Gender in YA: Should the Bechdel Rule Apply in Kid Lit & YA?
Last week, David Elzey (@d_elzey) over at Fomagrams posted some interesting thoughts on the Bechdel test, wondering how and if the test applied to YA and kid lit, and if commenters could list examples of books that pass and books that fail. (Head on over to Fomagrams for some interesting comment discussion, too.) What is the Bechdel Rule? Even if the name is unfamiliar, you’ve probably heard of the Bechdel test, more often called the Bechdel rule. It’s usually talked about in conjunction...
Read MoreWriting: If E-books Become the Norm, Will We Need E-Agents?
E-books have and e-rights have been hot topics this year, and with good reason. There’s been Google settlement news, iBooks and iPad news, distribution news, and now Borders is taking orders for a new e-reader. Although e-books are still far from the norm, they’re making a strong showing, and could soon be a proper marketing niche in their own right. Where Do E-books Come From? As it stands, anyone can publish an e-book. Write your text, save it as a PDF, upload it to a website, and...
Read MoreReading YA: Where Do Trends Come From?
Vampires. Zombies. Sea monsters with an unfettered love of double java chip frappuccinos. In the book world, trends appear to come and go quickly–the Twilight vampire boom is already coming to an end, just five years after Meyer’s book hit shelves the world over. Fie years? Although that may seem a long time, it’s really only 2-3 publication cycles. But where do trends come from? Do authors band together to write books of the same ilk? Or are they the result of a rare and spectacular...
Read MorePlaying With The iPad Comes Easily To A 10 Month Old
Over the weekend, I had a chance to play with an iPad in the Apple store. The selection of apps available was limited, though I did spend some time reading (tiring on the eyes) and typing (surprisingly easy, though I spent a lot of time watching my fingers). One kids’ book app had a demo: Dora the Explorer Coloring Adventures (pictured left). From the iPad app store: “It’s time to explore and color in “Dora the Explorer Coloring Adventures!”. Kids can go on adventures in...
Read MoreReading YA: Magic Realism–What It Is & Why It Matters
Today, genre is an ever-evolving thing. Years ago, libraries and bookstores shelved like with like alphabetically–mysteries went with mysteries, science fiction with science fiction, and romance with romance. But over the past century, newer, genres and sub-genres have trickled into the mainstream, making bookstores and libraries a little tricky to navigate. One particularly “new” *genre (or mode) is magic realism, a style that grew out of the 1920 visual arts movement. But what does...
Read MoreReading Kidlit: Picture Book Illustrations on the Kindle
Yesterday, I posted about reading kids’ books on the Kindle. Books for all ages are available, though, as you can see, picture books lose some of their warmth on the matte gray screen. Would you read picture books on the Kindle? Would you let your kids read on the...
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