Let's Try Some Bibliotherapy!

-

 

Week 9 Blog Entry:


Victor LaValle's Destroyer by Victor LaValle



2018 winner of the Bram Stoker Award: Best Graphic Novel and the 2019 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Victor LaValle creates a violent world with hints of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein where Dr. Baker has brought back her son, Akai, to life after he was shot by police.

I was very excited to find a graphic novel horror novel depicting African American characters and takes on present day themes around race relations in a science fiction format. I read in may reviews how well the author shared the intense grief and rage of Aika's mother throughout this story and felt it was an important opportunity for teen readers to get their arms around. I checked this out from the teen and adult section of the Southborough Library's graphic novel section.

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo


This fantasy and gothic-horror novel takes on themes of family history and estrangement, accepting yourself when Eleanor returns home after years away at school and must come to terms with her supernatural and monstrous ancestors.

I admit to picking this purely for its cover when I was searching for YA horror novels. I selected to highlight this for the blog because of its focus on family which many teens can connect to as they sort out their own identifies outside of family. I also love gothic horror stories and am intrigued by the thriller/mystery storyline. I also wanted to include this book to increase the diversity of authors as Rose Szabo identifies as a nonbinary writer. 

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker



A 2020 ALA Notable Children's Books winner, Heidicker creates a middle-grade horror fiction about two young foxes who get separated from their family and endure constant fear trying to survive violence and monsters found within the woods. 

This is a unique collection of short stories that caught my attention in the Children's Room of the Southborough Library for being one of the few children's horror stories that I have encountered. I think this will appeal to a lot of children seeking to learn about the natural world and who love campfire scary stories that captivate and scare us in a way that also teaches us about believing in ourselves and understanding the life and death. I love how this can teach kids about the adult world and give them space to figure out how they might navigate their fears and the world. 

Darius The Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram


Winner of seven awards, this coming of age YA novel explores friendship, metal illness and fitting in through the eyes of Darius Kellner during his visit to Iran. 


I had to include this coming-of-age story based on our readings this week around bibliotherapy and reaching reluctant readers through heartfelt as well as funny realistic fiction. I have seen this in various YA libraries as well as online book groups and am eager to read this book and recommend this to others. I also appreciate that readers can learn about a different culture as well and feel hopeful when Darius learns that he can feel okay as he makes a new friend who is accepting of him. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For Everyone!

-
Image
  Image Creator: Rachel Kruzel  Although I hit a lot of walls trying while investigating my school district's assistive and adaptive technology resources and implementation, I learned a great deal about what my school's media center could benefit from and other ways I can support the integration of various technology through student discussion and reading.  Here is a brief summary and links for reference:  Suggestions from Discussion Post Librarians can also work with the aides of students who have special needs to ensure library-vocabulary is loaded onto a student’s chrome book if a student uses a voice-speaking device for communication Large, colorful communication board/signs posted to students to point to, symbols for key items Low-Tech assistance like pencil grips, slant boards, triangular crayons with easy grips available at any station designed for art work or school work. Quiet areas designated for students who need special quiet areas. Wide aisles and e...
Read more

Creating Multimedia: Take To The Hills?

-
Image
Results are in: I do not need to take to the hills, I survived trying Anchor for the first time! And I actually had fun with it, so there is hope for everybody out there :-)  My first attempt at a podcast:  https://anchor.fm/amy-townsley A solid Five Star Experience in terms of navigating this tool and figuring out how to use different features as well as publishing and sharing content.  I decided to do a very informal and brief "review" of a new book I am currently reading, The Light Pirate Lily Dalton-Brooks. I can't decide if I liked this experience because I got to talk about a great book or equal parts enjoyment from trying something new and succeeding! But regardless, I am actually interested in continuing this kind of project on the side as a great way to get my thoughts out on books but realize this experiment was very one-sided and a podcast would greatly benefit from a two-way conversation!  I would LOVE to also try this at the high school where I work with...
Read more

Don't Like Reading Or Tired Of The Same Old Plot? Try Something New!

-
Image
Week 8 Blog Entry: A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope  edited by Patrice Caldwell Award-winning authors, including Elizabeth Acevedo, Justina Ireland, L.L. McKinney and Ibi Zoboi, share magical tales that delve into the Black experience and create a space where readers can rejoice together in an inspiring community of fantasy and science fiction literature. This book was found in the Young Adult room in the Southborough Library after researching the catalog and selected to address the idea that not all dystopian stories must include hopelessness. This also appealed to me as this week's choice especially because it is important that not all stories with characters of color deal only in trauma but instead provide readers with a sense of fun and play. This book also got me thinking about another book we ordered for our adult collection about race in this genre called The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the...
Read more