YAACING Teen Issue 2023

YAACING is the newsletter of the Young Adults and Children's Services section of the British Columbia Library Association. We publish articles by library workers serving children and teens and students in library professional and paraprofessional programs. Topics range from program and event report-backs, to book reviews, storytime ideas, literacy tips and more! If you would like to submit something for consideration, please email yaacing@gmail.com

contents

letters

letter from Rhiannon Wallace, YAACING President

letter from Emily Gow & Sabrina Gurniak, YAACING co-editors

news

Announcing the 2023 Youth Services Institute - YSI planning committee

Journey Through Time with the 2023 BC Summer Reading Club - Stephanie Usher

How to sign up for the BCLA YAACS forum - Kate Wood

columns

I'll Link to That: Top Teen Librarian Resources - Jbrary

New & Noteworthy Books - Sadie Tucker

features

Four Crafts to Try with Teens - Jean Broughton

Cardboard Armor Splashdown - Victoria Ellis

Manga for Teen Librarians - Matthew Murray & Jean Broughton

From Apple Pies to Astronauts Part Eight:

Alphabet

Books for Young Adults & Adults - Sarah Bagshaw

YAACING's editors would like to acknowledge that we work on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples including the Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səlílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam) Nations

This issue features pieces from what is currently known as Metro Vauncouver which includes ancestral and unceded territory from many nations If you would like to learn which territories you occupy, we recommend native-land.ca

Hello fellow YAACS adventurers,

I hope you had a wonderful February! Thank you once again to all of the wonderful contributors to this issue of YAACING. Each time an issue comes out, I am impressed all over again by the creativity, knowledge, and care that library workers and students throughout B.C. put into their work.

We look forward to seeing many of you at this year’s virtual Youth Services Institute. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, April 20 from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm. We are busy preparing for a great day of discussion and professional development. Keep an eye on the YAACS forum for more information and a Save the Date! Please also stay tuned for information about our Annual Section Meeting, which will take place virtually the evening of April 20.

I am also very pleased to announce that Emily Gow is our new Incoming President. You know Emily as one of our intrepid YAACING co-editors. We are excited to have her joining us as this year’s Incoming President, and as the President for 2023/2024. Welcome, Emily!

Without further ado, please enjoy another excellent issue of YAACING put together by our fabulous editors and contributors.

Rhiannon

Welcome to the first Teen focused issue of YAACING! We are thrilled with everyone’s enthusiasm over our new themed format. While change can be a little scary, this issues’ contributors have been nothing but inspiring.

In this issue you will find our usual research roundup from Jbrary, new books and alphabet books, but this time they are all focused on Teens. You will also find a roundup of Teen-approved crafts, great Manga suggestions and a template on how to run an epic water balloon fight.

Our next issue will be all things Early Years! We would love to hear about your experiences, tips, and tricks for working with babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Keep an eye on the BCLA Young Adult and Children’s Services forum for information on submission deadlines. You can also email us at yaacing@gmail.com

We also look forward to connecting with everyone at the upcoming virtual Youth Services Institute and at the AGM in April. Make sure you are an official member of YAACS so you can vote at the meeting. You can check your status by logging into the BCLA webpage and ticking the box next to Young Adults and Children’s Section on the My BCLA tab. The beautiful new site makes it easier than ever!

We hope you enjoy this issue of YAACING!

Emily & Sabrina

Journey through Time with BC Summer Reading Club 2023

From Stephanie Usher

It is hard to believe that we are gearing up for another year of BC Summer Reading Club when it feels like we were just getting All Together Now launched. We want to begin by thanking everyone for all the dedication that they show year after year making BC SRC a memorable tradition for your communities. It would be an understatement to say that the last three years have been a challenge, but we are happy to see that libraries are reporting statistics that almost match pre-pandemic numbers. More importantly, we are constantly touched by the many ways that SRC has brought your communities together during these unprecedented times. With this year’s time travel theme, we anticipate lots of nods to the distant (and not-so distant) past, present, and future.

BC SRC plans to continue to look at ways to provide an inclusive and accessible program and we are able to do this work thanks to a generous $100,000 grant from the Province of British Columbia’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Be sure to check the BC SRC staff website for upcoming training materials and resources to ensure you are running inclusive programs this summer.

And before we dive into details for this year’s SRC, we would like to take this time to thank our past Co-Chair Alicia Dobbs and the New Westminister Public Library for all her thoughtful contributions to the program over the last three years. While a typical co-chair run lasts 2 SRC cycles, Alicia (and her predecessor, Laura Zaytsoff) graciously stayed on an extra year as we navigated the uncertainties of the pandemic. Alicia was able to help BC SRC launch its first ever hybrid program and also take on the role of booklist content creator. We are so grateful for her continued service and expertise.

This year’s artwork:

When this year’s artist, Jeni Chen, pitched her concept of dinosaurs and robots for Journey through Time, we knew right away that we found someone who gets it. Jeni was able to capture the past, present, and future with her bright and bold characters that are bursting with personality. If you look closely, you’ll see the different ways that Jeni was able to incorporate this year’s sub-themes into the artwork. Be sure to check out Jeni’s debut picture book Emet’s Box and you can learn more about Jeni and her work at jenichen.com. Don’t forget to check out all the different art scenes on the BC SRC staff website

2023 Teen Issue - News - 8

This year’s sub-themes:

A big shout-out to our wonderful co-chairs who came up with this year’s sub-themes that encapsulate the various manifestations and expressions of time travel for programming this summer:

Dynamic Dinosaurs –Prehistoric life Living Large – Art, culture, daily life

Beautiful Builds –Architecture, buildings, bridges

Terrific Transportation – Transportation throughout history and what’s to come

Ingenious Inventions –Past, present, and future

Rollin’ with Retro –Retro classics

Far Out Future – What’s to come

2023 Teen Issue - SRC - 9

Jeni Chen, this year’s illustrator and artist based in Richmond BC

This year’s poster artwork created by Jeni Chen, which features all the fun and awesome characters.

Meet the 2023 SRC Team:

BC SRC is made possible by the hard work of many people, including our core team of co-chairs and content creators who help create the annual manual that many libraries across the province rely on for their programming. Thank you to everyone for their contributions and sharing their talent with the SRC community!

And a special thank you to Dr. Tess Prendergast of UBC’s iSchool for continuing to mentor and share her expertise for the manual’s inclusion review.

Jennie Castleton, Surrey LibrariesOutgoing Co-Chair

Kate WoodIncoming Co-Chair

Mehjabeen Ali and Surrey LibrariesActivity Sheets

Kelly Savage and Vancouver Public Library - Programs, Younger Kids (ages 5-8)

Alicia Dobbs and New Westminster Public LibraryBooklists

Corene Maret Brown and Port Moody Public Library - Storytimes

Erin Crowley and Fraser Valley Regional LibraryPrograms, Older Kids (ages 9-12)

Lastly, we would like to introduce Sabrina Gurniak as the new BC SRC Provincial Assistant for 2023! Sabrina is the current co-editor for YAACING and works as a Children’s Librarian at the Vancouver Public Library.

BC SRC is currently looking for a new co-chair for 2024! The term would begin in summer 2023 to begin the planning of next year’s program. Term commitments are for two SRC programs (in this case, 2024 and 2025). If you love all things BC SRC and currently work in one of BC’s public libraries and are involved with SRC in your library, please do not hesitate to apply. This is a wonderful professional development opportunity to get more involved with BC SRC on a provincial level, while sharing your insights into creating an inclusive, accessible, engaging, and dynamic program. For more information about applying, please visit the BC SRC Staff website and look for the volunteer page. Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2023 and the position will begin in July 2023.

For more information about this year’s BC SRC, please make sure to subscribe to the YAACS online forum (see our next piece for instructions!), follow @BC_SRC on Twitter, and visit www.bcsrc.ca/staff for updates.

Stephanie Usher lives, works, studies and plays on the traditional unceded homelands of xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)

Nations. She is the Provincial Coordinator for the BC Summer Reading Club, as well as a Library Technician in the Vancouver Public Library’s Children’s Library and MLIS candidate at UBC’s iSchool.

I'll Link to That: Top Teen Librarian Resources

So you're working with teens, huh? So you want to know all the best resources to support this work? I got you.

- Lindsey Krabbenhoft

The Research

If you want to stay in-the-know about current research on teens and their development then grab a copy of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. The American Psychological Association says this book "attempts to understand and explain teenagers to [the] readers while avoiding demonization of teens." You'll come away with a better understanding of why teens behave the way they do. This 2022 book is also recommended if you are specifically interested in teens and digital media (what are they doing on their phones all day?). If you're looking for research relating to teens in the library, check out The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults for free articles or see if your library provides free access to Young Adult Library Services, YALSA's awardwinning e-journal.

Programming

The most popular website for teen librarianship is undoubtedly Teen Librarian Toolbox. You'll get program inspo, book reviews, reflections, and more. Do not miss their giant page of Teen Programs in a Box (TPiB). You could spend hours clicking through the links! The Ontarian Librarian also has a great cache of programs for teens and tweens and my favourite thing about this blog is it provides all the resources for every activity. The maker movement has been very popular with teens and there is no shortage of resources out there. Make It @ Your Library is a browsable STEM activity list. On the YALSA blog you can find links to their Maker and DIY Programs wiki page and their 2014 Making in the Library toolkit. Need something a little more low-key? Check out this amazing article by Kelly Jensen on reaching teens subversively through passive programming. Lastly, there ain't no shame in scoping out other library websites to see what they are offering. No need to recreate the wheel!

Collections

First step? Sign up for the School Library Journal BeTeen newsletter which provides "the latest news and features on books, authors, library programs, and more for tweens and teens." It's a great way to see what's on the YA book horizon. Teen Librarian Toolbox mentioned above also does thorough book reviews, including from teen readers themselves. My personal favourite YA book review blogs are Forever Young Adult, Miss Print, and Reading As I Am. Lastly, the senior division of the Young Readers' Choice Awards provides top choices for teens.

For Discussion

I'll end this column by sharing a thought-provoking article by Teen Librarian Toolbox author Karen Jensen. She shares 9 ways to drive teen turnout at your library - and 4 ways to lose their attention. Do you agree? I encourage you to share with the staff at your library and get a discussion going.

Lindsey Krabbenhoft is a Children’s Librarian in Vancouver, British Columbia and one half of Jbrary, the online children’s librarian treasure trove. She is also the cofounder of the Library Services for Children Journal Club and encourages any other research nerds to join. You can find Jbrary in its own little corner of the internet at jbrary.com

New & Noteworthy Books

Just a few of the teen titles that I am excited to read. - Sadie Tucker

Squire

Alfageeh, Sara

Fantasy (graphic novel)

12 years and up

Aiza dreams of becoming a knight, which would not only bring her glory but also full citizenship. As an Ornu she is a secondclass citizen. After concealing her heritage, she becomes a squire but war and the empire she serves are nothing like she thought. Publishers Weekly says, "Shammas uses Aiza’s determined voice to examine themes of assimilation and passing privilege through the ways in which the Bayt-Saiji Empire simultaneously divides and homogenizes its peoples."

(ref)

The

Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen

Blum, Isaac

Realistic Contemporary

12 years and up

Hoodie's family, alongside many members of their Orthodox Jewish community, has just moved to Tregaron, Pennsylvania and the locals aren't happy. When irreverent, sarcastic Hoodie falls for the daughter of the town's antisemitic mayor, he faces backlash from both within and without his community. Unfortunately, snark doesn't get Hoodie too far before everything implodes.

Thieves

Bryon, Lucie

Romantic Comedy

15 years and up

This French import tells the story of Ella who has woken up from an alcohol-induced blackout surrounded by other people's things. In an effort not to alienate all of her classmates, she and her crush, Maddy, attend a string of parties in an effort to slyly return all of the purloined items.

The Getaway

Giles, Lamar

Dystopian/Thriller

13 years and up

The world is burning, often quite literally, but Jay and his family are safe as live-in staff at an exclusive resort. When the rich guests no longer leave and the staff begin to be mistreated, Jay and his friends realise that the world outside really is falling apart - and his employer is ready to do whatever it takes to maintain their privilege. Including slavery.

Valiant Ladies

Grey, Melissa

Historical Action

14 years and up Ana and Kiki are socially acceptable women during the day, but at night they take to the streets and enact vigilante justice against those who prey on the weak. When Ana's brother is murdered, they delve deeper into the criminal underworld to unearth the killer - all while trying to resist their attraction to, and love for, each other.

Rust in the Root

Ireland, Justina Historical Fantasy

13 years and up

Magic has become blighted, which has shifted society's focus to technology. Laura came to New York with big dreams of a thriving magical bakery, but now finds herself embroiled in an investigation of a particularly nasty instance of the blight. As America's dark past and problematic present collide, she and her mentor must unravel unimaginable magics to save life as they know it. Publishers Weekly says, "Ireland mingles an indepth understanding of human nature with a wildly ambitious reimagining of the Depression era, balancing matters of race, gender, and sexuality in this thoroughly unique perspective of historical magical fantasy." (ref)

Nothing More to Tell McManus, Karen M.

Mystery/Suspense

14 years and up

Brynn is back in Sturgis after four years away and is determined to solve the murder of a beloved English teacher from before she left. Tripp was Brynn's best friend before betraying her trust. His false testimony exonerated two of the prime suspects and now he is wracked with guilt. As Brynn and Tripp rebuild their friendship and try to solve their teacher's murder, they don't realise just how much danger they're in...

Torch

Miller-Lachmann, Lyn Historical

14 years and up

In a protest against the government, Pavel burned himself alive. Now his three closest friends are paying the price: A hockey star who is in the closet, an autistic student who is already in conflict with the government due to his inability to adhere to expectations, and Pavel's girlfriend who has just found out she is pregnant - and thus is deemed a collaborator by association. With their futures under threat they must each make a life-changing decision: Should they remain in their home country or try to escape.

Four for the Road

Reilly, K. J.

Contemporary /Dark humour

14 years and up

When you're planning to kill the drunk driver who caused your mother's death, it only makes sense to bring some friends along. Probably best not to tell them what the trip is really about, though. As Asher gets on the road and prepares to set his dastardly plan into action each of his companions have their own reasons for coming along. Kirkus says, "So overwhelming is the load of trauma they each carry that it’s hard to see how their journey could end on a buoyant note, but Reilly pulls it off by developing rich friendships while artfully slipping in comical elements on the way to a climactic whirl of laughter, tears, budding romance, and well-placed insights." (ref)

Teens Issue -New Books - 17

Man Made Monsters

Rogers, Andrea L.

Horror (illustrated short stories)

13 years and up

Spanning in chronological order from 1839 to 2039, these short stories start with a Cherokee family that is being forcibly displaced to a reserve while simultaneously facing a supernatural threat. From there, descendents face unfathomable and horrific threats both magical and mundane.

The Sunbearer Trials

Thomas, Aiden

Fantasy Adventure

12 years and up

Every 10 years, teen demidioses are chosen to compete in a vital competition: The winner lights the temples to keep the Obsidian gods at bay, while the loser is sacrificed to supply that light. Teo never imagined that he would compete - only the most powerful demidioses are chosen to enter - but now he is to be one of the 10 contestants. Desperate to survive, Teo begins to train. His life depends on it. Publisher Weekly says, "Thomas’s queernormative world and distinctly drawn cast deliver an upbeat fantasy teeming with captivating worldbuilding, earnest friendships, and electrifying adventure." (ref) First in a duology.

The Well

Wyatt, Jacob

Fantasy Adventure (graphic novel)

13 years and up

After swiping three coins for the ferry home, Lizzy is in debt to a wishing well. If she doesn't pay it back she will drown in the sea. Now Lizzy is off to grant the wishes associated with the coins she stole. Hopefully she won't die doing it.

Sadie is a children and teens’ librarian at the Vancouver Public Library.

Four Crafts to Try with Teens

There is something special about a room full of teens quietly concentrating, helping each other learn, and then finally bubbling over with excitement as they share their works in progress. Crafts, whether incorporated into a larger program or taught as a workshop, give anxious teens something to do with their hands and a built-in reason to connect with each other. A teen can leave a craft program with a cool project and a concrete skill they can continue to develop. Budget permitting, they may also have the tools in hand to begin their next project.

Craft programs are also a way to expand services for teens beyond just the Teen or Youth Librarian. In most libraries, staff have a wealth of skills that don’t always come into play in their work. Asking staff to share their knowledge demystifies teen patrons for staff. It also creates additional points of contact for teens.

Below are some of my favourite crafts from teen programs over the last two years.

Supplies needed: felting needles (100/$16), wool roving ($4-15/colour; can be used over multiple programs), dollar-store dish sponges, duct tape to protect fingers

Why it’s great: Needle felting is easy to learn, forgiving of mistakes, and teens can start making their own designs right away. Staff can also easily learn it from a Youtube tutorial. Plus, there is something therapeutic about a craft in which you stab your project repeatedly! In addition to making 3D projects like food and characters, the same skills can be used to decorate and create fun patches on wool clothing. It is fast enough to learn that it can be incorporated into a larger program, but it is engaging enough that teens can spend a full program only felting. Plan for a stretching break! If teens are taking their needles home, they will need a way to transport them safely, such as inside a wide straw with the ends folded.

book-making

Supplies needed: printer paper, scissors, glue sticks, ruler. Slightly fancier: coloured card stock or file folders, hole punch, stapler, ribbon or string.

Fanciest: washi tape, scrapbooking paper, other decoration

Why it’s great: You have all the supplies already! Making books can add a hands-on component to any creative writing or art program, and is a great fit for zine-making. Hand-made books can also be a springboard toward self-publishing or journaling. Search for “one-page zine” or “mini-zine” for the most basic template, and “Accordion-fold zine” for a second option. Glue on covers or make holes to tie ribbon through for a very basic binding.

embroidery

Supplies needed: Embroidery hoops ($3 each), needles ($5/12), embroidery floss ($8/36 colours), fabric; transfer paper and patterns (optional).

Why it’s great: Once teens have a hoop, they can purchase additional supplies at the dollar store and use their new skills to decorate clothes, backpacks and more. Embroidery works best as a standalone program during which a knowledgeable facilitator teaches basic stitches and then shows teens how to make their own designs. Embroidery works as an in-person or digital program if teens are given kits in advance.

Teens Issue - Features - 20

pompoms

Supplies Needed: yarn, cardboard, scissors; yarn or get more creative with craft glue, felt scraps, tweezers, beads, pins and wire. Pompom makers (4/$13) are reusable and make things easier.

Why it’s great: Although there are thousands of two-minute tutorials on how to make a basic pompom, teens can get really creative with emojis, pokeballs, and more! For cute food and animal pompom ideas, check out Pom Pom Pom by Henri Le (2019). Pompoms can be integrated into earrings, zipper pulls or keychains. A pompom in progress is portable, and can be incorporated into an outreach visit or an anime club.

All my gratitude to Stephanie Usher, Sabrina Gurniak, Amara Charters, Sasha Schertzer and my other creative colleagues at the Vancouver Public Library for their amazing ideas and generosity toward me stealing them.

Jean Broughton is a Teen Services Librarian at the Vancouver Public Library

features Cardboard Armor Splashdown!

Calling all programmers looking to engage teens! Last summer, the Prince George Public Library (PGPL) hosted something out of the box called a Cardboard Armor Splashdown This sounds interesting but what on earth is it? Good question. This is an outdoor event where participants craft the perfect cardboard battle armor and put it to the test in an epic water fight!

- Victoria Ellis

Materials to Acquire

Cardboard: This one is obvious but get as much cardboard as possible. Also, acquire a variety of cardboard for maximum construction creativity. For example, sturdier boxes from book shipments work well for chest plates while thinner cardboard from cereal boxes is great for helmets or areas that need to flex. Also, cardboard tubes from paper towel or toilet paper rolls work surprisingly well as gauntlets and bracers. I raided the library’s cardboard recycling pile, then took our handy library outreach van, affectionately nicknamed Mobi, to a local book store and stocked up. For larger boxes, a bike shop was happy to let us take their recycling. Just call businesses in advance, please. This will ensure that a worker can let you access their cardboard collection and give you the best time to come by for it.

Duct tape: Acquire a variety of colours and far more than you think you’ll need. To get the most from the duct tape, ask participants to only tape areas that are facing away from themselves such as the front of their shields. The tape will improve the structural integrity of the armor and aids in waterproofing it.

Acrylic paint (optional): It could be used to decorate armor and shields but crafting will take longer than just using duct tape and is more intensive for programmers to set up. The paint will also run when wet. I stuck strictly to duct tape for simplicity and the participants really enjoyed it. Additionally, acrylic paint can be expensive. Alternatives such as chalk or crayons could be better options.

A sample of water pistols and a trusty balloon pump. It took some trial and error but fully submerging the pump in a tub of water was the easiest way for me to fill balloons.

Scissors: Safety scissors will not work, so get several pairs of “adult” scissors. Utility knives: These are necessary to cut cardboard with ease but consider only letting the adults use them. My co-worker and I were the only ones allowed to touch them during the program for safety considerations; most of our participants were on the young end of the teen years as our event was open to participants aged 10-18.

Water balloons: You may be temped to purchase the “self-tying” balloons that hook up directly to a hose and pop off magically tied and ready to go once filled. Consider an alternative. They may advertise as time savers but they don’t seal and the balloons deflate rapidly. Manually filling balloons the old fashioned way worked best for me. To aid with this process, I would recommend getting a water balloon pump, such as a Qualatex pump.

Fill at least three tote bins with water balloons but more is more in this instance. Be sure to keep the filled balloons cool, covered, and shaded to prevent premature popping. Additionally, have a bin or two of water for people to either a) fill more balloons on the fly or b) to scoop up water with buckets during the glorious, organized mayhem of the ensuing water fight.

A more environmentally friendly and cost-effective option than balloons are large car wash sponges that hold plenty of water, but are soft to be hit by. These sponges also limit the risk of littering the play space and can be reused for multiple programs. Moreover, they are less onerous to use than filling bins with water balloons and, going forward, I may switch to these instead.

Water toys (optional): Buckets, balloon launchers, and water pistols can add to the fun but are not required. The event will be entertaining and everyone will be thoroughly soaked by the end with or without these items.

Alka-Seltzer tablets: These are delightful to add to shields as they provide a target challenge to shoot and fizz when wet.

Ziplock bag(s): For people to keep their electronics safe!

Beverages (optional): These are also not a necessity but a flat of water or a large jug, like those used at sporting events, with cups and a marker for labelling names are always welcome to keep everyone hydrated on a hot summer day. The jug can also be repurposed for other programs and is an excellent purchase for events beyond summer programs.

Program How To’s

By registration: This was a very popular program and we had people from early elementary to older adults wanting to join. We capped the list at 20 youths but select a number that works well for your staff and event space. Advise participants to keep their phones in a safe place so they won’t get wet, this is where those plastic bags come in, and to bring a beverage to stay hydrated.

Location: If your library has access to a park or nearby greenspace, host the program there. Depending on logistics either direct participants to meet at the off-site location or, if it’s close by and convenient, migrate from the library to the program location as a herd. The PGPL is adjacent to a garden where we typically host summer programs, so we asked everyone to meet us there and had large whiteboards directing people along the pathway to the garden entrance. Although weatherdependant, this program was a great way to beat the summer heat and play outdoors.

Shield preparation: I cut out shield templates in various shapes and sizes from large bike boxes so participants could each select a design to their liking. The three designs I used were Link’s shield from Legend of Zelda, a circular “Viking” design, and a medieval knight shield. To make these, I traced a large bucket to make a Viking shield and free-handed the other two. There was enough so each participant could have one, plus a few extras as backups. I also had a few mock-up shields decorated and displayed for some inspiration prior to the program.

Staffing: One library staff member filling balloons or filling tubs with water and another to supervise yielded a smooth event. Be sure to take turns as filling balloons is a joyous but tedious task.

Run time: Two hours let participants and programmers end the event on a high note but use your own discretion. The PGPL event lasted from 1:30-3:30pm to capitalize on hot weather and the post-lunch energy surge. The first 1.25 hours were spent crafting the perfect armor. We had to stop at that point and pry teens away from making armor to begin the water fight. This really surprised me as they were very

(photo) Shield mock-ups. Apologies in advance for the lack of action shots as my phone was safely tucked away.

eager to start tossing balloons at the beginning but, once everyone was letting their inner cardboard-smithing shine, they wouldn’t stop. Perhaps there is another program to be had here?

The remainder of the program was spent playing games. We started out with water balloon hot potato, then progressed to water balloon tag, and concluded with an epic free for all. Participants were only allowed to aim from the torso down and a safe zone for those who wanted a break was designated. If you’re wondering yes, everyone, programmers included, got utterly soaked. It was awesome! Some participants grabbed buckets and soaked me at the end of the free for all as I had remained surprisingly dry to that point. In their defense, they asked me first. It was all fair in water balloon wars as I had been lobbing balloons at them from the safe zone for the majority of the games.

We all pitched in and cleaned up at the end of the free for all as we didn’t want to leave a bunch of balloon remains strewn about. Overall, everyone left drenched, laughing, and battle-hardened from the splashdown. I would definitely host it again.

Victoria Ellis is a Library Assistant in Children’s Services at the Prince George Public Library. She can be contacted at vellis@pgpl.ca if you would like more information about this program. She started working as a tutor for the library’s free Homework Help Program for three years and made a lovely jump to the Children’s Services team in April 2021.

Manga for Teen Librarians

Manga are extremely popular around the world with teens, kids, and adults all enjoying it. But for those who haven’t read any, it can seem challenging to get into. We’ll give you an overview of what manga is, debunk common myths, and suggest titles to add to your collection! - Matthew Murray & Jean Broughton*

What is Manga?

In the most common definition, “manga” are comics that are originally released through the Japanese publishing industry. That means comics like Solo Leveling (South Korea), Trese (Philippines), or Night Bus (China) are not included.

Two major defining features of manga are that the artwork is black and white and that they’re published so that you read the pages from right-to-left (the same as you would read the Japanese language). This may seem complicated at first, but with a little work reading them can become second nature!

Who publishes manga?

Dozens of publishers have released manga in English (and more in French). The “Big 5” are Viz Media (who publish My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Spy x Family), Kodansha (Attack on Titan, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku), Yen Press (Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun, Fruits Basket), Dark Horse Comics (Mob Psycho 100, Danganronpa), and Seven Seas Entertainment (I Want To Eat Your Pancreas, The Ancient Magus’ Bride).

Manga Myths

Manga is a genre

Teens Issue - Features - 26

Manga isn’t a genre! Manga titles can be romance, horror, mystery, fantasy, mystery, or even non-fiction!

*a previous version of this document referred to Matthew Murray by an incorrect last name. Apologies, Matthew!

All manga is for children

There are manga aimed at every age group, from children to the elderly. The four main “target audiences” of manga are: Shonen (young male audience, generally focused on action and adventure), Shoujo (young female audience, generally focused on romance and drama), Seinen (adult male audience), and Josei (Adult female audience).

Viz Media has two popular imprints called Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat, but these include titles rated 16+/18+ so you can’t just rely on the imprint name.

All manga is violent/sexual/inappropriate

Japan has different cultural norms and expectations that do not always correspond with those in Canada. Most (though not all) manga publishers have age ratings available on their books and websites. Some will also include why a book is rated a certain way, such as violence, language, or sexual themes. However, publishers don’t always get these things right and we can’t tell you what is, or is not, “appropriate” for your collection as every library and community is different. We advise you to read the manga and decide for yourself!

All manga series are 100 volumes long

One Piece released its 101st volume in December 2022, but this is the first (and so far only) series to reach 100 volumes in English. Other series, such as Bleach (74 volumes) and Naruto (72 volumes), ran for a time, but the majority of manga don’t last that long. It’s even possible to avoid series entirely and put together a manga collection that consists entirely of standalone volumes.

Manga and anime are the same thing

Anime refers to animated cartoons from Japan. These are often (though not always) based on manga. However, an anime adaptation can drive interest in the original manga and it is worth paying attention to what series have an anime adaptation coming out in the future.

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You can get manga through interlibrary loan

Many libraries do not allow manga or graphic novels to be borrowed through ILL, so libraries can’t rely on each other to supplement what they have on their shelves. If you can’t purchase manga for your physical collection, you can add digital manga to your library collection by buying individual volumes on OverDrive or subscribing to ComicsPlus, while Hoopla contains a small assortment of manga.

Where can I find out more?

For more information check out Manga in Libraries: A Guide for Teen Librarians by Jillian Rudes (available later this year from ALA Editions) or the recorded webinars and resources available at https://mangainlibraries.com/. YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens list contains many manga titles each year.

Manga to buy

We’ve put together lists of recent and ongoing titles that we hope will be helpful for those looking to start or expand their manga collections. We’ve tried to limit it to series that don’t have dozens of volumes so they don’t completely break your budget.

Completed Series - single volumes or series that are finished (or soon will be).

Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku, published by Kodansha (4 volumes)

Two teen boys–one trans and one cis–join forces to start a clothing line, which is harder and more emotional than either expects.

Deadpool: Samurai by Sanshiro

Kasama

and Hikaru Uesugi, published by VIZ Media (2 volumes)

The fourth-wall-breaking hero teams up with some new characters to form a new Avengers team in Tokyo. A great gateway manga for teens who like Deadpool, and more teen-appropriate than most Deadpool titles.

Lost Lad London by Shima Shinya, published by Yen Press (3 volumes)

When the mayor of London is murdered on a subway train, Al, a student, finds the knife in his pocket but has no memory of how it got there. He joins forces with a soft-hearted detective to figure out who framed him.

My Love Mix-Up! by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko, published by Shojo Beat / VIZ Media (9 volumes)

When Aoki sees that his crush’s eraser has classmate Ida’s name written on it, he studies the other boy to find out what she sees in him, and eventually falls for him as well!

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame, published by Penguin Random House (1 volume)

Sixteen-year-old Itoda is coming to terms with being a young gay man in a society that is not welcoming to people like him. When he is hired to paint a mural at a café, he meets a gay elder for the first time.

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Robo Sapiens: Tales of Tomorrow by Toranosuke Shimada, published by Seven Seas (1 volume)

A series of interconnected, thought-provoking stories about the relationship between AI, humanity, and the future of both.

Run on Your New Legs by Wataru Midori, published by Yen Press (5 volumes, final volume forthcoming in May)

Shouta’s whole life was soccer until he lost his leg in an accident. When a prosthetist offers to make him a leg designed for sprinting, things start to turn around for Shouta.

Ongoing Series - These titles are still coming out; we don’t know how many there’ll end up being!

Blue Period by Tsubasa Yamaguchi, published by Kodansha (10 volumes)

Yatora doesn’t find life fulfilling or even interesting until he discovers painting. He throws himself into reaching a very difficult goal: attending the only publicly funded art school in Japan.

Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani, published by Dark Horse (2 volumes)

Riko’s life is pretty quiet–just work and gaming–until she adopts a cat abandoned at her work and names it Musubi. Unsure how to be a cat parent, she decides it is her job to level Musubi up.

Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto, published by Shonen Jump / VIZ Media (12 volumes)

A down-on-his-luck teenager, who's resorted to selling his body parts to survive, merges with a demon and gains the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws! Joining a special government organization, he tracks down and eliminates devils using his new powers.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe, published by Viz Media (7 volumes)

As an elven mage, Frieren’s life is much longer than the lives of the rest of the great party of adventurers that defeated the Demon King. Faced with her own immortality, she begins a new adventure.

Heaven’s Design Team by By Hebi Zou, Tsuta Suzuki, and Tarako, published by Kodansha (9 volumes)

God requests animals that can fulfill certain criteria (e.g. “an animal that flies without wings,” which eventually becomes the Paradise Flying Snake), and the team of quirky and talented designers gets to work! As much about the design process as about interesting animal facts.

Kageki Shojo!! by Kumiko Saiki, published by Seven Seas (9 volumes)

Sarasa is a student at the Kouka School, where students train in music, dance, and acting in order to graduate into an all-women theatre troupe. As the tallest girl in her class, Sarasa stands out, but not quite as much as her roommate, a former idol.

Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto, published by Shonen Jump / VIZ Media (6 volumes)

Kafka dreamed of defending his homeland against giant kaiju monsters, but ended up on the kaiju corpse cleanup crew. His dream feels dead until one day he transforms into a kaiju himself.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles by Hajime Komoto, published by Shonen Jump / VIZ Media (11 volumes)

In a world where only magic users are permitted to live, Mash Burnedead has honed his muscles to be able to defend himself against any threat. Mash uses these muscles to pass the entrance exam of a prestigious magic school with the ultimate goal of changing the law and going back to his quiet life and his beloved cream puffs.

Matthew Murray is a Data and Graduate Studies Librarian at BCIT and knows a lot about manga and graphic novels. Jean Broughton is a Teen Services Librarian at the Vancouver Public Library

features

From Apple Pies to Astronauts: A Chronology of Alphabet Books with Aphorisms, Amusements, and Anecdotes – Part EIGHT

Revisiting the curated display created for iSchool@UBC LIBR594 –Directed Study done in conjunction with UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections

Adapted from the exhibit and case labels written by Sarah Bagshaw & Laura Quintana. Exhibition poster = Jeff Porter Designs. All photographs from Sarah Bagshaw.

In February 2017 I mounted a display of alphabet books in the Rare Books and Special Collections library @ UBC. This was done with Laura for a directed study project under the supervision of Kathie Shoemaker and Chelsea Shriver. The display was opened in time for attendees of the Vancouver Children’s Literature Round Table spring conference to visit on their breaks (held in Irving K. Barber building where Rare Books is). We had so much fun researching the development of children’s literature, ABC books, picture book illustration, and looking at some incredibly old books as well as many new ones. I thought I could share some of the writing and images from this display in a multi-part series with YAACing members as a welcome distraction from our Covid-influenced lives.

Our journey continues with a side foray into alphabet books that are not for little ones to learn the alphabet – they are for big ones to be amused.

Alphabet Books for Young Adults & Adults

The didactic nature of alphabet books is clear, even with slight twists on the usual form. They are often for learning phonemes, letter symbols, and vocabulary. However, with the explosion of picture books since the 1950s, many types of alphabet books have been produced. The formula invites creators to play with it, both linguistically and artistically. Furthermore, this familiar form can be aimed at older children and adults.

By subverting the form and creating an “antialphabet” book, parents can enjoy reading it even more than the child. For example, Silverstein’s alphabet book is labelled “…for adults only”. It

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subverts the moral instruction in alphabet books of previous centuries by encouraging bad behaviour in innocent children.

By adding dark content, or using it as a canvas for artistic expression, authors and illustrators are adding to the genre in unexpected ways, though rhyming, rhythm, and alliteration are still used. Gorey captured all of this in his wonderfully dark and gothic Gashlycrumb Tinies. Some of these books have illustrations that include many objects that start with the letter, but those objects might be strange and obscure. The connections between letter, text, and picture are frequently based on world knowledge or cultural context likely impossible for a small child to decipher.

Chaperon’s Eerie Dearies mixes the darkness of the gothic genre and children’s excuses for missing school to create an alphabet book clearly aimed at grown-ups.

Many of the alphabet books being produced today are artistic masterpieces. The familiarity of the alphabet book concept allows the older child or adult reader to be cast back into early childhood even though the concept may be disguised in a new “grown-up” form.

The Grown-Up Case contained the following items:

Arsenault, Isabelle. Alpha.

Somerville: Candlewick Press. 2015.

Chaperon, Rebecca Eerie

Dearies: 26 Ways to Miss School Vancouver: Simply Read Books

Gaiman, Neil The Dangerous

Alphabet Illustrated by Gris

Grimly New York: HarperCollins

Children’s Books 2008

Gorey, Edward Gashlycrumb Tinies or After the Outing New York: Harcourt Brace & Co 1991 (Originally published in 1963).

Pelletier, David. Graphic Alphabet New York: Orchard Books. 1996.

Pelletier won the Caldecott Medal Honor in 1997 for Graphic Alphabet

Messenger, Norman. An Artist’s Alphabet Somerville: Candlewick Press 2016

Silverstein, Shel. Uncle Shelby’s ABZ: A Primer for Tender Young Minds. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. 1985. (Originally published in 1961).

To be continued in the next YAACING newsletter…

If you are interested in the full display text and accompanying bibliography, please e-mail Sarah directly: Sarah.Bagshaw@vpl.ca

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call for submissions

YAACING is always looking for submissions of interest to children’s and teen specialists in BC libraries. We accept articles, program descriptions and ideas, conference reports, reviews, felt stories, and more. If you would like to write a regular column, send us a brief pitch. Submissions should be no more than 1500 words, and sent in an editable format (not PDF). Please include a byline with your job title and workplace; for students, please include a byline with your school/program.

We want to hear from you! What do you want to read in YAACING? Do you read every issue cover to cover or jump around to what's most interesting? Do you click on the links? If there are any recent contributions that have been especially helpful to you in your work we'd love to hear about it! Email us any time at yaacing@gmail.com

For our Spring 2023 issue we are focusing on EARLY YEARS! If you work with babies, toddlers, and/or preschoolers please chat with us about a submission! Submissions for our Spring Early Years Issue are due on April 15th.