highlights many educators, comments or criticisms, and conversations that are taking place on the subject of diversity and educating students of color.  

 The books highlight above are listed in one source in the document below as the most frequently banned books of 2014-2015 (http://bannedbooksweek.org/node/831). The banned book issue seems more important than something that can be contained in a week. At Dr. Bickmore’s YA Wednesday we realized that many people would be writing about this issue in ways that would be richer than we could do in a single post. If you teach YA literature, English methods courses, or have a secondary class of your own, these resources (in the document below) can provide you with information that can address the issue until Sept 2017.

​​Great colleagues are one of the benefits of working in the world of young adult literature.  I always get a boost when I talk with Sharon Kane. She is inspiring and insightful. Her past contribution to Dr. Bickmore’s YA Wednesday has spurred a joint project that we will be talking about soon. Today, Sharon is going to discuss Ada Lovelace Day so you can all be prepared for October 11, 2016. She will also be posting again on October 12 to discuss how she works with Awards in her class and with others. You see, she is a font of information. In between those two posting, there will be another special Friday edition of Dr. Bickmore’s YA Wednesday! Chris Crutcher is coming to Las Vegas for the Vegas Valley Book Festival (which was previewed here) on October 15, 2016. To foreshadow that event will discuss his many contributions and review resources from the recent banned book week. Amazing that Chris Crutcher and banned books would show up in the same paragraph.

Are you ready for Ada Lovelace Day? When my students tell me that they don’t know Ada Lovelace, and that they never learned about her in school, I tell them that’s exactly why we need Ada Lovelace Day. It’s an international celebration of women in the STEM fields, including women whose contributions were downplayed during their lives and/or neglected by history. You can find ideas relating to past and upcoming events at www.findingada.com.  On October 11, people around the globe will be dancing; reciting poetry; conducting scientific experiments; coding; relating personal experiences; creating art in library “Makerspaces”; performing skits; and visiting the grave Ada shares with her father, Lord Byron. They’ll search for and add to YouTube clips starring this remarkable mathematician, known as the first computer programmer, and nicknamed the “Enchantress of Number” by her collaborator Charles Babbage. I’ll limit my post (mostly) to discussing books that are appropriate for a unit, learning center, or classroom display for those preparing to celebrate next week in a little or a big way. 

Let’s start with books about Ada herself; it’s quite possible to become obsessed with the ever-growing body of biographies, informational books, and fictional works relating to her. (Just ask my friends.) In the picture book category, we have Diane Stanley and Jessie Hartland’s just-released (October 4) Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer, as well as Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, by Laurie Wallmark and April Chu. At the higher end, my favorite is Ada’s Algorithm: How Lord Byron’s Daughter Ada Lovelace Launched the Digital Age, by James Essinger. (You can read book talks for the last two books mentioned on my blog, www.hhpcommunities.com/youngadultlit.) 

Several collective biographies contain chapters on Ada; among them are Historical Heartthrobs: 50 Timeless Crushes—from Cleopatra to Camus, by Kelly Murphy with Hallie Fryd ; and a beautiful new illustrated collection by Rachel Ignotofsky, Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers who Changed the World.

​Ada’s mother provided her with a rigorous mathematics and science education in an effort to curb a dangerous trait inherited from her father—imagination.  What would she think of the directions in which present-day authors have taken Ada’s story!  Jordan Stratford has a fictional series called The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, starring Ada and her contemporary Mary Shelley.  Sydney Padua offers the graphic novel The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer. It’s a wild ride through an alternate history.

I’m sure Ada would appreciate knowing that she and her algorithm live on in books and on the Internet; and that the U.S. Department of Defense named a software program Ada in her honor. I imagine she’d have fun learning what can be done in the 21st century with artificial intelligence and augmented reality. What contemporary books might Ada appreciate? She’d feel an affinity for a twentieth century collaborator extraordinaire when reading biographies of Paul Erdös such as The Man who Loved Only Numbers, by Paul Hoffman, or The Boy who Loved Math, by Deborah Heiligman. In Code: A Mathematical Journey, by Sara Flannery, tells of an American teen who gained world fame after creating an algorithm.
Two novels, John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines and Gretchen McNeil’s I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl, feature protagonists who strive to create algorithms that will change their social lives. Carlos Bueno blends fiction and nonfiction in Lauren Ipsum: A Story about Computer Science and Other Improbable Things. There are many resources for learning about coding, including Technology: Cool Women who Code, by Andi Diehn and Lena Chandhok; and Awesome Algorithms and Creative Coding, by Clive Gifford. There are books showing how coding has impacted history, such as The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded, by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis, a biography offered in a graphic novel format. Box Brown’s Tetris: The Games People Play tells the story of computer scientist Alexey Pajitnov, creator of the video game Tetris.

We owe a great debt to Ada Byron Lovelace. I believe we are beginning to make good on that debt with the emergence of literature, some in the YA range, related to her life and to mathematics, which was her passion.  And we are paying it forward as we celebrate Ada Lovelace Day on the second Tuesday of every October, encouraging our young women to appreciate the wonder that can be found in the STEM subjects and to consider a career in a field that, while generally considered inappropriate for females in Ada’s lifetime, holds great potential for all the young people in our present learning communities.

Happy Ada Lovelace Day. Let’s build something beautiful.    ​