ALAN’s Picks: April 2011

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ALAN’s Picks is a monthly book review column that is compiled and edited by Dr. Pam Cole of Kennesaw State University.

Reviewed this month:
All Just Glass by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Another Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald
Rip Tide by Kat Falls
Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow
Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls

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2011 ALAN Workshop Authors Announced!

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**Changes to ALAN Workshop program:
–Andrew Peters won’t be able to attend ALAN. However, Scholastic Jennifer Nielsen will be taking his place.  Jennifer is the author of The False Prince, a fantastic medieval mystery adventure.
–Maureen Johnson will not be able to attend ALAN this year as planned.  We will miss her!  Elizabeth Scott (Simon and Schuster) has graciously agreed to serve in her stead in the Dynamic Duo session, “Chick lit with a conscience,” scheduled with Abby McDonald on Monday afternoon from 3:25-3:50.**

The 2011 ALAN Workshop will be hosted at the Chicago Hilton from November 20-22 and will continue the tradition of celebrating the very best of young adult literature.  This year’s lineup is wonderful indeed:

M.T. Anderson will deliver the keynote address at the Workshop, and Jacqueline Woodson will serve as the 2011 ALAN Breakfast speaker (Saturday morning, November 19, during NCTE).

Several fantastic authors will speak on Monday, including Angela Johnson, Walter Dean Myers, Janet Tashjian, Sean Beaudoin, John Green, Matt de la Peña, Leslie Margolis, Andrew Peters, Sarah Weeks, Rita Williams-Garcia, Sarah Dessen, Lauren Myracle, Cheryl Rainfield, Andrew Smith, Paul Yee, Kazu Kibuishi, Maureen Johnson, Abby McDonald, and Laurie Halse Anderson.  The evening will conclude with a reception honoring the finalists for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (AEWA)—Kristen Chandler, Matt de la Peña, Matthew Quick, Jordan Sonnenblick, and Francisco X. Stork.

Tuesday will feature an equally impressive collection of authors, including Chris Crutcher, Cara Chow, Sharon Draper, J.L. Powers, Matthew Quick, Kenneth Oppel, Jennifer Donnelly, Neal Schusterman, Coe Booth, B.A. Binns, Simone Elkeles, Stephanie Perkins, Sara Zarr, Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler, James Dashner, Megan McCafferty, Veronica Roth, Dom Testa, Katie Alender, Beth Fantaskey, Michelle Hodkin, Thanhha Lai, and David Levithan.

The Workshop will begin with a cocktail reception on Sunday evening where attendees can mingle and chat with participating authors over wine and light snacks.  Monday sessions will be held from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with the AEWA reception following from 5:15-6:15 pm.  Tuesday sessions will be held from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.  We encourage participants to attend the full workshop to avoid missing any worthwhile presentations.  Space is limited to 500 attendees; registration is now open at www.ncte.org.

Under the Radar: March 2011

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Under the Radar is a discussion of books from smaller publishers by four members of the ALAN Board:

Ricki Berg, Bucky Carter, Paul Hankins, and CJ Bott.

Groundwood Books (http://www.groundwoodbooks.com) was established in 1978 and publishes children and young adult books, fiction and nonfiction in Canada, the United States, and Latin America. In this column we will discuss titles from the Groundwork Guides series. Teachers guides for all of the books in this series is available at the following link: http://www.groundwoodbooks.com/gw_groundworkguides.cfm the list of available Guides at the end of our discussion.

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Calling all Middle School, Junior High, and High School Teachers in ALAN —You Are Needed

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cj Bott
ALAN President Elect 2011

ALAN is made up of people who read and promote books written for teenagers— young adult literature. Among those of us who are addicted to and promote YA Lit, three groups carry the message: college/university professors, school and public librarians, and middle school/junior high/high school teachers. Though college/university professors have been a driving force in this organization since its founding in 1973, and school/public librarians have become active along the way, it is M/J/H teachers who carry these books into their classrooms and into the hands of teens five days a week, 180 days a year. Proudly I was one of those high school YA book pushers for 30 years. Continue reading →

ALAN’s Picks: March 2011

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ALAN’s Picks is a monthly book review column that is compiled and edited by Dr. Pam Cole of Kennesaw State University. Be sure to check the site often to see a preview of the latest titles in YA Lit

Reviewed this month:

The Beginner’s Guide to Living by Lia Hills
The Carnival of Lost Souls by Laura Quimby
Crosswire by Dotti Enderle
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz by Laura Toffler-Corrie
No Passengers beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
The Rendering by Joel Naftali
Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings by Sophia Bennett
The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke
Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin
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