Symposium Update

So, hopefully my computer will cooperate this time. I attended the YALSA Young Adult Lit Symposium in St. Louis, MO the weekend of November 2nd and it was amazing. I have attended a few conferences in my short time as Assistant Director and Young Adult Librarian, and I found this one to be the most fun because I was surrounded by people who were facing the same sorts of issues I was facing. The event was a mishmash of Public and School librarians and even teachers. A few of the authors who attended and spoke on panels were David Levithan, Ilsa Bick, Ellen Hopkins, and Patricia McCormick. All of the authors were so approachable and amazing. The main discussion topic of the entire symposium seemed to be "What's the Next Big Thing?". A few people had their theories - I heard "angels" more than once, along with mermaids and, of course, zombies. I attended one discussion where book trailers were being shown and some of the newest hottest titles were being discussed. This is where I really got interested in Libba Bray's "The Diviners". If you have not seen the trailer, here is the one I was shown. I have been reading this book and I must say it is fantastic. I recommend it to anyone who has lovers of mystery and the occult. It is wonderful. A few other books that sounded great were Ilsa Bick's "Ashes" and David Levithan's "Every Day".

If you have never attended a Lit Symposium for Young Adults (this was my first one) I definitely recommend that you do in the future. You meet so many amazing people and can create so many lasting friendships and connections. The next Symposium will be held in Austin, TX from October 31st - November 2nd. It is definitely worth it! Please let me know of any other great up and coming books/themes/genres in young adult literature you know of or think there will be in the near future.