I <3 YA Literature

Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend the Young Adult Library Services of American Young Adult Literature Symposium in Nashville. (Wow. That's a serious mouthful.) It was excellent. Every session I attended was crammed full of great information, I walked away with a mile long list of great books to order, and I even got to meet a few YA authors!

The best part, however, was that I didn't have to go alone. I got to spend my time in Nashville was some very familiar faces.

Miss Tammy and Mrs. Burkeen,

the Marshall County Young Adult Literature Dazzling Duo.

(Yeah, I totally just made that up.)

TooDee enjoys a session about "Thrilling Young Adults".

She was surprised to find that no one mentioned

roller coasters or haunted houses.

And now TooDee would like to share some of the things that she learned while in Nashville:

1. Librarians are little people. They all seemed closer to my height than Miss Tammy's. Actually, I think Miss Tammy may exceed the maximum height for YA Librarians.

2. Gene Yang, author of Printz Prize Winner American Born Chinese, is quite possibly the coolest person on earth.

3. YA Librarians are all Mac users. Also, Miss Tammy sometimes cries over the fact that she doesn't have a MacBook when she thinks no one is looking.

4. YA Librarians like to knit. In the middle of conference sessions.

5. Not all YA Librarians carry around stuffed purple monsters. Isn't that odd?

The Votes Are In

In case you haven't noticed from all the really annoying ads on television, the voting season is upon us. While there are still a couple of more days before we get to pick our nation's leader, the votes for the Teens' Top Ten have already been tallied. And what book did the nation's Young Adults pick as the best book of 2008? (Drumroll, please........) Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.

Ummmmm....what?????

First, let me clear up some confusion that may be swirling. The nominations for Best Book occurs during April of each year. That means in only five months they will be taking the nominations for the 2009 Teens' Top Ten. So, obviously, Eclipse was not eligible for the 2007 year (when it was actually released), but instead for the 2008 year.

So, what's my problem? I mean, I am Miss Tammy. No one loves Bella and Edward more than me.

My problem is that other 2007 book that qualified for the 2008 Teens' Top Ten. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, which came in second place.

Now, I don't mean to question the opinion of the American teenager or to show any disrespect for Stephenie Meyer, but seriously? Eclipse is better than Deathly Hallows? Eclipse, where Bella tends to be selfish, Edward overbearing, and Jacob a complete creep? That's better than the most amazing ending to the most spectacular book series to have ever existed? How on earth can Victoria getting ripped to shreds compare to the hard-won victory against Lord Voldemort? Is this not disrespectful to the memory of Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Hedwig, and *sob* Dobby?

I'm interested in what you guys have to say about the Teens' Top Ten. Be sure to leave your opinion in the comments section.