Get lost "Beyond Reality" for the ALA's 2009 Teen Read Week

Teen Read Week 2009 runs from Oct. 18th to Oct. 24th.
Photo: www.ala.org/teenread

The American Library Association (ALA) wants teens to get out of this world this week.

Teen Read Week is going on now through Saturday, October 24th, and this year's theme is "Read Beyond Reality." Considering how popular supernatural books are right now in Young Adult Literature, that shouldn't be too hard.

Teen Read Week began back in 1998 as a way to encourage young people to turn to books as a form of entertainment. And with a library card, reading isn't just fun -- it's free!

Recent years have seen a growing number of teen readers, thanks, in part, to popular series like Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga. But it can still be a struggle to get teens to read in their free time (not for school), when flashy entertainment such as music, movies and TV are vying for their attention. And then there's the age-old argument that teens can simply watch the movie version instead of reading the book. (A complete falsity: book readers know that, while often enjoyable, movie adaptations are never the same experience as reading a book.)

Libraries across the country are encouraged to offer special activities for teens to get them reading during Teen Read Week. Teens are also invited to vote on the ALA website for the top ten books of the last year, as well as vote on next year's theme for Teen Read Week. The options are Books with Beat, Deal with it, and Find an Alibi.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for some books that are "Beyond Reality" for this year's Teen Read Week, here are a few of Portland Books Examiner's suggestions:

• Dune by Frank Herbert
• The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
• His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
• Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block
• Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation (a new release)
• Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
• Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
• The Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde
• The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson

What books "Beyond Reality" would you recommend to teen readers? Tell us in the comments!