This is the second post in a regular Ypulse Books feature I'm calling Me & My Mailbox (you can check out last month's post here). Each month I will do a run-down of what I've received and what looks interesting. In a nutshell, here's what it looks like on the floor of my 'lil office.
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (The letter on the back cover is really cute and totally drew me in...reading it as we speak. Out in May.)
Read My Lips by Teri Brown (A real gossip girl is born when it's discovered that a deaf, new-girl-in-school is able to read lips.)
Hershey Herself by Cecelia Gallante (A tween book about domestic violence, so why does the cover look so...fun?)
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Heavy. A sort of suicide "note" audio chain letter that spurs thirteen stories that are inter-related.)
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin's done a ton of cool promotion with this book like including a behind-the-book CD Sampler.) Here's a Fuse #8 review.
Snap 2 It! by Sondra Clark (Instructions on staying positive for tweens.)
77 Creative Ways Kids Can Serve also by Sondra Clark (Why not 78? Just kidding. This looks like a nice reference for a school library.)
Twelve Long Months by Brian Molloy (A gay 'Felicity' perhaps? Cool. The letter accompanying this book described it as a novel about, "boys who love boys, and the girls who love them....")
Violet By Design by Melissa Walker (I recently posted about Violet on the Runway...this is #2. Way more fun than "America's Next Top Model.")
The Upper Class by Hobson Brown, Taylor Matern, and Caroline Says (As fluff goes, it's fun. I get it, but I'm seriously starting to worry. What do these kinds of books say about what we as a community (writers and readers) understand and want understood about the real issues of class?)
Posted by alli
Book Publishing | Me & My Mailbox
Comments
As far as understanding class goes, I think that the kind of upper class aspirant books being published are, ironically, a good sign.
Well, perhaps not on the side of the publishers and writers.
These books are going to do more to promote entitlement among teens, which only SOUNDS like a bad thing. In a reality where nearly 22% of all income earned is being earned by the top 1% (creating the greatest income divide since before the Great Depression), we need a large population of young people to feel entitled to a better living that they're going to get.
On the one hand, sure, it's obnoxious. On the other hand, we need to reach a critical mass of people who oppose the government policies and deregulation that creates this divide. If you were facing the question of "How do we get teens to feel passionate about economic policy?" this would be the best thing you could do: set them up for a future they can't afford (and haven't figured that out yet).
Posted by: Kristen O | April 2, 2008 10:06 AM
We often get review copies of books sent to New Moon Girl Media's office as well, and I was struck by your comment about Hershey, Herself, having such a cheery cover. I've noticed this as well -- that regardless of the subject matter of YA books, many of the covers either look fluffy or "sexy" -- with beautiful models on the cover who probably don't resemble the protagonist inside (unless she says, "Well, I'm a gorgeous, thin, long-legged brunette with striking, sparkling green eyes). This trend is a little upsetting to me, almost as though publishers don't expect girls to pick up any book that looks like it has substance.
-Lacey, Managing Editor, orb28
Posted by: orb28 | April 2, 2008 11:39 AM
The "77 Creative Ways" book is by a teen author. I think she's about 17. I had a chance to publish an interview with her several years ago in ENCOUNTER--The Magazine, the teen mag I edit. She is a bright girl who has full family support and already has about seven books under her belt!
Posted by: Kelly | April 8, 2008 7:12 AM