YA novels’ treatment of sexual identity and faith

Here’s an essay that resonated in my dual capacities of aspiring youth librarian and administrative coordinator of Religious Explorations for a Unitarian Universalist church. For School Library Journal, contributor Robert Bittner discusses young adult (YA) novels’ treatment of LGBTQ youth and faith. He argues that the “either/or” nature of many of these books “creates an unhelpful dichotomy between those who are queer and those who are Christian (or, in some ways, spiritual in any sense of the word).” He articulates a need for YA books that depict an ability for sexual identity to co-exist with faith.

Self-striping ‘Fair Isle’ socks

For my latest socks, I cast 56 stitches of Zwerger Garn Opal “Flower Power” onto my size 1 Knitter’s Pride Dreamz Symphonie Wood double-pointed needles. I love the yarn’s bright variety, the yellows, greens and reds, especially the Fair-Isle mimicry. I left my knitting on the bed, and a short while later found Starfire next to it, almost as if posing for a photograph. I was only too happy to oblige.

Cross-posted to Ravelry

Starfire ‘helps’ assemble sewing pattern

Of course, Starfire was going to sit on print-outs of my Etsy sewing pattern download. On this Caturday morning, my sweet sewing helper is essential to pattern assembly.

‘Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus’

Tom Angleberger brings his best-selling Origami Yoda series to its conclusion in Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus (Abrams, 2014). This story continues in the “case file” format in which students at McQuarrie Middle School contribute their observations and experiences.

In The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, a student named Dwight dispensed advice through a folded Yoda finger puppet. Did the advice come from Dwight or was Origami Yoda real?

As the series progresses, more and more students adopt finger puppets of their own, all consistent with the mannerisms of Lucas Films’ Star Wars characters, with names evocative both of the character and the medium used to create the puppet. Thus we have the Fortune Wookiee, Han Foldo, Foldy-Wan, Princess Labelmaker and Darth Paper.

Book bags from shirts and other materials

Repurposed shirts and other materials find new life as decorative book bags. They’re great as a planet-friendly alternative to throw-away gift wrapping paper and could as easily hold a digital reader or tablet as they could hold a traditional printed book. Appliqued onto the bag in front is the international symbol of the library.