wait, what about the reading?

My name is Angie Manfredi: I’m fat and I read books.  Most of the books I read are written for children and teens.  This site was created to give me a forum to not only discuss trends and topics in library services and literature but to critically review the messages and quality of books and media geared to teenagers that deal with issues of weight and body/size acceptance.    So, have a donut and settle in for the discussions!

Currently, I am the Head of Youth Services for Los Alamos County Library System in New Mexico.  I’m a member of the American Library Association, active in the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA) and the GLBT roundtable.  I just joined ALSC and the Gaming roundtable and can’t wait to explore membership more.  I recently completed a term on the 2011 Morris Award Committee and am now serving on the 2013 Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults committee.  (Due to that, I won’t be publicly  discussing or reviewing any YA nonfiction this year).  I also work on and with a variety of other YALSA task-forces and interest groups.  (I <3 being a member of YALSA,  they do amazing work!)

While I really do cherish working with children of all ages, services to teens has my heart.  They are the most engaging, dynamic, passionate, and MOST FUN patron base and I feel lucky to work with them. Meanwhile, the current state of YA literature continues to awe me with its range and quality.

I’m deeply committed to teen services and have a special interest in helping train library generalists in successful teen outreach and programming. I truly believe that anyone with the commitment and desire can succeed in creating a welcoming environment and dynamic collection for teens in their library and be an advocate for teens.

Comments, discussion, and more are welcome.  All opinions and commentary on this blog (unless otherwise noted) are mine alone.  I accept review copies and advance review copies of titles for all ages, but I will give honest reviews.  (Liz Burns has pretty much the perfect Review Policy, so I shall point you in that direction.)

You can contact me at fatgirlreading at gmail dot com