Tag Archives: Teens

Tennesse Schools Unblock LGBTQ Websites

17 Jun

In May, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee filed suit against the Knox County and Metro Nashville school district for blocking lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer websites.  Two weeks later, on June 3rd, the school districts announced that they would stop filtering the websites of gay-friendly advocacy groups such as the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).  You can read the full article about the decision here.

A lot of schools and libraries filter their Internet to block explicit sexual or violent content.  In fact, post Children’s Online Protection Act (COPA) / and Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) legislation, many public libraries are required to use Internet filtering software if they want to receive funding from the federal E-Rate program.

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Teens Need Intellectual Freedom, Too

21 May

Earlier this month, someone from the Pelham, NY, public library tattled to the high school principal after an eleventh grader was at the library researching gun conceal & carry laws.  The student was called into the assistant principal’s office and interviewed by the police.  After talking to the student, police Detective Kevin Campion assured everyone that there was nothing to be worried about and that the student had not broken any laws.

Many public libraries make a commitment to their communities–including teens!–that they will protect everyone’s privacy.  You may have heard of a little thing we like to call Intellectual Freedom.  The U.S. Constitution guarantees us the right to access any and all information without fear of persecution (excepting obscenity, libel and fighting words), and librarians have really taken that to heart.

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Uglies

5 May

UgliesWow, so I just finished reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, and what a ride!  For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure yet, let me bring you up to speed:  Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society where all the teens get mandatory plastic surgery when they turn 16.  Turning everyone from “Uglies” into “Pretties” is supposed to eliminate all the insecurity, jealousy, inequity and general suffering in the world.  But of course, it can’t really be that easy…  It is a pretty silly book, but it also has otherworldly addictive powers.  The feminist in me wants to throw up when Tally must make a huge sacrifice in order to save the world and win the approval of an older and wiser guy–who, incidentally, is always  “touching her shoulder softly.”  But there are some pretty chewy ethical dilemmas and some really rad futuristic toys (hoverboards, crash bracelets, wallscreens, SpagBol, etc.)

And I can’t believe what else I did today — when I stopped by the University Curriculum Lab to return Uglies, I ended up checking out a copy of Twilight.  I know, I know. . . I’m never going to get these finals written!

Tried and True Faves

25 Apr

So I’ve been thinking a LOT about Young Adult Fiction lately, probably because I’m really looking forward to the possibility of working with teens in a public library next year.  This got me thinking about what books I really loved when I was coming into my own as a reader.  I chatted up one of the YA librarians at the library yesterday, and I felt really dated inquiring about some of my old favorites.  But she did confirm that some teens are still actually reading these old-timer classics.  Anyway, I just wanted to mention some of them here for posterity:

The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater 

Walter and Winston set out to rescue the inventor of the Alligatron, a computer developed from an avocado which is the world’s last defense against the space-realtors.
A Wrinkle in Time A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 

Meg’s father mysteriously disappears after experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel. Determined to rescue him, Meg and her friends must outwit the forces of evil on a heart-stopping journey through space and time.
Black Cauldron The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander 

Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Prydain, volunteers to assist in the destruction of the dreaded Black Cauldron, the chief implement of the evil powers of Arawn, lord of the Land of Death.

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YA Reading List

25 Apr

Yesterday I went to the absolutely fabulous Marion Public Library and one of the really helpful reference librarians recommended some YA fiction for me to read.  I’m pretty excited about the list we came up with:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (YALSA pick)
Miracle Wimp Miracle Wimp by Eric P. Kraft
Fat Kid Rules the World Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going

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