OLA Superconference 2009

Sessions attended by Aliki
Friday, Jan. 30, 2009

· Session 900: “Creative Communities” (Dr. Michael Bloom, All Conference Plenary)
· Session 1022: ”How to Hook Teen Readers” Allison van Diepen
· Session 1202: “Reaching Children Through New and Innovative Approaches” (TPL Staff -
watched half the session, since it covered same ground as a TPL workshop I took 2 years
ago, and slipped into the one below.)
· Session 1220: “Volunteers Needed: New Canadians and Volunteering” (London PL Staff)
· Session 1318: “Reader’s Advisory 2.0”
· I also toured the Expo and got valuable contacts for publishing houses that specialize in
areas where the MM Juvenile Collection is weak (e.g. non-fiction, curriculum-supporting
subjects written at gr. 1- gr. 3 levels).

Session 1022: ”How to Hook Teen Readers,” Speaker -Allison van Diepen

Along with “Reader’s Advisory 2.0,” I found Allison’s the most useful session that I attended. Allison writes teen books that are specifically aimed at teens who do not read, not so much because they are illiterate—though literacy is an issue—but because none of the material on the market speaks to their experiences. Her books Street Pharm and Snitch have received high praise from reluctant teen readers, as well as from teachers in inner city schools.

During the talk, Allison spoke of the characteristics of the most successful teen novels for reluctant readers. She made it clear that her audience is teens who would not read at all, if they were only given a choice of the standard school curriculum.

General characteristics of a successful novel for reluctant teen readers include the following:

a) rapid sequence of events
b) dialogue driven
c) visual (the teen should be able to “see” the scene, like a movie)
d) to-the-point description (keeping in mind a screenplay, see c))
e) shorter chapter and scene lengths
f) emotionally compelling
g) edgy and dramatic
h) deals with the “dark side” of life (the appeal is either to direct experience or vicarious)
i) should relate to teen’s lives and their direct areas of interest (especially for the males)
j) should not have literary language
k) graphic novels may not necessarily appeal, depending on the language and if the teen has been exposed to them before

Other factors in helping reluctant teens read:

a) give them a choice of titles
b) allow them to bring in a title
c) try audio books
d) try author visits using a web cam
e) try book trailers on library’s Facebook page
f) avoid using the word “literacy” since many of these teens are not illiterate
g) let teens write about themselves and their views on the library Facebook page
h) try arranging library book shelves by genres like “music” and ask teens to submit their
own playlists (contest or Facebook site)
i) arrange a teen shelf with the label “banned books” (controversy is popular)
j) offer teens an exchange of volunteer hours for writing book reviews

I found this session helpful because my branch does not have a teen librarian, although it is located next to a high school that has been branded the “toughest” one in Markham. We have plenty of teen patrons in the library, and Allison’s session gave me some ideas for collection (and even program) development.