Nightstand Reading: Artist Margaret Chodos-Irvine dives into teen lit this summer

Editor’s note: We love Margaret Chodos-Irvine’s vivid mixed-media prints and innovative linocuts, which can be found in award-winning children’s books such as the charming Ella Sarah Gets Dressed (a 2004 Caldecott Honor Book) and Buzz (where her collages seem to move across the pages), and in the posters, brochures and book bags that celebrate reading at The Seattle Public Library this summer.  What’s this local artist toting around in the Library book bag that sports her artwork? Here’s a look at Margaret’s own summer reading “program”:

I’m been reading a lot of young adult fiction lately. I kept recommending books to my daughter (To Kill A Mockingbird, A Wrinkle In Time, The Lord of the Rings…) that she would sometimes begrudgingly read, sometimes not. And she kept saying “Mom, you should read this book, it’s really good…”  So I decided to set a proper example and read her recommendations for a change. What better way to find out why my suggestions weren¹t good enough for her, right?

I’m mid-way through The Absolutely True Diaries of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Enjoying it so far—I like his biting wit, in both adult and YA fiction.

Before that, I read Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass. I got bogged down midway in the third book, but made it through. Still pondering Pullman’s concepts of soul and spirit and parallel worlds, and wishing I had a daemon to pal around with (and wondering what mine would be—not a wolf, but not a slug either, I hope!).

Prior to that I read a slew of Scott Westerfeld’s books: So Yesterday, a great exploration of what’s hot and what’s not; Peeps, because I was curious about the current teenage fascination with all things vampire (what’s with that anyway?) Westerfeld’s vampires are driven by parasites—transmitted by saliva and cat breath. Sort of like rabies but more chic. His interweaving of parasite data makes you squirm but it’s informative! And the Uglies, Pretties, Specials series. Conformity, rebellion and extreme plastic surgery. Westerfeld’s books are entertaining and thought-provoking reads, although he tends to throw logic out the window as his stories build.

I also recently read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. A romance where geeks finish first. Great dialog banter and very funny.

If my daughter is any indicator of what kids are reading, I’d say today’s popular YA fiction is faster paced, has more action, more romance and more defiance, than the books I grew up with. Everything’s ramped up and ready for the big screen!

Now after all this YA I really should get back to the stack of grown-up books next to my bed (I FINALLY got Lush Life, by Richard Price, from the library after being queued for it for ages).

Other YA and children’s books I can recommend to adults are: Feed by M.T. Anderson (YA) and children’s books by Karen Cushman— Matilda Bone, Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice.

Thank you, Margaret! Readers, you can check out Margaret Chodos-Irvine’s website to see her art and read about her techniques. (And you can enter the Adult Summer Reading Program for a chance to win a booklover’s book bag that features Margaret’s art. We’re giving away more than 50 bags in the next two weeks, so stop by your neighborhood branch!)