Happy Teen Read Week

This is Teen Read Week, in which teenagers are encouraged to dive into books with a panoply of lures, including posters, colored pencils, bookmarks and even video games. A project of the national Young Adult Library Services Assn., which is a division of the American Library Assn., Teen Read Week faces a challenge: how to recommend works that sit well with parents that teenagers might embrace.

That tension can be seen on YALSA's ultimate teen bookshelf, a list of 50 essential reads (PDF download). It includes new books and classics: "Feed" by M.T. Anderson, "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank, "Weetzie Bat" by Francesca Lia Block, "Fat Kid Rules the World" by K.L. Going and the audiobook of "To Kill a Mockingbird." And it also includes the  "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman; some find the books controversial -- the series ranked No. 2 on the 2008 banned books list.

Being somewhat transgressive will entice some teen readers -- but that's not the message the library association is trying to send. This year's Teen Read Week's theme is the nice and Halloween-y "Read for the fun of it -- read beyond reality." To draw teens in, some Los Angeles Public Library branches are giving away copies of the video game Guitar Hero for XBOX 360 -- (with controller guitar but without the game console). On Tuesday, authors will appear at nine different branches, from Pacific Palisades to the Central Library downtown, for readings and giveaways. At the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Branch Library in South L.A. on Friday, a makeup artist will demonstrate professional monster makeup. Check your local branch for more Teen Read activities.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: From the 2007 movie "The Golden Compass," based on a book from Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series. Credit: Laurie Sparham / New Line Cinema

Comments

[Paula Chase Hyman]

I'm excited to see a bit of buzz on Teen Read Week. Too often our focus is solely on the youngest of readers. However, I never felt YALSA had the challenge you mention. Most Teen Librarians understand that one of the key factors in encouraging a teen to read is that the book selection be the reader's choice. Teens get books selected for them all the time in school. When they go to a library, they're looking to read for pleasure.

While librarians are most definitely gatekeepers, I certainly hope they don't feel like they need to serve as a front line censor to teens. That still remains the parents role. If a teen brings home a book that a parent doesn't approve of, it's up to them to censor/confiscate the book, not the librarian. If they're so inclined, that means parents need to stay in tune to what books are out there - not expect the librarians to know what they may or may not find objectionable.

YALSA works hard to gain/retain teens among the worldwide family of readers. They do an excellent job. But if teen librarians believe their primary role is trying to appease the parents it's counter to serving the needs of their primary customer - the teen.

[Susan Lehman]

Censorship is ridiculous and horrible. As an avid reader and the mother of an avid reader I think it so important to expose and be exposed to as many books as possible. This is a gateway into other cultures, religions, beliefs and worlds. I read all of the books my son (13) does and then we discuss them. It opens the door for so many conversations that we would otherwise miss. We are able to step back and say that we like this or don't like that, but to say that no one should be able to read these books is wrong.