Introductions

[Laura]

Welcome Tahleen and LinBee to the group! There's so much great new blood here, and lots of enthusiasm for the genre.

I don't know about you guys, but this group has inspired me to really spend some time in this genre during the rest of 2009.

[April]

Thanks for the rec Ashley!!

[Kristen]

YAy Alethea!!!!

[Tahleen]

Hoorah! I'm glad to be on board! And thanks to April for inviting me to the group!

[Lisa Julianna]

Welcome everyone who joined today!! :~)

[Ashley]

April wrote: "Thanks for the rec Ashley!!"

Your welcome! I really hope that you like them!

[JG (Introverted Reader)]

Hi! I'm 30, and I think, like Heather, HP is what got me into YA. At my library, back when I actually was a young adult, the only thing we really had to choose from were the latest Sweet Valley High books. I don't know if the books have come a long way or if it's my library, but there are some great books out there now.

You guys have been busy! I already have so many threads to catch up on!

[Josie]

Welcome, JG! (Feel like I can say that now, as I've been a member one whole day)

[Samantha McNulty]

Thank you for all the lovely welcomes.

[Laura]

Thanks for coming JG! I can't believe how fast this place has grown!

[A]

Courtney, I think that as long as you can write a complete sentence and resist using all CAPS, texting lingo (i.e., "ur", "cuz", "da", etc.), and play nicely (it's all in the rules), you'll be ok.

[Allison]

Courtney wrote: "Hi, I'm Courtney and I'm 13. Is it okay that I'm 13?? It seems that a lot of people here are older."

welcome Courtney!

[Kandice]

Welcome Courtney. It's a good thing to know that age does not always brin maturity! We can attest to that:)

[Laura]

Hi Courtney, I'm really glad you're here too! I hope you'll join us in the Young Adult Reading Challenge, and that you'll tell us about the books you're reading and enjoying.

[Ginny]

Hi my name is ginny and I am quite a fan of YA books.

[Laura]

Hi Ginny, welcome! Love your av!

[Laura]

Remind you of anyone Fiona???

:)

[Laura]

We love your Tweety too! It's more warm and cuddly....

[Kim]

Hello! Just joined the group and thought I would say hi! I am 35 live in Chicago, IL. I teach child actors on set, so I am able to read/share great YA books with my students. I look forward to hearing everyones recommendations!

[Laura]

Hi Kim, great to have you here! Enjoy!

[Becky]

Welcome to everyone that I haven't welcomed yet. Again. :)

[Ashley]

Hey everyone. My name is Ashley aka Addie. I am 23 years old and YA is my favorite genre.

[Kate]

Fiona, out of curiosity, are you ever not on GR? Because you seem really quick to answer posts. When do you read? When do you sleep? I have trouble keeping as much up-to-date as I do plus reading anything. You live in United Kingdom, right? So it is morning time for you???

[Kate]

Fiona wrote: "It's 0751 in the morning, there was a power cut last night so I woke up this morning, looked at the time which was flashing 3 something and thought I better get up and check what the time was. Alas..."

lol, I know what you mean. I work a graveyard shift at my university (I work as a receptionist for campus safety)... I hardly sleep. Anyway, a power cut? That sounds bad. I grew up in West Africa and there was an almost daily power cut. I hated it. So glad I am back in a country with almost dependable electricity.

[Leshawn]

Good Morning Everyone,
My name is Le Shawn and I am 37 year old chemist. I've always loved YA fiction and I'm excited to have a group with whom I can discuss it.
I just agreed to do the Reading Challenge. I haven't done an official reading challenge since I was in elementary school. Though I have personal reading goals and challenges constantly (a lot of those dealing with library due dates and my desire to read lots of books every year).
I'm looking forward to all of it with you!

[Leshawn]

Thanks Fiona,
I'm trying to determine what I should read and what challenges to accept at this very moment!
I love your avatar! My Mom's favorite character is Tweety Bird and she has an entire room dedicated to all things Tweety. Whenever I see you in a discussion, I smile and hear...."I'm a sweet little birdy and ......Tweety's my name but I don't know my age.."

[Laura]

Welcome Ashley and LeShawn, and please feel free to join us on the Challenge! Hopefully it'll spark some great discussions and we'll find some new favorites to push on other members! It's so much fun to push a good book.

Right Fiona?

;)

[Laura]

LOL!

[Cait]

Hi everyone! I'm Cait and I'm a stay at home mom to 4 girls (8,7,5,16 mo). I love YA books. I'm always encouraging my kids to read the books I loved growing up, and it's nice to be able to continue discovering more current YA fiction that I think they would enjoy in time. It's also gives my 15 year old sister and I something to bond over.

Thanks so much for starting this group! I can't wait to do the challenge. I spent all of last night working on my list - instead of reading! Oops. :o)

[Laura]

That is great, welcome in Cait!

[Lisa Julianna]

Hi Everyone, and Welcome to the group!!! :~)

[Esther]

*puff, puff*
I finally got here. Sorry I'm a little late but I ran all the way.
Thanks for the invite Fiona.

I'm Esther also from TNBBC and other internet locations.
I love YA. Although , as with adult fiction, there is quite a lot of meh the good stuff is often more daring and original than adult fiction.
It is often like an Hor D'Oeuvres - a quick bit of something very tasty and unusual.

[Samantha McNulty]

Hey Esther and everyone else!

[Alexis]

Hi everyone! My name is Alexis, and my love of YA books was pretty well cemented after working in the Kids Department of B&N. I also have a much younger brother who enjoys reading, so I always kept up with what he was into and tried to read some of the same things, so we could talk about them. He's going to be 18 now but we still do this. (It all started with the Deltora Quest series, which he pushed on me about 8 years ago.) I was glad to find this group. The challenge sounds intriguing...

[Laura]

Welcome Esther and Alexis! Good luck with the Challenge - hopefully you'll find something fresh and new to intrigue you and add to your favorites list.

[Lisa Julianna]

HI Esther and Alexis,

Welcome to the group!!...I was wondering if you were going to join us Esther...hehe!!! Glad you did. :~)

[Angela]

My name is Angela and I am from a suburb near Chicago. I am 30 yrs old and just recently started reading YA (prob about a year ago) and I love it! Really was a hidden gem for me and I was like should I be reading this stuff since I am no longer a YA??!! I recently got my Masters in School Counseling and have yet to find a job in a high school or junior high, but I am looking forward to working with teenagers.

Good to see so many familar faces :)

[Laura]

Wonderful, Angela! It really is nice to see you here.

[Angela]

Glad to have been invited Laura :P

[Lisa Julianna]

Hi Angela welcome to the group!!!

[Becky]

Welcome everyone! Remember to invite your friends too! We need triple digit membership! :)

[Sara ♥]

Challenge? Uh oh.... I need to go look! (That's what I get for being out of town!!)

[Leora]

Hi Everyone, I am Leora from Maine. I teach middle school and have used that as an excuse for reading YA before but not now, now I am proud to say "I love YA!" The challenge is awesome here too!

[Becky]

Heather wrote: "Welcome to everyone! This group is really growing...I bet we hit triple digits in no time, Becky."

Yes but I'm impatient!

[Lydia]

Well, I guess then I should introduce myself.

I'm Lydia Harris, a librarian and information scientist (which means I'm also interested in how we obtain, gain, and maneuver information). I'm about to move from New Brunswick, NJ where I have been teaching library science and information studies (anyone who is in Philadelphia -- I'd appreciate some help).

I have 6 children, 16 grandchildren and ever since Harry Potter I am known as "Book Grandma". My daughter is part of GoodReads while she is working with Peace Corps in Azerbaijan and the other daughter is in LA selling Apple computers.

My great "Mom" tribute was when my daughter looked at the list of banned books and realized I had her read most of them!

So hello to all and since I want to teach YA books to librarians, I'm all about the challenge to try and find some additional material.

Hello to all!

[Laura]

Welcome Leora - middle school teachers are a brave breed, thanks for doing that important and challenging work!

I'm so glad you stopped by, Lydia, I'm sure we'll be proud recipients of your YA expertise. Thank you!

[Alexis]

Thanks for the welcome! And hello Leora and Lydia.

Angela wrote: "I recently got my Masters in School Counseling and have yet to find a job in a high school or junior high, but I am looking forward to working with teenagers."

Books are great as a bridge to connect with teens. I've ended up working with a lot of kids of varying ages, and when I ask what they've read and say "Oh I've read that" their faces brighten up. I think what does it is coming across a "grown up" who shares and understands their interests and can talk with them about something they like on the same level. Reading more YA books might just end up making your job a little easier. :) Good luck with finding a position.

[Angela]

Thanks Alexis!!

[Linda]

Hello, I just discovered this group and had to join. Looks like it was just recently started. I have three teens, and teach lit. classes for homeschoolers, so I read a lot of literature so I can add to my list of recommended reading. I love exposing kids to a variety of genres and challenging them to read books they might not choose on their own. Earlier this year I taught The Giver, and the kids loved it so much they went in search of Lowry's other books to read on their own. Love it!

[Ashley]

Linda wrote: "Hello, I just discovered this group and had to join. Looks like it was just recently started. I have three teens, and teach lit. classes for homeschoolers, so I read a lot of literature so I can ad..."

For Lois Lowry, The Silent Boy is one that I loved.
Gathering Blue, and Messenger are also companion novels to The Giver, so those would be great to recommend to them if they haven't already found them! I loved them both. Messenger ties up some loose ends... ...