Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature.  I’m your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday (Saturday this week, sorry!) we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.  We’ve also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned!  Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today’s Special:  What covers do you love?

I’ll admit it, I’m quick to judge a book by its cover.  If a book looks cheesy or too “teeny-boppery” from the cover, I’m likely to set it back on the shelf.  I like high-concept covers.  You know, covers that capture what the book is about without spelling it out completely.  I love when designers use type in a clever way or play with photography.  Not to mention, I love book covers that I can read on the subway without people wondering “why is she reading that weird book?”

But enough about what types of covers I love; today I’m going to talk about something I don’t love.  I profoundly dislike it–dare I say, hate?–when perfectly good hardcover designs get replaced with schmaltzy paperback designs.  Here’s what I mean: (hardcovers on the left, paperbacks on the right).

Isn’t this hardcover gorgeous?  It makes me just want to peel that wax seal open and read the book.  Also, small details on the cover link to elements of the story.  (That basset hound embossed in the seal is there for a reason.)  As the I read the story, I was delighted to notice the significance of these details.

Now check out the paperback redesign.  It looks so blah, so generic compared to the hardcover.  Sure, it’s got those shiny award stickers on it, but couldn’t they have put the stickers on the original and still used that design?  Not to mention, talk about a cluttered design.  I am not a fan.

Lest you think the only reason I dislike some covers is because they have people on them, here’s an example of a hardcover-paperback pair where both show a person (in this case the protagonist).  One works for me, one doesn’t.  Take a wild guess which is which.

What I don’t like about the paperback is that we see a bit of the character’s face and hair.  It leaves less room for the reader to imagine what that character looks like than does the hardcover.  The hardcover, on the other hand, gives us some hints but doesn’t show us the character’s face so a lot is still left to the imagination.

In terms of layout, the hardcover is a much cleaner, tighter design.  You can barely read the title on the paperback cover and the author’s name practically disappears.  I might be going out on a limb here, but isn’t the whole point of the cover for readers to be able to recognize the book?  If so, wouldn’t it be crucial for the title and author’s name to be readable?

Of the covers I’m discussing today, this is the only one where I haven’t read the book yet.  If I saw these two covers on the shelf side-by-side, I would definitely reach for the hardcover and wouldn’t even look twice at the paperback.  I mean, how unbelievable is that hardcover?  It’s so disturbing and haunting and shows me what the book is about without telling the whole story.  It’s deliciously creepy!

The paper back, on the other hand… um, seriously?  I don’t even know what to say because this cover is so opposite to the essence and core of the hardcover.  All I know is that this looks generic and cheesy; this cover has no personality whatsoever.  I actually had to double-check to make sure these were covers for the same book because when I first saw them, I thought they couldn’t possibly be telling the same story.

In the end, I don’t understand why publishers feel they have to change these gorgeous hardcovers and replace them with generic-looking mass-market-y designs.  Wouldn’t it be an added cost to redesign a cover?  (i.e. Investing more designer hours into the project, not to mention a possible photo shoot for new cover images.)  If they already have a beautiful cover that works, why redesign it to make it uglier and less appealing?  Or maybe these redesigns do have some appeal to teens–though I doubt it because teens are generally way smarter than adults and they wouldn’t fall for gimmicky bells and whistles like these.  I’m really perplexed about this, so someone please explain it to me because I just don’t understand.

Still craving more YA-licious book covers?  Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words.  Check it out, then tell us what covers you love!

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature.  I’m your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.  We’ve also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned!  Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today’s Special is: Why Contemporary YA Rocks!

Have you been in a Barnes & Noble store lately?  A few months ago, I was browsing my favorite section (teen, duh) and was stunned to discover that they had re-shelved the books into new sub-genres.  There was one huge shelf for Teen Paranormal Romance, one for Teen Fantasy and Adventure and one shelf labeled Teen, which I’m assuming was supposed to house “everything else.”

Am I the only person in the world who is horrified by this idea?

For starters, I have serious doubts about separating teen literature from the general fiction section because this type of division does nothing more than imply value judgments as to some books being “real literature” and some being “just for teens.”  Not to mention that there are so many books that cross the teen-adult barrier, it’s hard to know what to do with these books.  Do we shelve them in both sections?  Make an executive decision?  There are some countries where teen literature and adult literature are shelved together and it seems to work just fine.  What is it with our American culture that makes us want to quarantine teen literature in its own special section?

And now, the largest book chain is also dividing teen literature according to sub-genres.  I suppose I can see the sales motivation behind this idea.  Paranormal romance and teen fantasy are really hot right now, so why not make it easy for teens to find the books they really want to read, right?

Wrong.

When all sub-genres of Teen Fiction were shelved together, there was a good chance that readers looking for some paranormal teen stuff would also come across a “quieter” contemporary book or something historical.  Maybe a reluctant reader who fell in love with books because of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, will discover Carolyn Mackler’s books (for instance The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things).  These books are also about teens and romance, and would be shelved right nearby to boot.

It also goes both ways.  Just like a fantasy-reader might pick up a piece of contemporary YA because it’s right next to Twilight on the shelf, there may also be a teen who reads only contemporary YA but would be drawn to a work of fantasy while browsing.  But now that the books are separated by genre in the teen section, the likelihood of that happening are next to nil.

And while I love fantasy and dystopian YA and even some paranormal romance, I also believe we have to respect the contemporaries.  These books show us life as it is in the here and now.  The stories aren’t set in some crazy futuristic world and people don’t have magic powers.  In fact, the magic of contemporary YA comes from seeing ourselves (or our teen selves) in the stories.

In the end, separating genres within the teen section seems ridiculous to me.  In fact, it seems almost dangerous.  Personally, I don’t believe in separating books by genre or age-group.  Who’s to say that some books are for kids of one age and not for kids of another?  The minute you start separating books or limiting access to certain books, you’re only a small step away from banning them altogether.

This is why, in my new home, I have decided to shelve all works of fiction and narrative non-fiction (from all genres and age groups) mixed together.  I’ve alphabetized by author’s last name, but that is for pragmatic reasons only (so I can actually find the books I’m looking for without having to tear apart the whole house).  I have E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web right next to Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.  I have Virgil (translations and original Latin text) on the shelf next to Rachel Vail’s Brilliant.

By putting all my books of all genres together, I like to think I’m taking one tiny step toward conceptualizing genres as equal, rather than “separate but equal.” (Based on history, we all know how well “separate but equal” turned out in the past.  Why, oh why can’t we humans ever learn?)  OK, so I may not be able change the world with one bookshelf, but it’s a start.

What do you think?  Should books be separated by genre or age group?

Still craving more jolts of YA-licious java?  Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words.  Check it out, then tell us why you love contemporary YA!

BONUS!  To celebrate today’s topic we’re giving away a signed copy of a seriously awesome piece of contemporary YA literature: Sara Zarr’s Story of a Girl.  Ghenet and I got a chance to meet Sara Zarr at the SCBWI conference and she was so inspiring.  Here’s a picture of us with her:


Details about the contest…

 All you have to do to enter the contest is fill out the form either below.  You’ll get extra entries for leaving comments here or on About Them Words.  Deadline is next Wednesday, March 2nd at 11:59PM EST. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s YA Cafe post. Good luck!
 

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature.  I’m your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.  We’ve also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned!  Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today’s Special is: The Teen-10

• I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President (Josh Lieb)  An evil mastermind running for eighth grade class president?  Hilarious!  This kid has such a great voice, it cracks me up.  Some readers might also not fully appreciate the voice, but chances are that’s because they’re just not smart enough to appreciate the sheer genius that is this book (and this character).  Then again, it’s easy to overlook genius in its own time.

• The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things (Carolyn Mackler)
A funny, heartfelt book about a girl who’s struggling to live up to the unrelenting standards of her seemingly perfect family.  It was a tough call between this book by Carolyn Mackler and two of her others (Vegan Virgin Valentine and Tangled) but I chose this one for my Teen-10 because it’s the one that spoke to me on the most personal level.  Anyone who’s ever felt a little too fat or not good enough will relate to this heroine.

• Geektastic (Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci)
This collection of short stories captures geekdom on all it’s geekish levels.  Geektastic has all sorts of geeky goodness represented here–from trekkies and techies–the stories are written by bona fide members of the “nerd herd.”  Why I love this book: first there’s the sheer inspiration factor; being a geek doesn’t condemn you to a lifetime of awkward loneliness (these writers are living proof).  Second (in number but not in awesomeness) this book intermingles short stories with super-funny comics.  What’s not to love?

• Feed (M. T. Anderson)
Feed is one of my favorite books of all time and it most definitely wins the prize for best first line in a novel EVER.  I can’t think of what else to tell you that won’t seem meaningless, because no summary can do justice to the awesome that is this book.  But I’ll try.  Here goes.  Imagine a world where everyone has the internet pumped directly into their brains.  Sound scary?  Maybe because it’s not too far from being reality.

• The Looking Glass Wars (Frank Beddor) 
Alice in Wonderland meets Star Wars.  If you don’t find that unbelievably awesome, you need to get your head examined.  ’nuff said.

• What I Saw and How I Lied (Judy Blundell)
When I read What I Saw and How I Lied I read it practically in one gulp because I couldn’t put it down.  Now, let me just say this… with all interwebby awesome out there and reruns of Law and Order on just about every cable channel, the temptation to put a book down is pretty big.  But this book grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and would not let me go.

• Ice (Sarah Beth Durst)
Who would have thought a book entitled Ice would be so warm, heartfelt and passionate?  The relationship between Cassie and Bear is loving, sexy, and real.  I love how this book combines elements from so many different genres and styles; it has the flavor of a folktale with the structure of a fairytale and the strong-yet-vulnerable female protagonist of contemporary YA.  A breath-taking book.

• True Believer (Virginia Euwer Wolff)
Of course I had to include a verse novel on this list because verse novels are among my favorites.  This book makes my Teen-10 because when I read True Believer (book 2 in the Make Lemonade series), I detested it.  I thought it was sappy and silly and ridiculous.  The thing is, when a book makes me feel so viscerally against it, I often have to go back and take a second look.  In this case, I decided to go back and read book 1 in the series (Make Lemonade) and it’s positively lovely and made me reconsider my feelings about True Believer.  When a book (or in this case, author) wins me over on a second read, it often becomes a favorite of mine.  It’s as though I end up liking it all the more because I disliked it so much at first.  This is one of those books.  The other book I felt like this about is now my number-one-all-time-favorite-book:
Pride and Prejudice.

 

• The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) 
A book narrated by Death?  A story about the power of words?  Love, war, friendship, betrayal, family and sacrifice all woven together?  The Book Thief is a bibliophile’s dream.  Seriously.  When I read this book, I cried almost the whole way through.  Not because this book is sad (which it is, by the way) but because it’s so beautifully crafted that I kept thinking “I’ll never write like this!”  My writerly insecurities aside, if you haven’t read this book, you need to.  Right now.  Seriously, step away from your computer and Read. This. Book.

• If I Stay (Gayle Forman)
This book made me cry.  So much so that I couldn’t read the ending right away because vision was blurry.  Seriously, I had to get up and make a cup of tea so I could collect myself and read those last few pages.  This book has special meaning for me, for reasons I can’t quite explain here.  Suffice to say, this is a heart-wrenching but beautiful book.  Read it with a box of tissues.

Welcome to YA Cafe, a place where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature.  I’ll be your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.  Each Friday we’ll pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.


The fun won’t stop there, though.  We’ve got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways!  Join the discussion by sharing your thoughts in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Today’s Special: Why do we love teen literature?

The easy answer would be to say “um, because teen literature is AWESOME” and leave it at that.  But the point of these YA Cafe discussions is to move past these easy answers and dig deep into what’s really important.  The truth is, I owe that classic The Catcher in the Rye* for my love of teen literature.  This book sparked my love affair with YA, not because I loved it, but because was the first book I ever read that made me truly angry.

*Note: Technically, Salinger’s novel is not YA because it was originally written for adults, but it captures the teen voice so well that it has been adopted as part of teen literature.

When I finally read this book in eleventh grade, I was just about the last person in my grade–no, the whole planet–who hadn’t read it already.  Everyone raved about how amazing it was and how they either wanted to marry Holden Caulfield or be him.  I’ll admit, I enjoyed the first paragraph or so, but right around page two I started hating Holden.  Yes, you heard me right: I hated him.  It was a visceral hatred, an emotion that had hitherto been reserved for only the worst things in my life: Phys Ed, my arch-nemesis and cooked carrots.  But now, here was this fictional character–this whiny little pissant–lodged firmly in that category of all-that-is-evil-in-Gabi’s-world.

The more I read, the more I wanted to slam the book shut and use it to smack Holden Caulfield upside the head.  And yet I kept reading.  Secretly, I hoped somewhere along the story, Holden would get run over by a cement mixer.  (Spoiler Alert: He doesn’t.  I was gravely disappointed.)

But what does this have to do with why I care about teen literature?  While other types of books might transport me somewhere magical or teach me something valuable, teen literature is the only type of book that can elicit this level of emotion.  Reading Cather in the Rye and hating Holden made me realize what amount of a character’s crap I’m willing to forgive, and what crosses the line to something I will not tolerate.  There are two types of people in the world: those who think Holden Caulfield is awesome and those who hate his guts.  I’m one of the latter.

Hi, my name is Gabi and I love teen literature.

Fellow barista, Ghenet at All About Them Words, shares her thoughts on her blog.  Check it out, then tell us why you love teen literature.