Young Adult literature, from The Outsiders to Harry Potter, has helped shape the cultural landscape for adolescents perhaps more than any other form of consumable media in the twentieth and twenty-first century. With the rise of mega blockbuster films based on these books in recent years, the young adult genre is being co-opted by curious adult readers and by Hollywood producers. However, while the genre may be getting more readers than ever before, Young Adult literature remains exclusionary and problematic: few titles feature historically marginalized individuals, the books present heteronormative perspectives, and gender stereotypes continue to persist. Taking a critical approach, Young Adult Literature: Challenging Genres offers educators, youth librarians, and students a set of strategies for unpacking, challenging, and transforming the assumptions of some of the genre's most popular titles. Pushing the genre forward, Antero Garcia builds on his experiences as a former high school teacher to offer strategies for integrating Young Adult literature in a contemporary critical pedagogy through the use of participatory media.

Young Adult literature, from The Outsiders to Harry Potter, has helped shape the cultural landscape for adolescents perhaps more than any other form of consumable media in the twentieth and twenty-first century. With the rise of mega blockbuster films based on these books in recent years, the young adult genre is being co-opted by curious adult readers and by Hollywood producers. However, while the genre may be getting more readers than ever before, Young Adult literature remains exclusionary and problematic: few titles feature historically marginalized individuals, the books present heteronormative perspectives, and gender stereotypes continue to persist. Taking a critical approach, Young Adult Literature: Challenging Genres offers educators, youth librarians, and students a set of strategies for unpacking, challenging, and transforming the assumptions of some of the genre's most popular titles. Pushing the genre forward, Antero Garcia builds on his experiences as a former high school teacher to offer strategies for integrating Young Adult literature in a contemporary critical pedagogy through the use of participatory media.

Explores various 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.

Recognizing the determination of a canon as an ongoing process of discussion and debate, which helps us to better understand the concept of meaningful and important literature, this edited collection turns a critical spotlight on young adult literature (YAL) to explore some of the most read, taught, and discussed books of our time. By considering the unique criteria which might underpin the classification of a YAL canon, this text raises critical questions of what it means to define canonicity and designate certain books as belonging to the YAL canon. Moving beyond ideas of what is taught or featured in textbooks, the volume emphasizes the role of adolescents’ choice, the influence of popular culture, and above all the multiplicity of ways in which literature might be interpreted and reflected in the lives of young readers. Chapters examine an array of texts through varied critical lenses, offer detailed literary analyses and divergent interpretations, and consider how themes might be explored in pedagogical contexts. By articulating the ways in which teachers and young readers may have traditionally interpreted YAL, this volume will extend debate on canonicity and counter dominant narratives that posit YAL texts as undeserving of canonical status. This text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, academics, professionals, and libraries in the field of young adult literature, fiction literacy, children’s literacy and feminist studies.

In this book, Rodríguez uses theories of critical literacy and culturally responsive teaching to argue that our schools, and our culture, need sustaining and inclusive young adult (YA) literature/s to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse readers and all students. This book provides an outline for the study of literature through cultural and literary criticism, via essays that analyze selected YA literature (drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) in four areas: scribal identities and the self-affirmation of adolescents; gender and sexualities; schooling and education of young adult characters; and teachers’ roles and influences in characters’ coming of age. Applying critical literacy theories and a youth studies lens, this book shines a light on the need for culturally sustaining and inclusive pedagogies to read adolescent worlds. Complementing these essays are critical conversations with seven key contemporary YA literature writers, adding biographical perspectives to further expand the critical scholarship and merits of YA literature.

Thanks to the success of franchises such as The Hunger Games and Twilight, young adult literature has reached a new level of prominence and popularity. Teens and adults alike are drawn to the genre's coming-of-age themes, fast pacing, and vivid emotional portrayals. The essays in this volume suggest ways high school and college instructors can incorporate YA texts into courses in literature, education, library science, and general education. The first group of essays explores key issues in YA literature, situates works in cultural contexts, and addresses questions of text selection and censorship. The second section discusses a range of genres within YA literature, including both realistic and speculative fiction as well as verse narratives, comics, and film. The final section offers ideas for assignments, including interdisciplinary and digital projects, in a variety of courses.

"Essentials of Young Adult Literature" Based on a genre approach to literature, this long-awaited book offers a comprehensive, clear, and succinct overview of adolescent literature. It includes recommended books listed by genre and topic, and engages readers by offering a thorough discussion of the major trends and issues affecting young adult literature such as censorship, the literary canon, and accountability. It provides clearly stated positions on the current issues affecting schools and literature. Written by well-known authors Carl Tomlinson and Carol Lynch-Brown, "Essentials of Young Adult Literature" places emphasis on reading a wide variety of young adult literature and addresses all types and formats of literature including novels, short stories, graphic novels, and picture books for older readers. In addition, notable authors are featured in each genre chapter and multicultural and international literature is integrated throughout the book and then treated more fully in its own chapter. Current and future teachers will appreciate the authors' practical strategies for connecting secondary school students with young adult books, such as how to select books that students will read and enjoy, how to motivate resistant readers to read, and how to develop text sets for classroom study across the curriculum. Readers will be equipped with the knowledge to use trade books as excellent teaching and learning materials and will not be limited to using textbooks alone. Key Features "Literature Across the Curriculum" features found in all genre chapters give examples of how young adult literature can help students and teachers in the content areas learn or present course content in a more interesting, memorable way. Extensive lists of recommended books briefly annotated with topics and age levels follow each genre chapter. One full chapter devoted to addressing the specific needs of resistant readers give middle and high school teachers much-needed strategies for addressing common obstacles to reading and for motivating students to read. Every chapter presents one to three charts with information about milestone books, history of specific genres, and research. Appendices feature Young Adult Book Award lists and YA Magazines, organized by content area and include ordering information. By the same authors Essentials of Children's Literature, Fifth Edition (c)2005, Allyn & Bacon, ISBN 0-205-42015-X For more information, please visit www.ablongman.com