Week 12 Prompt Response

I remember that when I was a teenager, my mom (who is a huge reader) could often be found reading YA books. At the time I remember thinking it was something unique to her - that she just enjoyed those books so she read them. As I got older, I realized that lots of adults (myself included) read and enjoy YA books. I personally like them because I find them not to be as graphic as some adult fiction books. I know there are plenty of YA books that deal with heavy topics, but I tend to choose lighter stories because that’s what I like to read. (See my YA annotation below for Tweet Cute as an example.)

I think because I enjoy YA books, I can easily relate to other adults who enjoy this genre. As future librarians, I think we should encourage people to read whatever genre of book they want. Here are three simple ideas to do that:

1. Shelf displays: I came across this idea when I was researching passive readers’ advisory options for our paper a few weeks ago. This simple shelf display shows one version of a book, and then encourages patrons to read it another way. The image below is from a librarian in CA named Heather Gruenthal, who often pairs novels with graphic novels. You could just as easily pair an adult novel with a YA novel, or an adult novel with a graphic novel. Having that clever sign in the middle lets patrons know there is some kind of link between the books, and not just 2 books placed randomly on the shelf.

2. Book Bundles: When my kids were toddlers, I would often grab some of the book bundles my library placed near the check out desk. These had 3-4 books that all revolved around the same theme, and it was super convenient to pick up a book bundle on, say, trucks, if that’s what my son was into at the moment. I think libraries could assemble book bundles that incorporated YA books and graphic novels with adult books. For example, the books below all deal with ramen. One is a graphic novel, one is a cookbook, and one is a memoir:

3. Book Clubs: When I observed a book club for our book club assignment, the club was called Young @ Heart, and it was designed specifically for adults who like to read YA books. Clubs like this are a great way to promote YA literature and show that it’s more than okay if adults want to read these titles.