- “I just loved the story it as truly fantastic. The characters were great for this story.”— Matt, age 16

- “Well written and suspenseful.”— Edward, age 14

-“I thought it was a very realistic idea. Many laws are verging on infringing on privacy.”—Lily, age 13

- “The best part of the book was the characters, who were well developed.”—Abigail, age 14

- “This book shows teens that love is the most powerful of emotions and how persistence gets you where you want.  Ember’s determination could be inspiring to teens who think they can’t do anything.”—Angel, age 15

- “Honestly, I loved this book and could not tear my eyes away.  This book was suspenseful and really feeds your hunger for descri0ptive writing and passion in the characters. “—Layla, age 14

Find out what others are saying about Article 5!

By Bonnie Kunzel

Years ago I took a group of teens to a “Best of the Best in Young Adult Literature” program at Rutgers University. After a presentation on the best new books for teens, the librarians and teachers in the audience had some questions for our teen guests. In particular, they wanted to know why their teens liked to read horror, why at that time books by authors such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul and V. C. Andrews were so popular. Their answer was simple and to the point: they liked to read scary books when they were safe in their homes, snuggled down in the comfortable haven of dens, bedrooms or anyplace else they could lose themselves in books. This response was the same from both genders. These boys liked to read horror; so did the girls.

This trend has continued into the present. And it’s not limited just to books. Consider the popularity of teen slasher movies and the current zombie craze, which has joined the vampire and werewolf mania, both on the big and small screens. Nor is it limited to a particular season. Certainly, it’s fun to read books about witches and goblins and ghosts, oh my, when Halloween rolls around. But the popularity of these spooky stories, along with the aforementioned vampires, werewolves and zombies continues throughout the year.

The teens I took to Rutgers University were high school students, but the popularity of all things scary is the same for the middle school crowd as well. Just look at the response to David Lubar’s weenie books, as he calls them. Their popularity has soared with his latest addition to the canon, Attack of the Vampire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales. Of course, being David Lubar, there’s humor mixed with the horror in this collection, just as there is in the ongoing adventures of his unfortunate fifth grader, Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie.

And speaking of humor mixed with horror, the Twisted Sisters, Annette and Gina Cascone have started a new Deadtime Stories series, which has already been picked up for a live-action tv series. The first title, Grave Secrets, will be published in January, 2012, followed by The Witching Game in March. Chuckie fans should take a look at the doll on the cover of Grave Secrets, which features four teens, two boys and two girls, who dig up a buried doll and then have to cope with the consequences. This is the classic confrontation between the local kids and the old woman next door they are convinced is a witch. Their parents think she’s just lonely, but the kids know better, or at least they think they do. It’s not a doll that threatens a similar group of young teens in The Witching Game. Another striking cover shows an evil witch in a mirror. Unfortunately the little sister of one of the girls plays a wishing game in front of an antique mirror that has just arrived in the house, and Bloody Mary accepts the invitation to get involved in their lives. On the bright side, this means the younger sister gets the puppy she’s always wanted and the older sister gets the role in the school play she lost to a rival. On the dark side is the pain and suffering Bloody Mary dishes out to make these wishes come true.
Perfect for tweens and reluctant readers who like a dash of horror with their fun.

Where: Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, room CC11B

Come join us at booth number 1937.

• Visit us at the Tor/Forge Booth # 1505
• Join us on Saturday, January 21 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at ALA’s Book Buzz Theater

Publisher Kathleen Doherty and Senior Editor Susan Chang will present highlights from the Starscape and Tor Teen  Winter 2012 list along with hot new releases for Spring 2012. Attendees will partake of advance reading copies, finished books, and delicious “Weenies” snacks!

Come meet Dom Testa!

October 5th at The Tattered Cover Book Store, Highlands Ranch, CO

• Event: Cosmic Storm Launch Party and signing

• Time: 7:00 pm

• Address: 9315 Dorchester Street

October 15 at Mysterious Galaxy for Books, San Diego, CA

• Time: 2:00 pm

• Address:  7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd

Come meet Kiki Hamilton!

September 30 at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, Beaverton, OR

• Time: 7:00 pm

• Address:  3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd

October 19 at Barnes & Noble, Olympia, WA

• Time: 4:00 pm

• Address: 1563 Black Lake Blvd SW

October 26 at Barnes & Noble, Lynwood, WA

• Time: 7:00 pm

• Address: 19401 Alderwood Mall Parkway

Come meet Bill Willingham at the Brooklyn Book Festival and several other signings!

September 18 at the Brooklyn Book Festival, Brooklyn, NY

• Address: Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street,

September 19 at Joseph Beth Books, Cincinnati, OH

• Time: 7:00 pm

• Address:  2692 Madison Road, (513) 396-8960

September 20 at Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO

• Time: 7:00 pm

• Address: 399 N. Euclid Ave, (314) 367-6731

September 24 at the Young Adult Literature Conference, Naperville, IL

• Event: “New Voices” panel

• Time: 10:00-10:40 and again at 1:00-1:40

• Address: 2139 CityGate Lane

Come meet Kendare Blake!

She will be signing on September 24 at Scout & Morgan Booksellers, Cambridge, MN

• Time: 11:30 am

• Address:  114 Buchanan Street North

Reading classics is important for so many reasons. They give us all a common back story. So many things are conveyed eloquently and concisely by merely alluding to a character or incident from a classic novel. Reading classics gives us a degree of cultural literacy that helps us relate to others in the world around us.

When middle grade and teen readers hear they are going to read a “classic” for school they usually react in one of two ways. One reaction is: “Oh, no, another irrelevant dusty old tome to dissect and discuss to death.” These often are the students who have done the in depth or interminable studies of one particular book chosen by the teacher or the curriculum department for the class. The other reaction, the one we all hope to hear is: “Yay, I’ve always wanted to read that” or even sometimes “Yay, it’s got to be good since it is a classic.” This reaction comes from students who have been able to read the particular classics that appeal to them. The Count of Monte Cristo and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm will each appeal to different readers. Reading and analyzing Pride and Prejudice may be [i]readicide for a reader who would be captivated by the swashbuckling action of The Three Musketeers or the survival adventure of Treasure Island but might move a different kind of reader, one who is captivated by the manners, mores, and romance of a more formal society to reading Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights.

Classics lovers, even young ones, see something in classics that resonates in the here and now. The characters have traits, fears, and foibles that are timeless. While the trappings of society in classics may appear very different than today, the emotions, motivation, and actions don’t change.

It is true that many classics are old. The reason they are classics is that they have withstood the test of time by remaining relevant and entertaining decades or even centuries later. Some classics are new and reviewers revel in finding the next new classic. As a tween or teen it is really exciting to read a new book and have the tingling sensation of knowing that you are holding a book that people decades from now will read. One of those future classics may well be Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham. Readers who have a lot of reading under their belts will recognize the impact reading classics has on the understanding of so many other reading experiences. There were so many tiny details that related to classics.

Reading Down the Mysterly River may bring many different classics to mind for many different reasons. Young readers who have read Harry Potter will know exactly what a Philosopher’s Stone is. Some will relate the talking animals who have depth and unique, fully fleshed personalities to those in The Wind in the Willows. Many who have watched The Lord of the Rings movies or read more recent epic fantasy will be able to relate it to a group of diverse characters banding together to go on an all important quest. Even if the readers haven’t been exposed to the Wizard of Oz some of them may be familiar with Wicked and find echoes of them.

Graphic novels have always drawn heavily from classic literature, particularly heroic and adventurous tales. Robin Hood and its eponymous character inspired many of the “rules for superheroes.” Lately, both graphic novels and text novels related to vampires inspired by Dracula have hit a popularity high.

Currently, teens are mad for science fiction. Many of them have read books or seen movies influenced by classics such as The Island of Dr. Moreau or The War of the Worlds. Recently, teens who read Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother went looking for 1984 on their own.

I sincerely believe all readers can become fans of classic novels if allowed the opportunity to dip briefly into several different titles until they find the one that ensnares them in a story they can’t abandon.

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[i] Read-i-cide n: The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools. (Readicide, Kelly Gallagher, Stenhouse Publishing, 2009)
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From the Starscape/Tor Teen Educator Spring/Summer 2011 newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter