Great Book- Quaking by Erskine

She's a foster kid with nowhere else to go. Matt (don't call her Mathilda) has been abused and fears any and all attachments. Upon moving in with Jessica and Sam Fox, Matt finds that she is fighting against so many things-- fear of rejection, love, and the bullies at school.

Matt's voice is authentic and true. As she battles bullies and fear, she learns to love and be loved. Her foster family includes a foster-son, whom she dubs "the Blob," and she's sure that he will never advance from his blob-like physical state. But Jessica's love is never-ending and abundant and she slowly tears down the walls that Matt has erected to protect herself from harm.

A parallel storyline includes community conflict over the war in the Middle East and the Fox family's peaceful, Quaker existence. The conflict spills from school and a bully in the form of a World History teacher and war-minded students. Free thinking and peace are not encouraged in this teacher's classroom and Matt's gothic presence is an aggravation to the teacher and his student minions.

After she attends Quaker meetings with Sam, she learns about the Quaker way of life and when violence enters the church and community Matt faces a tough decision. Will she choose to stand up for her beliefs or will fear keep her silent?

Day 4, Decision Day

The day starts early, 8AM and will end when we finish the final vote, determine the Top Ten, and write snappy annotations for each book that makes the list. We will start with pleas for specific titles. Like I mentioned yesterday, I pleaded for the following titles: Found Photos: Rear Ends (absolutely hilarious look at people's booty- and it is definitive proof that plaid pants should never, ever be worn), this one was well-loved by our reluctant readers; the 50 cent books, DC Covergirls (a large book featuring the DC Comics heroines from old school Wonder Woman to the gals featured in Birds of Prey); and the two vampire novels by P.C. Cast & Kristen Cast, Marked and Betrayed (House of Night novels).
My pleas for all but the 50 Cent books were successful. Overall, I am quite pleased with the success of my nominations. This list is huge-- 114 titles. I think that we have about 15 too many- a few books that just don't qualify as Quick Picks. They have way too many pages with questionable covers. But I was out-voted on these.
Our Top Ten is great! We have five fiction and 5 non-fiction titles.

Top Ten Quick Picks for Young Adult Readers

Bey, Dawoud. Class Pictures. 2007

Erskine, Kathryn. Quaking. 2007

Greenfield, Lauren. Thin. 2006

Grody, Steve and James Prigoff. Graffiti L.A.: Street and Art. 2007.

Hopkins, Ellen. Glass. 2007.

Jamal, Joesph. Tupac Shakur Legacy. 2006.

Shaw, Susan. Safe. 2007.

Shusterman, Neil. Unwind. 2007.

Sitomer, Alan L. Homeboyz. 2007.

Thalia. Thalia: Belleza!: Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness. 2007.

To see the complete list go to: http://ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quickpicks/08qp.cfm

Day 3, Meetings all day

Well, today was our big meeting day! We started at 10AM and finished at 6PM, with just enough time to get to the Joint Reception with YALSA/AASL members and leadership. We were able to get through the rest of our titles and do our straw poll. The straw poll is a non-binding vote just to see where the titles stand. Tomorrow, the final day, we will give our final pleas for some of the books that aren't making the list at this point.

For me, the books that I'm making a plea for include Baby Brother by 50 Cent, it is a gritty, street lit novel that has a beyond steamy sex scene in it. But, I feel very strongly that this novel belongs on this list because I believe that every kind of kid needs to have at least one book on this list that they can relate to personally. Jack, our Chairperson this year, made a great point that some of the kids he sees at New York Public Library will give you one chance to connect them to a book-- these books by 50 Cent definitely connect with these kids.

One of the big concerns cited with the contingent (on the committee) that have continually voted against these types of books is that this list we create is used as a selection tool. One member was concerned that this list is being mis-used by some professionals. She mentioned that a librarian (well-known and respected)actually purchases every title of the list, period end of story. The answer to this is that this is a tool to help make selection choices, but a librarian should still check the reviews to be sure that the book is appropriate for their community. As a committee we cannot be concerned with how others do their job.

Day 2, meeting time

Well, Day 2 was a busy one! We hit the Exhibit floor and scooped up a ton of ARC's (Advance Reviewer Copies). My good friend, Marie Slim from Troy High School, was with me and got schooled in the collection of ARC's. As always, I take an extra suitcase and bring it to the convention center, I check it in at the coat/bag check area so I can deposit all the books in a rolling bag (they do not allow any type of rolling cart/bag inside the exhibit area). I think I got about 20-25 ARC's that look really good.

We had meetings from 1PM- 6PM. Our meetings are jam packed, especially with 174 nominations to discuss. Yep, that's right-- we read all 174 books that are nominated and we discuss each one at Mid-Winter Conference. Our discussion focuses on student input, and we try to keep our personal feelings about a book off the table when considering a nomination.
After the meetings, there's time to relax, hit a reception or two or publisher sponsored dinners. It was fairly quiet for us this year. Annual Conference has a lot more dinners and receptions to attend.

Day 1, sleeping in and a meeting

Today, I was jet-lagged as was my new Administrative Assistant (Quick Picks Committee) and we slept in-- we didn't venture out until lunch time. We checked in at the Convention Hall, somehow my registration is messed up-- I need to figure out if it slipped through the cracks or I paid double for it...

Anyway, we're apparently experiencing unseasonably warm weather. It was in the 50's or so with sunny skies. The coat I brought felt heavy.

Our first meeting went well, with a big question brought up at the beginning- what if library professionals are using this list and ordering everything on it blindly, should that matter when we make our selections? My first response is and will always be that if a library professional isn't reviewing the selections for appropriateness for her community that is not our concern. We are charged with creating list for reluctant readers, and every student regardless of race, sexual orientation, or issue should find a book that they can relate to on this list.

This next year, as the chairperson of the committee, I am making it my mission to clarify the charge for the committee so that everyone who joins will understand that they need to get teen feedback, and that the term for committee members should be 2 years instead of 3 years with a third year being awarded to the chairperson only.

Tomorrow morning, Marie and I are going to hit the exhibits right at 9AM. We will get up early and get moving! We are galley/ARC hunting and after meetings tomorrow there is a reception for Random House from 6-7:30.

Tonight, we bypassed a party and just chatted about web2.0 stuff, and how we do our jobs. I am excited about the possibility for collaboration with Marie. We are going to work on a book idea for Libraries Unlimited.

I had a beer too many at the English pub downstairs and have got to go to bed...

More tomorrow!

ALA Mid-Winter Conference - Here I Come!

It is time for Mid-Winter meetings again--this time in Philly. I'm excited, this is the time we go, meet as a committee and make all the decisions that we've been working toward for nearly a year of reading. The Quick Picks committee is lively and committed to selecting books for kids who hate to read. I love this!

I'm still packing up and figuring out the amount I'm going to have to pay since I double-booked myself with a DMV appointment for behind the wheel test for my baby girl and my flight. A friend asked me why I didn't just reschedule the DMV-- but the drama has been ridiculous with the DMV/kid that I don't feel like it would be fair to her since I'm the one who screwed up... So, I'll pay the piper.

Watch this space for pictures and more adventures- this is my first trip to Philly.