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Based on a genre approach to literature, Essentials of Young Adult Literature offers students and instructors a well-organized, clearly-written overview of young adult literature.  The text includes extensive recommended book lists organized by genre and topic and annotated for ease of selection. The text includes clearly stated positions on resistant readers, censorship, the literary canon, accountability, and technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Clear and to the point
Essentials of YA Literature has fulfilled my expectations:to get a concise yet thorough panorama on the fiel of YA lit.Useful for teachers and students of Children's Lit, it affords up-to-date information as well as suitable ways of categorizing the different kinds of books offered to this varied range of audience.
M.C.Thomson

Super resource for teachers & parents of upper elementary through high school students
I am a pre-service Secondary Education Major (English & History) and have been using this book for a class focusing upon Young Adult Literature.The lists themselves are reason enough to pickup this book!It is the perfect reference for someone who is new to or even well versed in young adult literature.This text also provides several sources for finding award winning literature for students of all reading levels. You will not be sorry for investing in such an excellent source! ... Read more

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Names and Naming in Young Adult Literature shows how authors of young adult literature use the creation of names for people, places, events, inventions, animals, and imaginary concepts as one of their most important literary techniques. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Intriguing Analysis
The authors deconstruct the importance of naming and names within teen literature. I found the chapters focusing on Francesca Lia Block and J.K. Rowling the most interesting, as I am a big fan of them both.

Particular to FLB, they explain how place naming is important to the story in the Weetzie Bat series. And, that FLB also uses names to convey feelings and descriptions of people.

Likewise, with the J.K. Rowling chapter they explain the latin deriviation of the names and explain how the names are meant to evoke certain images in the minds eye of the reader.

The audience for this book is most likely educators and writers. This is a great book for someone who is going to teach a teen fiction workshop or other course. My last comment- the book is diverse in terms of the various authors who are explored. This book gives a great cross-section analysis of women and men authors, as well as people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. And, their analysis then covers books that cross borders. ... Read more

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This practical methods book provides future middle and high school English teachers with the direction they'll need to choose adolescent literature and to develop ideas for teaching it. Using a highly effective conversational tone, the book provides the latest information about young adult literature in a short, concisely written, classroom-oriented format. The authors show the busy English teacher how to accomplish four important teaching goals including life-long reading, reader response, teaching the classics, and reaching a diverse student population.  

• NEW!  Expanded section on Organizing Literature (Chapter 6)-Provides literature suggestions to incorporate its use in content area courses.
• NEW!  Updated chapters on Diversity and Media in Young Adult Literature (Chapters 8 and 9)-Provides readers with information about the most current young adult literature and contains ready-made media activities that can be taken directly into the classroom.
• NEW!  Three appendices designed to make the text as useful and accessible as possible-Provides general teaching information and supplements the young adult literature information given in the text.
• NEW!  Statements from young adult authors-Designed to provide additional information and insight into reading and writing, so that readers can better understand the importance of young adult literature from the point of view of various authors.

Customer Reviews (2)

young adult lit
The book is a great resource and it came in plenty of time tahnk-you!

Using Young Adult Literature in the English Classroom
This book is an excellent introduction to young adult (YA) literature for the 7th-12th grade English curriculum.It establishes a valid and informative argument for using YA literature based on the developmental theories of Piaget and Inhelder, Robert Havighurst, and G. Robert Carlsen.Bushman and Haas argue that adolescents are interested in reading stories that relate to their own experiences or involve issues they face. Such interest results in emotional and cognitive responses, which in turn fosters a positive attitude towards reading.YA literature, accordingly, supplies all these needs.

This book's structure and extensive discussions on various topics provide essential foundational information upon which English teachers can assess its value in the classroom.For example, it has a section which discusses the features of YA novels, such as plot, character types, key themes, and points of view.It provides a practical framework for teaching YA literature in that it offers teaching strategies and activities which are designed to develop critical thinking skills.Many different YA novels are discussed in relation to various topics throughout the book and several novels are discussed at length.One important section, of many, discusses the important connection between reading and writing and literature's role in providing the context in which to learn to write.It suggests many writing activities which will aid the students in not only synthesizing their ideas about what they read, but also in developing their writing skills.

In my opinion, the book's weakest section is the one discussing "Young Adult Literature as a Bridge to the Classics" (166).This section has a very limited discussion on integrating YA literature with the classics.Many more suggestions on this topic would be helpful because many districts still require the teaching of classics as part of the curriculum.
... Read more

Product Description
Young adult (or YA) literature and publishing are not simply flourishing. They represent perhaps the fastest-growing field of all. With graphic novels and so-called crossover works like the Harry Potter series selling in the tens of millions, the field of YA literature is one of the most dynamic and exciting in the U.S. and Canada. YA is increasingly an international phenomenon as well. "The Continuum Encyclopedia of Young Adult Literature" is the only reference guide to this phenomenon in any language. It is a collaborative effort by 200 authorities who contribute some 650 original, signed entries. These key contributors include: Michael Cart, Ken Donelson, Danny Fingeroth Ted Hipple, Teri Lesesne, Alleen Nilsen, Hazel Rochman, Stephanie Svirin, and many others. (Some are subjects of entries themselves.) Among the authors and educators written about are: Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Chris Crutcher, Will Eisner, James Cross Giblin, Karen Hesse, S. E. Hinton, Robert Lipsyte, Lois Lowry, Linda Sue Park, Gary Paulsen, Richard Peck, Philip Pullman, Louise Rosenblatt, J. K. Rowling, Art Spiegelman, Dorothy Strickland, J. R. R. Tolkien, and many others.A considerable effort is made to include authors and graphic-novel artists who are not found in any other reference work on adult or children's literature. Another special feature is the topical article. These often include up-and-coming figures that are not covered in their own entry. There are 75 topical articles, including African American Literature; Asian American Literature; Australian Literature; Canadian Literature; "Crossovers"; "Death and Dying"; "Fantasy"; "Feminist Fairy Tales"; "The Graphic Novel"; Harry Potter - "Not Just for Kids Anymore"; Horror; Latina/Latino Literature; "The Lord of the Rings" and "Beyond"; New Zealand Literature; Science Fiction and Crossovers; Superheroes of the 1960s and Stan Lee; Witches and Dragons; Tween and Teen; Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow; and others. For easy reference, "The Continuum Encyclopedia of Young Adult Literature" features an appendix listing major-award winners as well as an index of names cross-referenced to entries where applicable. ... Read more

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This landmark volume is the first to bring together leading scholarship on children’s and young adult literature from three intersecting disciplines: Education, English, and Library and Information Science. Distinguished by its multidisciplinary approach, it describes and analyzes the different aspects of literary reading, texts, and contexts to illuminate how the book is transformed within and across different academic figurations of reading and interpreting children’s literature.

• Part 1 considers perspectives on readers and reading literature in home, school, library, and community settings.
• Part 2 introduces analytic frames for studying young adult novels, picturebooks, indigenous literature, graphic novels, and other genres. Chapters include commentary on literary experiences and creative production from renowned authors and illustrators.
• Part 3 focuses on the social contexts of literary study, with chapters on censorship, awards, marketing, and literary museums.

The singular contribution of this Handbook is to lay the groundwork for colleagues across disciplines to redraw the map of their separately figured worlds, thus to enlarge the scope of scholarship and dialogue as well as push ahead into uncharted territory.

Product Description
With today's digital natives, educators face new challenges in guiding young adults to discovery of the critical thinking and enjoyment that comes from lifelong literacy not to mention simply reading simply for pleasure. For anyone seeking to hone their skills as a guide to YA reading, Latrobe and Drury give you a theoretical basis for your programming with cogent explanations of eight critical theories of literature: New Criticism/Formal Criticism; Psychological Criticism; Sociological Criticism: Relationships in Context; Historical Criticism; Gender Criticism: Opposite Sexes or Neighboring Sexes; Archetypal/Mythological Criticism; Popular Culture and Criticism; and, Reader-Response: A Unique Literary Event. "Critical Approaches to Young Adult Literature" is for librarians in school and public libraries (plus their colleagues across the curriculum) who strive for collections and programming that elicit thoughtful responses and build higher-level literacy skills across grades 6-12. In this book and CD ROM set, the authors explore all facets of creating a vibrant YA reading community such as inquiry-based learning, promoting and motivating reading, collection management, understanding multiple intelligences, accepting diverse beliefs, and acting as a change agent to name a few. Latrobe and Drury also provide basic questions designed to involve young people, activities to encourage critical responses and bibliographies of YA books with annotations. Time-saving author, title, and subject indexes round-out the work, along with appendices so you'll have reviewing media, YA awards and YA magazines at your fingertips. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Critical Approaches review
Received in excellent condition and fast shipment/delivery.Great buy for a class this semester. Would recommend. ... Read more

Product Description

John Gillespie, a respected authority on children's literature, has compiled this invaluable work to serve as a selection guide and collection development aid for librarians, as well as a navigation tool for researchers. The book describes and evaluates more than 1,000 publications, covering the entire spectrum of information sources in the field—from general reference, bibliographies, and biographies to review sources, literary awards, professional organizations, and special library collections. Internet and other nonprint media are included, as are major English-language resources from Britain, Canada, Australia, and South Africa.

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Now in paperback! A collection of fourteen essays that address major issues related to significant works of African-American young adult literature. ... Read more

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Like many teachers of grades 6–-10, you may be asking ''Should I use young adult literature in my classroom? And how?'' This new volume answers both questions by explaining how YA literature promotes learning across cultures, genres, disciplines, and grade levels, and by giving practical lessons and teaching tips. The chapters are divided into three sections - Responding to Reading, Exploring Genres, and Studying Authors - and cover a wide range of topics that include book reviews, poetry, picture books, and author studies.

Interspersed throughout the chapters are classroom-tested ''Teacher Ideas'' from educators invited by the authors to contribute to this volume. The book concludes with an appendix that highlights websites related to YA literature.

Not only does this book deliver new ways of teaching and viewing YA literature, but it also identifies reading materials and teaching strategies that will retain students as readers as they grow into adolescence. Instead of viewing reading as ''uncool,'' your students can become active, engaged readers when you make young adult literature a part of your curriculum.

The International Reading Association is the world's premier organization of literacy professionals. Our titles promote reading by providing professional development to continuously advance the quality of literacy instruction and research.

Research-based, classroom-tested, and peer-reviewed, IRA titles are among the highest quality tools that help literacy professionals do their jobs better.

Some of the many areas we publish in include:

-Comprehension
-Response To Intervention/Struggling Readers
-Early Literacy
-Adolescent Literacy
-Assessment
-Literacy Coaching
-Research And Policy ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Helpful ideas
This book has some good ideas for the starting teacher for uses of YAL in the classroom. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume examines the six novels and memoir of Suzanne Fisher Staples, including her most famous work: the Pakistani trilogy (Shabanu, Haveli and The House of Djinn). The author considers the predominant themes, characters, and settings of each work, providing background information about the countries, cultures, religions, and art forms that are central to Staples's writing. ... Read more

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"Young readers, teachers, and professionals in the field of young adult literature will find this survey and literary analysis of Virginia Euwer Wolff's books useful in their work and valuable as an aid to thoughtful reading. This text provides a literary and/or cultural context for each of Wolff's novels for young people, discusses the characters in terms of the plot and style, analyzes particularly literary elements as appropriate, and summarizes critical response. The point of each chapter is to attract readers and enrich their experience of each work." ... Read more

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Featuring 12 original essays that present research related to African American children's literature conducted by scholars from leading academic institutions, editors Wanda M. Brooks and Jonda C. McNair offer a bouquet of diverse perspectives on African American children's and young adult literature, focusing attention on texts, on readers, and on pedagogical strategies that have the potential to bring the texts and the readers together. ... Read more

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Today s young adult literature is every bit as complex as the audience it s written for, unflinchingly addressing such topics as homosexuality, mental illness, AIDS and drug abuse. In this much expanded revision of his 1996 book, veteran author Michael Cart shows how the best of contemporary YA lit has evolved to tackle such daunting subjects without resorting to sensationalism. He brings his historical survey of this category fully up to date, covering its explosive growth in the past decade, and advocating that librarians and teachers look beyond romance and horror when advising young adults. This survey helps YA librarians who want to freshen up their readers advisory skills, teachers who use novels in the classroom, and adult services librarians who increasingly find themselves addressing the queries of teen patrons by covering the

• Reading habits of today s teens
• Influence of new technologies and formats
• New YA lit awards

Customer Reviews (1)

love it!
Excellent! Insightful, detailed and fun to read. Really captures the history and trends in YA lit. ... Read more

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Since the publication of Harry Potter and recently renewed interest in The Lord of the Rings, fantasy has become the hottest genre for young readers today—thousands of fantasy novels have flooded into the market, and young readers can't get enough. Librarians can build their collections and advise readers with Lynn's comprehensive guide, describing and categorizing fantasy novels and story collections published between 1900 and 2004. More than 7,500 titles—nearly 2,800 new to this volume—for readers grades 3-12 are organized in chapters based on fantasy subgenres and themes, including animal, alternate worlds, time travel, witchcraft, and sorcery. Lynn provides complete bibliographic information, grade level, a brief annotation, and a list of review citations, and notes recommended titles.

Customer Reviews (1)

Includes grade levels and review citations as well as notes on recommended titles
Well over a thousand pages of Fantasy Literature For Children And Young Adults: A Comprehensive Guide, a bibliographic reference pack in nearly 7,500 titles - almost three thousand of them new to this updated fifth edition - for readers of fantasy in grades 3-12: but it's the book's organization which is so unique and makes it such an important tool. For such fantasy synopses are organized under 'Anima', 'Sorcery', 'Time Travel' and the other types of fantasy kids typically ask for, making it easy to cross-reference fantasy novels and story collections published between 1900 and 2004 for kids of all ages. Librarians in particular and any adult regularly working with kids will find Fantasy Literature For Children And Young Adults: A Comprehensive Guide includes grade levels and review citations as well as notes on recommended titles.

... Read more

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Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation is an exciting new book developed to identify for teachers how to better connect adolescents with good literature. Comprehensive enough to ensure that teachers understand today’s adolescents and the literature that will engage them, yet slim enough to ensure readers have the opportunity to read the books themselves, this book will help teachers provide a rich educational experience for adolescents throughout the middle and secondary curriculum while nourishing their love of reading. This book addresses adolescent culture and the types of literature that engage adolescents, including horror, graphic novels, comic books, and many forms of media, more thoroughly and insightfully than any other on the market. Middle and Secondary Inservice Teachers and Reading Specialists.

Customer Reviews (2)

A great resource
Young Adult Literature is a great resource to have on hand for recommendations of YA lit books from each genre.Each chapter includes a multitude of texts that would be appropriate for YA readers and resources for how to evaluate each genre and the reasons for including each genre in the curriculum.

Lots of history, but many recommended titles.
Many books recommended, and I liked the suggestions for how to use the literature.Really good for secondary teachers. ... Read more

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A study of strong female protagonists in recent young adult literature that defines "female empowerment" and identifies its characteristics within literature. Brown and St. Clair use their collective expertise to uncover and trace the development of the young female protagonist from the submissive fairy-tale maident to the spunkier, more independent girls who now frequent young adult literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Book!
I really enjoyed this book! Very insightful about the types of young adult literature directed at girls in the past ten years. Covers all genres and topics,very helpful in teaching YA fiction. Highly reccomended! ... Read more

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Graham Salisbury, winner of the Scott O’Dell and Boston Globe-Horn book awards, grew up in Hawaii during the 1950s, and the lion’s share of his fiction is set there. His main characters are boys of all races struggling to define themselves and make moral decisions as they grow into manhood.

In the first chapter of Graham Salisbury: Island Boy, Gill chronicles the labyrinthine path of Salisbury’s life and career, from barefoot island boy to college dropout, from pop musician to schoolteacher, and from real estate manager to author of young adult fiction. In subsequent chapters, Gill reviews critical responses to Salisbury’s work and discusses the author’s plots, style, literary themes, use of archetypes, and coming-of-age stories that dominate his work. In the concluding chapter, fans are treated to a peek at some of Salisbury’s future projects.

Librarians, teachers, and teen readers will find in this critical biography a useful resource and a fascinating exploration of this popular author’s life and work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

About this book:
Graham Salisbury, winner of the Scott O'Dell and Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, grew up in Hawaii during the 1950's, and the lion's share of his fiction is set there. He writes about boys of all races trying to carve an identity for themselves and struggling to make moral decisions as they grow into manhood.

The first section of this book chronicles the labyrinthine path of Salisbury's life and career: from barefoot island boy to college dropout, from bubblegum pop musician to schoolteacher, and from real estate manager to young adult author. The book then offers a critical context for Salisbury's work, discussing his novels in terms of plot and style: analyzing literary themes and examining critical responses to his work. Salisbury's use of archetypes and the coming of age stories that dominate his work are explored in depth. Fans are also treated to a peek at some of Salisbury's future projects.

Librarians, teachers, and teen readers will find this critical biography to be a useful resource for the library, classroom, and reference bookshelf. ... Read more

Product Description
David Almond: Memory and Magic discusses how Almond's major themes relate specifically to the development of selfhood in his adolescent characters, and explores the four major themes that are evident in all of his works: magical realism, death, memory, and imagination. A chronology, extensive bibliography, afterword, and index round out this text that serves as a resource for scholars and students of young adult fiction, as well as teachers and librarians who work with young adults, ultimately helping to foster among young people a deeper appreciation for Almond's work as a literary artist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A scholarly masterpiece
Professor Latham haswritten a masterful analysis of David Almond's young adult fiction, emphasizing Mr. Almond's uncanny ability to capture the imagination and interest of the reader. This study is an important addition to the field and makes me want to read all of the novels of an important British writer. ... Read more

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This text is specifically designed to introduce a range of literary critical theories for secondary pupils. Written in language accessible to adolescents and using examples of literature relevant to their age and interests, it explains various theoretical approaches through the discussion of specific young adult novels. It aims to enable pupils to be critics as well as respondents, as they become more engaged readers. ... Read more

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This guide to the methods and techniques of teaching adolescent literature provides a practical orientation and teaching tools that effectively supplement the literature that instructors will use in the course. A small sampling of adolescent literature is also included. ... Read more