Like many of you, I read the Wall Street Journal Weekend opinion piece, “Darkness Too Visible: Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity,” and am beside myself with what? Outrage? Not really … annoyance … I am exasperated by yet another article/essay/editorial expressing the writer’s dismay at the state of young adult fiction. Oh the horror! (I imagine hands thrown in the air in front of the Barnes and Noble teen rack). The dystopia! (I imagine a mother’s face with mouth shaped in an oval like classic Munch paingint, The Scream). For heaven’s sake give it a rest. There is as wide a range of genres in Young Adult fiction as in adult — mystery, chick lit, romance, historical fiction, adventure, trauma, survival, speculative fiction, sports, light humor, and books set in other cultures. Do you make your adult reading selections from the mass market rack at the Seven/Eleven? Accompanying the article, the Wall Street Journal offers links to other points of view:

On Twitter, the hashtag #YAsaves asks readers to talk about how YA fiction has affected them (highlights gathered here — use the arrow key on your computer to scroll through. LOVE this one: “If adolescence is a cage, books are the key.”). Libba Bray’s defense, in thr form of tweets, are gathered here Plus, there is a link to an essay by author Christopher John Farley in the WSJ “Speakeasy” blog, Should Young Adult Books Explore Difficult Issues?

We should also add, Laurie Halse Anderson’s eloquent response to Mrs. Gurdan’s concerns. Let me add mine. Even if you accept Meghan Cox Gurdon’s premise (which I don’t; I also don’t accept her absurd generalizations about the state of mind of the editors of the books she decries), just off the top of my head, there are recent alternatives that show the true bredth of YA fiction:

A contemporary teen looking and finding meaning and passion in her life through a satisfying retail job despite a not-so-perfect home life — Rules of the Road, Joan Bauer (Speak/Penguin, 2005). Or every other title by Joan Bauer.

Young adult fiction gives us the opportunity to see the world from other points of view whether it is half way around the world as in Deborah Ellis’s examination of what it is to be female in Taliban- ruled Afghanistan — The Breadwinner (Groundwoood, 2001). Or, experience the forced deportations during WW II of Eastern Europeans to Siberian camps in Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, (Philomel/Penguin, March, 2011). Uplifting? Strong generational bonds with an urban community coming together sans what could be considered realistic vernacular language — where was your review of We Could be Brothers by Derrick Barnes (Scholastic, 2010)?

What about a great summer reads — fresh, funny and emotionally engaging? May I introduce your teen to Jordan Sonnenblick’s Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie (Scholastic, 2005) or Notes from A Midnight Driver (Scholastic, 2006)?

Something really light, funny and meaty? Do not pass go, grab Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries (HarperTeen, 2000). Already saw the movie? The books are better.

Is that teen of yours in a post Harry Potter/ Lightning Thief phase but enjoys word play and social satire? Perhaps this a perfect time to introduce her to Tiffany Aching, the wee big witch and her ever-watchful companions the wee free men in Terry Pratchett’s four volume Discworld series (HarperCollins).

Wait, wait, I have it–the deep psychological twists of Donna Jo Napoli’s fairytale retellings;  Zel, (Puffin/Penguin) Beast (Simon Pulse, 2004) and Bound (Atheneum, 2004).

Epic fantasy? Shannon Hale’s, Goose Girl, (Bloomsbury, 2003). Court intrigue, romance and politics? The Queen’s Thief series, (Greenwillow), from Megan Whalen Turner.

Want a little Steampunk? Scott Westerfield’s Leviathan series, (Simon Pulse, 2009) with its alternative history set during WWI should keep the teen busy for a while and a prolific speculative fiction genre if the kids gets a taste for it…see Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (HarperTeen 2003),

Whoops my thoughts were hijacked by Dystopian fiction. I can’t stop myself…AHHRRRR…

Just reissued with traffic-stopping new covers is Westerfield’s Uglies series (Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras; Simon Pulse). Set in a future where plastic surgery is the norm and conformity is the only way to succeed. These are thought-provoking, page-turning adventures. And as long as we have stopped here, a teenager’s attraction to dystopian fiction is not new… lets start with 1984 … This Perfect Day …  Alas Babylon and A Canticle for Lebowitz, all read by this writer as an eighth grader. Dark? Wasn’t Lord of the Flies required reading in the ‘70s?

And please, while I am on this topic, have you actually read The Hunger Games? On its surface. it is about teens fighting each other to the death. Dig a little deeper…if I may quote from my own review,

One of the most pleasurable aspects of the book is the treatment of the contrasting Districts and their struggles. When Katniss finds an unlikely ally in slight birdlike Rue, we find out that even in the agricultural districts the farmers are starving, a faint echo of the Irish Famine. The behavior of the oppressed may remind readers of the occupants of the Warsaw or Lodz Ghettos, with the internal hierarchy of governing class that collaborated with the oppressors to maintain order. Other elements of the society bring to mind the former Soviet Union’s domination of satellite states. No one will miss the similarity of the inhabitants of the Capitol to some present-day citizens of the United States, who combine an obsession for entertainment and celebrities with a blindness toward those who are suffering. Are these topics for seventh graders? Twelve-year-olds are certainly familiar with these themes. In the microcosm on the classroom, children experience cruelty and deprivation, some just trying to survive to adulthood. Behind closed doors some are abused, and small kindnesses take on disproportionate meaning. Survival sometimes depends on letting others help. A good classroom culture emphasizes the need in a strong community for compassionate members who care for the weakest. Young readers will be able divine a deeper meaning from what on the surface might seem to be the depiction of a violent reality-television show.

Turning our eyes to supernatural romance–werewolves anyone? Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, (Scholastic, 2009) is an insightful examination of a teen whose parents neglect borders on abuse. Oh, yeah, and not all vampire books are created equal. Perhaps we have overlooked The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks, (Harcourt Children’s, 2009), the most accurate portrayal of an adolescent living and surviving with chronic illness.

Mrs. Gurdan states that “Adolescence is brief; it comes to each of us only once, so whether the debate has raged for eons doesn’t, on a personal level, really signify.” I beg to differ … looking back adolescence is brief. However, while living it, adolescence is endless. Darker themes are actually perfect for this age group. Books that address dysfunctional families, addictive and harmful behaviors,like cutting and bullying, let teens know that that they are not alone. Songs like “Hold On” and “Everybody Hurts” speak to the high rates of teen suicide. Wouldn’t we want YA authors to deal with these difficult topics?

Summer debuts arrive in force, fueled by strong hype from BEA, in the case of Daniel Wilson’s Robopocalypse. There are plenty of returning fiction favorites, including a posthumous offering from E. Lynn Harris, and a much-anticipated new novel by Ann Patchett. In nonfiction, watch for a rising memoir about a young journalist who decides to follow Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice and do something every day that scares her.

Watch List

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (Doubleday) is a thriller set in the near future, about what happens when our technology unites and turns against us. Nancy Pearl said it’s a “really good book” in her interview at BEA, where it was heavily promoted, and USA Today tips it as a hot summer read, but critic Ron Charles calls it a suspense-less “groaner” in the Washington Post. Steven Spielberg will direct the film version, which he signed based on a 100 page sample he saw before the book was acquired by Jason Kaufman – the editor who discovered Dan Brown.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton (Crown) is a debut thriller about a woman investigating her sister’s death, which she is convinced was not a suicide.  It’s garnered enthusiasm from librarians on the Early Word Galley Chat, and is an Indie Next Pick for June. LJ calls it “beautifully written with an unexpected twist at the end.”

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai (Viking/Penguin) is a debut novel about a librarian and a young boy obsessed with reading who take a crazy road trip from Missouri to Vermont. Of this Indie Next #4 pick for June, LJ says, “Librarians may beef that Lucy’s reading suggestions and Makkai’s descriptions of library practice are not current, but the general public probably won’t notice. Overall, a stylish and clever tale for bibliophiles who enjoy Jasper Fforde and Connie Willis.”

Returning Favorites

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (Harper) ) takes place deep in the Amazon jungle, where a pharmaceutical researcher searches for her missing mentor. In the New York Times, Janet Maslin is equivocal, finding it not quite up to Patchett’s usual standard. People, however, gives it their highest accolade; four stars and a “People Pick.” The Wall Street Journal has an interview with the author.

Best Staged Plans by Claire Cook (Hyperion) is the tale of an empty nester reinventing her life, and is an Indie Next #5 Pick for June. PW says, “there is a lot going on in this sometimes wacky tale of an ambitious micromanager forced to accept that the whole world cannot be staged, but there’s never any doubt Sandy will embrace her less than perfect life.”

No One in the World: A Novel by E. Lynn Harris and R.M. Johnson (Simon & Schuster) was completed by Johnson after bestseller Harris’s untimely death.  It’s a tale of estranged twins — one a defense attorney, the other a criminal — reconciling to organize their late father’s estate – with a gay twist, of course.

Murder One by Robert Dugoni (Touchstone) is the fourth installment in the series featuring Seattle attorney David Sloane. LJ and PW agree it’s the best yet in the series. You can watch Nancy Pearl interview him on Book Lust.

Usual Suspects

Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley) is installment #20 of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. PW finds it “as punchy as her first foray.”

Young Adult

Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham (Doubleday) is the sequel to the author’s bestselling foray into YA fiction with a “kid lawyer.”

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books) is about a tightly wound but ordinary teenager who is unusually susceptible to the creeps and the willies, Her story is told within a framework of 50 vintage photographs. LJ says, “It’s an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very scary monsters.”

Nonfiction

Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America by Ann Coulter (Crown)  is the authors eighth indictment of the current American political scene.

My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir by Noelle Hancock is a young journalist’s account of her year spent following Eleanor Roosevelt’s classic advice to “do something every day that scares you.”  Booklist says, “with the greatest of ease, Hancock weaves a funny, compelling, true story of self-discovery.” She was on the Today Show this week.

UPDATE: This project has been dropped by Universal, but the producers are still shopping it around.

The first title in the Melissa Marr series, Wicked Lovely (Harper Teen), is being made into a movie at Universal. Vince Vaughn is producing and Mary Harron (American Psycho) has just been hired to direct. She just completed The Moth Diaries, based on the debut vampire novel by Rachel Klein (Counterpoint, 2002). No release date has been set for it.

The series of five books is a modern faerie story which began in 2007 with Wicked Lovely; the final book, Darkest Mercy, came out in February. All five were on the NYT Children’s and YA best seller list. Her adult novel, Graveminder, came out in last month.

Below are links to the BEA programs that were audio or videotaped by Book Expo, C-Span’s Book TV (they recorded and broadcast the Librarian’s Shout ‘n’ Share program) and, in one case, an attendee. Now you, too, can hear The Office‘s Mindy Kaling (she has a book of essays coming in the fall), describe the BEA crowd as looking, “…like a high-school reunion where all the jocks died in a plane crash on the way to regionals, and the plane crash killed all the minorities too.”

BEA is adding new videos as they become available (click here for the most recent list).

Also, we’ve included a list of all the titles mentioned on the Shout ‘n’ Share program.

(more…)

Martin Scorsese may do a film about the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton love story, based on last year’s book, Furious Love by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger (Harper, 6/10), Deadline reports.

Deadline claims that the book “got 100 passes” when it was originally offered for a movie deal, and that Taylor’s death and the resulting media focus on her relationship with Burton changed all that.

Months ago, however, the UK Telegraph reported that Mike Nichols wanted to direct an adaptation of the book, starring Angelina Jolie. There is no news on who Scorsese is considering, but it looks like Jolie is set to play Cleopatra, a role Taylor was famous for, in an adaptation of Stacy Schiff’s biography of the queen directed by David Fincher (The Social Network and the upcoming English-language version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Scorsese has a few other irons in the fire. He is currently finishing up Hugo Cabret, his first 3D movie, which comes out Nov. 23, He has announced several other possible projects including  Silence, (based on the novel by award-winning Japanese writer, Shusaku Endo), The Irishman, (based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Steve Zaillian), and a Frank Sinatra biopic.

In today’s New York Times, Janet Maslin turns her attention to a book that has appeared on most summer reading lists, Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder (Harper; coming out next week, June 7).

She say that Patchett proved herself able to “coax unrelated elements into magically coherent narratives” in her novels Bel Canto and Run, but that this one is “unexpectedly meandering” and takes a long time to hit its stride. When it does, however, she says it rises to the level of author’s usual work.

The film adaptation of the John Le Carre classic, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, has just  been scheduled for release on November 18 of this year. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In, 2008; which based on the vampire novel of the same title by Norwegian author John Ajvide Lindqvist), it stars Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

The release date pits it against Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1. Speaking of which, a 15-second teaser for the trailer has appeared online; the full trailer that will appear on the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night. It’s causing paroxysms of joy among fans, since it shows a bit of the much-anticipated wedding between Bella and Edward (no dress, though. Presumably, that is being held for the Music Awards).

NPR cuts through the season’s usual “action, adventure, romance and fantasy” titles to spotlight “some stellar novels and nonfiction, pearls of serious literature to cut through the humidity.” The list of fifteen titles is lead by Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder (coming out next week from Harper); The Kid, by Sapphire (Penguin, July 8), which is the follow up to Precious and one thrlller, a GalleyChat favorite, Before I Go To Sleep (June 14, Harper).

The May 30th finale of La Reina Del Sur, Telemundo’s Spanish-language series based on the novel of the same title by Spanish novelist Arturo Pérez-Reverte achieved the highest ratings for its time slot, regardless of language

The finale also gave a boost to the Spanish-language tie-in, a thriller about a Mexican woman who becomes the head of one of the biggest drug trafficking rings in the south of Spain. It rose to #196 on Amazon sales rankings; the English translation (Plume, 2005), rose as well, but only to #2,461.

In December, Alfaguara released the tie-in edition of the 2002 book.

La Reina del Sur – Media Tie-In / The Queen of the South (Spanish Edition) Arturo Pérez-Reverte Retail Price: $14.99 Paperback: 544 pages Publisher: Alfaguara – (2010-12-20) ISBN / EAN: 1616053232 / 9781616053239

Lionsgate has been spinning marketing gold out of each new casting announcement for the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. Yesterday, the studio announced that the role of tyrannical President Snow, the ruler of the dystopian universe Panem, will be played by veteran actor Donald Sutherland.

If you need a quick review, the online version of E! offers a handy scorecard of the cast.

The film is scheduled for release on March 23, 2012. Directed by Gary Ross, it has begun shooting in North Carolina.

Now that The Hunger Games is set, the media is turning their attention to the casting of The Mortal Instruments based on the first three books in the series by Cassandra Clare.

Actress Lily Collins (The Blind Side) won the lead earlier and Jamie Campbell Bower just scored the male lead as Jace. He plays King Arthur in the Starz cable channel series, Camelot.