Young Adult Literature

Encouraging Teen Readers: Going Bovine on Books

“Like an awkward kid who’s finally shed the braces and baby fat, young adult literature is coming into its own” (Crocker, 2003, p. 76) and has become an “electrifying genre for getting today’s young adolescents reading and exploring who they are” (Stallworth, 2006, p. 59).

Difficult to define:◦ Is it what young adults select to read –OR– Is it

what books are written specifically for a young adult audience?

Young Adult Literature: Not Simply Adult Lite

Characteristics that have historically defined the genre The PROBLEM NOVEL and the evolution of contemporary

YAL No difference between the young adult novel and the

adult novel (only distinctions) as per Stephen Roxburgh (in a Keynote Address for the ALAN Workshop in Indianapolis, IN, November 20, 2004).◦ Distinctions:

Narratives of young adult literature involve the following: Plots of character Characters tend to be adolescent The point of view is often first person

◦ Transformation: “It is an organic, inherent manifestation of the change the protagonist is undergoing. It is not at all typical of the adult novel where the reliability of the narrator tends to remain constant” (Roxburgh, 2005, p. 8).

Historical Definitions of YAL: Remembering Sweet Valley High

Location of young adult literature in bookstores

Book Covers

Finding the Young Adult Novel:Why Middle-Aged Women Are More Likely to Peruse the YA Section of a Bookstore Than a Teen Male

Quality Young Adult Literature:So Is the Twilight Series Good or What?

VALUEResources for Evaluating Young Adult Literature

Personal VERSUS Literary Value

“Poetry of voice” affects the fact that “voice is character is plot. This is the very essence of the young adult novel” (Roxburgh, 2005, p. 8)

Awards◦ YALSA

Best Books for Young Adults Printz Award

◦ ALA Teens Top Ten

◦ NY Public Library Books for the Teen Age

◦ National Book Award (Young People’s Literature) Journals

◦ Booklist (ALA)◦ Horn Book◦ Kirkus Reviews◦ School Library Journal◦ Voice of Youth Advocates◦ Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books◦ Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (IRA)

Topics Causing Tension◦ “Audience Appropriateness”

Re-thinking Racy Reads◦ Teen readers’ expectations:

“[They have] no tolerance for writing that patronizes or preaches. They crave stories with no holds barred and characters who are real, inspiring, and flawed” (Bodart, 2006, p. 31).

“Sexuality is a part of teens’ lives, and to ignore it in their fiction—especially realistic, contemporary fiction—is inauthentic” (Perez, 2006, p. 20).

◦ American Library Association: Freedom to Read

Censorship:So…WTF???!!! (Really, it’s the title of a recent YAL novel)

Dealing with Controversy in YA Literature◦ Read to discover what emotions it elicits, and

examine the power of its message.◦ Recognize the emotional reaction both teen and

adult readers would have to the book.◦ Study district policy (and compare to

Reconsideration of a Work by NCTE).◦ Forge connections with your supporters—others

who work with youth in the community.

Censor or Selector:What am I to do as an educator?

Recommended Reads:So many books, so little time…yet here are some recent worthy titles