Since next weekend is Thanksgiving and many of us are heading out on the road for some serious vacationing, it is time to re-stock the pile of books to bring along!
If you need some ideas, look no further than our You-Tube box on the side of the webpage. We have great recommendations from Arlington teens and YA Librarians.
This blog post is about crushes, cheesefries and archetypes. Oh archetypes, English teachers love to teach about them and writers love to include them in their books. Heros, wise fools, damsels in distress, these characters have been around for a long time. But, is it possible in this day and age to invent a new one?
A couple of years ago, a critic for The Onion came up with the term "manic pixie dream girl" to talk about a movie character. This was the type of girl who is a little bit off kilter, quirky or a little bit "marching to the beat of her own drummer." She is a girl who walks into the main character's life and totally changes it forever in some profound way. But, according to this critic, the problem is that these girls never really become full people that the audience really knows and cares about. Nathan Rabin, who made up the name explains further:
[a manic pixie dream girl is...] "that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures."
So, where is the connection to YA? Well, there are lots of novels that happen to have a girl whose appearance in the novel shakes the male character out of his everyday life and makes him realize how many adventures await him. This girl often doesn't fit in and she's extremely unique or special in someway. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is one of the first young adult novels with a "manic pixie dream girl" in a starring role. Stargirl appears in Leo's life and suddenly he is joining her on cheesefry runs and leaving change behind for someone else to find it. She is the MPDG who makes him believe in the kindness of strangers.
Bloggers and book critics have been hurling this phrase around as an insult all year. But is it really an insult?
John Green has had his characters named "MPDG"s left and right. He defends his choice of character here and he spends a lot of Paper Townschallenging the term. In his opinion, teens often don't take the time to really get to know someone when they are crushing on someone new. In Paper Towns, Q, the main character jumps in to this whole crush thing without thinking about it too much.
Margo is certainly presented by Q as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl at the beginning of PT. Absolutely. But that only acknowledges that some boys believe in Manic Pixie Dream Girls; it doesn't argue that MPDGs actually exist, or that Margo is one. --- JG
So, what do you think? Is using a MPDG in a novel an easy way out? Is it cheating? Or, do you think that since we all look at new crushes with stars in our eyes the manic pixie dream girl is a product of this wishful thinking? Or, do you think that critics should get over themselves and just enjoy the quirky girls who happen to show up in coming-of-age-stories, especially if they like cheese fries?
If you'd like to investigate further into the world of the manic pixie dream girl, here are some titles to check out:
Threatened by the news of humans encroaching the valley where his clan of dragons dwell, Firedrake, a young silver dragon, decides to find the Rim of Heaven, a mythical place where other dragons lay, untouched by the scouring humans. Firedrake is accompanied by the mushroom-loving brownie, Sorrel. Along the way, the two meet Ben, an orphan boy, who becomes the namesake dragon rider. They also encounter a homunculus named Twigleg and a professor of fabulous beings who is interested in helping the band of travelers find the Rim of Heaven. But, as our protagonists follow the map custom-made by a rat, they unwittingly disturb the "Golden Dragon," Nettlebrand. Nettlebrand has been ravenously searching for silver dragons to feast on. Discovering through his spies that the odd group is seeking the Rim of Heaven, he secretly waits in his lair, letting the group do the entire job for him.
Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider is a well-written dragon book that doesn't dive too deeply into dragon lore, instead preferring to stand on it's own as more of an adventure tale that involves dragons. It is an adventure story because of Funke's style. Her characters are interesting and playful. Readers will meet dwarves, sea serpents, pixies, djinns, fairies and more out-of-this-world fabulous creatures. A fun and easy read, it is able to pull child hood fantasy characters and myths in a manner any child (or, yes, any teen) will enjoy. Dragon Rider is also able to interest its readers (especially children) in finding out how true these stories of "fabulous creatures" are.
To the premiere of New Moon that is. In honor of the movie's premiere next week, here's what the movie might have looked like if it had been about a different gothic character. One who doesn't exactly sparkle...
But, if vampires are your thing be sure to check out our selection of other series with bite:
Vamped- by Lucienne Diver - "When Gina awakens in a grave and discovers she's a vampire—her senior prom didn't end well—one of her first concerns is facing an all-liquid diet, a life without tanning options. She continues to focus on fashion (and to deliver feisty insults) even as she finds herself embroiled in (and eventually leading) a vampire war, which involves a mysterious prophecy—and many of her former classmates." -- P.W.
Vampire Academy- by Richelle Mead- "After two years on the run, best friends Rose, half-human/half-vampire, and Lissa, a mortal vampire princess, are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy. Up until then, Rose had kept Lissa safe from her enemies; school, however, brings both girls more trouble than they had expected..." -- Booklist
Blue Bloods- Melissa de La Cruz - "When 15-year-olds Schuyler and Bliss find out that they are vampires, as are many of the city's elite, they learn what's behind some of their weird symptoms (such as Schuyler's blue veins, which form "an intricate pattern, visible under the skin's surface," or Bliss's cravings for raw meat), and that "nothing could kill vampires." But something is hunting them, even killing some, and Schuyler grows more determined to stop it, even as the Conclave, the vampire leaders, attempts to cover it up." -- P.W.
Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber - Vampire-loving Raven is a misfit in the town she calls "Dullsville." Her black lipstick, combat boots, and sneering dislike of her classmates leave her nearly friendless. Dullsville has only one exciting feature: the Mansion, abandoned years before. Now the owners have returned, and Raven has never been more excited, as they bring a gorgeous Romanian teenage son in tow.
Yes, that is Patrick Swayze (R.I.P) and the kid from the Karate Kid. And, yes, this movie is awesomely 80's.
You probably don't remember your first picture book and I'd be impressed if you could remember the first chapter book you read (I know I can't) but I bet you remember the first YA book you really loved.
There is definitely some crossover between our junior fiction and our YA fiction (Harry Potter, I'm looking at you), so maybe your first favorite for teen book falls in between the two categories. Or maybe it involved a sparkly vampire.
For me, it was The Outsiders. I fell for Ponyboy, Sodapop and all the rest of the greasers. It's the classic story of a boy from the wrong side of the tracks trying to prove he is better than his address. I got sucked in by the plot and by the fact that S.E. Hinton wrote it when she was only sixteen! Also who can resist a book where the main character's name is Ponyboy Curtis?
Asking around, other first favorites of our staff include:
Another novel about being on the outside looking in. In Charlie's letters are his struggles to get over the suicide of his best friend and deal with family issues. Will he be able to move past these and find a circle of friends who he can be comfortable with?
You may also recognize this title from our top ten list of banned books.
-Sarah Dessen's Someone like You Halley has always been close with her mother. But this year she is determined to do her own thing. Even if that means breaking up with the boy her mom approves of and dating reckless Macon, who her mom wants Halley to have nothing to do with. Halley's best friend and partner-in-crime, Scarlett has big plans for the two of them, until Scarlett finds out she is two months pregnant. Halley needs to figure out who she is and also how she can be the best friend to Scarlett.
- Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat Weetzie Bat is just about the coolest teenager in YA lit. Riding around the City of Angels in a classic car with her best friend Dirk and her dog slinkster-dog and eating sushi and oki-dogs. The book follows Weetzie and Dirk as they go to punk shows, search for boyfriends, make movies and gather together the coolest adopted family around. It's a novel about love, friendship and whimsy.
If you like Weetzie Bat be sure to check out the rest of the books about her in Block's Dangerous Angels series.
So, what was yours? That first book where you were stretching outside of chapter books and into Young Adult territory?
Just in case the time-change is throwing anyone else off, here's a little reminder: High School TAB meets tonight, Tuesday, November 2, at 5:00 pm @ Central Library!
Be there and ready to chat and eat pizza (but not at the same time).
It's that time of the year when questions may be filling your head. Questions about testing. Questions like :
What is the difference between the SAT and the ACT?
How are these test scored and what strategies work best for test takers?
How can I determine which test is right for me?
How can I prepare for these tests?
Find out the answers to these questions and more at The SAT and the ACT: What you need to know, one of the library's "College Information Talks" for you and your parents. It will held at the Central library on Saturday, November 7 from 2-3pm in the second floor meeting room. It's being presented by Bill McNaught, Ph.D., Educational Consultant and Director of Huntington Learning Center, Arlington.
No registration necessary. For more information or to arrange special accommodations, please call the College/Career Librarian 703-228-5999 or afox@arlingtonva.us
By participating in this blog you are agreeing that: *You are between the ages 13-18. *You will respect everyone's right to an opinion. *You will use appropriate language. *You will not post any personal information.
Vamped- by Lucienne Diver
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