YALLFest 2012

On the ride home from this year's 2nd Annual YALLFest, the group of students I took to the festival were already making plans to attend next year's festival. Nicole, a junior, even asked if once she graduated, she could continue to go with our school to the festival as a chaperone. Teens don't normally think past the next weekend, so you know an event must've been amazeballs to inspire that kind of long-term planning!!

Me and the fifteen students I took as part of a field trip were all YALLFest newbies. I only heard about the first YALLFest after the event *sniff*, and kicked myself when I saw a list of the authors who'd been just a three hour drive away *wipes tear*. When you live in upstate South Carolina, Y.A. author visits or sightings are few and far inbetween. For years, author Neal Shusterman has been great about visiting schools in our area - for a fee that required sharing him amongst schools - but as library budgets continue to shrink, paying authors to come in our schools is fast-becoming a fond-reminiscence for most. When this year's YALLFest line-up was announced, featurting 44 of some of today's most popular and well-loved authors, my head and heart nearly exploded.

The easiest thing to do would've been to go on my own, but knowing I have students who love these authors and their books as much as I do, I couldn't NOT try to take some of them. The cost of the festival itself is FREE, so the only student expense would need to be for the school bus transportation. School field trips aren't cheap, so to reduce travel expenses for the kids, I charged $25 a person - which covered about a third of the cost of the trip - and paid the rest out of my library budget. Money totally well-spent.

Though there are some huge corporate sponsors - Amazon, Tumblr, Justine magazine, to name just a few - the YALLFest festival is Blue Bicycle Books' baby. An independently-owned, small local book store, much credit and thanks fall at the feet of the Sanchez family - owners since 1998. Putting on a festival event of this size is no small feat, especially one that's still so new to the scene, but these people come off as pro's. Miraculously, author panels started on time! Plenty of books by the authors were available for purchase! Authors showed up for their books signings, and in most cases stayed or worked it until they had signed and spoken to every fan in line! If there were any divas or douches, I didn't see them, because everyone I came in contact with - authors, booksellers, volunteers - had read the southern charm rulebook and was on his/her best behavior. And when some panel discussions got a bit bawdy - I'm looking at you, Simone Elkeles and Gayle Forman - well, c'mon that only added to the awesomeness.

Me and fifteen of the raddest readers you could ever meet.

Blue Bicyle Books had plenty of copies of all the authors' books available for purchase. New authors also had booths set up to promote and sign their books.

While waiting to get books signed, fans could take part in trivia contests where you match a book quote to its author and win a free t-shirt. Nine of my kids won shirts!

Nicole enjoying a fangirl moment with her favorite author, Ellen Hopkins. If she looks like she's hyperventilating, it's because she is!

Um, Nicole wasn't the only one who may have fangirl-ed a little over Ms. Hopkins...

One thing I also really appreciated was that authors, such as Jess Rothenberg, were willing to sign student notebooks or YALLFest posters in lieu of books. Not all kids can afford books - which is why they use libraries! - and the authors understood that and were happy to sign. Some clever peeps brought along their Nook/Kindle covers and had authors sign those - might have to steal that idea for next year!

Each hour from 11pm-4pm, there were at least three author panels you could attend to hear your faves discuss topics like "YA Boy Band: Boys Writing Girls (& Boys)," "The Future of Sci-Fi/Fantasy," "Not Your Normal Paranormal", and "Good Girlz and Bad Boyz." What quickly became obvious to all in attendance is not only are these authors passionate about what they do, but they're passionate about supporting each other and the profession. No shame in writing Y.A.!!

Ladies and gentlemen, Stephanie Perkins - one of my fave authors AND a style icon. 

Annnd the award for savviest marketing goes to Simone Elkeles and her publishers, who understand the hottness of the Fuentes brothers should NOT be contained to just words on pages...note: I laminated the poster to protect the boys from student drool. ;-)

So YALLFest #3 has been announced for November 9, 2013 - my students and I are already looking forward to it!!

Tilt – Ellen Hopkins

Every school has students who are meant for Ellen Hopkins' books, and interestingly, it’s not necessarily the kind of kids you find on the pages of Ellen Hopkins' books - at least not at my school.  While Hopkins’ teens may use and abuse drugs, have promiscuous sex, self-mutilate, attempt suicide, succeed at suicide, and suffer physical and emotional abuse – and goodness knows there are teens at my school who this certainly applies to! – there’s also that group of teens who will honestly tell you, these issues are not a part of their lives, they’re just attracted to edgy, dark stories...and Hopkins KNOWS her edgy and dark. Her books may be for and about the messed up kids of the world, but as proof of her wide appeal, you don’t have to come from a messed up home to relate to and feel for those kids who do. Take Tilt, for example…

Mikayla believes she’s found her forever and always in Dylan. He makes her feel special and loved, and they have fun partying together with each other and their friends. Things are perfect really, until her parents find out they’re having sex and forbid them to see each other. Like, really? Mikayla and Dylan are seniors in high school and old enough to know what real love is and how to express that love, so how ridiculous of her parents to try and stop them. That’s okay, though. Mik is smart. She knows how to play the role of perfect daughter and go study with a friend for a test, while she hooks up with Dylan on the side. Parents are sooooo stupid to think they can control their kids, but then Mikayla learns about lack of control the hard way when she and Dylan skip using condoms a couple of times and Mikayla ends up pregnant…and her world tilts.

Shane is gay. He knows it. His mom knows it. His dad knows it. It’s the least of his mom’s worries, though, since she is all-consumed with taking care of his 4-year-old sister, Shelby, who is slowly and surely dying of SMA, a disease that causes her spinal muscles to atrophy to the point she’ll never walk, talk or sit up. A son who’s gay is a walk through the park compared to that! Shane may live in a house of sickness and sadness, but he works hard to keep his spirits up, and meeting and falling for his first ever boyfriend, Alex, sends him soaring. Alex is everything Shane could ever want in a boyfriend – smart, funny, cute, compassionate to his family situation – but there’s just one thing. Alex reveals to Shane he’s living with HIV…and Shane’s world tilts.

Harley is your typical 13-going-on-30 teenager. Her middle school years have been spent living in the shadow of her more attractive best friend, Bri. It’s not that Harley begrudges Bri her looks, she just wants boys to notice her too. When her divorced dad starts seeing a woman with an exceptionally hot son named Chad, Harley determines to do whatever it takes to slim down and get a rockin’ bod.  She diets, starts exercising regularly, learns how to apply some heavy make-up, and whaddya know? One of Chad’s friends – well, drug buddies – takes notice. Lucas starts chatting her up, encouraging her to try new things, like weed, and new experiences, like sexting photos of herself. Smart, he never pushes her too far or too fast, and as Lucas readily admits, pursuing the Virgin is half of the fun. It’ll make closing the deal that much sweeter. Harley knows she doesn’t really like Lucas that much, but she just can’t resist the attention from a boy and being made to feel pretty and how good it feels when he touches her …and so her world tilts.

Tilt is based on Hopkins’ adult book, Triangles, which focused on the stories of the parents. Here, the teens of Triangles get their turn, and fans of Hopkins won’t be able to resist. What’s more, it’s easy to overlook the skill it takes to successfully sustain the free verse format over so many stories and books. There were times I’d stop reading Tilt just to take a moment and reread a passage and appreciate the human heart that beats behind her character’s poetic language…

Shelby
I Hear

                nobody thinks so. But I do.
                Sometimes people whisper.
                Sometimes they yell.
                Sometimes they say mean things.

I see

                more than the TV. It’s my friend.
                I don’t have any others, like the kids
                on Barney do. Why are people afraid
                of me? I don’t want to hurt them.

I taste

                only the sweet air, whooshed
                through the tubes to help me breathe.
                If I’m lucky a bit of flavor comes
                with the wind or skin or clothes

I smell.

                I wish my mouth would let
                me tell Mama I love her.
                Let me tell Daddy I miss him.
                Let me tell Shane how good

I feel

                when I see him happy with Alex
                I like when I swim because when
                I float, I am free. I like when I sleep
                because I dance when

I dream.
-copyright 2012, from Tilt

Okay, so I’m going to give you a moment to clear that lump out of your throat and wipe away that tear…while I do the same.

Hopkins (http://ellenhopkins.com/) will be one of the featured authors at this year’s YallFest in Charleston, SC. She’s also one of the main reasons many of my students have chosen to go on the field trip we’ll be taking to the festival - they are dying to meet one of their all-time favorite authors. Hope she’s got her autographing hand ready!  

YallFest 2012 Poster

A poster/flyer I created for my library advertising YallFest in Charleston, SC this November - I plan to take a group of students to the fest for the day. Feel free to use!

Burn for Burn – Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Who of us hasn’t harbored some kind of revenge fantasy? Whether it’s a mean girl, a teacher, an ex, a coworker or boss, when you’ve been wronged by someone, human nature demands some sort of recourse. If you’re passive like me, you quietly stew in a corner while cartoon bubbles filled with cool revenge scenarios involving public nudity, sudden balding, and/or some form of pyrotechnics form over your head…

In Burn for Burn, Kat, Lillia and Mary get the opportunity to act out their revenge fantasies. Each has an ax to grind with someone from their high school. Rebel girl Kat spent the summer hooking up with football player Alex, but since school’s started back, he’s seemingly moved on with Lillia’s younger sister, Nadia…which also angers rich girl Lillia. Her sister is only a freshman and doesn’t need a senior like Alex soiling her innocence. Worse, Lillia’s bff Rennie supposedly knows all about Nadia and Alex and has done nothing to stop it! But then, head cheerleader Rennie only looks out for herself – always has – and Lillia is getting sick of always playing second fiddle to her friend. Then there’s Rennie’s object of lust – football captain, Reeve. Basically the male version of Rennie, Reeve dominates the football field and halls of Jar Island High. Years ago, he also made life a living hell for shy, quiet Mary when, in middle school, he nicknamed her Big Easy in reference to her *ahem* larger size and made her the object of several public humiliations.

That Kat, Lillia and Mary don’t hang at school is what helps their plan to exact revenge on their objects of ire so perfect. No one would suspect those three to be in cahoots! A chance meeting in the school bathroom – which is the hotbed of ALL school plots, really – brings them together, and after comparing hate notes, they realize they might really be able to pull off plans to get back at Alex, Rennie and Reeve. As you can probably guess, things don’t go quiiiiiite as they expect, because things and people aren’t always what they seem. Also, one of the girls might sorta kinda have supernatural powers. The authors save the big twist and series set-up for the Homecoming Dance at the end.

My girls are HUGE fans of Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty series and Vivian’s Not That Kind of Girl and recent release, The List - a summer favorite of mine. With Burn for Burn, author besties Han and Vivian have paired up for a new trilogy that should satisfy both their readers and fans of girl drama series such as Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars and Lisi Harrison’s The Alphas  and The Clique. Burn for Burn is scheduled for a September release, which will give my students plenty of time to read it before our field trip to meet Han, Vivian and 42 other awesome Y.A. authors at this fall’s YallFest in Charleston. We’re beyond excited…and it’s still 3 months away!

To learn more about Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, you can visit their websites at http://www.dearjennyhan.com/ and http://www.siobhanvivian.com/Hello/Home.html .

For Darkness Shows the Stars – Diana Peterfreund

Imagine a future that looks a lot like…the 1800s. No technology or any modern conveniences; no commercial stores or shopping because people are back to growing their own food and making their own clothes; slavery is back in vogue because you need workers to do all this manual labor; and the class system is back in full effect since the world is made up of two kinds of people – the haves and have-nots. Kinda hard to wrap your head around, eh? Well, in Diana Peterfreund’s For Darkness Shows the Stars she manages to pull all this off while reworking Jane Austen’s last completed novel, Persuasion, as a dystopian love story.

 So how did we manage to destroy ourselves to the point that we went back to the old way of doing things?! Seems as modern science advanced and more and more people took advantage of genetic procedures that would enhance them as humans, a bad virus known as ERV struck these people which rendered them dead or at best mentally deficient (ie. dumb) and in need of care. Enter the Luddites, the people who from the very beginning trusted they were created in God’s image and took no part in any of these scientific experiments with our DNA. In fact, they hid in caves during the worst of the virus outbreak. When they eventually emerged and found much of the world wiped out and the rest “Reduced” (the word for what happened to those people who used science to tamper with God’s creation), they stepped in to do their Godly duty and care for the Reduced – by outlawing the technology that got them into this predicament and having the Reduced do all the work on their estates. Now that several generations have passed, though, there emerges another group of people known as Children of the Reduced – CoRs – who have intelligence but are still considered second-class citizens because they’re born of the Reduced. Some of these CoRs prefer to be known as Posts – as in Post-Reduced – and dream of a life beyond serving the Luddites. A life that once again embraces science and the good it can do if only their social standing didn’t hold them back.

Elliot North is an eighteen-year-old Luddite who lives with her widowed father and older sister, Tatiana, on the North’s estate. Due to her father and sister’s extravagant ways, their estate is struggling and Elliot spends much of her time working alongside the estate’s Posts and Reduced to keep things running and somewhat profitable. She feels deeply responsible for all of their workers. When a letter arrives from an Admiral Nicodemus Innovation, requesting to use part of the North property to build a special ship that could sail and find if life on any other lands exists out there, Elliot quickly convinces her father to accept. Her family desperately needs the money Innovation is offering, and Elliot is intrigued because she’s heard that Innovation’s crews were responsible for discovering a breed of horse on a nearby island that is exceptionally strong and fast as well as chickens that produce twice as many eggs. As much as it goes against her Luddite upbringing, Elliot can’t help but believe science and invention can do some good after all.

When Admiral Innovation and his Cloud Fleet of workers arrive, though, Elliot comes face-to-face with a ghost from her past – Captain Malakai Wentworth, whom she affectionately knew as Kai, her first and only love. Elliot and Kai grew up together on her father’s estate, since Kai and his father worked for the Norths. The two shared a fascination for the world and its scientific advancements before the Reduction, something they read a lot about in the books Elliot would sneak from her father’s library. As a CoR, though, Kai was considered beneath Elliot so they were forced to communicate mostly through written letters until, at age 14, something happened that caused Elliot to reject Kai and her feelings for him. Gutted by Elliot’s rebuff and determined to make a better life for himself, Kai ran away and joined with some other Posts living on the fringe of society. There, he met the Admiral Innovation and his wife, Felicia, and went through a transformation that changed the direction of his life…and possibly his chance of ever reconciling with Elliot.

Obviously, Elliot and Kai’s tormented relationship is the centerpiece of the book.  The course of their love affair is charted through the letters they begin writing each other at age six, until their big confrontation and falling out over how much one’s birthright and responsibilities ultimately matter if two people truly care for each other and want to be together. When Kai returns, his and Elliot’s feeling for each other are still there, but so are the same burdens of class, ambition, and how much science is too much science that drove them apart. The interest Kai shows in a nearby estate girl, who though also a Luddite doesn’t seem bothered by his Post status, only deepens Elliot’s longing to break free of old traditions and be with him herself. Unfortunately, Elliot carries the burden of maintaining her family’s property so she can provide for all the Reduced and Posts who depend on her family – but as Kai challenges her, what if they want more for themselves than to work till death on her land? Should a person be reduced to being either a manual laborer or a property owner by birth only? And what of science? Is it all bad? If there are technologies out there that can make life easier for people, why not take advantage of those tools? Peterfreund deftly addresses these issues of class and science not only in regards to Kai and Elliot’s relationship, but also in how the Luddites sincerely believe they are doing God's work by adhering to traditional ways and providing a home and work for society's weaker citizens, essentially modern day slaves.

As with all Jane Austen novels, you don’t just sit and read the book – you allow yourself to become a part of its world, a world which places a lot of emphasis on class and tradition. That Peterfreund can pull that off in this modern take is quite a feat. Peterfreund has also written a prequel for For Darkness Shows the Stars called Among the Nameless Stars, which is about what happened to Kai during the time he ran away from the North’s estate. You can read it for free on her website at http://www.dianapeterfreund.com/  . Peterfreund will also be one of the authors at this year's YallFest in Charleston, SC.

The List – Siobhan Vivian

As is tradition at Mount Washington High School, the Monday before Homecoming every year “The List” is posted all over the school – but this list doesn’t have anything to do with homecoming court or the football team’s MVPs. Created by an anonymous entity, this list identifies both the prettiest and the ugliest girl in each grade level at MWHS. As if everyday high school life isn’t a struggle enough, for these eight girls, finding your name on “The List” means harsh public scrutiny AND lots of self-examination...

The Freshmen
Ugliest:  Danielle DeMarco (“Also known as “Dan the Man”) is enjoying her best school year ever – a new boyfriend she met at camp over summer and news that she’s made the Varsity Swim Team as a freshman - until “The List” changes Andrew’s behavior towards her, and she starts to feel shame about her athletic ability.
Prettiest:  Academically average Abby Warner (“Bonus points for overcoming family genetics”) has spent years in her smart sister Fern’s shadow, until “The List” puts her on the popularity radar…but at her sister’s expense.

The Sophomores
Ugliest – Candace Kincaid (“Beauty isn’t just skin-deep, btw”) has always been pretty and popular, until “The List” calls her out for her mean girl attitude, and her ‘supposed’ friends start to turn on her.
Prettiest – Lauren Finn (“Everyone’s hot for the new girl”) is enjoying her first year in public high school after years of being home-schooled by her single mom. While getting named ‘prettiest’ widens her new circle of friends, mommy’s not so sure she put her daughter in public education for this kind of drama…

The Juniors
Ugliest – Sarah Singer (“It’s like she’s trying to be as ugly as possible”) could give a rip what people think of her – well, except for her only friend and possible bf, Milo - but after making “The List,” Sarah decides to give the people what they want, writes ‘Ugly’ in black marker across her forehead, and refuses to the bathe or change clothes for the entire week leading up to Homecoming. If they want ugly, she’ll give ‘em UGLY!!
Prettiest - Bridget Honeycutt (“What a difference a summer can make”) is easily considered to be the prettiest and most perfect girl in the Junior class by guys and girls, but when she looks in the mirror she only sees the fat on her upper arms, excess skin on her thighs and the way her stomach pooches out.  Diets, cleanses, purges – if only she can keep this weight off until after the Homecoming Dance, she’ll go back to eating normal...something she’s been telling herself for months now.

The Seniors
Ugliest – Jennifer Brigges (“The only four-peat in Mount Washington history! Congrats, Jennifer!”) made “The List” as Ugliest for the first time her freshman year and has made it on every year since. This year, some popular senior girls finally take pity on her and attempt a make-over, including a drive to get her elected as Homecoming Queen. But can this transformation of a long-time awkward ugly duckling take?
Prettiest – Margo Gable (“All hail this year’s Homecoming Queen”) is secretly relieved to make “The List.” She was named ‘Prettiest’ her freshman year, her older sister Maureen was “Prettiest” last year, and everyone knows the girl who is named ‘Prettiest’ her senior year is a shoo-in for Homecoming Queen. Only the groundswell of support for Jennifer is growing and forcing her to come to terms with her own treatment of Jennifer, when Margo dropped her as her BFF after 8^th grade year…

The List is totally addictive. If you’re like me, you’ll be reading late into the night to see how things work out for each girl…expect your jaw to drop when you find out who is behind this list! Vivian is no sell-out either  – don’t expect everyone to rise above, join hands and sing ‘Kumbaya’ before speaking out on what an unjust and cruel tradition this is, because guess what – as unjust and cruel as it is, it’s soooooo very high school!! Seriously, this should be required reading for girls. I plan to make it a book club selection at my school and look forward to addressing the many issues about beauty and self-worth brought out in the book with other readers.

Siobhan Vivian is another author who will be at this November’s YallFest (yes, I will be tracking her down for an auto and some fangirl gushing!). You can learn more about her, The List, and her other fab books at http://www.siobhanvivian.com/Hello/Home.html .

The Selection – Kiera Cass

I’m one of those female freaks of nature who has never watched an episode of “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.” I know!!  It’s not like I’ve got a problem with silly reality tv shows – I’ve watched all *cough* 18 cycles of “America’s Next Top Model” and my “Real Housewives ” addiction is so bad I even watched the *clears throat * Miami season -  but “The Bachelor/Bachelorette? Just. Never. Wanted.

So how did Kiera Cass’s new futuristic book, The Selection, about 35 girls selected to compete for the love of a prince jump onto my ‘to read’ radar?  That dress. That gorgeous powder blue chiffon dress on the cover spoke to me. It even spoke to my three year old, who saw me reading the book and said, “Wow, Mommy, that sure is a pretty dress.” Well done on the cover art marketing, HarperTeen.

Also, the librarian in me knows that even without the gorgeous dress on the cover, even without having ever watched an episode of “The Bachelor/Bachelorette,” c’mon…that plot is an easy sell to teens. But do the cover and premise live up to the promise?

The Selection is set 300 years into the future when Asia, specifically China, dominates the world and the United States of America is no more. It fell to China in World War III, was renamed American State of China, and then rose back to power after a war with Russia, when the country rechristened itself Illea with a monarchy as the government. Illean society is now divided into 8 castes – Ones being the royal family, Twos your wealthy, on down all the way to Eights, society’s homeless. The lowest of the low and the ones with the absolute least. So that bit of history and Hunger Games-ish society division in the book made me chuckle a bit, but I happily went with it…

Turns out the current king and queen’s only son, Prince Maxon, is now nineteen and ready to take a girl as his wife.  For Illean royalty, the prince chooses that special girl through a process known as “The Selection.” Thirty-five girls between the ages of 16 and 20 are randomly chosen to leave their families and castes for the opportunity to live at the castle with their competitors and vie to win the heart and hand of the prince. For as long as it takes the prince to make his decision, the girls are groomed and dressed only in the finest of clothes, eat with the royal family and go on one-on-one dates with the prince, and participate in press interviews with the nation’s Capitol Report tv show. One’s likeability with the citizens of Illea following the drama at home can impact her length of stay in the competition. Being chosen as one of the thirty-five girls comes with other benefits too. Their families are given extra money and food, which is huge if you rest on one of the low rungs of the caste-ladder.

America Singer is a Five. When she receives a letter in the mail about the Selection process, she expresses no interest in batting her lashes at a prince and playing fake to become his wife, even if it would help her family and own social standing. Thing is, she’s already in love with someone – a Six named Aspen. (Maxon? America? Aspen? Lawd, these names!!). Aspen loves America too, but no one is ever supposed to marry a caste beneath them. America believes love conquers all, and though she’s willing to disgrace her family to be with Aspen, he gets cold feet and breaks up with her riiiiiiiight when she learns she’s been chosen as one of the final thirty-five girls. Hurt, America decides to help her family and relents to go to the capitol to compete.

Of course, things get really good when America arrives at the castle. She quickly makes friends and enemies of the other girls, while a late night accidental run-in with the prince unwittingly turns her plans to simply last as long as she can on end. She makes clear to Maxon that she is still very much in love with someone else and is only there to help her family, but amazingly he admires her for her honesty and the two strike a friendship. As more and more girls are eliminated and Maxon and America grow closer, will America be able to let go of her feelings for Aspen and open her heart to the possibility of a future as Maxon’s wife? In true soap opera fashion, the book ends unresolved, and the Selection will continue into a book 2 and 3.

The Selection is a totally fun read.  Anyone who loved Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series or who’s a fan of fairytales will eat this like candy. Cass wisely writes the character of America as a girl with a brain who doesn’t give all the power to the guy, and both Maxon and Aspen are drawn to her because of her thoughtfulness and outspokenness.  

The CW has already snatched up rights to the book as a new tv series set possibly for next spring with Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor from ‘Friday Night Lights’, yay!) as the lead. You can read more about the show and Kiera Cass at http://www.kieracass.com/ . Also, Kiera Cass will be one of the authors appearing at this year's YallFest ( http://yallfest.org/ ) in Charleston, South Carolina, which I'm planning to attend along with some of my students. Yay!