Mumble Mumble Grunt

In our library world we joke about teen boys being the hardest RA* patrons because all they do is grunt in response to your questions. But that’s generally an exaggeration and it’s usually because mom (maybe dad or someone else) has dragged them in and is doing most of the talking. Not today. A boy walks up to the desk, mumbles, “I have to do a book report.”

I wait a second for him to say more, debate torturing him with obvious probing questions vs. assuming he’s asking me to help him find book he might not hate reading since his teacher is making him read one. I assume. “What grade are you in?”

“Eighth.”

“Does the assignment have any requirements about what kind of book you have to read?”

“ . . . fiction . . ?”

I walk him over to the Young Adult** section, motion to all of the YA Fiction and tell him he can take his pick. As anticipated, he looks at me expectantly. “What kind of books do you like to read?” He looks at me. “What have you read that you’ve enjoyed?”

“ . . . outsiders . . ?”

“And do you like something realistic like that or would you want something more fantastical? Something with some adventure? . . . “ I go on like that for a bit, not getting much of a response. I can tell he’s trying, just doesn’t quite speak “book.”

“It has to be fiction.”

“But fiction can be lots of different things, from someone made up but otherwise just like you to something like Harry Potter to . . . “

“Maybe it was . . . science fiction . . ?”

“Ah, now that makes a big difference because it’s much more specific than general fiction. Which one do you think it is?”

“ . . . I don’t . . . really know . . . what they mean . . . “ I explain them. “I think maybe science fiction.”

I walk him to the (YA) Sci Fi section, tell him it’s a much smaller selection. I pull one off the shelf and describe it to him.

“OK.”

“ . . . So you’re interested and want to take it . . . don’t like the sound of it and want to put it back . . . want to hold onto it but hear about another . . ?”

Nod.

Repeat two more times. He takes the third.***

*Reader’s Advisory – Library jargon for hopefully knowledgeable librarians advising readers of good books.

**Library jargon for teen.

***First try: Rash by Pete Hautman. Second try: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (when I mentioned drugs he said Catholic school). Third try/success: Epic by Conor Kostick.