February 26, 2017 by Karen Jensen, MLS
The tickets were a different color. That’s what I remember about being on the free and reduced lunch program after my parents got divorced and we tried to make it as a single income family. The tickets were a different color so every kid knew that you were poor. There was great shame that came […]
February 22, 2017 by Karen Jensen, MLS
As part of our Social Justice in YA Lit Project, we are inviting guest bloggers to share their thoughts, feelings, books, programs and more. Today, Rachael Allen and Sarah Lemon are discussing socio-economic diversity in YA lit. I remember sitting in sophomore English and hating Holden Caufield. This kid had every advantage, but he was […]
March 13, 2016 by Karen Jensen, MLS
Last summer, before The Teen could enter into the middle school AP reading class, she had to read and annotate the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio. If she didn’t show up on day one of the school year with the project in her hand she was automatically kicked out of class. There were no […]
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August 24, 2015 by Karen Jensen, MLS
As students head back to school it’s important for us to remember that ” nearly half of the nation’s children between the ages of 5 and 17 attend schools in communities where a large chunk of families are struggling to get by” (Source: Huffington Post). One of our ongoing issues of focus is that of […]
June 16, 2015 by Karen Jensen, MLS
Approved When I use my debit card at the grocery store, I always breathe a deep sigh of relief when this work pops up on the little thingy ma bob letting me know that my transaction has been approved. I usually call the bank before I go, getting an idea of how much I can […]
April 23, 2015 by Karen Jensen, MLS
In 2008 the world changed as the economy went tumbling. They say we are in recovery now, though for the shrinking middle class it probably doesn’t feel that way. Reports indicate that poverty and hunger are rapidly growing concerns in the U.S., with 1 in 5 children now facing food insecurity and hunger. Although Robin […]
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January 18, 2015 by Karen Jensen, MLS
As I pulled into the Target parking lot we saw him, a man old enough to be my grandfather holding a sign saying he had been laid off and was hungry. The girls and I exited our vehicle and made our way towards the entrance when I noticed The Tween was crying. “It’s so sad,” […]
January 4, 2015 by Karen Jensen, MLS
As we begin 2015, I can’t help but hope that it is somehow better than 2014. Great things happened in 2014: TLT joined SLJ, Amanda MacGregor joined us, and my kids rock. But something else happened in 2014. Something very personal. In 2014, I became a statistic. I share this story with you now because […]
December 19, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS
As part of our ongoing series discussing the issue of teens and poverty, I thought it was time that we updated our book list. Although it may seem that a high number of YA titles present us with a lot of incredibly rich teens, often attending boarding schools (see, for example, We Were Liars by […]
December 17, 2014 by Karen Jensen, MLS
In November of this year the results of a new study were released that indicate that the U.S. had achieved a disreputable goal: In the year 2013 1 in 30 youth were homeless at some point. That’s 2.5 million children experiencing homelessness. This was an unprecedented level of homelessness for our youth, a shamefully high […]
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