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As part of this week's assignment, we were to find three romance YA novels and annotate them. I did not read any of these books in full, which is new for me. During the first six weeks of the course, we focused on picture books and books for tweens - and I closely read each one that I annotated. It feels strange to annotate something that I'm only barely familiar with - but this is good practice for the real world. Most librarians will never be able to read through their entire collection, but they will need to know how to make recommendations!



Ps...please hang with me as I work through formatting quirks over the next few posts!






Stone, Nic. (2018.) Odd One Out. New York City, New York: Crown.Plot Summary: The classic love triangle gets a modern twist. Boy meets girl in elementary school, boy falls in love with girl. Fast forward to high school. The girl - Jupiter - is an out and proud lesbian. When a new girl named Rae comes to town, the three friends have to figure out their feelings...and it gets complicated, fast.
Where I found it: I found Odd One Out on Paste Magazine’s “The 30 Best Young Adult Novels of 2018” list.
Why I chose it: The description on Paste’s list intrigued me - as did the cover. The author, Nic Stone, is an author who was highly praised for her first book, Dear Martin. All signs point to this book being a great read. In addition, the first chapter is quick and engaging...it draws readers in.
Wilde, Jen. (2017.) Queens of Geek. New York, New York: Swoon Reads
Plot Summary: Famous Australian vlogger/up-and-coming actress Charlie and her best friends Taylor and Jamie travel to SupaCon (think: ComicCon) in San Diego. While there, the three friends encounter exes, crushes, and new loves, while taking in panels, zombie mazes, cosplay contests, and more.
Where I found it: Christina Dufour, who is the teen librarian at the Thayer Public Library in Braintree, enthusiastically recommended it to me
Why I chose it: The book dedication is AWESOME. “To the weirdos, the geeks, and the fandom queens. To the outcasts, the misfits, and everything in between. The days of playing the sidekick are over. You are the superheroes now. You are my people, and this is for you.”

Dessen, Sarah. (2008.) Lock & Key. New York, New York City: Speak.
Plot Summary: 17-year-old Ruby unexpectedly moves in with her estranged sister and husband. She’s used to taking care of herself and running away when a problem comes up that she can’t solve. But when she meets a new problem - her handsome next door neighbor, Nate - Ruby considers finding a new way to live.
Where I found it: A friend, who is in her mid-20s and is a theology teacher at a Catholic high school, recommended this author to me.
Why I chose it: This author is known for offering love stories that are conservative in nature. I think it’s important to offer books with a low-pressure romance for students. Personally, I would have preferred to read something like this while I was in high school versus a story with more graphic situations


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