I'm thrilled to announce that earlier this week I accepted my first full-time job offer as the new youth librarian at the Community Library in Salem and Twin Lakes! That means going from two part-time library jobs down to just one – essentially cutting my commute time in half! Did I mention I'll be getting a substantial raise in addition to the fact that now I'll be getting paid to do what I love for 40 hours a week? It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

So I realized I only posted one blog entry in June and now  July is almost over and I still have yet to publish anything new! This summer is flying by, and I'll be honest —​ I've been spending my time enjoying it rather than blogging ... not that blogging isn't enjoyable, haha.

One of the latest crazes to surface during my blogging hiatus is the Pokémon Go phenomenon. And while I personally don't want to waste my time, data or phone battery playing the game, I can already tell you that I love it. Why? Because it is a perfect match for public libraries.

Perhaps the best way to familiarize people with the library's resources and services is to get them in the door. Once you get someone inside, it's almost impossible for them to not find something of interest. And Pokémon Go is definitely bringing people into the library — particularly millennials who might not regularly step foot inside a brick-and-mortar library branch.

This semester in my multicultural children's literature course, we were assigned to pick a topic to write a 20 page research paper about in addition to reading and reviewing 10 books of our choosing that may or may not relate to the topic of the paper. With worldwide political unrest at one of its highest peaks since WWII, choosing a topic about Muslim representation and identity in YA literature (particularly from a female character's point of view), seemed like a no brainer.

While I have not yet started my 20 page paper (oops), I have read all and reviewed most of the YA titles I chose for the class. Above is a booktalk of Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos (2006), a book about a Muslim family from Bangladesh living in the United States illegally in a post-9/11 world. With the ongoing refugee crisis, it seemed relevant and timely to discuss.

Additional YA books about Muslim Youth that I read and reviewed for this project include the following:

One of my favorite things about reading is finding an author who just ~gets you!~ They know what you like, and they deliver. Cue Rainbow Rowell – who I will refer to simply as Rainbow because we're totally on a first name basis and it's just a cute freakin' name.

I've read a couple of Rainbow's books now, including Landline and Eleanor & Park, and I recently finished Fangirl just before starting up Attachments. Can you tell I like her work? One of the things I enjoy so much about Rainbow's writing is how real it is. How you can't help but feel like you know her characters on an intimate level. Like you know their whole lives, not just the parts covered in 200 or so pages. There's a strong sense of reality in her works of fiction that is missing in many other books.

There is nothing crazy or overly dramatic about this plot, like many of those in Rainbow's books. Instead, her stories are much more like life: chugging along until a few major moments shape what comes next.
As one Goodreads reviewer so aptly put it: "Whether you find yourself in the insecure girl who's afraid of life; the happy-go-lucky guy always ready with a smile; the self-centered sister; the deceitful friend; the emotionally disabled dad; the outspoken, honest roommate; the talented but uncertain writer; the intellectual or the one who falls short; the life of the party or the one hiding in the shadows — there are bits and pieces of everyone scattered throughout this story; representing all the highs and lows that make us exactly who we are." 

I recommend Fangirl (and any of Rainbow's books) to anyone who is looking to get caught up in someone else's story, and to anyone who wants to smile and laugh out loud while flipping through the pages.

But being that I'm particularly interested in working in a public library's youth services department and I didn't take any online classes this summer (I probably should have), I've assigned myself some fun homework until the fall semester begins: Read some of the most popular contemporary fiction for middle grade and high school students. I'm generally going to be reading more young adult books because, as I've said many times before, I LOVE YA! But I'll definitely also revisit a few classics stories that I read (or wish I had) in my younger days.

Why not start this summer reading shindig off with a bang? My first self-inflicted assignment was to finally read one of the the biggest book-turned-movie successes since Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings: The Hunger Games. And all I have to say now is I finally understand what the fuss was all about.

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed the first book so much and am about to fly through the second one is because of Collins' ability to create such a strong and dynamic female main character that young girls everywhere needed (and still do) so badly. Katniss Everdeen is the definition of badass. Not only is she strong physically and mentally, her emotional strength yet simultaneous vulnerability can't help but make you fall in love with her (I get you, Peeta). As if to prove how awesome and beloved Katniss is, the amount of girls who took up archery skyrocketed following the release of the books and movies. I'm not at all shocked, but I know from high school gym class that archery is not my strong suit. I'll stick to reading and writing.

With themes like politics, wealth, technology, violence and love, The Hunger Games has a little bit to offer everyone. I already have Book II checked out from the library, but have to finish rereading To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman before I return to Panem. I've never seen the Catching Fire movie either, so I'm in for some surprises, I'm sure! May the odds be ever in my favor!

Now, obviously when a book generates as much buzz as The Hunger Games did, it is probably well worth your time to read the books and watch the inevitable movies. But why wait? You're not proving anything to anybody by holding out. The only person missing out from your choice not to read something is you (and maybe the author). Don't make the silly stubborn mistake I did and avoid a book because everyone else is talking about it. It's not like you have to like it. In fact, you might hate it! But it also might win you a bunch of money if you ever get on Jeopardy!

It's sad to say that I've heard "I haven't read an entire book since high school!" too many times to count while working at Community Library. And while I think it would be great, awesome, refreshing and every other positive adjective for high school English classes to require some more contemporary titles, who can pass up a great classic? Surely not me!

When I came across an article called What Your Favorite Book From High School Says About You, I couldn't help but see if my favorite high school read made the list. And it sure did — in the number one spot. Here's what my favorite book from high school says about me, at least, according to guff.com.

While "most people find you easy going and charming" is ~obviously and totally~ true, I'm not at all hung up on my exes, and my lifestyle surely isn't extravagant. I paged through the rest of the list to see how many of the other mentioned titles I had already read, and which descriptions seemed the most relatable to my life. Turns out Fahrenheit 451 comes closest, even though I technically read that bad boy way back in 8th grade (Thank you Mrs. Wagner)!

Also mentioned in the article are The Scarlet Letter, Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, The Crucible, The Odyssey, Lord of the Flies, almost anything by Shakespeare, The Awakening, Heart of Darkness, To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye. Is one of these titles your favorite high school read? Find out what your favorite book says about you!

PS: The description for Catcher in the Rye made me laugh out loud!

Like it or not for anyone who has already survived their awkward and acne-ridden teenage years, those young whippersnappers of today are tomorrow's future, and the ones who will be using the library (and everything else) long after the rest of us leave this world. Teenagers are society's real innovators, and they are shaping the future! During a time when teens have access to information and entertainment at the click of a mouse or the swipe of a finger, libraries need to find a way to keep them coming through their doors, regardless of what sort of technological (or hormonal) changes are occurring elsewhere.

In January 2014, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) released a report titled The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action. According to an article in American Libraries magazine published earlier this month called The Future of Library Services to Teens, "The report is the culmination of a project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and spearheaded by YALSA’s National Forum on Libraries and Teens, which focused on the needs of teens and how libraries can support those needs."

Coming up with a plan for how libraries can serve and attract teens in the unforeseeable future can be a daunting task, and with limited budgets and staff (and patron) reluctance to change, it can be especially difficult for libraries to start adjusting. However, according to the American Libraries article, there are small ways libraries across the country can get the ball rolling now, including:

• Hiring new staff to support digital media and learning initiatives and provide support to other staff and youth and families around the ideas of connected learning
• Talking with a state youth-services consultant about YALSA's Futures report and its impact on the work that libraries in the state do with and for teens
• Working with college and career readiness providers in the community in order to develop programs and services for teens that will help them succeed in life
• Providing training to colleagues on the ideas embedded in YALSA's Futures report

But perhaps the most obvious way for librarians to arm themselves with the metaphorical weapons they need to secure a long-term teenage patronage is by *gasp* TALKING TO TEENS! Find out what sorts of services, materials and activities teens want and do your best to incorporate them. Don't just talk to the teens who walk through the library's doors -- you already have them hooked on books! Make an effort to reach out to teens who don't usual frequent the library and see what you can do to get them to open their minds — or better yet, open a book!

Superheroes are sweeping public libraries across the country with this year's summer reading program! With separate categories for kids, teens and adults, summer reading programs are a great way to beat the heat and get the whole family reading. Not only will you meet new heroes and heroines through books, but you just might discover some new superpowers of your own (and win a few prizes too)!

Below are the details for the summer reading program at the Community Library, where I work. The kids and teen summer reading programs run from June 8-August 7, and the adult program runs from June 8-July 13. Similar programs can be found at your local library.

As the Community Library explains in its program brochure, this year's summer reading program theme aims to, "celebrate heroes of all ages who walk through the doors of the library each day; the heroes who have made their marks on history; the heroes who keep our communities safe, clean, and productive; and high-profile superheroes. From the youngest child to the strongest, mightiest crusader, each and every hero has his or her own story to tell."

What are you reading this summer? Tweet me @TessaFoxReads or use #TessaFoxReads.

I apologize that I've only been managing to churn out one post a week for the past month, but the end of the semester is always such a hectic time! But now that I'm officially on summer vacation from school (for the last time in my life, might I add), I promise to update my blog much more regularly – well, after I get back from vacation on May 25th!

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia would be a great accompaniment to a middle school or high school history class, especially because it is a great illustration of how fascinating and interesting history can be when told from a narrative nonfiction point of view. The book was never weighed down by a bunch of dates or political jargon. It didn't feel like you were reading about stale or boring historical people and events, but rather it simply felt like an entertaining story.

This book has received a lot of acclaim, including winning the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction; and was a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book and a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist. With or without the high praise, The Family Romanov... is an educational and exciting read that I would recommend to teens and adults alike!

As my first semester of graduate school draws to a close, final projects and papers are piling up. Luckily I was able to cross a couple off my to do list this weekend, including creating a webpage promoting library materials to teens. 

The assignment was for my Library Materials for Young Adults class, and it required me to create some sort of publicity or marketing "thing" – a series of bookmarks, a brochure, a poster, a library display, a webpage or even a video – to promote a certain genre or topic to the teenage demographic.

With summer on the horizon, I decided to promote books highlighting outdoor activities and nature. It's far too easy for teens miss out on nature's beauty while sitting in an air-conditioned room overindulging
in screen time during the summer months, so I wanted to motivate them to get out and explore. 

My webpage promoted a mixture of fiction and nonfiction books – everything from survival fiction classics like Gary Paulsen's Hatchet to The Unofficial Hunger Games Wilderness Survival Guide. Whether teens are preparing for an outdoor adventure themselves or just looking to travel vicariously through someone else, books are a great way to discover the great outdoors.

To view my publicity project webpage, click here – and remember to #ReadAdventurously this summer!