The Librarian

One of the things I did this past year while working at international school in the Philippines was work in the elementary library. It was one of my favourite places to be, and I had so much fun observing the elementary librarian, Carol, in everything she does.

I really want to tell you about Carol, because she is utterly amazing.



The elementary library.

Carol has been at the school for almost 25 years, which is a long time for someone to stay at an international school, where staff and students are constantly coming and going. But she is not only the elementary librarian. She also did one-on-one literacy coaching with nine elementary kids, literacy classes with both first and second grade, helped the teachers with the English curriculum, AND she taught six library classes every week. I was physically in the library more than she was.

Carol's love for books and kids was infectious. It was so fun to watch her during library classes. At the beginning of class she would spend twenty minutes on a lesson before book checkout time.  The lessons were usually Carol reading a story, or talking about an author, and sometimes the lesson would coincide with some current event.



Hobbit bulletin board that one of the library volunteers made.

For example, when The Hobbit movie came out in December she took about four weeks in each fifth grade class to talk about The Hobbit book before the movie came out. In the spring, the school put on a production of Beauty & the Beast so she spent a few weeks reading and talking about different book versions of the story. (As a result, about a quarter of the elementary girls dressed up as Belle for our Literacy Day). She also did a unit on The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, both a book and short film by William Joyce (which is a beautiful film, you should check it out if you get the chance).

But my favourite thing to watch Carol do was recommend books to kids. She is so amazing at pitching books. I don't know how she does it. She knows exactly what to say that will get a specific group of kids to latch on to any book's premise and scramble to me, pleading to put them on the hold list first for that book. Every time Carol pitched a book to the kids, a 5-person long waiting list for that book would spring up. And I'm not exaggerating when I say every time!

Carol's love of books and the people who read them was really inspiring to me. It was really cool to be able to work with her this year and learn from her, whether it be how she taught the kids or what she taught the kids or just her energetic enthusiasm for books.



Goofing off in fifth grade library class.

Almost every Monday Carol would ask me "So, what books did you read this weekend?" And after I told her she would list off the three books she read, while simultaneously recommending them to me. If Carol recommended a book to me, I couldn't NOT read it.

There are a lot of people on this online writing community who are super passionate about books and reading and getting kids to read, but it is an entirely different thing to see that in real life, and it is incredibly awesome.

Do you know anyone in real life that is super passionate about books? Do you think it's awesome?

Changing Tastes & Critique Partners

Since I finished my third draft, I decided that I should really get... meet... whatever... some more critique partners. Unfortunately I just missed the Teens Can Write, Too! blog critique matching up at the beginning of June, because that would've been awesome! I like the idea of critique partners close to my age (even though I am more quickly than I'd like to admit leaving teenagerdom...) 

Anyway, if you're looking for someone to critique your manuscript or anything I'd be happy to be your CP. (or even if you're not!). As a teenager and avid reader of YA, I think I could be useful. (Especially if you write YA. But I looove MG too, and I just worked in an elementary library for a year and with tons of MG-obsessed kids!) :) 

My desk at the library I worked at.
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Another thing I wanted to talk about is how my tastes have changed. I started this blog three years ago, which is crazy. I feel like I've changed a lot and my blogging tastes have changed a lot (I am definitely not proud of everything I've posted). I haven't come as far as some people do in three years, as far as followers and such, but I have come a long way as far as writing and reading blogs.

I haven't really managed my subscriptions at all for three years, but now more than ever I notice I'm only reading a couple of posts when I used to devour everything like crazy. Laura's talked about this before, how you read the posts you need to read. (She is so cool, go follow her!) I've also noticed what posts and blogs I'm attracted to. I'm less attracted to the huge group blogs or really popular blogs by aspiring authors. I like the smaller blogs, and my favourite posts are just the ones that ramble on about life and what's new with their writing. I used to skip those kinds of posts. But now those are my favourite. Laura, Raven, and Rachel  all write blogs that I really like right now. Oh, and I also still read almost every WORD for Teens post.

So anyway, if you have any suggestions for critique partners or smaller, more personal-style blogs, let me know! (Or even just blogs you really really like).

Review of All The Books I Read in 2012

Last year, I read 120 books. This year, I made it to 115. It's really interesting to compare the two years and see the different books I read, and the trends in my reading habits. For instance, once I started working in an elementary library this year I started reading a lot more middle grade. If I was savvy enough, I might make some charts or something. But for now, you just get lists, full of some recommendations for you for the new year (if you haven't already read them)! 

 

Best Books of 2012

 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - Sigh. She's done it again. Amazing.

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Read more of my thoughts on this achingly beautiful, wonderfully written book here. TFiOS is definitely his best book yet.
 

 

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt - I'm pretty sure this is the only book that doesn't have a death in it that has made me cry. This is such a beautiful, beautiful book and it is now my favourite book of all time aside from Jellicoe Road. This is one of those books that just makes me go gaaaah sooo good, go read it pleaaase.

 

Savvy by Ingrid Law

 

True (...sort of) by Katherine Hannigan - Both Savvy and True I talk about in this post. They are both awesome, deep middle-grades that definitely made me think.

 

Books I Bought in 2012

 

Finally and Forever by Robin Jones Gunn - I love RJG, so I will buy anything new she comes out with. (Although I can't quite recall if I bought it, or if I got it as a gift... if you gave it to me as a gift, correct me if I'm wrong).

 

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - I knew it would be hard to get at the library, and I kind of had a feeling I might want to have it, and I was right. If only I would've brought it to the Philippines with me...

 

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger and The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta - Both of these I bought as eBooks. I figure that still counts, because now I own them and I can read them whenever I want! Yay!

 

Books I Reread in 2012

 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

 

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta - Not quite as good the second time, but still awesome. I love Melina Marchetta.

 

 

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - The last time I read this I was in middle school, I think. It's interesting how just being a few years older changes my opinion of a book. I still love it, though, and Dustfinger is my favourite character of all time ever.

 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - So how many times is this now? 5? 6?

 

Harry Potter 1-6 - I will never tire of rereading these.

 

Divergent by Veronica Roth - I reread this for the sole purpose of remembering what happened so I could read Insurgent. It was still just okay, even the second time around.

 

 

2012 Releases I Read in 2012

 

A Million Suns by Beth Revis - I liked A Million Suns better than Across the Universe, but I did noticed that the some of the story elements were repeated. I liked it though, and am still looking forward to eventually reading Shades of Earth.
 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth - I enjoyed this much better than Divergent, although I haven't fallen head over heels for either of them. I liked the tension between Tris and Tobias, and I liked how it was unpredictable. I did not like all the mind-controlling drugs, as they seem to be used a lot in dystopians now a days and in my opinion they are getting old.

 

Article 5 by Kristine Simmons - I really enjoyed this book. It was a smaller scale dystopian than Insurgent or The Hunger Games, but that just meant it had a bigger focus on the two main characters, which I really enjoyed.
 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
 

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard - This is a good summer read, but it wasn't really anything special to me.

 

Worst Books of 2012
 

Wings by Aprilynne Pike - I read this book because of a recommendation from a friend, but I did not really enjoy it (sorry, Megan). The writing was good and the idea was unique, but there was a love triangle that was done absolutely terribly.
 

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbaleister - I really, really did not like this book. It was very shallow, and I kept waiting for the characters to use something useful and become less selfish. They did not. This would probably be the only book I would ever encourage people not to read.  

 

 

So. What were some of YOUR favourite books that you read this year? I need some recommendations of things to read for the coming year. ;)

 

Happy New Year!