Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
In the summer between graduating high school and beginning college, Auden leaves her mom's house to spend some quality time with her dad, his new wife, and their new daughter Thisbe in the little beach town of Colby. Auden's hopes of spending the summer studying college textbooks and having meaningful discussions about life with her father are quickly dispelled: the baby cries continually and her father insists on keeping distance between himself and the other family members so that he can finish writing his book.

Left to herself for much of the summer, Auden wanders the streets of town at night and meets up with Eli, another teen with time on his hands. Together, Auden and Eli do the things that she never did as a kid: bowling, food fights, and delivering newspapers. But just because she learns to ride a bike doesn't mean Auden has really changed, does it? And will her family ever change?

A sweet story of friendship, families, and growing up. The book contains some kissing and a tactfully-vague "hooking-up" scene on the beach, but no cussing or violence. Fans of the author will enjoy the cameo appearances of characters from earlier books.

Recommended for readers ages 12 to adult.

Sex in the Library at the Washington Library Media Association conference in Yakima!

We had two great SITL sessions at the WLMA conference this week.

As always, we feature the newest, hottest titles for teens--the good, the bad, and the "so-bad-I-can't-believe-they-killed-a-tree-to-publish-it."

If it's got sex in it, we'll talk about it!

Lots of door prizes. Doesn't everyone love prizes?

Especially when the prizes are books!

Thanks to all the sexy librarians who participated--

we hope you go back to your schools and have lots of sex there, too!

Remember to send this page to your administrators, proof that you really did go to the conference and had Sex in the Library while you were there.

As always, we welcome your feedback on the sessions and suggestions for books we need to include on the SITL list. Leave a comment so we can all feel the love.

Pretty Dead

Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block
Charlotte is a vampire. She collects beautiful clothing, shoes and handbags from the greatest designers, witnesses human tragedies all over the world, and now lives in Los Angeles where she befriends Emily, a human girl. When Emily commits suicide, Charlotte finds comfort in spending time with Emily's boyfriend Jared...and discovers that she is gradually returning to mortality.

In a genre that has been worked, re-worked, and over-worked, here is a new--and welcome--twist. The story is surprising and engaging, and told with the author's trademark lushness of language.

Sexual situations are common but mostly off-page; there is some cussing including a few f-bombs. And, of course, there is blood. It just wouldn't be a vampire novel without blood, after all.

Recommended for readers of vampire lit who want something new, ages 14 to adult.

The Color of Earth

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa

Ehwa is seven years old on the first page of this beautifully illustrated manhwa, interested in bugs, flowers, and her own body. As she grows and matures, she discovers the physical differences between boys and girls, grows into young womanhood and undergoes her first confusing experience with romance and sexuality. Her mother, the keeper of a small tavern in rural Korea, also experiences changes as a traveling artist reawakens her affection, and mother and daughter are able to share their experiences in a lovely, open, and age-appropriate manner. Themes of love, sexuality, and natural beauty abound in this attractive volume, which is first in a trilogy translated from the Korean by Lauren Na.

No cussing or killing; nudity and sexual situations are portrayed. According to the notes at the end of the story, the popularity of this series in Korea is surprising because it is written by a man and read by both men and women there.

Recommended for readers ages 12 and up, even those who do not normally read graphic novels. The next books in the series continue telling the story of Ehwa's maturation into adulthood.

The Garden

The Garden by Elsie V. Aidinoff

In the beginning, God created everything: the earth and sea, the sky, the animals...and Adam and Eve. Eve narrates this story of her childhood in Eden, where Adam is raised by God, and she is tutored by the Serpent, who is possibly the only thing that God did not create.

Eve learns to think, to reason, and to question. She explores the entire Garden, and then, assisted by the Serpent, she explores the world outside the Garden in preparation for the days ahead when she and Adam will go out into the world and away from the direct influence of God.

The bones of the story are familiar: Eve and Adam eat the forbidden fruit and are expelled from Eden. But the author explores the motivations, the questions, and the possibilities that the old story does not address: if they know the fruit is forbidden by God, why would Eve offer it to Adam, and why would he accept it?

This book invites the readers to ask questions and challenge their own long-held assumptions. There is a disturbing scene mid-way with some sexual and violent content which may upset sensitive readers.

The Garden will certainly be controversial, and is an excellent choice for book groups who like to argue about what they read. For readers ages 14 and up.

Geography Club

The Geography Club by Brent Hartinger

Russel knows what it's like to be different: he's convinced that he's the only gay kid at his high school. He also knows that he doesn't dare tell anyone else--if anyone found out the truth about him, Russel is sure that he would be ostracized and tormented by the other kids.

One night, while searching for kindred souls on the Internet, Russel chats with another gay kid from his town--in fact, this kid attends his school. Discovering the truth about Kevin leads to even more revelations: there are other gay kids in the school who are lurking below the "student body radar." The gathering of this group eventually leads to the formation of a student club, which they name "The Geography Club" in order to dissuade others from joining. After all, what could be more boring than a geography club?

This is not just a book about gay kids and straight kids. This book is about being different, and being afraid to be different. One of the best characters in the story isn't even homosexual--he's just an outcast, poorly-dressed, unconventional nerd. There is no tidy ending, and not everyone emerges from his or her personal closet, but each character does grow and change in the course of the book. And that is what makes a really good book. No strong language or graphic descriptions, but some sexual situations.

For ages 14 and up.

Twilight

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

For reasons of her own, 17-year-old Bella chooses to move to her dad's house in the rainy town Forks, Washington, rather than go with her mom to Florida. Bella describes herself as pale, average, and awkward, but that is clearly not how she is viewed by her new classmates--especially Edward Cullen, a gorgeously graceful and handsome senior who seems oddly fascinated by Bella and her tendency towards clumsiness. Then Bella discovers that Edward and his family are vampires--members of a clan which has chosen to hunt only wildlife instead of humans. But just because Edward doesn't want to feed upon humans doesn't mean that Bella is completely safe with him....

This quick-paced, locally-based vamp novel is cool, tense, and scary. We know from the first page that Bella will be confronted with a hunter intending to kill her--but which hunter? And why?

Descriptions of the dreary weather in Forks may be considered exaggeration by non-locals, but native northwesterners will recognize the truth of life on our wet peninsula, and the joy inherent in sunbreaks. And a climate lacking sunshine really would be attractive to vampires, wouldn't it?

Recommended for readers ages 14 and up. No cussing; violence is mostly implied and threatened rather than carried out "onstage", and though sexual tension runs high between the girl and her vampiric boyfriend, their relationship is necessarily cautious!

Totally Joe

Totally Joe by James Howe

Joe Bunch's English teacher has assigned the class to write an "alphabiography": an alphabetical review of their lives. Joe's alphabet begins with his friend Addie, who knew him when he was a little kid and they both liked to play with Barbie dolls. His story continues on towards Colin, the boy he has had a crush on since fifth grade, and finally ends with Zachary, the new boy in school who has much in common with Joe.

During the course of the school year as Joe writes his alphabiography, he faces a lot of realities about his life. He has always known that he was different from "guy-guys" but finally is able to use the word "gay" to himself--and his mostly-supportive family. Not everyone is supportive, however: the school jock torments Joe and spreads the false rumor that Colin and Joe have been kissing, which is hurtful to Joe...and devastating to Colin, who is not ready to come out of the closet.

Joe's voice is unique and strong as he relates the story of his 7th grade year. Any reader who has ever felt different from the rest of the crowd will find a friend in Joe, and those who loved his earlier adventures in The Misfits will be happy to see him again.

Recommended for ages 12 and up.

A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl

A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Josie is a strong, opinionated, self-assured freshman when the popular senior jock asks her out. She falls for his charm, and finds herself amazed at her own hormonal response to him...until the guy dumps her because she won't "put out." Furious, hurt, feeling stupid and rejected, Josie finds solace in Judy Blume's Forever, a book about teens, love, and sex. In the blank endpapers of the school library's copy of Forever, Josie writes a warning to other girls about the guy who "only wants one thing."

Nicolette has always used boys--not the other way around. But when she meets up with the same popular boy, she finds herself drawn deeply into a one-sided relationship with him--sexual, but secret. She thinks she's in love...until he drops her. Nicolette's rage is powerful and true--and she records her feelings and opinions alongside Josie's in the blank pages of Forever.

Time has passed, but this guy hasn't changed his approach. When he breaks up with Aviva following their disappointing night together, she joins the ranks of girls who find solidarity in the scribbled margins of Forever.

Written in verse form, this hot, topical novel is a quick, vital, and sometimes painful book to read. Josie is the most eloquent of the girls--and her desire to take action in response to a horrible experience is brave and laudable. If only more library books had similar annotations--think how many mistakes we all might avoid!

A few cuss words and sex scenes with "details" make this book rated PG-13; recommended for readers ages 14 and up.

Fly On the Wall

Fly on the Wall : How One Girl Saw Everything by E. Lockhart

16-year-old Gretchen Yee doesn't understand boys at all. To Gretchen, boys are a lot like aliens, and she just can't understand why they do the things they do. In desperation, she makes a very unusual wish: to be a fly on the wall in the boys' locker room...just so she could figure out what boys are all about!

And then, her wish is granted.

For an entire week, Gretchen is transformed to a fly: six legs, two antennae...and an unobstructed, uninterrupted view of boys. Are they really idiots all the time? How can they take themselves seriously, with those goofy-looking gherkins hanging around? And, are boys actually people...sort of?

Gretchen learns a lot from her weeklong experience as a fly, and her observations--funny, poignant, and truthful--will answer the questions that many readers have about the bodies, conversations, and lives of boys when girls aren't in the room.

Some strong language and sexual situations, recommended for mature teens.