YA
Required Reading: Banned Books and Black Ink
Judy Blume made it to the the top of the American Library Association’s “Most Frequently Challenged Authors” list in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010.
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Bibliobitch: Ruth Tenzer Feldman's Blue Thread Weaves Through Time
Blue Thread is a YA novel set in 1912 Portland, and follows the main character—sixteen-year old Miriam Josefsohn—in her discovery of, and growing involvement in, the women’s suffrage movement. This isn’t just historical fiction though—along with fighting for women’s... Read more »
We're All Mad Here: Mental Illness in YA Fiction
Young adult literature features a number of depictions of mentally ill characters, from authors who both bother to do their homework and take the time to present their work well and authors who don’t seem to feel that research and sensitivity are necessary. In YA especially, depictions of... Read more »
Murder, She Blogged: Young Detectives
One of the reasons the detective genre is so beloved for so many of us, I think, is because we grow up on mysteries and detective stories.
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Pop Pedestal: Ed "Shred" Fargo
I have a lasting affection for Fearless, a young adult series created by Francine Pascal. (Yes, that Francine Pascal.) For today’s addition to Pop Pedestal, a... Read more »
Bitch YA Book Club: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
For our final YA book club, Nona Willis Aronowitz asks Erin Blakemore and Jennie Law what they thought about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Add your own answers to Nona’s questions (or come up with your own discussion points) in... Read more »
BiblioBitch: Sisterhood Everlasting
*WARNING: Sisterhood Everlasting begins with a major, surprising event, and I discuss it in this review. Other potential spoilers are marked.*
It’s always dicey when an author pushes a series past its logical conclusion. I met each YA sequel to The Sisterhood... Read more »
Bitch YA Book Club: Ash by Malinda Lo
For this month’s YA book club, Ellen Papazian asks Erin Blakemore, Jennie Law, and Jessica Stites what they thought about Ash by Malinda Lo. Add your own answers to Ellen’s questions (or come up with your own discussion points) in the... Read more »
BiblioBitch: Beauty Queens
Pageant competitors in a dire situation? It sounds like a recipe for an overly catty misogyfest (or, let’s be honest, a terrible porno). Instead, Libba Bray has crafted a complex, blistering satire that is, dare I say, one of the most explicitly feminist novels I have ever read.
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#YAsaves, Ignorance Hurts: The <em>Wall Street Journal</em>'s Attack on Books
On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal fired a shot heard around the literary world: a so-called book review by Meghan... Read more »
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