Bust - August/September 2008 issue

Okay, so Bust isn't exactly a teen magazine. BUT! If I were in charge of a teen section in a library, I would get a subscription. Bust is the magazine "for women with something to get off their chest." Unlike many "alternative" magazines, Bust has a very high production value, with great design, glossy, colourful pages, and great writing. Plus - interesting articles! Shock shock! Throughout this issue were examples of young women who are living fantastic lives (and not just acting or modelling, although there are a couple of those). Annette Obrestad, for example, is the youngest ever World Series of Poker bracelet winner (now 19, she won when she was 18), who started taking on major players in online tournaments (and winning) when she was just 15. The magazine also profiles Hello Kitty and a custom sneaker designer from Brooklyn, and tells readers how to find plus-sized vintage clothing - all within the first 36 pages.

While Bust may be directed at a slightly older audience, I think it is a great magazine for teens. It shows that you can enjoy fashion and celebrities while also embracing all of the different facets that make us individuals. Yay for women who follow their passions. Yay for women.

p.s. The Bust website is also really great.

10/10.
Ages 14+.

Cosmo Girl - October 2008 issue

Sigh. I admit that, once upon a time, I loved Cosmopolitan Magazine. The affair lasted maybe a year or two, before I realized that it was an abusive relationship. I enjoyed the pleasure Cosmo gave me, but as soon as our time was over, I felt empty inside.

Reading over this issue of Cosmo Girl, I got that same empty feeling, but this time without any of the pleasure. Sure, it's flashy and pretty. But it's also depressing and sensationalistic and annoying. Almost all of the articles came from a negative, warning perspective (the dangers of marijuana, how to deal with parents who behave badly, "I got scammed on Craigslist," and on and on and on).

Things I liked: There were a couple of nice fashion spreads.

Things I didn't like: Ugh. Pretty much everything else.

As a teen librarian, I would stock Cosmo Girl. But I would also make sure to stock alternatives. And a great programming idea would be to get a group of girls together to go through some of the magazines and examine what they are saying and how - with their use of imagery and choices of articles.

5/10.
Ages 13+.

The Magic Circle

By Donna Jo Napoli.

Published in 1993 by Dutton Children's Books, New York.

The Magic Circle is a hypnotic retelling of Hansel and Gretel from the witch's perspective. The ugly old woman is a talented mid-wife who finds her calling as a sorceress, saving people from demons that have taken over their bodies and made them ill. A moment of temptation leaves her at the mercy of the demons, who turn her from sorceress (one who uses the demons) to witch (who is used by the demons for evil). The old woman refuses to do their bidding, and she manages to stave off her unnatural urges for nine years, until Hansel and Gretel find her home in the woods.

The Magic Circle is beautifully written. It casts a spell as the story moves towards its inevitable conclusion, and even though I knew what would happen, I sat rapt as I discovered a brand new why. A great fairy tale.

8/10.
All ages.

Out of the Dust

Music

Something interesting: the divide between young adult and adult is much fuzzier when it comes to things that aren't books. TV shows like Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl, Friday Night Lights: people of all ages watch and enjoy these shows. Movies cross generational boundaries to an even greater degree, and music probably reaches the most diverse audience of all.

Going into the music section in the Spring Garden Library's YA section, it was a relief to see that I wouldn't have to listen to a Hillary Duff record as a part of the assignment requirements. Instead, most of the albums that I came across were the type of thing I would listen to normally. So, here are two recent albums that I love, and teens will (at least some of them) love too.

Adele - 19 (2008)
The winner of this year's Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Adele is astoundingly talented. She's a part of the recent wave of contemporary UK singers who have been very obviously influenced by old soul and jazz recordings (along with Amy Winehouse and Duffy). This record is a great rainy Sunday album. I would probably be drinking tea, but hot chocolate would make a nice accompaniment as well. She has a gorgeous voice, dusky and textured. Here's a sample:

8/10.
All ages.


Across the Universe Soundtrack (2007)

The Beatles have somehow crossed all kinds of generational boundaries. They have been my all-time favourite band since I was about four (I remember singing "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah" over and over again). I was born more than a decade after the band broke up. I currently live and work surrounded by 18 year old girls - towards the beginning of our year together, I found a group of them splayed out across the hallway, listening to the Beatles and eating apples. I sat down with them and we sat there for over an hour singing along.

In 2007 Julie Taymor directed the visually stunning Across the Universe, a musical made up entirely of Beatles songs, sung by the cast. The soundtrack is super fantastic. Here is a song that makes me cry:

8/10.
All ages.

A poem

A poem from Laurie Halse Anderson, author of speak, made out of pieces of the letters she gets.