Targeting the YA Category

It seems that everyone is out to get the YA category.

How Public Libraries Are Targeted Right Now—It's Not "Just" Books: Book Censorship News, March 29, 2024

The above linked article covers all of the threats facing public and school libraries.  One article mentioned within it caught my eye.

Flathead County Library Board trustees propose removing young adult designation

Several Flathead County Library trustees want to remove the young adult fiction designation owing to the genre's wide age range that they argue fails to give parents enough guidance on whether a book is appropriate for their child.

That's the problem right there:  YA books are inappropriate for a child.  Children shouldn't be reading young adult books; they should be reading children's and middle-grade books.

The hue and cry over YA books being inappropriate is due to people thinking that the books are for children.  Perhaps children are consuming them, but most of them probably shouldn't be.

Young adult literature typically focuses on a young protagonist but varies in subject matter. According to a report from PBS Digital Studios on young adult fiction, the genre's meaning has varied wildly over the years, encompassing everything from coming-of-age-stories to serialized adventure series.

Not again.  Ugh.  People have a problem with YA books having varying themes.  They make it sound like the genre has no meaning since it can range from "coming-of-age-stories to serialized adventure series."

YA books feature young adult characters and are written for ages 12+.  Period.  They can be any kind of book.

[Board Chair David] Ingram described young adult fiction as for readers ages 12 to 25, which he added "appears to be an arbitrary classification by the publishers that does not provide guidance to the librarians making selections within this category."

Say what?!  Ages 12 to 25?  Apparently, Ingram hasn't heard of the category New Adult, which is for people in their twenties.

That aside, my first thought when seeing the age range of 12 to 25 was that the real age range, obviously unstated, is more like age 12 to 75+.  Lots of adults read YA, but even so, YA is still in between children's books and adult books. 

Ingram said he was confused by the young adult designation and that the easiest demarcation in his view would be to designate all materials as either "for minors or for adults."  Ingram turned the proposal into a motion, adding that it can include further division of materials by staff as they see fit.

So, books are for children or for adults.  This is the problem, people.  We have the YA category for a reason.  We should use it appropriately.  The books aren't for children.  They also aren't intended for adults, even though many adults read them.  Many adults also read children's books as well.  I am one of them.  

He had the support of Vice Chair Carmen Cuthbertson, who called young adult fiction "a designation that libraries didn't come up with, but a sales tool from the publishing industry."

Just stop.  But then a glimmer of hope...

The young adult fiction designation can be traced back to librarians at the New York Public Library, who coined the term in 1944. It followed decades of work by librarians there who wanted to keep adolescents interested in reading. An earlier iteration, the "NYPL Books for Young People" list, was sent to libraries across the country in 1929, according to PBS Digital Studios.

Thank you!

Cutbertson, though, characterized young adult fiction as a sales tool and agreed with Ingram that it is confusing for parents who want to guide their children toward age-appropriate materials.

No, it isn't.  If I were choosing books for an eight-year-old child, I would not pick young adult books.  Why is this so hard?

I wrote about the stigma against the YA category in a recent post.

Stigma Against the YA Category

I've been wanting to respond to some comments that occurred as a result of that post, and this post is a good place to do it.  Pornography in books was mentioned and that many books containing pornography fall under the umbrella of the YA category.  I can't comment on how true that is, but I have never found any pornography in the YA books that I have read.  Of course, I do avoid the modern YA romance books and also do not read YA biographical books, so perhaps that's why.

I do know that many YA books that are said to contain pornography do not contain pornography.  Two YA books were recently in the news locally because of a demand for them to be removed from school libraries.  The books were said to contain pornographic content. 

I immediately went online and found examples of the said content to see for myself how bad it is.  In short... I didn't see a problem.  The content is absolutely inappropriate for children, but it's not inappropriate for teenagers.  People pretend that teenagers know nothing about sex and that even a minor description of sex is inappropriate for teenagers.  These same people would undoubtedly be shocked about what teenagers routinely see online and in media.

The content is being described as pornography, but I contend that the word "pornography" is used as inflammatory language in order to garner support for book bans.

From Cornell Law School:

Pornography–"porn" or "porno" for short–is material that depicts nudity or sexual acts for the purpose of sexual stimulation.  However, the presence of nudity or sexual acts in piece of media does not necessarily make that media pornographic if the purpose of that media form is something other than sexual stimulation.  Pornography can take the form of photographs, videos, written material, audio recordings, or animation, among other media formats.

When a book that is not for the purpose of sexual stimulation has a brief sex scene that is described minimally, it is not pornography.  

From Google:

printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.

The key word in this definition is "explicit."  When I viewed the allegedly inappropriate content of the two books in the local news, I saw nothing explicit.  Most was left to the imagination.  That is not at all the same as reading a play-by-play of a sexual encounter with every movement described explicitly.

I will say again that some YA books may very well contain explicit sex and thus fall under the umbrella of pornography, but I do not find that most are like that.  In any case, the YA books that I read do not have explicit sex. 

Modern YA books do typically contain foul language and themes intended for teenagers.  And that's why young children should not be reading them.

Dana Girls #5 The Secret at the Hermitage Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Keeper of the Lost Cities International Editions

I posted previously that I was interested in acquiring the UK edition Keeper of the Lost Cities books.  I found four of them on a site in the United States.  My plan was to be patient and acquire them from U.S. sellers.  I changed my mind later.  

I found the complete set on Amazon and purchased it.  I was concerned that the books could arrive damaged, since Amazon does not pack items well.  Fortunately, the entire set was shrink-wrapped.

These pictures show the books in the shrink wrap just as they arrived.

I notice that the paper quality is lower for #8.5 and #9.  Those books are seen on the far left in the above photo.  Just about everything has decreased in quality ever since the pandemic, so this is not a surprise.  (Remember that you can click on the image in order to see it better.)

I purchased eight French edition books.  These books are small paperback editions.  They are cute books.

Finally, I purchased the two Spanish editions.  The series name was changed to Sophie Foster.

Duck EZStart Packaging Tape - Not Recommended

I recently became annoyed with the cheapest Duck packaging tape.  It shreds as it comes off the roll, which wastes time.  I purchased the more expensive Duck EZStart Packaging Tape to see if it would be easier to use. 

The tape is easier to use.  It comes off the roll very easily.  The trouble is that the packaging tape also lifts right off the package.

I didn't realize this at first.  Around a week ago, I realized that the tape was lifting off of packages that had been packed on the previous day.  I thought maybe I wasn't pressing the tape down firmly, so I became more careful to press the tape into place completely.  

You know... I really shouldn't have to do that.  Tape should stick easily, not lift off the package easily.

I also considered that the problem could have been the boxes.  I ordered boxes from Uline at about the same time that I purchased the tape.  I feel like the Uline boxes are slightly lower quality.  However, the eBay tape seems to be sticking fine as always, even on these new Uline boxes.  I think it's the Duck EZStart tape that is the problem.

I've continued using the tape but began using a little more of it on the packages.  I packed three packages this morning for shipping tomorrow.  I looked at them this evening.  Uh-oh.

The tape has partially lifted from both packages, most noticeably from the one on the left.  I had pressed the tape into place very firmly this morning.  It should not have lifted.  I pressed it down again and then wrapped tape all the way around the box across the middle top, down the side, across the bottom, and back up the other side.  I then wrapped some around going lengthwise along where the tape lifted. 

Since the packages don't go out until tomorrow, I will check them again in the morning.  If I see more lifting, then I will wrap eBay tape all the way around both boxes.     

I'm going to have to buy some other tape to use with this tape until I get it used up.

Lucky Purchase of Two Nancy Drew Library Editions

These days, it's rather difficult for me to acquire Nancy Drew library bindings that are of interest to me.  Many people now want Nancy Drew library editions, so I have strong competition.

I was very lucky to purchase these two Nancy Drew library editions recently.  (Click on images in order to see them more clearly.)

Here is The Mystery at the Ski Jump with the books I already had.  The new Ski Jump is the first book on the left.

I collect all binding colors plus all variant lettering styles.  I don't care about the condition.  Better condition is desirable, but I will keep any variant regardless of condition. 

Here is The Scarlet Slipper Mystery with the books I already had.  The new Scarlet Slipper is the book in the upper left.

The new Scarlet Slipper is the same variant as the one seen at the middle top and is in much better condition, so it will be replacing that copy.  

I continue to reflect about how interesting it is that other collectors now like these books as much as I do.  In this old post, I mention possible reasons why collectors began to favor library editions.

The Surprising Rise of the Nancy Drew Library Edition

The huge change in opinion about library editions mainly applies to Nancy Drew.  There is an increased interest in other series like Hardy Boys, Dana Girls, and Judy Bolton, but the interest in the books and the pricing of them is much reduced as compared to Nancy Drew.  

Three Investigators library editions sell for high prices, but pricing of that series has gone into the stratosphere ever since the pandemic.  The pricing has more to do with the scarcity of the books and the continuing high interest in the series.

Even for Nancy Drew, library edition pricing varies widely.  Some bindings, like the ones featured in this post, are favorites of collectors.  Some bindings are far less interesting and have minimal value.  It's problematic for sellers to use blanket pricing for all library editions when some of them aren't worth much at all.

Finding Books by R. L. Stine and Other Books

I originally listed all of my R. L. Stine books (Fear Street, etc.) on eBay.  Some of them sold, but at a slow rate.  Some months ago I listed a number of Stine books on Etsy as well.  The books sold at a brisk rate.  I gradually moved all of my R. L. Stine books from eBay to Etsy.  They continued to sell steadily, and I began to run out of books to sell.  I needed to find more of them.

Earlier this month, I visited a few local stores looking for Stine books.  I was thrilled to find some.

Click on images in order to see them better.

I found some Nancy Drew Digest softcover books. 

I also found some of the River Heights books.

The River Heights series is a spin-off of Nancy Drew, and honestly, it was a dumb idea.  Most people who love reading Nancy Drew aren't interested in teenage romance books.  I enjoy the River Heights books, but they are like Sweet Valley High, which I have loved since I was 12.  If you're a fan of Nancy Drew, then you will only enjoy the River Heights series if you also enjoy series like Sweet Valley High, which is nothing like Nancy Drew.

I found three Ken Holt, four Nancy Drew On Campus, and one Stine book at another store.

Nancy Drew On Campus was another dumb publisher idea.  It was designed to rival the Sweet Valley University series, which I don't like.  I also don't like Nancy Drew On Campus.  But I will buy them when I see them, since they aren't that easy to find.

I went back on a later date and found these books.

I purchased two Nancy Drew first picture cover printings, a Vicki Barr picture cover, two Biff Brewster picture covers, the first Ken Holt book in dust jacket, another Nancy Drew On Campus book, and two Stine books.

Hardcover Yellow Spine Nancy Drew #154 The Legend of the Emerald Lady

My hardcover library edition set of Nancy Drew #57-175 is complete, but I am interested in variations, especially the books with the yellow spines.

I spotted a small bulk lot of Nancy Drew books on eBay.  (Click on images in order to see them better.)

I spotted the hardcover edition of Nancy Drew #154 and saw that it had a yellow spine.  I wanted it.  Unfortunately, the listing was priced a bit high for me considering that the rest of the books were of no interest.

Just a few days before, I had acquired a certain book at well below value.  I won't say which book or how much, but I realized that it would cover the cost of this lot.  No problem.  I purchased the lot.

The bulk lot cost $33.63 including shipping and tax, which is rather high for just the one book of interest.  In my records, I ended up adding a certain amount to the cost of the other book that was purchased at well below value, bringing this lot's cost down to a fair amount.

Most of the flashlight editions were rebound by Perma-Bound.

Notice that The Sky Phantom is taller than the other flashlight editions.  The Sky Phantom is the only one in the original binding.  Most books rebound for library use are trimmed down and shorter than the original editions.

I am not interested in building a set of the Perma-Bound flashlight editions.  I have a rather large collection of library editions, and I decided a number of years ago to focus on the more special ones.  I no longer collect all library edition variants.

I expect to offer the Perma-Bound flashlight editions in individual listings on eBay sometime soon.  If they don't sell within a certain amount of time, then I will place them in a bulk lot with other books.

I removed the library stickers from #154.

The book is now shelved with the rest of my books.

I love the yellow spines.

Glitch in Nancy Drew Mystery of the Seven Keys Game

I had heard of a glitch in the new Nancy Drew game, Mystery of the Seven Keys.  The glitch apparently has to do with filling in a design on the top of the latte after it has been prepared during the latte-making task.  Players' games are freezing up, and it is due to computers not having a good enough graphics card.

Playing the game in the lowest resolution has been mentioned as a possible fix.  I've heard that this often doesn't help.

Finally, I reached the latte-making task.  I struggled, as I often do, since the directions didn't make sense to me.  I was reminded of my frustration during the game, The Secret of Shadow Ranch, in which the player has to pick vegetables.  The ripe vegetables made no sense.  I've picked vegetables many times, and I know what ripe vegetables look like.  The game vegetables must have been from another planet.

The latte situation is like the vegetable situation.  I just don't get it.  After not understanding the first latte that I had to make, I tried to exit the task in order to exit the game.  The arrow wouldn't work.  I realized that I was experiencing the glitch.  I had to CTRL ALT DEL to open the task manager so that I could close the game.  

I opened the game again, trying spoilers on the first latte but couldn't understand the spoilers.  I had to use the task manager again to close the game.  I tried a third time with the same result.  I began to search online for solutions to the glitch.

Many people are experiencing the frozen game during the latte-making task.  It's a significant problem.

I read that you can contact Her Interactive at Techsupport@herinteractive.com.  They will send a file called "After-Coffee-Amateur" with the game saved right after the latte-making task has been completed.  I assume that they will also send the corresponding file for senior detective as well, if that version is needed.

I found where someone placed the necessary information online in their Google Drive.  I used their file and was able to get the game to where I can play it beginning after the latte-making.  The person who prepped the file said that they did the bare minimum, so we will have to do some tasks again.  I'd rather have to redo a bunch of tasks than suffer through latte-making that made no sense and crashed for me.  It's either that or not finish the game.

Besides, I've read many comments by glitch-free players who were very frustrated over the extreme difficulty in completing the latte art part of the task.  They say that their hands are cramping since they have to try over and over.  They find that any slight slip with their mouse causes them to have to start over.  I don't want anything to do with that, so I'm fine with having to redo parts of the game.  

If you're on Facebook and in the Nancy Drew Game Fans group, here is the post.

Windows save file for those stuck on the latte art

The Google Drive has been linked from Reddit in a public post.  Here is that post.

Comment with Google Drive link

I did use the Google Drive link, and it worked for me, even though I had to search online for some answers as to how to get the information from that Google Drive to my Google Drive and then into my computer in the correct file folder.  I mention this so that you know that the file is safe.  

It might be easier just to contact Her Interactive at the email I provided above.  Their directions might be easier to follow.  I don't know since I haven't contacted them.

I also want to update something I mentioned in my first post about the game.  I noted that the game didn't autosave for me and that I lost a small amount of progress when I exited without saving.  I did find that the game was autosaving fairly frequently after I started over, but I don't trust it.  I make sure that I save the game myself whenever I exit.

Kennedy McMann will be playing the game live tomorrow (May 13) on Her Interactive's YouTube channel.  She will be live beginning at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific.  If you miss the livestream, most channels typically have livestreams available after they have ended.