"Library Has Teens In Mind"

Teens race from school to work to sports practice to play rehearsal … and sometimes, into our library. Columbus Public Library has made a concerted effort to grab the young adult’s interest. We’ve positioned the Young Adult category on the first floor with the adult fiction. But, the most important point, they have their own space and shelves.

The teen fiction genre has been around for a long time, but we need to get the word out to parents and the audience it’s geared for. I’m very proud of the wonderful selections they have to choose from. Some titles that may peak their interest are novels from the Golden Sower Award Young Adult Nominees for 2003-2004. There are ten entries at this level and I’d like to talk about five today and the other five next Sunday.

“Breaking Through” by Francisco Jimenez ---This sequel to “The Circuit” continues the fictionalized autobiographical story of Francisco Jimenez known as Panchito growing up as a migrant child in California. The story now extends into his teenaged years. Caught by the immigration officers, he and his family are forced to leave California, but soon return. In addition to the prejudice and hardships the family experiences, he also tells what it was like to be a teenager growing up poor during the late 1950’s. Without bitterness or sentimentality, Francisco Jimenez finishes telling the story of his youth. Once again, his simple yet powerful words will open readers’ hearts and minds.

“Bronx Masquerade” by Nikki Grimes --- As part of a study of the Harlem Renaissance, a group of Bronx high school students share their innermost thoughts and dreams through poetry writing. They share their work with peers via the “Open Mike Fridays”, a forum organized by their compassionate teacher, Mr. Ward. With his help, students are able to move beyond the masquerade and reveal their true selves to others. An acclaimed poet, novelist, journalist, and educator, Ms. Grimes was born and raised in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles.

“The Graduation of Jake Moon by Barbara Park --- Jake Moon used to love spending time with his grandfather, Skelly. That was before Skelly got Alzheimer’s disease. At first Jake thought, no big deal, it was just a disease that made old people forget where they put their car keys. But he was wrong. While Jake tries to help his grandfather as much as he can, he can’t help but feel embarrassed. All of a sudden he’s the grown up, and Skelly’s the kid needing his Velcro sneakers fastened and food wiped from his chin. Much of Skelly’s care becomes Jake’s responsibility, and that doesn’t leave much time for a life of his own. Jake matures to accept this horrible disease, overcoming his resentment and embarrassment. The story is about a very real disease and how very human characters cope with the situation.

“Hole in the Sky” by Pete Hautman --- Ceej age 16, and Harryette, his sister, have survived the flu virus epidemic of 2028. Ceej by never catching it and his sister by being one of the 1 in 2000 survivors. They walk to their Uncle’s at the Grand Canyon, but find that long term survival is uncertain, especially when the Kinka arrive. The Kinka, a group of renegade survivors, feel everyone needs to be tested for the virus. Survival may depend on finding the hole in the sky.

“Lord of the Deep” by Graham Salisbury --- Mikey Donovan really wants to prove to his stepfather, Bill that he is old enough to be the deck hand on Bill’s deep-sea fishing charter boat off the coast of Hawaii. The work is hard and the days are long but Mikey enjoys the work and being with Bill, until Cal and Ernie charter the boat. No matter what fish was caught, it wasn’t good enough or big enough for the two. The pressure to produce a prize fish or suffer the bad publicity force Mikey and Bill to make choices --- choices Mikey didn’t want to make and choices he never expected Bill to make.

Some parts of the summaries have been taken from the 2003-2004 Golden Sower Award Manual. But, as you can see, it’s a very diverse list of nominees. Of course, this is just five of the ten Young Adult titles. Look for the rest of the books next week.