First Part Last by Angela Johnson

The First Part Last by Angela Johnson is a brief novel that takes an alternative view to teenage pregnancy.  As the majority of novels on the topic of teenage pregnancy take the view of the mother, this novel portrays the subject from the view of the father, Bobby.  The novel covers the struggle that Bobby and Nia, the mother, face in determining whether or not to keep their child or put her up for adoption.  Bobby's growing love for his daugther is addressed, and how the pregnancy and birth turn his aspiring world  upside down.  The portrayal of Bobby's love for his daughter is positive, but the novel does cover trials and tribulations that do accompany a teenage prenancy.

Online Article: "Requirements for Healthy Development of Adolescent Youth"

I found the above entitled article at the following URL:  http://www1.cyfernet.org/prog/teen/konopka.html.  The article was originaly published in ADOLESCENCE, Volume VIII Number 31, Fall 1973, pp. 1-26, and there is a statement asking for placement of this citation when referring to the article.  When I read the article, I was reminded of the Human Development course that I took in the early 1990's when I was working on my first Master's degree.  The article contains a lot of psychological jargon making it difficult to read, and actually hard to follow at times.  I did like the statement by the author, Gisela Konopka, that adolescence is the transition from the dependency of childhood to the interdependence of adulthood.  The growth of all of us and the rates of maturity of all children vary depending on circumstance, and that blurs the lines of this age group.  This information correlates with interviewing students on their reading preferences - it varies with the individual.

Illustrator Blog - Lois Ehlert

The Illustrator that our group has chosen for our project is Lois Ehlert.  She is an acclaimed author and illustrator of children's books, and her illustrations have earned her the Caldecott Medal, which is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished picture books (American).  Her form of art is quite unique.  She cuts and pastes paper (collages) to create her illustrations.  They are bright, vivid, and pleasing to the viewer.  Some examples: 

Young Adult Reading Preferences

In talking with young adults in my library, I found a broad range of reading preferences.  The girls all loved books that dealt with subjects a little older than their age group.  A favorite series is Pretty Little Liars for girls, and a favorite series for boys is Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  The boys tend to enjoy fantasy and adventure fiction.  Some of the boys that I interviewed picked books by Gary Paulsen as their favorites, and some of them chose The 39 Clues books as favorites.  Most boys interviewed also chose non-fiction subjects such as war and sports as areas most visited in the library.  The girls rarely ever venture into the non-fiction areas unless assignments in these sections require it.  All of the students that I interviewed had internet access at their homes, and some reported that they read (at least in forums/discussion boards/facebook) on the internet.  Many of the internet users only use it for gaming.  I actually found that the students were a lot like me in their reading preferences; their preferences change a lot depending on what they're reading at the time.

Who Are Young Adults?

"The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association (ALA) defines young adults as youth aged 12 through 18" (2008, Chance).  When contemplating the question of who are young adults, my first thoughts were 12-18 year olds.  I still go by this idea, but I think that the lines of definition are blurry.  The typical 18 year old high school graduate would want, by his own definition, to be defined an adult, and the typical 10-12 year old middle school student, especially the girls, would probably want to be thought of as pre-teen and not a child.  In reality, the answer probably truly lies with the person who is answering the question at the time; however, I do think that by focusing mainly 12-18 year olds, we can probably focus on most interests of young adults.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I truly enjoyed reading this book.  The illustrations were truly amazing and added so much to the story.  They helped tell the story - not just illustrate it.  At first, I was not sure that I wanted the author to start the "second" story, but I loved the way it tied in at the end.  I read this book in one sitting - it was that good!  My mother found the book for me at Cheaha Regional Library, and she read it and loved it, too.  I don't have it in my library, but I am definitely planning on purchasing it.  Great book!

New Books in Library!

This month, forty-six new books have been purchased for our library!  All are fiction books with a 4th grade or up reading level with the exception of a few story books and two nonfiction books on sharks.  We have added to some of our most popular series including:  Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and The 39 Clues.

Young adult fans will love the new Pretty Little Liars additions as well as some new authors that are sure to become new favorites.  Come check out our new additions!!

Rock Mills Jr. High School