Magazine Jul/Aug 2016

LIBRARY

Young Adult Fiction

Greetings from The Library Committee!

We are very excited about the future relocation of the Library to the renovated and beautifully redone third floor space. As preparations for the move get underway, we thought it would be helpful to share with the membership some information about the Library and how the Committee selects and maintains the collection of titles.

Spotlight on…YOUNG ADULT titles. An informal poll asking, “What is a Young Adult title?” would surely yield a wide array of responses. In fact, the Young Adult (YA) branch of the American Library Association only vaguely defines a Young Adult reader as someone between the ages of 12 and 18 – talk about a wide array! 12-year-olds are certainly at a different maturity level than 18-year-olds. It can be very gratifying to see that your tween or teen has the reading ability to conquer titles of great length and difficult vocabulary. However, these skills do not necessarily mean that your child is ready to tackle all of the topics in the YA section. Books on the YA shelves are varied! Titles in the section may touch upon sexuality, drug or alcohol abuse, family struggles, depression and identity. Some of these titles help emerging adults explore and experiment in a safe way, through reading, just as generations of readers have done before them (see Notable Books below). As your child matures as a reader, we would urge parents of younger readers to check the flap- copy of the titles your child would like to borrow. Publishers will sum up the key topics on the inside cover or back jacket. Please be sure you feel the content is appropriate for your reader. Just as you would be mindful of what your child sees at the movie theater, you will want to be aware of what he or she is choosing from the Library. The American Club Library contains a dynamic and exciting collection of books, magazines, audiobooks, and videos for children, young adults and adults. Many resources are utilized to determine if a book is a good fit for the Library collection. The American Library Association, The International Literacy Association, American and International bestseller lists, word-of-mouth, Member requests and Committee reads are just some of the ways titles are sourced. We are always interested to hear from the membership on what might be missing or what is new in any particular genre. As interests change and to best utilize the space, the collection is constantly being edited and titles that no longer serve The Club community are weeded out. The Library collection is an ever-changing assortment. Stop by and check out some of the new titles for young adults including: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin Topic: Death of a former best friend; grieving; highs and lows of a middle-schooler; detailed information about jellyfish Age: Grades 4 to 7 • A 2015 National Book Award Finalist • A New York Times Bestseller

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys Topic: Historical fiction; WWII refugees; tragic sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff Age: Grades 7 & up • A New York Times Bestseller Golden Son (Book 2 of The Red Rising Trilogy) by Pierce Brown Topic: Sci-Fi & Fantasy; Action & Adventure; Dystopian fiction Age: Grades 7 & up • A New York Times Bestseller • A Booklist Best Book of the Year (2015) • A National Public Radio Best Book of the Year (2015) • A BuzzFeed Best Book of the Year (2015) • An Amazon Best Book of the Month, January 2015 Notable YA Fiction through the Years

1950’s Catcher in the Rye; Chronicles of Narnia 1960’s To Kill a Mockingbird; The Outsiders 1970’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Go Ask Alice; The Chocolate War 1980’s The House on Mango Street; Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 1990’s The Giver; Harry Potter; Holes; The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2000’s Harry Potter; Twilight; Hunger Games

We look forward to seeing you at the new Library space!

• An Amazon Editor's Best Book of 2015 • A Booklist Top Ten First Novels of 2015 • A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2015

15 THE AMERICAN CLUB JUL / AUG 2016