New Great Stories CLUB Theme, Titles Announced
Lainie Castle | August 11, 2009
The Public Programs Office is pleased to announce that the theme for the newest round of Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) reading and discussion grants will be “New Horizons.”
When we challenge ourselves to go beyond our familiar surroundings, we can often discover new horizons and strengths within ourselves. New horizons also present themselves when we are willing to explore a larger universe. These stories are about teens who discover new horizons in their lives and in the world.
One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
Simon & Schuster, 2004
Fifteen-year-old Ruby Milliken leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother’s grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star who divorced her mother before Ruby was born. (ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, ALA Best Books for Young Adults)
The Afterlife by Gary Soto
Harcourt, 2003
A senior at East Fresno High School lives on as a ghost after his brutal murder in the restroom of a club where he had gone to dance. (ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, a Booklist Editors’ Choice, and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age)
Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Speak, 2006
Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother. (National Book Award Finalist, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, LA Times Book Prize Finalist)
The new theme and titles have been selected by YALSA’s Outreach to Young Adults with Special Needs Committee.
Beginning September 1, applications will be accepted from all types of libraries located within or working in partnership with organizations that serve troubled teens, including juvenile justice facilities, alternative high schools, residential treatment facilities, and other youth outreach organizations. In December, a total of 265 libraries will be selected to participate. Please visit the Public Programs Office’s Great Stories CLUB page
for complete information.
Lainie Castle is Project Director for the ALA Public Programs Office.
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