Annie On My Mind

Annie on My Mind

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my mind. New York: Farrar, Straus

Annie on My Mind is the story of two seniors who live in New York City and meet at a museum and develop a friendship that grows over time even though the two girls come from significantly different backgrounds. As the friendship matures, so do the romantic feelings between Liza and Annie. Liza struggles to understand what her growing feelings mean, but she knows she has never been happier even though she is hiding what is happening from her family. Liza house sits for two of her teachers when they go on vacation and she and Annie take the opportunity to explore their love for each other. When they are caught, Liza must face harsh criticism from school and her family. The girl’s actions cost the two ladies whose house she was watching their jobs and careers as teachers because it was discovered that they were also gay.     

Annie on My Mind is a contemporary realistic novel told from Liza’s point of view using flashbacks to tell her story as she tries to reestablish communication with Annie now that they are both in college at different parts of the country. The story eloquently communicates the struggle of sexual discovery by two young girls during a time when being gay was really discouraged. This is a story of acceptance, accepting who you are and not hiding who you are. It takes Liza a long time to embrace who she really is inside. This book was a break-through in lesbian literature and was actually burned in Kansas.

Awards

ALA Best Books (1982)

Edwards Award (2003)

Interesting Links:

http://www.nancygarden.com/books/teens.html

Realistic Fiction

Realistic Fiction

Text Book Reflection

Contemporary realistic fiction or modern realistic fiction books are set in more current times and reflect how young adults see the world. With realistic fiction, every part of the story is consistent with real world situations with no elements of science fiction or fantasy. When you evaluate realistic fiction, you must look at the all the elements of the story including speech and behaviors of the characters. As you evaluate a text, look at how gender is portrayed along with cultural aspects of the story making sure no stereotypes are present. When assessing realistic fiction for students, look at the theme (or themes) of the story. Does the theme have a natural flow? Does it emerge throughout the story? The theme should never be preachy or overbearing. Finally, when looking at realistic fiction evaluate at how it relates to modern readers. More and more sensitive topics are being discussed through literature. These also need to be handled in a manner that will reach young adults, showing both compassion and understanding in dealing with such issues as sexual orientation, death, love, romance, and changing family dynamics. Librarians need to make sure that their collections contain a balance of quality literature representing the teen population and the issues that matter most to them. 

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction

Text Book Reflection

Books can be classified as historical fiction if it takes place in the past. Depending on the age of the reader, the definition of “past” could operate on a sliding scale. The most important aspect of what historical fiction shares is giving the reader an opportunity to experience what it might have been like to live in a previous time and place. When evaluating this type of novel, the historical part is important, but the story itself has to stand the test of time. You need to verify that the facts in the story are correct which is where librarians may need to look at review sources or award lists to verify historical accuracy. One of the important roles historical fiction plays is portraying how life, values and freedom were seen in the past. Ideas in the past were not enlightened and life was rough for so many throughout history. Learning how it truly was in the past helps students appreciate the future. While assessing the novel, look to see if the setting and background fit the time period. The author needs to be authentic to the time written about. Finally, the theme of the novel needs to relate to modern readers