Lizzie Skurnick Loves Libraries!

The following is a love letter to librarians from Lizzie Skurnick, author of the recently published Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading,  a sentimental look-back to the children’s and YA books we loved in our youth.

Who could forget Beverly Cleary’s Fifteen and Lois Duncan’s When the Bough Breaks -- books that dealt with the lives and dramas of adolescent girls on their own terms, in their own worlds?
 
Shelf Discovery is a funny look at these important and, for many adolescent girls, life-changing books. It includes essays from other writers on their favorite well-and little-known teen books and authors, in-depth essays about the leading teen authors, a cover gallery, “extra credit” reading lists, plus an online component with Q&As from famous YA authors featured in the book, vintage cover art, a “plotfinder” section, recipes for unforgettable meals from YA books (Harriet’s tomato sandwich, anyone?), book club guides, and a place for readers to post their own memories and insights.

So…to the lucky first 25 who reply to this post, we will send a complimentary copy of Shelf Discovery.  We’d love to hear what you think of this trip down memory lane, so send in your reviews and we’ll gladly post them.  Happy Reading!

Dear Librarian,

I can still remember the exact cover of the book (pink plastic dust jacket, fraying) and where it was shelved (fourth bookcase on the right towards the back, middle of the second shelf from top). The spine had long since been rubbed to illegibility, and, looked at from the side, the crumbling pages were jagged, like teeth. The condition of the book may have been due to the fact that my grade school library in Englewood, NJ simply was in dire need of funding. But I suspect I inflicted much of this damage personally—since for a period of some months, that copy of Louisa May Alcott’s An Old-Fashioned Girl was, twice a week, the only one I ever stamped out.

For a child, stepping into a library is the literary equivalent of eating dinner at a new friend’s house—a meal filled with strange spices and preparations, people who serve salad in bowls on the side or corn without butter;  people who (!) only drink water. One week, my Old-Fashioned Girl was missing, so I had to make do with some Burnett (handily shelved almost alongside; it wasn’t a very big library), who sustained me until whoever had taken my Alcott (you can see I’m not the ideal library patron) finally returned it, at which time the sympathetic librarian gently pushed me towards Bradbury and Cather, presumably trying to alert me to the rest of the alphabet in the case of another emergency.

In Shelf Discovery, my reading memoir of the books that filled my formative years, I’ve tried to go back to that exact combination of doubt followed by passionate ownership, when a  gap where “Zia” was supposed to be shelved could seem an impossible betrayal until I looked down to find Zindel; where the end of the 40 minutes we were allotted to read was maddening if it wasn’t already Friday, the only day we could go ahead and actually bring the books home.

Now, books increasingly can be indexed, searched, located and downloaded with a click, and we devote a lot of (digital) ink to the vast benefits of having all texts at our fingertips.  A passionate clicker, I am not insensible to such benefits, but there was also something wonderful about the sheer unavailability of texts in that library of my childhood, where the eclectic collection’s works were removed or added without notice; misshelved or stolen (ahem) outright; absorbed only in meted-out intervals; only chosen for lack of what one was actually seeking. 

A library, unlike a private collection, is by its very nature a hodgepodge of recommendations both deliberate and unintentional, a place where serendipity triumphs over natural selection, a place where we must be alive to new ideas whether we want to be or not.  In that public school library, I learned that the items I didn’t know I wanted were often the ones I grew to treasure the most, and that to make do is to also make discoveries.  That was not only a guide to the best kind of reading. It was a guide to the best kind of life.
 
I hope you enjoy Shelf Discovery! Let me know what you think.
 
Yours very truly,
Lizzie Skurnick

Comments

[Patti B.]

This sounds like a great book..thank you of thinking of libraries. :)

[Chris Edison]

I got this book from my local library and loved it! I missed getting a copy at ALA but would love to get one of my own. I've already recommended it to a bunch of people.

The book brought back a lot of memories. (Who could forget that creepy garden globe in Jane-Emily? I still get the chills when I see one of those things.)

The commentary on the books was priceless too, and I was surprised how many of the books I'd read. It was nice not to feel guilty for reading "popular" books, although The Girl With Silver Eyes inspired me to read The Scarlet Pimpernel.

A few titles I wish had been included: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars, Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers, A Dance To Still Music by Barbara Corcoran, Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton and My First Love and Other Disasters by Francine Pascal. Some more sci-fi titles would be great too: Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien, The Girl Who Owned A City by O.T. Nelson, Escape to Witch Mountain and the Forgotten Door by Alexander Key.

[Karina]

Well, I don't think I got online early enough this morning! I think I'm too late. But in case I'm not-- I'd love to read this book!

[Samantha LeAnne]

If there are any copies left, I would love a copy. I've been trying to get a copy of this!

[Cindy]

Ooo, are there any copies left? I suppose I could just count the number of comments, but that would be too reasonable. I'd love a copy if they aren't all claimed yet!

[Laura]

I think I may be past the cutoff, but I'd still like to express interest. Seems like a wonderful book -- I'm always interested in people's childhood reading experiences.

[Elizabeth Friese]

Cant wait to read it!

[Maria Bustillos]

I'd love one! Thanks!

[Lalitha]

Um, I mistakenly submitted commented twice (well, now it's thrice) because I didn't see my original comment (but it was there). I'm not trying to be greedy, I swear! :) I can't wait to read this book!

[Cassandra]

I don't think I made it in the top 25, but if you end up with any extras...I'd love one! Looks awesome. Cheers!

[Lalitha]

I would love a copy!

[Amy]

This looks fantastic!!!

-Amy

[Maura Cunningham]

I love the Jezebel column and have been itching to re-read all these great books from my youth!

[Naomi Key]

I would love a copy as it's not yet published in the UK! I spent my childhood in the US before moving back to the UK and this is my cultural heritage- even though I ended up never having a prom or a sweet sixteen these books shaped me. This makes me intensely nostalgic for my childhood and a United States that no longer exists except in my imagination.

[MsC]

The original Jezebel column was awesome. If there are any more copies available, I'd love one.

[Rebecca]

This sounds pretty amazing. I'd love one if I'm in time. :)

[poozy]

I've been waiting for this book for months! Love Lizzie's Jezebel column. Heard some interviews. Can't wait!

[Kaley DeGoursey]

Sounds amazing! As a woman, an avid reader, a mom of a daughter, a bookseller, and an MLS student, it appeals to me on SO many levels! Can't wait to read it!

[melanie]

I'd love to win this! I'm a librarian, and I know I've missed so many teen books... thank you!

[Carol]

This looks like a wonderful book. I'd love a copy (if I made the cut!) :)

[Laura Kehoe]

I'm still reading YA, although chronologically haven't been YA in 30 years! I would love a copy.

[Hillary]

Hooray for Lizzie! I would love my very own copy.

[Lalitha]

I would love a copy!

[Nomie]

I would love a copy of Shelf Discovery - my book budget is low right now, but I loved the Jezebel column!

[Maggie]

Would love a copy!

[Becky]

Also a fan from Jezebel & am excited to revisit so many of the books I loved as a teenager.

[Nancy M]

I've been dying to get a copy of this book!

[Alexandra]

I would love a copy! The column on Jezebel reminded me how much I loved books like Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade and, re-reading these classics, I know I will always love them.

[Nicole]

I love Lizzie's posts on Jezebel, I would love a copy.

[Anna]

I've also been enjoying Lizzie's posts on Jezebel and would love a copy of the book.

[Jennifer W.]

I loved this book so much that I bought copies for my sisters and cousin. Between us, I think we've read everything in the book...at least twice! Can't wait for the sequel.

[Melissa C.]

This book sounds interesting! I would love to win a copy! I wonder how many I have read? I am sure this will spawn a rediscovery of the YA section of my local library!

[Lisa S]

Looking forward to seeing how many of the teen classics I still need to read!

[Sarah]

this looks so great!

[Hänni]

What a fantastic idea for a book! Can't wait to read about all the books that set my YA-loving heart a-twitter back when I myself was a YA!

[Kristen B]

Ah, to revisit my pre-teen angst!!

[Kerri Anne]

How fun!

[Erin]

I have been looking forward to reading Lizzie's book since I first heard about it on Jezebel. So many of these YA books have had an impact on me. I can't wait to read all of her essays and reminisce!

[Jen Petro-Roy]

I absolutely adored Shelf Discovery. As a librarian and an avid reader for my entire life, I was instantly attracted to this book when I read an article on Jezebel and then heard an interview with Lizzie on the YALSA podcast. I'm 27, so the books featured here were mainstays in my life. The organization of the book into categories/topics is great, as even if I haven't read all of the books, I can compare some of her choices with similar ones that I have read. The walk down memory land was wonderful (Harriet the Spy, The Westing Game, Julie of the Wolves, The Secret Garden), and it's amazing to think how many of these are actually considered classics today.

[Katie Jezik]

How cool! This sounds like such a fun book. I'd love a copy :)