Star-Crossed

Star-Crossed  by Barbara Dee

12-year-old Mattie is thrilled when her 8th grade class mounts a production of "Romeo and Juliet" but things get complicated when the handsome boy in the leading role ducks out of the play...leaving Mattie to play the part of Romeo, opposite the beautiful Gemma as Juliet. 

Gemma, whom Mattie...likes.  Like, a lot.

Mattie has a lot of questions about her crush on Gemma, and nobody around her gives her the answers.  

However, several people--including her best friends, her older sister, a sympathetic teacher, and even Gemma herself--allow Mattie the freedom to explore some answers for herself.  That is what makes this gentle little story so nice.

I learned about this book when the author wrote about a terrible experience booktalking in a school where she was asked to refer to the book only in general terms.  In other words: avoid talking about the book.  Even when asked direct questions about it.

As often happens, censoring a book sometimes inspires people to seek that book out.  

That's how it worked with me, anyhow.

Having read the book, I've got to say:  

It's a great book.  And I plan to talk about it.  A lot.  In schools.  To students.

With positive reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus as well as the sexy librarians here at Sex in the Library, you know that although "Romeo and Juliet" was a tragedy, Star Crossed definitely isn't. 

Highly recommended for middle-grade readers, ages 10 and up.

American Libraries reviews SITL!

Another great review of Sex in the Library, this time from ALA's publication "American Libraries" 
(September 3, 2013)

Here's the text of the review:

According to the National Council of State Legislatures website, most states mandate some sex education in public schools. Sex in the Library: A Guide to Sexual Content in Teen Literature will go a long way in helping school librarians provide age-appropriate, informative, and accurate materials to support the curriculum. Its origins are the book talks the authors, Mary Jo Heller, a school librarian, and Aarene Storms, a public librarian, offered in their town. They provide tips for book talks that support the curriculum, particularly Common Core, for avoiding the “giggles,” and for gaining administrative and parental approval. There are topical lists of suggested titles, references to reviews, and annotations, with age and content indicators to guide selection.

INDEXED. VOYA PRESS, AN IMPRINT OF E L KURDYLA PUBLISHING, LLC, 2013. 190 P. $40. PBK. 978-1-61751-028-1.

The review can also be seen at the American Libraries Magazine review website, HERE.  
(scroll down, the review is mid-page)

School Library Journal gives SITL a star!

HELLER, Mary Jo & Aarene Storms. Sex in the Library: A Guide to Sexual Content in Teen Literature. 120p. appendix. bibliog. index. VOYA. 2013. pap. $40.00. ISBN 978-1-61751-028-1.

The authors (a school and a public librarian) have been offering a workshop called Sex in the Library (SITL) for years. They conduct collaborative booktalks on titles with sexual content, while educating audiences on the role of librarians. They focus on the major differences between school and public library missions, budgets, selection criteria, and collection development policies. Sex in the Library is more than a humorous glimpse into their attempt to “lure” teens back into a love of reading. It’s also a guide for replication. Readers will learn how to plan and implement their own SITL, and the title includes advice on selling the idea to administrators, compiling booktalks and booklists, pitching books to boys, reviewing books, and dealing with snickers and occasional hecklers. The authors also cover the differences in conducting SITL for students, teachers, parents, and librarians. The book also contains resource lists at the end of many chapters, sample excerpts and book blurbs, an ample list of book reviews arranged by topic, resources for booktalking and a bibliography. The magic Heller and Storms have created might be difficult to put into practice in every community; however, they provide rationale and strategies that are hard to ignore. Even if SITL is not for your audience, the authors have devised a great collaborative booktalking format for multiple audiences that is worth the investment, and their plans could be adapted to other topics that would engage and educate audiences.–Adrienne L. Strock, Chicago Public Library

Read the starred review from the April 2014 issue of SLJ HERE.