CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association of the ALA, has released its 2009 selection of the best books of the year for young adult readers (BBYA).

Although weighted towards North American titles, there is a smattering of authors from other places, including our own Margo Lanagan for Tender Morsels, Melina Marchetta for [On the] Jellicoe Road and Juliet Marillier for Cybele’s Secret.

This list is always a useful guide to help develop a YA fiction collection.

This is a little off topic, but the thread on Terrible Books on the yalsa listserv is taking on a life of its own. It’s worth sharing, just to remind us to weed regularly.

The blog of two Michigan public librarians, Awful Library Books, brings the old, the ugly, the politically incorrect into the spotlight. All are real examples of books found in today’s collections. They are both cringeworthy and hilarous.

The yalsa people are talking about their own ‘treasures’ on list. One gem: I’m glad I’m a boy! I’m glad I’m a girl! a 1970 number by Whitney Darrow. Embarrassed to find it on her shelves, the librarian concerned was even more astonished to learn that it was exactly what the patron was seeking for their child.

Turns out this was published as a satire – a detail that has been lost over the decades. Salutory. Off to your collections and see what you find. And let us know.