Speaking of books....

As a teacher of middle-school students, I have the pleasure of reading some great literature. When I was a reference librarian in Pacifica, way back in the early eighties, I would go to middle schools and give book talks about the new genre of "young adult" novels. In the last decade, the genre has really come into its own. There are numerous fantasy series that are well-written, original, and exciting. One of the best series I've read recently is "The Hunger Games," a trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It's a dystopian novel that kept me up many nights with its horrific, graphic, and brilliantly realized futuristic society. Panem, the future U.S. society, is composed of 13 districts (does that number ring a bell?). Had I read this at the age of fourteen, I'd have had nightmares for months. Not for the fainthearted, this series makes the reader work as hard as the characters to survive a toxic and nefarious world. But it's worth all the pain and stress...and you will meet some truly heroic young people.