I'm pretty cut-and-dry about certain fantasy elements.

A story which includes things that don't exist* = fantasy.
A story which details events that could reasonably, truly happen = not a fantasy.

* Ghosts, vampires, zombies, unicorns, etcetera.

Both BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and WITHOUT A TRACE have dealt with helping people, having a dangerous job, dealing with interpersonal relationships, and coping with loss. However:
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: Fantasy.
WITHOUT A TRACE: Not a fantasy.

Both THE GOLDEN COMPASS and BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE boast determined young girls who keep their favorite animal (almost) always by her side and who have questions about her parents. However:
THE GOLDEN COMPASS: Fantasy.
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE: Not a fantasy.

I could say THE GHOST WORE GRAY by Bruce Coville is about overcoming prejudice and THE DOLL IN THE GARDEN by Mary Downing Hahn is about consumption, but they still have ghosts in them and thereby drift into the land of fantasy. THE GHOST WORE GRAY and THE DOLL IN THE GARDEN are both good historical mysteries for kids that include friendly ghosts. If I had a nickel for every time I read either of these books . . .

Some books toe the line between genres or blend them into a delicious smoothie. (Mmm, smoothie. I'll have soy milk and strawberries in mine!) Is THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick a graphic novel? No, not in the way that collected comics or manga are, I suppose, but it's certainly not a picture book either. HUGO is an illustrated novel, with its pictures just as important to the storyline as the text.

I enjoy dystopic futuristic novels that detail advancements in technology, but I'm quick to point out which stories are just that - futuristic and plausible sci-fi - as opposed to outright fantasy. I really enjoy the UGLIES sequence by Scott Westerfeld. It doesn't have any unicorns in it, but it does have hoverboards, screens, and tracking devices which may be closer to being in existence than we think. After all, some of the spy gadgets I saw on COVER UP and other spy-based television programs twenty years ago are now being used by people on a daily basis. Consider webcams, for example. They are not unlike the little cameras or projection screens the good guys used during briefings. Think about all of the programs that are available on cellular phones and similar hand-held devices. Those are based in pixels and chips, so they aren't the same as unicorns.

Maybe someday Unico will gallop through the fields while talking to Stephen Colbert on a hands-free (hooves-free?) cellular earpiece. Until that day comes, if someone writes a fictional book about it, I would shelve it in fantasy.

Related Posts:
Genre Study: Fantasy
Fantasy Novels for Kids and Teens
Funny Fantasies for Kids and Teens
Fairy Tales Retold
Booklist: Dystopia

For years, as I would assist kids who enjoyed fantasy, sci-fi, and horror novels, I would think, "These kids will love books by Christopher Golden . . . in ten years."

Golden's first novel, OF SAINTS AND SHADOWS, was released in 1994. This dark horror story about a vampire named Peter Octavian contains what Buffy Summers would describe as "violence, strong language, adult content." This and the subsequent Octavian novels - referred to collectively as THE SHADOW SAGA - were not written for kids.

Golden continued to write stories shelved in the fiction/literature department (or sci-fi/fantasy or horror, if the bookstore or library has genre breakouts) until he became involved in the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER line, which was in teen series. He was one of the first authors on board with the BtVS books. He authored or co-authored multiple original novels based on the television series as well as companion books such as the first volume of THE WATCHER'S GUIDE and THE MONSTER BOOK. Then Simon & Schuster started an adult line of BtVS novels, shelved in sci-fi/fantasy series instead of teen series. These books were longer and meatier than the teen BtVS line.

BODY BAGS, Golden's first novel in the BODY OF EVIDENCE forensic murder mystery series, came out in May 1999. (Note that this outdates CSI by nearly a year and a half.) BODY BAGS and the books that followed it were shelved in teen fiction and featured a college-aged protagonist, the intelligent and quick-thinking Jenna Blake. BoE offered ten books which I in turn offered to teens and adults alike. In fact, when a new book came out, some parents and teenagers who would teasingly fight over who got to read the book first!

A few summers ago, Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski released a quartet of juvenile fantasy novels entitled OUTCAST, starting with the book THE UN-MAGICIAN. Finally, finally, I could give Golden books to eight year olds. In fact, due to the timeless nature of this fantasy series, I put these books in the hands of kids, teens, and adults alike.

Golden has continued to write books for adults. His novels and series range from urban fantasy to Victorian ghost stories and everything in-between. He has brought mythology into contemporary settings (THE FERRYMAN, THE VEIL), dabbled in dark magick and time travel (THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN), even re-told Peter Pan as a coming-of-age story set in 1981 (STRAIGHT ON 'TIL MORNING). These and more are the titles you'll find in the sci-fi/fantasy or horror sections of the bookstore. Mature older teens gobble up these stories just as quickly as adults, while other parents hold on to the titles for their kids to read when they are older.

Christopher Golden has successfully written for adults, teens, and kids. If I can claim the same too someday, I'll be a happy girl.

Here is a quick rundown of his most popular works for different age groups.

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Visit Christopher Golden's official website to learn more about the man, the myth, the legend.

Browse through my Golden-related posts at Bildungsroman.

See my other author spotlights.

Welcome to No Name-Calling Week.

Inspired by James Howe's novel THE MISFITS, No Name-Calling Week is "an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities."

Read These and Speak Up

I recommend the following stories about kids and teens who survived abuse or bullying and learned the importance of speaking up.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (for older teens)
The Misfits by James Howe
- Sequel: Totally Joe

For additional titles, please reference my Tough Issues for Teens booklist.

The Startling Facts About Violence and Abuse Among Teens from Safe Horizon:

1 in 3 High school students who say they have been in a physical fight in the past year.
1 in 8 High school students who required medical attention for injuries from fights.
160,000 Children who miss school each day because of fear of being bullied.
1 in 12 Students in grades 6 to 10 who say they are bullied once a week or more.
1 in 3 Teenagers who report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked, or physically hurt by their partner.
1 in 2 Teens in serious relationships who say they have compromised their beliefs to please their partner.
44 Percentage of rape victims under 18.
48 Hours a typical teen has been on the streets before being approached to sell drugs or their bodies.

No Name-Calling Week Resources and Downloads:

Coalition Contacts:
Ashon T. Crawley
updates@nonamecallingweek.org

General Information
info@nonamecallingweek.org

Contact (Media Inquiries Only):
Daryl Presgraves
Media Relations
646-388-6577
press@nonamecallingweek.org

I wrote this piece in December 2007. It was published in the January 2008 issue of The Edge of the Forest, a children's literature monthly. Thanks to everyone who responded!

I often include imminent tasks on my to-do lists so I can check off items right away. It makes me happy. As soon as I send this article off to fabulous editor Kelly, I'll be able to scratch one more thing off of the list that's sitting beside my mousepad. Woo hoo!

Though I frequently make to-do lists, I rarely make New Year's Resolutions. Why? Because I don't see the first day in January as being the first day of MY new year - that's my birthday. What can I say? I'm literal and technical.

I do remember having to write down a New Year's Resolution in second grade. I considered my options, then wrote, "Read The Phantom Tollbooth every single day." I didn't read it every single day that year, but I have easily read that book a gazillion times.

Now, just because I prefer to make my new resolutions on my birthday rather than on January 1st doesn't mean I'm not curious as to the plans of others. (I'm curious about everything.) I asked my blog readers if they had any New Year's Resolutions related to books, and here's what they pledged.

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With more and more books coming out in the juvenile and teen sections every day, it's harder and harder for even the people who regularly visit the bookstore/library to keep up with titles, let alone make it easy for the we-don't-come-here-often/I-don't-like-to-read folks to know where on Earth to begin.

That's why booksellers, librarians, teachers, and other bookish folks are so important - we speak for the books.* We take them off of the shelves, where they are closed up and quiet, and we give them a voice (talking about them) and a new home (in the hands of the readers). When we open books, we allow ourselves and others to travel to new worlds and learn new things - maybe even something about ourselves in the process!

* We also sing for them. Earlier this month, someone trilled, "We pick the books that the whole world reeeeads..."

Whether you are a bookseller, a librarian, or a teacher, you have a great opportunity to be a positive influence on young readers.

When kids and teenagers asks you for recommendations, personalize the experience for each one of them. Match the book to the reader.

Advanced reader? Challenge them. A new author, a new book, a known author, a classic book, an unknown author, a genre they have yet to tackle.

Reluctant reader? Ask for favorite movies, TV shows, and hobbies. Give them books that match their interests.

When you recommend books, don't spoil the endings. If they want to know, trust me, they'll find out. I had a fabulous customer who loved romances, so she would often be seen grabbing a book off of the shelves, reading the summary on the back cover or front flap, then reading the last few pages to see if the characters got a happy ending.

Don't talk down to kids, and don't over-sell a book. Kids, for the most part, know the truth when they hear it - or perhaps I should say they know when people are lying! They can also be more blunt about what they like and what they don't like than adults are. Kids will tell it like it is.

Sarah Miller, Liz B. and I had a great conversation about this very topic recently, and Sarah urged me to post what I said. Kids are great at self-censoring. Many kids are "truer" to themselves than adults. It's not about being improper or impolite or impulsive, but HONEST. If they don't like something, they'll say it. If they are squeamish or uncomfortable with something on TV or in a movie, they'll close their eyes or look away or get up and walk away. If they don't like something in a book, they can skip a page, skip that part, skip ahead, or close the book, maybe returning to read it a day, a month, a year later, ten years later, maybe never finishing it. Adults have all of the same abilities. They just don't act on them as often.

As I've said before, discerning readers want to read (and will appreciate) a good book, period. Talk to kids and teens on the same level as and with the same respect you'd give adults. Really listen to what they say.

Related Articles: Just Say No to Gender Bias, Books for the Ages, or, Why I Don't Use the Term MG, I Think YA is Great!

What is reader resonance? It's relative, I think.

I think of reader resonance in terms of the story and its characters sticking with the reader. I also factor in the probability of the book being re-read. In other words, while appeal is more applicable at the onset - Will people want to read this? Will it sound interesting to them? - reader resonance is the reaction after completing the book - Does the story stay with the readers? Do the characters stay with the readers?

It's easy to say that a book is GREAT! immediately after reaching the satisfying conclusion. It's right then, right there, in the moment of completion, so it might feel like it's the best book ever. But do you still exclaim a week, a month, a year after you've read it?

It's been years since THE ALISON RULES by Catherine Clark was published, and I still think about it. I still 'know' those characters. I still tell people about that book. The same with SWOLLEN by Melissa Lion, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen, and other titles. Some are bestsellers, some aren't. Some (THE GREAT GATSBY, THE NEVERENDING STORY, ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES) are classics, some are contemporary. Some can be found in most big-name bookstores and some are out-of-print.

Their publication dates don't matter to me. Their fame doesn't matter to me. Their covers don't matter to me. Other people's reviews of these books have no bearing on my opinion of these books. These books are here with me because, for one reason or other, they echo. Whether they whisper or scream, old or new, they are here with me for good.

They tried to ban this book today.

This book she holds in her hand.

This book she held in her head, then shared with the word.

This book that, if it were a CD, readers would listen to on repeat.

This book that contains a scene which offended someone, which led to a challenge, which led to a committee review. They - the capital T-kind of They - decided that this book could stay on the shelves.

We should celebrate.

Shouldn't we?

They are going to keep this book in the library - and (partially, lightly, barely, noticeably) deface it. They are going to put a sticker on the front cover to let everyone know that this book is for "mature readers."

That's funny, considering it was an adult - whose maturity is assumed, based on age - who challenged it. Funny because adults are supposed to more mature than teenagers. More knowledgeable. More accepting.

What exactly is a mature reader? Will interested parties have to take a multiple-choice test before being permitted to check out this book? How many questions will truly have right answers?

What will be stickered? What won't be stickered? What will the stickers say?

Why not sticker everything? There's something for everything, something for everyone. Something to object, something to support.

"Happy ending."
"Sad ending."
"Predictable."
"Amazing."
"Overrated."
"Underrated."
"Warning: The dog doesn't live."
"Note: This book dares to be different."
"You'll wish you had written this book."
"You have to read this book."

Each person who checks out this book - that's this book, this challenged book, this book which will challenge you - should be allowed to put another sticker on the front cover. These stickers will depict their favorite symbols and characters. There will be labels that bear the names of readers. There may be scribbles that declare this book well-written and prove its readers discerning, appreciative, daring.

Then, even when the book is closed, the well-stickered cover will speak of its contents and its readers.

Then, even if They-with-the-capital-T remove the cover, the well-worn spine will speak of its chapters and its re-reads.

If the library were a beach, then each book would be a precious shell.

Hold this book up to your ear.

Can you hear the ocean?

Just Listen.

---

They Tried to Ban This Book Today, or,
There's a Sticker on the Cover of This Book
© Little Willow @ Bildungsroman

This piece was written on Friday, January 11th, 2008 as a response to this and that.

I was surprised and honored to find this piece linked at Beneath the Cover's Recommending Reading sidebar on Monday, January 14th, 2008. Thank you!

Please note: In speaking of the scene that caused the challenge, the article gives away a CRUCIAL part of the book. Also, the first line of this piece includes the word "ban" because it is part of a series about challenges, bannings, and censorship, and all of those pieces share the same opening line.

Check out the Just Listen roundtable with the postergirlz!

Open a book. Open your mind.

On a regular basis, I try to talk kids out of saying, "Oh, that's a GIRL book," or, "Ewww! Idon'twannareadaBOYSTORY!"

Guess what? I often succeed. How? First, I tell the hopeful reader about the story, why I like it, and why I think he or she will like it too. I make book recommendations based on the reader's personality, literacy, and interests, not on the gender of the reader, the writer, or the protagonist.

You'll find that most books - gasp! - have both female and male characters. Many books have a definite leading character, but that character most likely interacts with other characters. Plenty of books for kids have scenes at home and school, with parents, siblings, neighbors, classmates, and teachers. Between two book covers, you'll discover a new population of people and/or critters.

Now, this may or may not surprise you, but adults also say, "That looks like a girl book!" and "That looks like a boy book!" I told a parent about a great book about gymnasts, only to hear, "Ah, but gymnastics is for girls, and I have a son." Pardon me, but boys are gymnasts too. They are also incredible dancers.

Both genders can play any sport.

Boys and girls can play on the same team.

As you can tell, I don't like double standards, and I don't like gender bias.

I encourage you to recognize talent and achievement wherever they may be, and not base things upon gender. Please encourage your friends, siblings, children, and students to do the same.

Talent knows no gender lines and has no gender bias.

You can do anything you set your mind to if you work hard enough.

Good books can and should be read by both genders and by all ages.

Discerning readers want to read (and will appreciate) a good book, period.

Related Booklists: Hey There, Sports Fan and I am a Dancer

Related Articles: Mining the Field and Challenging Readers

There are many great books that some adult readers miss out on because they think those books are for kids or teens and thereby beneath them or poorly written. This includes classics (I want to cry every time a customer tells me that he or she has never read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the sequel Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There) and modern releases.

There are authors such as Elizabeth Berg or Jodi Picoult who, thought they often have teen protagonists, are always shelved in adult fiction/literature and are well-regarded by their peers, their critics, and the industry at large. Yet other authors or books seem to slip through the cracks, never making the bestseller list, being looked down upon because they write for and about teens rather than for and about adults. That hurts me deep down inside, and maybe a little on the outside where that tree branch scraped my head earlier.

Okay, so no branch scraped me today, but one did three months ago, and you can still see the mark on my shoulder.

This is something I talk about all of the time at my bookstore. The pre-judging of books, that is, not the fact that I bruise easily and take forever to heal, and the worthiness of young adult fiction.

Whenever an adult refuses to read a book I recommend because it's labeled as or shelved in teen fiction, that hurts me too. I feel as though there are a great many books which could be shelved in both YA and adult fiction/literature. I could list them for days. Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn and As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway were both published for adults but could easily be shelved in YA due to their teen protagonists and the core theme: coming-of-age.

I wish more people would consider the fact that, had today's juvenile fiction and teen fiction shelving breakouts been around fifty, eighty, one hundred years ago, books like To Kill a Mockingbird probably would have been published in the juvenile or teen section due to Scout's age and story arc.

OR, if this is an easier way for you to look at it: There are plenty of well-known high-ranking "adult" novels that, if they had been released today, might be in Teen Fiction instead of (regular) Fiction, including, but is not limited to, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

OR, if you're ready for me to really shake your mind up: We could have the next Mockingbird, Catcher, and Huck Finn on our shelves ALREADY - and those who won't go to the YA department overlook these treasures. It's a crying shame.

Like I said before, this is something I talk about every day. (Can you tell?) I give teen books and juvenile books to kids. I give teen books and juvenile books to adults. I give smart kids contemporary books as well as classics. I encourage readers to read, read, read, to pick up books because they sound interesting to them, not because of the way they look (covers) or where they are shelved (juvenile, teen, or adult fiction) or their popularity or status (bestseller, known author, unknown author, big publisher, small publisher, self-published).

Not all publishers can make like Philip Pullman's reps and print entire series or bodies of work in different formats to be shelved in different sections - but if more did, I think shoppers wouldn't be so fixated on age categories and section labels.

Sure, not all YA books are for adults. I think there's The Polar Express ⁽¹⁾ factor at play in the juvenile and teen departments - some adults can still hear the bell, and some cannot. I hear the bell loud and clear. That doesn't make me immature. I am discerning.

Sure, not all YA books are for those who aren't yet teens. There are some novels shelved in YA that are appropriate for 12 year olds. There are some that are not. There are also some novels shelved in adult fiction that 12 year olds could and should read. Look at the required reading lists for most middle schools and high schools and see how many "adult" books are on those lists - and not "just classics" anymore, because modern books are creeping into classrooms too - and some of those modern beauties are shelved in teen fiction.

To those who say books written for teens are never as good as books written for adults, I say, "You're wrong." Harsh generalizations always distress me, no matter what the subject, but truly -

YA books are not lower on the writing-quality totem pole than adult fiction.
YA books have just as much potential as those in any other genre.
YA is not "lesser than." See the math:

YA > lots of things

In conclusion:

When considering a book's worth, think about the quality of the writing and the story that is told, not the section it's shelved in or the label on its side - or the stigma or the hype or the cover, for that matter.

All books are worth something - to the writer and to the reader.

Note: This post started years ago, in bits and pieces, merely in draft form, unpublished. I added to it when Colleen, Kiba and I were discussing Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn months ago. I brought it up again tonight due to Maureen Johnson's recent post.

⁽¹⁾ I played Sister in a stage production of The Polar Express when I was about eight years old. I was not allowed to try out for the leading role because I was a girl and the lead "had to be a boy." The next year, I fought that rule for a different production, and I won - "but that's another story and shall be told another time."

This article was written in December 2007, then published in The Edge of the Forest in February 2008.

I honestly do not remember not knowing how to read. My earliest memory is from when I was two years old, and I was reading by then.

I am told that when my mother read to me, I would shut the book on our hands and say, "I want to do it! I want to read!" I wanted to do everything myself, and reading was no exception. She taught me straightaway, and I cannot thank her enough for encouraging my love of reading, of the written word, of writing, of communication. She also showed me how to use the dictionary, which I would use all of the time to find the perfect word or discover a definition.

Mom brought me to the library often. The librarian was initially reluctant to give a library card to such a little girl. I think my mother was told I could have a card if I could write my name on the back of the card, which I promptly did. I used that card for years and years. Every so often, a librarian would notice my signature - nicely crooked capital letters, kid print - and offer to get me a new card. I thanked them for the offer, but turned them down every time. Once, when my card broke in half horizontally, I simply asked for some tape. I still have that card and I'll never get rid of it.

My hometown library didn't used to have a limit on the number of books you could check out. Neither did my mom. She teased that I could check out as many as I could carry, so I would walk out of that place with books stacked up to my chin. Even though I'm all grown up now and use a different library card at a different library, I still walk out with a stack of books.

I am thankful every single day that such establishments allow me to check out books at no cost. I read a book a day, and there is no way I would be able to afford to buy a new book every single day. It is because of the library that I was and still am able to read as often as I'm able.

I now get books from other sources too, but I'm not in this - this book reviewing, this blogging, this Cybillian participation - for free books. I'm in it for the love of reading. I hope you are too. I am still amazed every time a book arrives for me at work. It's always a surprise. I love it when there no expectations, no pushing me to give it a good review, simply a note saying, "I hope you enjoy it," or, "I thought you'd like this." Thank you for the authors and publishers who send me books, especially those who do so out of the goodness of their hearts. Thank you to those who appreciate my time and my efforts.

If you find yourself surrounded by books that you've read or perhaps haven't the time or interest to read, please pass them on to your local library. Ask them first if they permit donations, and if they do, if they have any rules regarding the condition of the books or if they need certain types of books - age groups, genres, etcetera. Give books to people that will appreciate them and organizations that need them. Just imagine the little girl or boy who finds that donated book at the library, and how that book will be checked out over and over again.

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And now for a library meme from Meme Girls!

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