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From YouTube: Well Read, Best Books 2014 (Young Adult, Young Adult Nonfiction, and Young Adult Graphic Novel)
Description
In this episode, Jerri, Tanvi, and Mary Gen Davies, discuss the Best Books of 2014 in the Young Adult, Young Adult Nonfiction, and Young Adult Graphic Novel categories.
A
Hi,
I'm
gerry
hide
you.
Services,
manager
at
the
Ames
public
library,
welcome
to
well
read
a
special
program
today,
all
about
the
best
books
of
2014,
at
least
according
to
the
Ames
Public
Library
Services
Department.
So
today,
Shh,
we
have
an
idea.
We
have
a
plan
and
that
plan
is
to
tell
you
all
about
the
young,
adult
books,
graphic
novels
and
young,
adult
nonfiction
that
we
have
here
at
the
Ames
public
library,
or
at
least
our
favorites.
Today
I
have
Mary
Jen
and
Tom
br2.
Why
a
experts
that
we
have
welcome?
Thank
you.
A
B
So
sisters
was
written
by
rina,
talga,
minor
and
she's,
a
pretty
well-known
graphic
novelist.
She
came
out
with
smile
about
a
kid
who
has
braces
and
she
wrote
drama
and
so
sisters
is
it's
sort
of
a
companion
to
smile,
so
sisters
is
about
two
sisters:
Raina
and
Amara,
and
Rena
is
the
older
sister
and
like
a
lot
of
kids,
branna
always
wanted
a
sibling,
a
younger
sister
and
so
she's
super
super
excited
when
she
finds
out
she's
gonna
have
a
little
sister.
Little
sister
is
not
quite
what
she
expected
are.
B
Cries
she
screams
she
poops
mashiz,
not
fun
to
play
with,
and
fortunately
that
sort
of
persists,
as
the
girls
get
older,
so
Amara
is
very
independent.
She
doesn't
really
do
what
Rena
wants
her
to
do.
So
the
book
of
the
story
takes
place
during
a
road
trip.
The
family
is
traveling
from
California
to
Colorado,
but
interwoven
throughout
the
story.
B
But
some
unexpected
things
happen
during
the
trip
that
sort
of
bring
the
sisters
together
and
make
them
realize
that
you
know,
despite
their
differences,
they
really
do
need
each
other
and
they
really
do
care
for
each
other.
So
it's
a
really
funny
book.
There
are
a
lot
of
moments
where
you
find
yourself
laughing,
partly
because
it
is
funny,
but
partly
because
it's
so
universal
like
you
could
see.
B
Oh
my
god,
I,
remember
doing
that
with
my
sister
or
my
brother
or
my
best
friend
or
whoever,
and
it's
just
a
really
simple
story
just
about
family
relationships
and
how,
despite
whatever
troubles
you
may
have
they're,
also
really
the
people
you
count
on
the
most.
So
it's
a
really
fun
one
and
kids
love
it,
and
so
at.
C
C
That's
sort
of
it
brings
it
out
that
you
know
maybe
you're
not
mad
at
the
girls.
Maybe
you
don't
present
the
other
girls
who
are
the
girly
girls?
Maybe
you
actually
resent
society
and
what
they're
doing
and
it's
a
really
sort
of
beautiful
revelation
and
it's
a
hilarious
book.
It's
just
really
really
funny
and
I
really
enjoyed
this
one
and.
B
So
it's
actually
about
transgender
teens
and
young
adults,
and
it's
just
stunning.
So
every
chapter
focuses
on
a
different
person.
So
there
are
people
who
are
transgender.
There
are
people
there's
one
person,
who's
intersex,
there's
one
person
who
identifies
as
genderqueer,
so
they
sort
of
exists
on
this
fluid
spectrum.
Not
really
here
not
really.
There
are
some
more
sort
of
wherever
in
between
and
it
fluctuates,
and
the
cool
thing
about
this
book
is
that
the
author
sort
of
edited
it
down.
B
So
did
all
these
interviews
with
all
these
people
and
edit
it
down
and
very
very
minimally
put
her
own
thoughts
and
her
own
questions
and
our
own
interjections
into
it.
So
you
really
feel
like
these
people
are
speaking
to
you,
and
there
are
so
many
things
that
stand
out.
The
pictures
are
gorgeous.
The
pictures
really
make
you
feel
like
this
is
just
a
person
like
this
is
just
a
person
being
the
person
that
they
need
to
be
and
there's
nothing
weird
about
it.
There's
nothing.
B
Is
young
people
in
our
world
and
it's
not
a
book?
I
don't.
I
don't
consider
it
like
a
niche
market
book.
I
mean
it's
a
book
for
everyone,
so
it's
booked
for
transgender
kids
to
see
that
you
know
their
own
struggles.
If
they're
struggling
aren't
unique
these
stories,
some
parts
are
heartbreaking,
but
other
parts
are
really
triumphant
and
really
life
affirming,
and
so
it's
really
you
know
it
lends
a
lot
of
validity
to
their
own
life
experiences
and
it's
great
for
families
and
acquaintances.
B
To
see
that
you
know
to
help
them
understand
what
someone
that
they
love
is
going
through,
and
then
it's
important
for
the
rest
of
us
to
know.
You
know
a
lot
of
times
we're
guided
by
our
own
fear
our
own
misconceptions
about
people
but
lives
matter,
and
that's
one
of
those
books
that
really
you
know
helps
you
remember
that
it's
amazing
and
I.
C
So
if
they
go
by
they
and
their,
she
will
refer
to
the
person
as
they
went
here
and
then
they
did
this,
and
this
is
their
choice
and
in
in
every
case
it's
different
and
so
I
think
that
was
one
of
the
sort
of
subtle
ways
of
showing
how
much
she
respects
each
one
of
the
individuals
and
it's
yeah
I
agree.
It's
very
beautifully
done
and.
A
C
A
What
books
do
are
you
know
we
identify
with
books
and
just
like
we,
maybe
we've
never
traveled
to
Europe,
but
we
read
books
about
Europe
too,
so
we
can
understand
and
identify,
or
you
know
enjoy,
that
that
area.
This
sounds
like
it's
a
good
book
to
be
able
to
maybe
put
yourself
in
someone
else's
shoes,
or
maybe
you
have
those
same
feelings.
B
A
A
C
C
You
know
he's
this
kid
who
loves,
Broadway,
tunes
and,
and
any
kid
can
probably
imagine
how
much
he
has
been
bullied.
Unfortunately,
in
life,
as
a
result,
you
know
he's
a
and
he
makes
fun
of
it
he's
sort
of
joking
about
the
number
of
swirlies
that
he's
had
and
the
number
of
times
you
know
he's
been
stuffed
into
lockers
and
things
like
that.
C
But,
as
a
result,
he
and
his
best
friend,
Libby
who's,
also
had
a
fair
amount
of
bullying
have
made
a
pact
with
each
other
that
any
time
they
see
somebody
else
being
bullied,
they
will
step
in.
They
will
not
allow
anybody
else
to
get
bullied
and
it's
I
think
one
of
the
most
moving
parts
of
the
book
and
he
actually
does
and
he
steps
in
and
he
stops
a
bullying
incident.
C
A
A
Then
that
fascinating
in
today's
world,
that
we
can
reference
that
web
&
phyno
her
website
and
find
additional
information
I
mean
that
that's
just
fascinating
to
so
you
know.
Twins
have
always
been
that
you
know
that
that
I've
always
thought
the
twins
always
love
each
other
and
always
know
what
the
other
is
doing,
and
all
that
you
know
I
stir,
will
type
them
in
that
way,
and
in
this
case
it's
it's
not
the
case.
They
do
have
some
difficulties
along
the
way
and
you'll
have
to
read
the
whole
story
to
find
out
how
and
why?
B
B
So
they
skateboard
they
drive
around
in
their
truck
they're,
basically
get
into
trouble
and
trying
to
find
ways
to
entertain
themselves
in
this
really
small
town
that
they
live
in
and
so
during
one
of
their
like
driving
around
at
night
ten
of
adventures.
They
start
a
series
of
events
that
unleashes
an
army
of
six
foot
tall,
praying
mantises
in
their
town.
It's
a
totally.
You
know
typical
day
in
Iowa
and
and
so
it
ends
up
being
up
to
them
to
save
the
world,
because
what
do
praying
mantises
do
they
eat
and
they
mate
and
I.
B
C
B
It
in
all
of
his
books,
he
excels
at
a
number
of
things.
He
writes
stories
that
are
really
weird
but
really
honest
and
really
beautiful,
and
that's
a
pretty
big
talents
right,
weird
and
beautiful.
At
the
same
time,
he
writes
passages
that
make
you
laugh
and
cry.
At
the
same
time,
and
unlike
any
other
author,
I
think
maybe
sherman
alexie
maybe
comes
closest.
He
absolutely
nails
teenage
boys
voices.
You
know
you
see
a
lot
in
while
it
teenage
boys,
they
seem
a
little
bit
to
cool
a
little
bit
too
slick.
B
C
B
Austin's
best
friend
in
this
book
is
Robbie
and
Austin
also
has
a
girlfriend
named
Shan,
and
the
interesting
thing
about
this
book
is
that
Austin
loves,
Shan
and
he's
getting
to
that
point.
He's
been
dating
her
for
a
while,
where
he
wants
to
maybe
take
their
relationship
a
little
bit
further.
He's
really
attracted
to
her,
but
he's
also
attracted
to
his
friend
Robbie,
and
you
know,
he's
always
identified
as
a
street
kid
he
sort
of
like
I.
Don't
know
what
this
means
like.
B
Does
this
mean
that
I'm
by
doesn't
mean
that
I'm
queer
I,
don't
I?
Don't
really
feel
this
way
about
other
guys,
it's
really
just
Robbie
like
what
is
this
an
Andrea
Smith
is
amazing
at
you
know,
pulling
out
those
questions
that
may
be
a
lot
of
kids
have
and
we
see
a
lot
of
LGBTQ
bugs
for
kids,
but
we
don't
really
see
a
lot
of
books
where
you're
analyzing
that
really
from
a
street
kids
perspective,
and
that's
just
it's
a
subplot.
It's
not
the
main
point
of
the
book.
The
main
point
is
really
these
grasshoppers.
B
A
C
B
It's
something
else
that
we
heard
a
lot
about
in
2014
was
needing
more
diversity
in
children's
and
ye
books.
Unfortunately,
it's
still
a
very
very
white
world.
When
it
comes
to
two
kids,
literature
and
I
was
thrilled.
When
I
read
Gabby,
I
was
almost
a
little
bit
turned
off
by
the
cover,
gonna
be
totally
honest,
but
I'm
so
glad
that
I
read
it
because
that
is
hands-down
my
favorite
book
of
the
year.
Absolutely
so
it's
written
diary
style
it's
about
Gabby
senior
year
in
high
school
and
gabby
is
mexican-american
she's,
17
years
old
and
she's.
B
One
of
her
best
friends
reveals
to
Gabby
that
she's
pregnant
and
her
parents
are
her
mom's,
very
religious
and
she's,
really
freaked
out
about
telling
her
mom
that
she's
pregnant
and
then
their
other
best
friend
is
gay
and
whatever
they're
super
chilled
with
that.
But
they
know
that
it
may
not
go
well
when
he
tells
his
parents
and-
and
it
doesn't
so,
there
are
consequences
to
that
and
then
Gabby
she's
a
really
interesting
relationship
with
her
family.
She
absolutely
adores
them.
She
loves
them.
B
B
Girls
stay
home
and
they
help
out
with
their
family
and
so
she's
caught
between
these
two
worlds,
and
then
there's
also
the
fact
that
she
sees
how
her
family
members
give
her
brother
a
lot
more
leeway
and
freedom
because
he's
a
boy,
but
there
are
also
a
lot
of
highs
in
her
life,
so
she
discovers
poetry
and
it
turns
out
she's.
This
phenomenal
poet
she
has
her
first
crushes
her
first
boyfriend,
her
first
kiss.
It
is
so
incredibly
funny
because
it's
written
diary
style
her
thoughts
are
so
accessible
to
you
and
her.
B
A
C
B
C
B
C
B
B
And
so
what
that
really
does
having
all
these
voices
is,
it
allows
you
to
see
how
stories
become
so
convoluted
and
how
all
of
the
important
details
are
sort
of
lost.
When
you
have
all
of
these
different
people
who
have
you
know
access
to
some
of
the
facts
of
a
story,
but
not
every
not
really
everything
you
hear
from
the
boy.
His
name
is
Tariq.
You
hear
from
Tariq's
mother
and
his
grandmother
you
hear
from
the
leader
of
a
gang
that
he
may
or
may
not
have
been
part
of
you
hear
from
other
gang
members.
B
B
It's
an
incredibly
moving
book
because
hey
this
is
something
that,
unfortunately,
we're
all
used
to
hearing
about
in
the
news
and
be
ketla
mcgoun,
absolutely
one
hundred
percent
humanizes
every
single
person.
You
know-
and
I
think
that
we
forget
that
these
are
real
people.
When
we
talk
about
stories
like
this,
these
are
real
people.
The
person
who
shot
is
a
real
person,
regardless
of
what
they've
done.
B
You
know
the
people
in
his
gang,
their
kids
and
yeah
I,
don't
condone
being
in
a
gang,
but
these
are.
These
are
absolutely
real
p
on,
so
you
actually
get
to
see
them
as
human
beings
and
I
think.
That's
a
really
important
thing
that
you
know,
especially
with
media
coverage,
of
these
kind
of
events
that
we
forget
about
and.
C
And
it's
a
little
bit
easier
than
dealing
with
the
things
that
are
in
real
life,
because
real
life
hurts
a
lot
more
than
fiction
does,
and
this
is
able
to
take
a
step
back
and
still
deal
with
the
issues,
but
in
a
little
bit
more
accessible
way
and
and
you're
right
I
mean
she
did
a
fantastic
job
of
showing
it's
like
a
360
perspective,
and
all
of
these
characters
are
so
unique
and
just
really
fantastic,
fantastic
characters.
So
it's
it's
highly
recommended
from
us
know.
A
B
B
How
beautiful
her
summers
are
until
her
15th
summer
on
the
island
when
something
happens,
something
that
changes
the
course
of
her
life,
something
terrible
and
she
has
no
recollection
of
what
it
is,
and
no
one
in
her
family
will
tell
her
the
truth
about
what
happened.
It's
an
incredibly
beautiful
book.
It's
very
poetic.
It's
really
suspenseful
I
was
racing
through
the
pages
to
find
out
what
happened
to
her
at
the
end,
and
it's
it's
so
haunting
once
you
get
there,
it's
it's
one
of
those
endings
that
you
just
you
won't
forget,
and
the
cadence.
A
A
A
We
can
look
at
the
illustrations
and
be
absorbed
and
the
artwork
we
can
relate
to
the
struggles
of
characters.
We
can
meet
someone
that
we've
never
met
in
our
world.
We
can
have
giant,
praying
mantises
coming
and
taking
over
the
world
or
have
princesses
and
black
whatever
the
story,
we
are
in
charge
of
those
words
that
we're
reading
and
that's
kind
of
what
what
this
book
is
all
about
is
that
this
is
a
this
is
a
book
with
no
pictures.
A
So
let
me
leave
you
with
just
a
couple
of
the
words
that
is
in
this
book
with
no
pictures
it
might
seem
like
no
fun
to
have
someone
read
you
a
book
with
no
pictures,
it
probably
seems
boring
and
serious,
except
here's
how
books
work
everything
the
words
say.
The
person
reading
the
book
has
to
say
no
matter
what.
A
So,
when
you're
reading
any
of
these
books
that
we've
shared
today
that
you
can
find
on
our
blog,
please
think
about
the
words
that
are
on
there
and
see
who
you
can
identify
with,
and
what
does
that
book
mean
to
you
and
who
can
you
pass
it
along
to
that?
Will
identify
with
the
characters
or
the
story
until
next
time?
Thank
you
for
watching.