Here are my picks for 2021. Another hard year no matter how you look at it. Many of my colleague report reading and writing less than previous years. Those of us who work with teachers in PreK - 12 settings know that they have faced too many challenges. It really is time to confront how we value and support public education. I found myself doing more late night reading than in other years. I am not sure that is a good thing. I do know that I found myself stunned by the quality of the writing and the power of many of the texts I read. In one case I finished a book at went directly to the computer to write a letter to the author. In a couple of other cases I sought out the author for an interview. 

Several of the others on the list are debut authors. I love finding these new books. Sadly, some new authors get a lost of press when a large publisher decides it is worth the push. Often, they are exactly right. Other time, a debut author quietly slips into the scene relatively unnoticed. If these is a title or an author in this list or in the list of the honorable mentions that you don't know, I hope you check them out. 

Before you get lost in the new list take a minute to read through my previous lists. I still think the books on my lists have held quite well. Browse around a bit and see if you agree.

 http://www.yawednesday.com/blog/bicks-picks-for-2016
http://www.yawednesday.com/blog/bicks-picks-for-2017
http://www.yawednesday.com/blog/bicks-picks-for-2018
http://www.yawednesday.com/blog/bicks-picks-for-2019
http://www.yawednesday.com/weekly-posts/bicks-picks-for-2020​ 

I really don't have a problem finding 10 books I really love. The problem is finding only ten. Some years I have fudged the number and placed a few more on the list.  Last year, I picked ten and then place a few on an honorable mention list. 

This year I selected ten and then added another ten. I had a couple of distinguishing markers. The books in the first list had to be published in 2021 or will be published early in 2022. Some of the books in the list of honorable mentions I books I was a bit slow to get to, but wow, I was glad I did. 

Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman

I have been reading Padma's books for nearly 15 years. I think they are all fantastic. Nevertheless, most readers believe she really hit a new stride with the publication of The Bridge Home. It was one of the finest middle grade offerings in several years. I received an early ARC of Born Behind Bars and was once again struck by the cover art. The publisher was wise enough to use the same artist that was used for The Bridge Home. Both books are set in her native India and focus on children who are left to their own devices on the streets. 

The cover art is gorgeous, but I would read a book by Padma if it were wrapped in newsprint. After a couple of days, I sat in my chair and just keep reading. I finished at about 2:00 am. The book is stunning in many ways, but my favorite aspect is the strong character development. These characters beg the reader to embrace them and I find it hard to believe that most readers could withstand the draw of Kabir and Rani. Enjoy and spread the word.​

The Other Talk by Brendan Kiely

These year my list include a good share of nonfiction. I find myself reconsidering how I work as an ally. Brendan's book is helping me do that.

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna Alda P. Dobbs

I met Alda last Spring as she and other debut authors prepared to present at the 2021 UNLV Summit. I found her to be kind and generous. More importantly, her novel is wonderful. 

Race against Time by Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace

While this is a piece of nonfiction, it reads like a fast paced suspense novel. Don't Google the names, just read and go along for the ride.

You’d be home now by Kathleen Glasgow

I felt that Kathleen's first two books were wonderful. With this current book she proves she is, without question, a force to be reckoned with as every publication hits the shelves.

At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp

One of the best dystopian books I have read in a long time, plus it considers how we might treat each other in a pandemic.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Another work of nonfiction that had me considering how much I know about anything. This is clearly a work just worth the read, but full of cross-curricular opportunities.

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

I am fairly new to the works of David Arnold, but I will be checking out everything.

The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

One of the best novel of the year without a doubt and a great "who done it" as well.

Lobizona by Romina Garber

​While I don't read a ton of fantasy novels of any kind, this novel had me from the beginning and I am waiting to get my hands on the sequel. 

The books in the group of Honorable Mentions are spectacular. They range from novels in verse, historical fiction, Non fiction, memoirs, suspense, and even some horror. A couple are just good old fashion stories that draw the reader into their narrative. A couple are a few years old but they continue to be talked about in a variety of ways. Each image is linked to a place to by the book. There you can find a few reviews. 

Regardless of your reading tastes, one of these books will be just perfect. Don't hesitate to pick one up. 

Until next time.

Rob Prickett is closeing out 2021 with the final post of the year! Thanks Rob!

So, the last YA Wednesday blog of 2021. If you are like me – you breathe a sigh of relief while at the same time screaming unbelievably, “How is this possible?” This is where my mind is fighting with itself currently. It’s the timing of this blog post that struck me (literally, as I am banging my head on my desk like that meme from The West Wing) – the last blog post of 2021. After the last year (or two or fifty – I seem to no longer have any sense of time), I was struggling with what to focus on in this post – endings (after all, 2021 is ending)? 2021 reflection (it’s what we do this time of year)?  My anniversary (12.31 – always easy to remember/ always a party going on to celebrate – going on 27 years)? New Year’s Eve, itself? Jude Law’s Birthday (12.29)? But what I realized is that all of these could result in some melancholy, some sadness (except for my anniversary – Love you, Meg!). I don’t know about you but these days I need positivity. I need inspiration. I need possibility. And that’s part of this time of year. 

​So, I’ve decided to be inspired and positive by looking at the other side of the timeline – looking forward to new beginnings. January 1, 2022 is only a few days away! After all, New Year’s Eve is really the celebration of the new year . . . of what’s coming. . . of what’s possible in the unknown of this linear timeline of life. We excitedly countdown to midnight when the new year starts. We kiss someone – anyone (except for me – anniversary, remember – Love you, Meg!) – to start the new year off right (?) – in love (?) – not alone (?) – with potential (?). . . 

I do a mini lesson/modeling on predictions in my Adolescent Literature class by reading a children’s picture book to the class and then having them predict what’s going to happen next in the story. And because it is a children’s book, they can find out if their predictions come true quickly. We then transition to the discussion of/analysis of/prediction of/ modeling of some of Book #1 of the YA series that they have just read (past series included: Arc of a Scythe, Chaos Walking, Children of Blood & Bone, Origami Yoda, etc.).  These discussions focus on predicting where the series will go after and the possibilities inherent after reading the beginning book in the series.

​With a nod toward the possible and to remind us all that everything can start off right (even if you don’t know where it is going) – here’s some of my favorite YA beginnings (see what I am doing here? – reflecting back and yet looking ahead) . . .

1. “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” – The Graveyard Book (Gaiman)
2. “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” – Feed (Anderson)
3. “He’d stopped trying to bring her back.” – Eleanor and Park (Rowell)
4. “The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World.” – Going Bovine (Bray)
5. “The day I came squealing and squalling into this world was the first time someone tried to kill me.” – Dread Nation (Ireland)

Some of my favorites have additional aspects to their beginnings beyond just the text – such as these amazing graphic novels . . .
​        6. “I’ve hated sports every since I was a little kid, especially basketball.” – Dragon Hoops (Yang)

       7. “This is how I feel every single day of my life like I’m falling without a parachute.” – New Kid (Craft)

     8. “My name is Jensen, Jensen Graham. I may be just a regular kid at regular Berrybrook Middle School . . . but I am going to save the world.” – Brave (Chmakova)

Many of us just “returned” from the virtual ALAN Conference not too long ago. Many of us have experienced the absolute joy of receiving the ALAN Book Box – Christmas before Thanksgiving. When I opened my box this year, I immediately found another new book or two or five . . . and inevitably, a new favorite this year. I was immediately excited to read this beginning . . .

1. “Baba says only wicked things happen after midnight, but I know better.” – Beasts of Prey (Gray)

So, as we get ready to celebrate the possibilities . . . Here’s to so many fantastic beginnings in YAL. Here’s to being inspired. Here’s to being motivated. Here’s to the beginning of 2022 – May it bring us all our own opening lines full of potential. Happy New Year! 

Until next time.

I love it when you get to see former students flourish. Without question Leilya Pitre has continued to grow and have success as a professor of English education. There is no doubt that I learned more from her than she did from me. This week we all get to take look at how she is fostering creativity among her own students. Thanks Leilya!

​Every spring I teach a YAL course in which we learn about adolescent experiences in literature. We read, think, interpret, analyze, write, and have rich conversations throughout the semester. While it does not get boring, it seems painstaking because most of the tasks are associated with grades, i.e. academic performance. To alleviate the anxieties surrounding the end of the semester, I offer my students to complete a creative project that enhances their thinking about the characters, events, and outcomes and brings them joy of crafting without stressing about the grade. They have a choice to do whatever they want, and as a result, the final creative project becomes enjoyable and even helps raise final grades.
​
Announcing the project early in the semester and reminding about it every couple of weeks jumpstarts students’ thinking and focuses their attention on various ideas as we progress through the novels. They may choose one, two, or several YA novels, including the novels of their choice for this task. To begin the creativity flow, we complete Body Biography projects, as described by Smagorinsky in Teaching English by Design (2008, pp. 36-37). This small-group project engages students to think beyond the traditional character charts or reading logs as it allows employing symbolism when considering both surface and inner complexities of the character’s psyche, actions, and reactions to the events. Formerly, the project was completed on a human-size poster paper, and all the drawings, writing, and coloring were finished manually. After finalizing the art part, each group collectively writes an essay explaining all the symbolic representations and choices included in the poster.  With the move to online teaching and access to technological tools, the project can be executed using multimedia resources. Below are some Body Bio examples from the last spring semester.
​

​Following the body biography project, students think about their own ways to represent learning throughout the course.  Since the spring of 2020, I have decided to give students a freedom of choice, and do not regret it. Here are a few of the ideas that might be useful to explore in the secondary English classroom or a college course. Some of them are more laborious than others, but all of them require students’ critical and analytical thinking and efforts to implement the idea.

​The Young Adult Cookbook
Who doesn’t like to eat? Right, we all do! Maddie P. (with the permission of my students, I use their real first names in this post), as a true Louisianan, where food culture is rich and central to any event, decides to showcase food mentioned in some of the YA novels. She notices that almost in every text of the course characters mention food they like either at their favorite food joints, self-prepared, or cooked by parents. Maddie examines three novels: Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed (2018), I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman (2018), and The Music of What Happened by Bill Konigsberg (2019). She chose Maya’s Mouthwatering Biryani and Tandoori Chicken (Ahmed, 2018, p. 9), Max’s Cloud Eggs (Konigsberg, 2019, p. 107), Jordan and Max’s World Famous Organic Homemade Prickly Pear Frozen Lemonade (Konigsberg, 2019, p. 110), Freya’s  Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Foreman, 2018, p. 120-121), and Harun’s Family Seekh Kebabs (Foreman, 2018,  p.189). Since there are no pictures or recipes provided in the novels, Maddie has researched the dishes, found the images and recipes, and created The Young Adult Cookbook.
During her presentation, she explains the history of each dish and emphasizes their cultural value. The discussion naturally moves onto eating habits of teenagers. When I am writing this part, my husband is grilling chicken and ribs on the back porch. I am tempted to add this to The Cookbook.

​Thematic Explorations Across YA Novels
This idea and implementation belongs to Jacob B. who created three thematic posters inspired by nine out of twelve novels we read in class: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oats, Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena, Hate List by Jennifer Brown, My Name is Parvana by Debora Ellis, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner, I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman, and The Music of What Happened by Bill Konigsberg. 

Additionally, by setting the camera on its side, the rye-covered cliff upon which Holden stands becomes affected by visual gravity. One motif which recurs throughout Salinger’s novel is that of falling. This motif represents the loss of innocence—a trial through which every adolescent must go if they to reach adulthood. Because of this compositional choice, viewers may feel that Holden’s stability upon the cliff is impossible or short-lived. He is at risk of falling, and Jillian intentionally chooses to make such a fall seem inevitable. The gestures of the clouds emphasize this gravity, as they are drawn to appear as though they are being dragged down by its force. As a result of such a projection, the book cover itself prompts critical thinking and requires readers to adjust their perspectives.

My favorite creative writing so far is a poem Tethered written by Sara S. integrating the idea of connectedness from Gae Polisner’s The Memory of Things (2016) and including it to Freya’s dream from Foreman’s I Have Lost My Way (2018).  I would like to conclude this post with Sara’s poem:

             Tethered
 
It rises,
         a cloud of ash and smoke.
Rain falls
         in sheets of glass.
Shapes
          move toward me,
          surround me,
          push me
                                down…
                                                down…
                                                            down…
                                 a path unknown.
                                    (Yet I know it all too well.)
Push me outside of my fortress.
                        No.
                                    My nest.
I am a bird.
            See.
                        Feathers.
Grounded.
           Take flight.
                     Grounded.
                                    Take flight!
I am wounded.
            (I know this pain.
                                    Loss.)
I am lost
            as I search
                    for clarity.
The shapes
            buzz
                        all around me.
            They begin to
                                    clear.
                                    I push trough them,
                                                past them,
                                                where
                                                            water meets sky.
I will take off.
            Fly,
                        now…
                                    No.
Fate has clipped my wings.
Fate is pulling me
            back into shapes,
                        bodies.
“Look at me…”
                     Fate whispers.
                              “Open your eyes…”
Eyes,
            one blue,
            one green.
                       Pulling me
                               through bodies of
                                      ash.
“Freya.”
I hear
                    my name.
                    (But Freya is not here.
                                 I am not Freya.)
I am a bird…
            No.
                        I am
                                    a girl
                                                with wings.
And this
            is only
            the beginning.​

​Hope the readers of Dr. Bickmore’s YA Wednesday’s have a wonderful holiday season with their families, loved ones, and friends. See you next year!

References
Aziz, J., Wilder, P., & Mora, R. A. (2019). YAL as a tool for healing and critical consciousness. ALAN Review, 46(2), 71-78.
 
Hall, M. (2020). Bibliotherapy and OCD: The case of Turtles all the way down by John Green (2017). New Horizons in English Studies, 5(1), 74-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/nh.2020.5.74-87
 
Jones, E. A., Mitra, A. K., & Bhuiyan, A. R. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in adolescents: a systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(5), 2470. http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052470
 
Jorm, A. F. (2000). Mental health literacy: Public knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 177(5), 396-401.
 
Kaltiala-Heino, R., Rimpelä, M., Rantanen, P., & Rimpelä, A. (2000). Bullying at school—an indicator of adolescents at risk for mental disorders. Journal of adolescence, 23(6), 661-674. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2000.0351
 
Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., ... & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in US adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980-989. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017
 
Moore, A., & Begoray, D. (2017). “The Last Block of Ice”: Trauma literature in the high school classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 61(2), 173-181. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.674
 
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2021). Mental health by the numbers. https://www.nami.org/mhstats
 

O’Driscoll, C., Heary, C., Hennessy, E., & McKeague, L. (2012). Explicit and implicit stigma towards peers with mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(10), 1054-1062. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02580.x
 
Richmond, K. J. (2014). Using literature to confront the stigma of mental illness, teach empathy, and break stereotypes. Language Arts Journal of Michigan, 30(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.2038
​

Richmond, K. J. (2019). Mental illness in young adult literature: Exploring real struggles through fictional characters. ABC-CLIO: Libraries Unlimited. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health. (2021). Mental illness. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml

One can find information on innumerable global issues from refugee numbers, water in homes, economic growth, population data,  monthly incomes throughout the world, and global CO2 emissions, all themes tackled in the above mentioned novels. ​

This process continues to ebb and flow with my students’ curiosity about different topics but the commonality of the pull of our place in the world and how globalization plays a role in it continually resurfaces, especially as we dig deeper into social justice issues and the incredible selection of novels written in the past few years. We live in such incredible times. ​

I first met Cindi at UNLV Summit in 2018. She is one of those remarkable book worms that reads so many books you wonder how she finds the time. We have kept in touch over the years and she keeps coming to the Summit. Yeah!

Once again, Cindi has some wonderful reading suggestions.

There are so many things I miss about attending live conferences, and I look forward to the day when we return to casual yet powerful conversations between brilliant sessions, encounters with authors, and perusing through aisles of glorious young adult novels. It was on a particularly challenging day when my ALAN box showed up. I was so excited, but I didn’t have time to dig into it. Instead, I dragged it to school and had an official “unveiling” with a group of students. The absolute joy we shared as we dug through the box together and found a variety of novels refreshed my heart. It was energizing to engage in conversations about books and see the excitement on the students’ faces as they found books that called to them.  I went from a very full box to a nearly empty box in less than an hour! These are a few of my favorites from the box.

The links for the titles take you to my favorite “black woman owned bookstore and gallery space” in Chicago, Semicolon. Not only do they carry an amazing selection of books that can be shipped anywhere, but they host #cleartheshelves events where they invite CPS Students into the store to pick out whatever books they want free of charge.

Until next week.

Below, is an the interview. I really had a great time chatting with Marieke. I appreciated that she made the time to connect with me from across an ocean and multiple time zone. If you don't know her work it is time you started reading. As you wait for the books to arrive, take a bit time to enjoy the interview.

Before you take off, take a quick look at more of Marieke's books.

Until next week!