Taboos & Trends in Children's & Young Adult Literature

Taboos & Trends challenges collection development & selection tools a librarian's perspective words to live by genres and trends who chooses what a kid should read? "I believe that the best books can make a difference in building community. They can break down borders. And the way that they do that is not with role models and recipes, not with noble messages about the human family, but with enthralling stories that make us imagine the lives of others. A good story lets you know people as individuals in all their particularity and conflict; and once you see someone as a person - their meanness and their courage - then you've reached beyond stereotype."

-- from Against Borders by Hazel Rochman, Horn Book Review the books problem novels classic YA & youth realistic fiction
fantasy paranormal like the real world but different i am not a pornographer. Back in the day, public libraries were about enlightening the ignorant masses, now we focus on current topics and titles. YA is a marketing concept, not really a genre.
What do kids and teens like to read? dystopias YA is just like adult fiction, but without the bitterness and resentment. Paul, Pamela. "The Kids Books Are Alright." New York Times Book Review. 10 Aug 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/books/review/Paul-t.html crossover appeal readers' advisory how do you figure out if a certain book is right for a certain person...or a certain kid? appeal factors every book a reader, every reader a book strategies for dealing with unhappy people the alex awards the long tail ALA reading lists http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/popularpaperbacks.cfm S. R. Ranganathan dystopias