Let's Get Lost - Adi Alsaid

Alsaid, Adi. Let’s Get Lost. U.S.A.: Harlequin Teen, 2014.

I started the book a bit skeptical and came out enthralled with this road trip, coming of age, kind of short story collectionish novel.

The story begins with Leila and Hudson and their unexpected meeting.  Leila is on a road trip north to see the Northern Lights.  She makes a stop at Hudson’s garage to have her car looked at.  Hudson is pretty immediately attracted to her.  In spite of his very important college scholarship interview the next day, he sneaks out to show her the treasures of his town.  

Leila moves on meeting, Bree a teenage runaway; Elliot,who’s been crushed at his prom;  Sonia, a renegade bridesmaid caught between the past the and the future; and Dee and her family - having adventures along the way that are almost unbelievable. Ultimately she finds the Northern Lights, but perhaps not with them, exactly what she is looking for. This coming of age road trip ultimately comes full circle in a lovely way.

So many things to like.  Each character is beautifully and fully developed. I found myself wanting to meet each one, rooting for success.  These kinds of unique people are ones that I want my students to meet.  These are huge ideas in a book that is all kinds of fun. Enough romance exists to attract my romance readers, but this part of the story line is handled in such a way that my non-romantics will not be put off. My independently spirited kids will relate very directly to Leila’s freedom and travelling spirit.  Others (who are, quite frankly, more like their librarian) will enjoy living vicariously through her.

I have been sharing the title with good results will be book talking in a larger way soon.  My students who love Green’s Paper Towns are surely looking for another good road trip. I am also going to be looking a bit at the short story kind of angle.  I have great story collections that are seldom touched, and I’m anxious to see if Let's Get Lost can inspire an interest in these.

Sense and Sensibility

While the process of advocacy can be exhausting, I am grateful that education specialists like Yohuru Williams still takes a stand for the importance of school librarians in his article "Sense and Sensibility: Why Librarians Remain Essential to Our Schools." While I understand the importance of what I do on the job each and every day, in the midst of it all I am often unable to articulate exactly why.  

Williams graciously reminds that "[l]ibrarians remain important conduits for student support in ways that many might be surprised to learn.  contrary to popular perception, librarians do more than curate collections of dusty books; they teach critical research skill and often serve as the first destination for young people on the road to quality research." Indeed, I am the tireless reminder that Advanced Search feature exist, that searches can be modified, that sometimes the best result is not on the first page, that databases exist, that (gasp!) books exist, online and otherwise.  I know how to summarize, cite, and avoid plagiarism. I answer questions across the board in all disciplines, not because I know the answers, but can find them. As a former school teacher and current professor, Williams notes, "Although not always regarded as 'teaching' in the conventional sense, the ways in which librarians assist students may in fact be one of the most authentic forms of instruction." Thank you. Thank you. And thank you.

While I work in a district where I feel valued by much of my administration and some of my staff, and many of my students, I am constantly aware that educational systems are consistently having to provide more services with less funding.  I am also aware that in a world of the core and standardized testing, libraries look like an easy place to cut staff.  It behooves us to remember that "a well-documented pool of research indicating the impact of librarians  on student achievement exists." We need to be aware of the research.  When it would be easier to allow the constant demands of our position to cause us to remain uninvolved in the school world at large, we must remain present.  We must find the time to attend meetings to join committees, to be a voice that is heard and hopefully respected. We must not only be essential to our students but remind others that we are.