Patrick Jones is a nationally respected Young Adult librarian. He has written critically acclaimed books for YA specialists, articles for School Library Journal and VOYA, and has given seminars in all 50 states.

Patrick graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint with a bachelor's degree in English and political science. He received his master's degree in library science from the University of Michigan.

In 2006, Patrick received the American Library Association's Scholastic Library Publishing Award in recognition of his outstanding library service to teens. He also received the 2006 Catholic Library Association Lifetime Achievement award.

Chasing Tail Lights
Walker Books for Young People, 2007
young adult, ISBN 978-0-8027-9628-8

Break free.

Before he died, Christy’s daddy used to say that when you feel lost, follow the tail lights of the truck in front of you, and they’ll get you somewhere safe. Christy keeps chasing those tail lights, but somehow, she’s always still lost in Flint, Michigan. Like most teens in Flint, she’s dying to leave this dying city. But she’s got a secret that she’s never told anyone, and it’s keeping her chained like a dog to her dead-end life. And she’ll never be able to make a fresh start until she’s able to reveal that horrible truth and bring herself back into the light.

Patrick Jones revisits his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and the darkness that has overtaken this impoverished city in a novel that reveals the chilling reality of growing up on the wrong side of the tracks in America today.

Nailed
Walker Books for Young People, 2006
young adult, ISBN 978-0-8027-8077-5
paperback 978-0-8027-9648-6

The nail that sticks out farthest gets hammered the hardest. Flint Southwestern High School is run by a cult: the jockarchy. And Bret Hendricks could never fit into their conformity cult. Bret doesn’t mind standing out from the crowd when he’s on stage acting or singing in his band. And he feels at home in his funky girlfriend’s arms because sticking out together doesn’t seem as hard. But loyalties aren’t what Bret thinks they are, as his safe havens seem to disappear one by one, and he learns that sometimes you just have to risk getting hammered in order to build a great future. For any teen who feels that standing out is harder than just conforming. Patrick Jones’s second novel nails the real truth about the high price of hiding one’s true self.

Things Change
Walker & Company, 2004
young adult, ISBN 978-0-8027-8901-3
paperback 978-0-8027-7746-1

Sometimes things change, and sometimes they don't...

Johanna always feels like she has to be perfect—the perfect student and the perfect obedient daughter, which leads her to being the perfect outcast among her high school peers.

They say opposites attract, and that could be the only explanation for her attraction to Paul. Always the life of the party, Paul won his seat on the student council by running on an apathy platform. Wherever Paul goes, laughter follows, and Johanna longs to be a part of his inner circle.

And whenever Johanna wants something, she plans and works hard to achieve her goal.

Getting Paul into her life turns out to be the easy part. Keeping Paul happy while juggling all her other responsibilities is tough even for an overachiever like Johanna. Soon Paul's happiness becomes more important to Johanna than her own. More important than her relationship with her parents and friends. More important than her grades, her safety, and her future.

Library Service to Young Adults
American Library Association, 2002
ISBN 978-1-880000-30-4

Picking up where the best-selling Bare Bones Young Adult Services left off, this exciting new book has an ambitious intent—to help libraries, with their communities, develop their teens into healthy, competent, and caring adults. Applying the tools in New Planning for Results to the goals outlined in Information Power, YALSA has teamed up with writer Patrick Jones to provide direction on how to deliver YA service that is proactive and holistic.

Approaching the service mission holistically means linking the developmental needs and assets of these young adults with the overarching goals of the library. With passionate authority, this book presents a checklist for strengthening community-wide bonds to young adults through policies, collections, programs, services, technology, facilities, hours, and, most importantly, human resources. This book changes the context for thinking about services to young adults in school and public libraries from a reactive series of programs aimed at increasing use of the library, to a well-planned initiative that focuses on outcomes.

Laying down twelve goals and ten core values of YA service, New Directions inspires you to renew your commitment and:

• Start from scratch or revitalize your existing program

• Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate top-flight services to young adults

• Create a partnership with the young adult population in your neighborhood

• Boost the achievement and esteem of these young student

• Allocate and cultivate resources to meet real needs

Eighteen real-life success stories show programs from around the country that have engaged their kids—in drama groups, in homework programs, in college planning programs—all with tangible outcomes. Packed with useful resources, the appendix includes YALSA's key action areas and guidelines, adolescent developmental assets from the Search Institute, and standards for information literacy. All of these resources come together to help you foster a thriving young adult constituency and a new direction for your services.

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