Comment by B. A. Binns on January 27, 2013 at 11:54am

Tooting my own horn here, but I write from the teen male perspective, and I teach an online class for female writers about writing believable male characters. My first YA, Pull, is a 2012 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers,  told from the 1st person POV of the seventeen year old protagonist. The second book, Being God, comes out Feb 1, 2013, again told from the teen boy POV.  Click on the links for excerpts to see the style.

I also do reviews on my blog of "boy books".  They are listed under http://harperwriterstogether.blogspot.com/search/label/Boy%20Books. While some are third person, many are told from the boy's POV.  I need to get back to reviewing, I have read some great ones recently, but still need to add the reviews to the list. I picked up a bunch from the 2012 YALSA conference and need to get those reviewed and aded to the list.

Comment by Sally Kruger on March 17, 2013 at 8:07am

Hello,

I just joined today and saw your comments about "boy books."  I teach 9th and 10th grade English and have a 5000 volume classroom library used by 5th -12th graders.  Here's a request for both of you and anyone else out their writing YA books - I will be teaching Children's and YA Lit this fall at Siena Heights University.  I'm looking for YA authors who might have ARC's or copies of books they would donate so college students could read and review them in an online format.

Janet and B. A., I've checked out your books and they sound perfect.  Please feel free to check out my review blog at http://readingjunky.blogspot.com.

Sally

Comment by B. A. Binns on March 17, 2013 at 1:14pm

Hi Sally,

I'm a Michigan State University grad myself.  I am not sure what I will have in the fall, but lets keep in touch. Also let me know if you want copies of my books for your classroom library.

Comment by Janet Berend on March 17, 2013 at 1:17pm

Hi Sally,

I'd love to donate some books to you and your students. Email me at janetberend@gmail.com and let me know where to send books.

Comment by Joanne M. Larson on April 1, 2013 at 5:45pm

As I visited with my nephew this week-end we discussed why he hates reading.  He said it is not so much that he hates reading, but he can't find enough books of contemporary fiction with characters he's interested in: life as an adolescent farm kid (he's from North Dakota).  Does anybody have ideas about books for him?  Some series suggestions would be especially helpful.

Comment by Sally Kruger on April 1, 2013 at 8:30pm

I would suggest anything by Will Weaver, Watt Key, Paul Volponi, especially his latest one THE FINAL FOUR. 
Good luck.

Comment by B. A. Binns on April 3, 2013 at 9:08am

Joanne, I totally understnd your nephew. I do talks to schools and librarians about so-called reluctant readers and the taks of matching the right book with the right kid. I'm scheduled to speak on the subject at the ALA in Chicago this summer. I am addint links to a couple of booklists, there might be something your nephew would find interesting. I would definitly suggest Same Son Here on the ALA list - not a farm kid but a coal-miner's son, or maybe Ghetto Cowboy about a group of cowbays in Philedelphia of all places, trying to save their horses from the city trying to evict them, Those might rouse his interest. Maybe he could then branch out to some of the other items. (And, I hope he finds one of the books by B. A. Binns, my books, interesting even if they do take place in a city instead of a farm)

Here's the link to the current draft of the list I will use at ALA - http://babinns.com/classes/Booklist-ALA.doc

And a general reluctant reader list I use with schools, parents, and librarians - http://babinns.com/classes/Booklist-ALA.doc

(This one is a bigger file because it comes complete with cover pictures)

 

Comment by B. A. Binns on April 3, 2013 at 9:09am

After I hit send I realized I put the same link for both lists. My bad. Heres the reluctant reader list - http://babinns.com/classes/Booktalk-ReluctantReaders.doc

 

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