How to Survive Anything - Gender Inequality

Last week I cataloged two items for the children's graphic novel collection. These two books made me very angry:

They seem innocent enough when you first glance at them. They are yet another installment in the "survival guide" genre, telling kids how to deal with various circumstances. These titles stand out with their graphic novel approach to the genre.

A closer look, however, shows that apparently boys and girls need to be prepared to survive very different circumstances. The boys' book give useful advice on how to handle shark attacks, how to navigate using the stars, and how to escape from quicksand. The girls' book, on the other hand, deals with more social elements: How to throw a great sleepover, how to handle a fight with your BFF, and how to get ready for soccer try-outs.

Seriously? According to these books, all boys are outdoorsmen in exotic lands, while girls have nothing at all to worry about except for parents, zits, and friends. This is so insulting to members of both genders. Boys need a guide to social situations just as much as girls do since I'm pretty sure that boys need to interact with their peers too. And there is absolutely no reason why a girl won't need advice on how to prevent a polar bear from attacking you. Pretty sure that the polar bear doesn't care what your gender is.

There is a single survival tip that can be found in both the boys' and girls' volumes: How to Survive a Zombie Attack. Clearly Scholastic's editors know what's really important. But even this piece of advice is presented on unequal footing. The girls' book encourages girls to use their brains and suggests evasion tactics. The boys' book includes some instruction on evasion, but also suggests creating a shelter and bonking zombies on the head with a baseball bat as a way of stopping them. So while girls get to run away, boys get to kick some zombie butt.

What's especially irritating is that on the cover of the girls' book we see a girl harnessed up on a zip line, seemingly ready for adventure. But there is no adventure advice to be found in this graphic novel. Of course, the fact that the girl is also holding her cell phone should probably have been a hint.

Overall Grade: D

Diversity in Teen Lit

Who are the heroes in Young Adult literature? I've stumbled upon two very interesting articles that really get into which teens are represented and - perhaps more importantly - which ones are not in recent YA titles.

This article, compiled by blogger Tiana Smith, talks about the physical descriptions of female protagonists in 50 of the hottest teen novels from this year. Apparently the old adage used to describe heroines in medieval fairy tales is still true as blonde = beautiful. Most characters, however, are brunettes described as "ordinary" or "almost beautiful."

This blog post by Kate Hart looks at the covers of YA books from 2011 and breaks down what is featured there. It's a pretty extensive study as she looks at race, gender, colors, and other items in great detail. Apparently publishers think that white girls in pretty dresses sell books.

This whole issue which kinds of characters are presented in teen books is worth considering. Are we doing teens a disservice by not featuring more diversity in our books? Are girls in pretty dresses affecting teen self esteem in the same way that beauty magazines can? It's food for thought.

New Kids' Reads

It's been quiet here in Library Land. Almost too quiet. The weather is turning nice and kids are spending their time outside isntead of in the library.

So to hold us over until my next interesting, blog-able story comes along, here are a few books from the kids' room that I'm looking forward to reading:

Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger
I'm a big fan of Angleberger's The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, and I'm excited to see what he can do this this book. In this title a young boy tries to take over the world with the help of his impressive fake mustache. I've been promised that hilarity ensues.

Little Dog, Lost by Marion Dane Bauer
A novel in verse telling the story of a boy who needs a dog and a dog who needs a boy. I cataloged this book just this morning and it seems like it could be a real charmer.

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
Here's another book by an author who has pleased me in the past. This book is piece of historical fiction centered around school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1958. Just as with her 2009 novel The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had, Lavine pulls together the themes of friendship and bravery to tall a story dealing with race relations.

The Fairy Ring, or How Elsie and Francis Fool the World by Mary Losure
This work of non-fiction tells about the Cottingly Fairies hoax. Two girls staged photographs of fairies to get their parents to stop teasing them. Little did they know that this innocent deception would spiral far beyond their control.

The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood
I'm a super big fan of the "Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place" series, and I'm sure that this third volume will be lots of fun to read. I can't wait to get started!

Fractured Fairy Tales

I love a good fractured fairy tale. This month my book display in the teen area is full of such stories!


Here are just a few books that have made an appearance on this display:

Cloaked by Alex Flinn
This story is made up of bits of several different tales, including "The Elves and the Shoemaker," "The Six Swans," and "The Frog Prince." The crazy combinations keep this book interesting. Flinn has also written a number of other fairy tale renditions, including the popular Beastly.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
This novel is a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". The setting is especially intriguing in this version - it makes me think of 18th Century Europe. Also, the hero is a young man who knits. If you liked this one, also try the companion novel, Princess of Glass.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
This book takes many of "Little Red Riding Hood's" themes and builds a story fit for a modern setting. There are also supernatural elements as sisters Scarlett and Rosie hunt werewolves.

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
"Sleeping Beatury" meets the popular sci-fi genre in this book. Doesn't that sound like an intriguing combination?

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
A retelling of the fairy tale of the same name, in which a mistreated younger sister is blessed to have diamonds and flowers fall from her lips when she speaks. Her older step-sister attempts to earn the same blessing, but is cursed for her arrogance as snakes and toads fall from her mouth instead. This version is set in India.

The One And Only Ivan

Ivan is a silverback gorilla who lives at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. Ivan is used having humans visit him and rarely thinks about his former home in the jungle. Generally Ivan is content to sit in his domain, talk to his friends Stella the elephant and Bob the dog, watch television, and - best of all - create art with crayons and paper.

Things change, however, when business at the mall slows and visitors become few and far between. To bring in more business a baby elephant named Ruby is added to the mall's menagerie. Ruby is frightened. She misses her home in the jungle and her family. Suddenly Iven is forced to look at her situation - and his own - through new eyes. Finally Ivan has someone to protect, someone who needs a mighty silverback gorilla to provide for her. But what can Ivan do to change Ruby's situation when he is stuck in a cage?

There is so much to appreciate about this novel. First of all, The One and Only Ivan is a stunning, inspiring book full of emotional power. Author Katherine Applegate did a great job giving Ivan his own voice, using brief paragraphs and efficient, poetic languate to pull readers into Ivan's story. This style of writing really makes this book a page-turner. It's just beautifully written.

In many ways the writing reminds me of Kathi Appelet's 2009 Newbery Honor winner The Underneath with one important difference: I found The Underneath incredibly depressing. I love the fact that even though The One and Only Ivan gets into some serious issues regarding animal rights and captivity and even though parts of this book are sad (I'll admit that I teared up a few times), the story never becomes bogged down in sadness. There are plenty of hopeful, inspiring moments too and lots of well-developed character to love, and I truly feel that this tone makes The One and Only Ivan much more accessible to readers.

Overall Grade: A



Need more convincing? Check out the book trailer: