Skip to main content

Author Guest Post: Alexandra Monir

Please welcome Alexandra Monir to GreenBeanTeenQueen to talk about her favorite teen reads.

Alexandra Monir is the author of Timeless and the recently released sequel Timekeeper


 My Favorite Teen Reads
 by Alexandra Monir

It’s no surprise to any of my childhood friends that I became an author, because reading was always my obsession! Every day I’d toss a new “just for fun” book in my backpack, and I’d race to finish school assignments and tests quickly so I could spend a few more minutes in the fictional world. The book series that captivated me from childhood into my teens, and that I love to revisit every several years, is the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace.

Betsy-Tacy begins when the characters, protagonist Betsy Ray and her best friend Tacy Kelley, are only five years old in the year 1897, and it continues all the way till Betsy’s wedding and first year of marriage in her twenties. While the first few books are adorable and perfect for younger kids, I was absolutely entranced by the teen books in the series, four novels that recount Betsy’s freshman year of high school (Heaven to Betsy), sophomore year (Betsy In Spite of Herself), junior year (the aptly-titled Betsy Was A Junior) and senior year (Betsy and Joe). It was magical to read about high school from the perspective of characters nearly one hundred years in the past! While Betsy and her friends’ way of life was drastically different (no cell phones or Internet, and only a handful of families had cars) so much still matched up to my own high school experiences. From school spirit and the thrill of being part of “a crowd,” to the dizzying highs and crushing lows of first love, Betsy and I had so much in common. We even both wanted to be writers! My love for this series showed me how special it is to see the coming-of-age experience through a historical lens, and that’s part of what inspired me to write Timeless. I wanted my modern-day protagonist to get to live my fantasy of going back in time and experiencing what it was like to be a teenager one hundred years ago.

When I discovered that Betsy and her friends were all real and that the books were entirely based on the author’s own childhood and teen years in Minnesota, I was floored. Visiting Betsy and Tacy’s real houses when I was in Minnesota is an experience I will never forget. Now, as I look at my own books on the shelves, I have to thank Maud Hart Lovelace for spurring on my love of writing and reading historical fiction, and for brightening my childhood with her enchanting stories.

Connect with Alexandra:

Twitter: @TimelessAlex



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Realistic Fiction Release Date: 2/26/2013 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Eleanor and Park are both misfits. When new girl Eleanor sits next to Park on the bus, they don't want anything to do with each other. But over the course of the school year, things change. It starts with comic books and becomes a friendship and a romance that the two will never forget. You never forget your first love. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Have you ever had a book sit on your shelf that you've heard so much hype about? And you think that books sounds like it would be right up your alley, but you're in a reading slump and you're afraid to give it a try unless it fails? I knew Eleanor and Park sounded like my perfect book, but I was in such an after committee slump that I even though I knew this book would help, I just didn't want to be disappointed. I should have known better because Eleanor and Park was perfect and everything that I had hoped it wou

Contact Me

  I love to hear from fellow readers and librarians! Send me an email to say hello! You can reach me at greenbeanteenqueen (at) gmail (dot) com

About Me

Hello! My name is Sarah and I am a Youth Services Manager who works with kids, tweens and teens. I love being asked about great books to read! I started my blog in 2008 as a way to keep track of what I've been reading and to use a reference tool for reader's advisory and it's grown into much more than I could have ever anticipated. In addition to book reviews, I also enjoy posting audiobook reviews, booklists and my adventures in being a librarian. 2017 Library Journal Mover and Shaker Committees: 2021 Newbery Committee 2018 Odyssey Committee 2016 Caldecott Award 2013 Michael L. Printz Committee- Fabulous Films Committee I have also served on the Cybils, Missouri State Library Association Readers Selection Lists, and as an Audies judge. Presentations :  I have offered various presentations at local, state and national libraries and conferences. Topics have included:  What's New in Children's & Teen Literature Engaging Teens in Reader's Advisory Gee