[ISLMA-Share] YA designation discussion

[Email list for the Illinois School Library Media Association]

We’re a 6-8 building, and I put YA stickers on books that are recommended (by review journals; if they’re drastically different, I err on the side of sticker!) for grade 8+/age 14+. If I’ve read it, I make a judgement call about whether or not it needs the sticker.

Every year I tell my new students that the books with the YA sticker were purchased with our 8th grade students in mind, and so might contain more mature content than they’re ready for. Students are allowed to check out anything in the library, but in practice, 6th graders tend not to check out those titles (and when they do bring them up, we remind them about the sticker and ask if they have any questions about the content).

When parents express concern about a book their child has checked out, I always offer to make a note on their child’s account that says they may not check out YA books. No one’s taken me up on it.


Amanda Crowley
Library Media Specialist
Northbrook Junior High School
acrowley at northbrook28.net<mailto:acrowley at northbrook28.net>
(847) 504-3540

"A book, too, can be a star, 'explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,' a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe."
― Madeleine L’Engle, from her Newbery Award acceptance speech for A Wrinkle in Time (1963)




On Aug 26, 2016, at 9:55 AM, Email list for the Illinois School Library Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:islma at list.railslibraries.info>> wrote:

Hi everyone!

If you would be willing to share, what does your school use as guidelines for "YA" designation of reading materials?  I am in a 5th-8th grade middle school, and the large age range creates some challenges in our collection, and how to handle certain titles.  Up to this point, it’s been pretty piece-meal, with us checking websites to try and narrow-down an "age level" for a book- and assigning it based on that.  We are realizing it might be good to actually have a list of bullet points or a simple rubric or something to point to when parents/community members/staff ask about it.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!  Thanks!

Clare Lund
7th Grade ELA & 6th Grade Social Studies
Library Media Specialist
Gower Middle School, Burr Ridge, Illinois
Follow me on Twitter @LundTeach

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30/8/2016
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