the answer to the question: which two teen books were named by teens as influential?

A few days ago I made reference here to books that appeared on lists prepared for me by the twenty-four uber-talented teen writers selected for the National YoungArts program, being held this week in Miami.  I'd asked the young writers for the names of books that had changed their idea of story, on the one hand, and their idea of language, on the other.  Only two had been published for teens. 

I then asked you, my faithful blog readers, what you thought those two titles might be. 

The first, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, was guessed by many of you.  The book that did not appear in your comments was the second—Maggie Stiefvater's Scorpio Races.  I'm spending some time thinking about all this—and I'll be reporting back on my thoughts as they come into clearer focus.

Thanks to all of you for playing along with me.  I'll post another contest soon, so that that promised copy of Small Damages finds its proper home.

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Book Blogger Appreciation Week: An Honor and, yes, an Appreciation

Now that the Book Bloggers Appreciation Week long-list nominees have been announced, I want to thank the organizers of this event and the cast of nominators for placing Beth Kephart Books into consideration for best Published Author Blog alongside the blogs of Maggie Stiefvater, Veronica Roth, and Beth Revis. I am honored to share this platform with them.  I also celebrate those who have been nominated in categories ranging from Best Audiobook Blog and Classics Book Blog to Kidlit Book Blog, Historical Fiction Book Blog, Literary Fiction Book Blog, and Young Adult Book Blog, among others. I encourage you all to take a look at the lists and to visit those blogs to which you have not already traveled.

Those bright lights who organize this event do it for no other reason than to celebrate those who are passionate about reading and books.  Where, I ask you, would we be without them?

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The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction

I'd love to know how many of you are out there following this thread of Room for Debate on the Opinion Pages of the New York Times.  The question is:  "Why do bestselling young adult novels seem darker in theme now than in past years?  What's behind this dystopian trend, and why is there so much demand for it?"

The chosen debaters are Paolo Bacigalupi, Maggie Stiefvater, Jay Parini, Scott Westerfeld, Andrew Clements, Michelle Ann Abate, and Lisa Rowe Fraustino, with many others chiming in.

I rather like the tact Maggie Stiefvater takes.  I value Paolo Bacigalupi's sensibilities as a writer.  I have long struggled, especially since chairing the Young People's Literature jury for the National Book Awards in 2001, with the questions posited by Michelle Ann Abate.

What do you think?

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