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Taking a critical, research-oriented perspective, this exploration of the theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical connections between the reading and teaching of young adult literature and adolescent identity development centers around three key questions:

• Who Are the Teens Reading Young Adult Literature?
• Why Should Teachers Teach Young Adult Literature?
• Why Are Teens Reading Young Adult Literature?

All chapters work simultaneously on two levels: each provides both a critical resource about contemporary young adult literature that could be used in YA literature classes or workshops and specific practical suggestions about what texts to use and how to teach them effectively in middle and high school classes.

Theorizing, problematizing, and reflecting in new ways on the teaching and reading of young adult literature in middle and secondary school classrooms, this valuable resource for teachers and teacher educators will help them to develop classrooms where students use literature as a means of making sense of themselves, each other, and the world around them.

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The literary classics that are traditionally required in grades 7-12 are often too complex and removed from adolescent experience. This highly readable guide, from a classroom teacher and one of the nation's leading authorities on young adult literature, shows teachers and school librarians how to use young adult literature as a bridge to the classics to help students become more critical and enthusiastic readers. Innovative thematic connectors link quality young adult novels, many of them multicultural, to the 12 most frequently taught works of literature. Extensive annotated lists of additional works of young adult literature complement each of these 12 classics. Herz and Gallo also show how young adult books can be incorporated into other subject classes. ... Read more

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Great ideas
This book offers some great ideas for linking classical literature to contemporary young adult novels.I'm always looking for ways to show students that the classics are still relevant and I know I will reference this book often. ... Read more

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This book offers a multifaceted approach to the world of young adults, everything from Ray Schrock's use of Walter Dean Myers' sports stories to discuss race relations and cultural politics to Joyce Litton's analysis of the highly popular "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Quartet". The cover illustration is done by Joel Ruddinger based on his experiences with the Inuit where he learned many of their legends and myths, resulting in his own excellent work on Sedna, the creation goddess, a story filled with deep tragedy, mystery and the world of the spirits. This mythic world slides into the discussion of Harry Eiss, one that focuses on "The Isis Trilogy", best known of Monica Hughes many works, who writes, 'Science fiction and fantasy in particular are valid carriers of myth for the 20th century, and most especially for young people'. Margaret Best and Susann deVries also give us literature that uses science. They begin, 'The science fair project is the central metaphor and the reality in Paul Zindel's "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" (1970), Christopher Paul Curtis's "Bucking the Sarge" (2004), and Joyce Maynard's "The Cloud Chamber" (2005). After providing an overview science fiction, Sally Sugarman offers a study of the entire genre. 'For this study two hundred and thirty-nine high school students from two schools in Vermont and Massachusetts were surveyed'. Alethea K. Helbig provides an overview of her important activities promoting literature for the young. She was a seminal scholar and educator when colleges and universities were just beginning to take the study of such literature seriously, when English departments were initiating serious undergraduate and graduate classes in what previously had been seen as inferior literature. Her life itself provides us with an entertaining and historically valuable autobiographical account of a person at the center of the change that has taken and continues to take place. Jerry Loving expands the horizons of the entire collection of essays, providing a firsthand account of how the young are educated in China, including a detailed history. It begins: 'I have been traveling to mainland China at least 4 to 6 times a year as a teacher or education evaluator since 2002. As the visits and years passed, I watched the education system of China slowly improve to the level my schools were like when I went to school in the 50's and 60's'. ... Read more

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Teachers, librarians, parents, and young adult readers seeking information about American Indian-themed literature for young adults will want to consult this resource. It points out works that foster misinformation and stereotypes, but also examines the growing number of authors that counteract such messages. The book also includes a rich resource section that will lead audiences to further reading. ... Read more

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The purpose of this book is to provide teachers, librarians, and scholars of adolescent literature with a discussion of fiction set in the Middle Ages. ... Read more

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From classics like The Diary of Anne Frank to biographies of famous women and men, books are an ideal way to connect kids to other ages and cultures. Literature Links to World History, K-12: Resources to Enhance and Entice brings together over 2,700 titles for specific grade levels, including historical fiction, biography and collective biography, history trade, graphic historical novels, graphic biographies, and graphic histories, plus appropriate CDs and DVDs.

Arranged by time period and geographic area throughout world history, the resource covers titles in print and positively reviewed by major journals. Each title offers a different perspective or overview of historical events or personages that will enrich readers and entice them to explore additional sources. Annotations include bibliographical information, a short overview of content, and applicable prizes.

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Sharon Draper published her first novel in 1994, and since then she has published over 15 books for middle and high school readers. Draper has made a lasting contribution to the field of young adult literature; this book, which shares her life and work, will be beneficial to the field of young adult literature. ... Read more

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Literary Biography of Sharon M. Draper
DESCRIPTION
Known for her commitment to excellence in education, Sharon Draper was named National Teacher of the Year in 1997. In 1994 her first novel, Tears of a Tiger, was published, and since then she has written more than fifteen books for middle and high school readers. Tears of a Tiger received the John Steptoe Award for New Talent, and her novels Forged by Fire and Copper Sun have both won the Coretta Scott King Award. Most of her books have been featured on the American Library Association Best Books list, their Top Ten Quick Pick list, and IRA's Young Adult Choice list.

In Sharon M. Draper: Embracing Literacy, author KaaVonia Hinton reveals how Draper became an exceptional teacher and writer, and how she uses her writing to urge young people to embrace literacy. Hinton also explores how Draper has made a lasting contribution to the field of young adult literature. This book-length study examines both her life and work and will benefit all students, teachers, and scholars in the field of young adult literature.

[...] ... Read more

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This book is a critical exploration of how mixed-heritage characters (those of mixed race, ethnicity, religion, and/or adoption) and real-life people have been portrayed in young adult fiction and nonfiction. It opens up the discussion of young-adult racial and ethnic identity in literature to recognize, and focus on, those whose heritage straddles boundaries. ... Read more

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This book is for the LIS instructor who is looking for something that combines the literature with the practical in teaching courses in materials for children and young adults for an audience of school and public children's librarians. It provides an activity oriented survey of young adult literature for undergraduate and graduate students seeking licensure and degrees leading to careers working with young adults in school and public libraries. Actions that teachers, librarians, young adults, and students of library science may choose for involving themselves in literature are embedded in a genre approach.

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Young adult historical fiction brings the past alive through stories of adventure, suspense, and mystery. The genre is both complex and controversial, encompassing novels that range from romance and fantasy to stark historical realism. The book examines the various approaches to young adult historical fiction and explores the issues that it has engendered. Part One focuses on the broader issues spawned by the genre itself, including its various subgenres and literary concerns such as the relationship between accuracy and readability. Part Two explores issues of contemporary interest, such as race, class, gender, the immigrant experience, religion, war, and nationalism. Finally, the question of whether novels in this genre are bound by anything other than their respective period setting is posed. The genesis for much classroom debate, suggestions for class discussions and writing assignments as well as sample written responses of these debates from the authors' classes are included.Teachers, librarians, instructors of young adult literature courses, and teen readers will find this an insightful analysis of YA historical fiction. ... Read more

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The author of more than 50 informational books for young people, Freedman has received every major award in the field, including the Newbery, the Robert F. Sibert Medal, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. Through interviews with Freedman, this book speaks about his process as a writer of nonfiction, discussing how he chooses subjects and how he views research as a process of discovery.Readers will gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for this storyteller who writes about the stories that compel him and invites his readers to share his interest. ... Read more

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Young readers enjoy the delightfully consistent cast of characters and reliable story lines of series fiction. Because of their popularity and appeal, books in series are great vehicles for fostering literacy among all types of readers, including ABE and ESL students. In addition, readers of series fiction are almost always adamant about reading every title in the series-in series order. Yet traditional information sources on YA literature include very little about series fiction. It is rarely reviewed or catalogued, so objective information about the titles is hard to come by. And finding out the proper order of titles in series can also be a challenge. So, while series fiction is in high demand with young readers, librarians often have difficulty managing this large and growing body of literature. This guide, geared to readers in middle to high school, will be a rich resource and time-saver for librarians who work with tweens and teens. It introduces users to the best and most popular fiction series of today, covering approximately 800 series appropriate for middle and high school readers. For each series, the authors provide an annotation that describes the series' appeal and lists characters, and location. The original publisher of the series is given, along with the range of dates over which the series was published, a grade level range, and genre. Annotations will also indicate series and titles that are accepted by some of the popular electronic reading programs (e.g., Accelerated Reading, Reading First). A numbered list of titles in the series follows. Grades 6-12. ... Read more

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A comprehensive critical analysis of 19 novels, Donna Jo Napoli: Writing with Passion provides an understanding of how Napoli's life and profession as a professor of linguistics influences her writing for young adults. ... Read more

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Compiled by two experienced librarians, Across Cultures introduces you to more than 400 recent fiction and nonfiction multicultural resources for preschool through grade 6 and encourages you to make literature about diversity an integral part of your program of instruction.

Arranged in thematic groupings (Identity and Self-Image, Family and Friends, Traditions, Exploring the Past in Diverse Communities, for example), this lively volume links diverse peoples, themes, and issues. It presents both annotations and practical advice on programming strategies. Connections are made to projects, graphic organizers, and activities.

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Learning Curves: Body Image and Female Sexuality in Young Adult Literature examines how cultural assumptions and social constraints are reinforced and complicated through common representations of young women. Each chapter analyzes a recurrent theme in the history of young adult literature, including issues of body image, pregnancy, abortion, lesbianism, and romance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stimulating Reading !
In the interest of full disclosure I must begin by saying that I am the author's mother.I began to read the book out of duty.I discovered so many things in the course of reading about young adult literature's portrayal of the female that I never knew and was distressed to learn!I am, indeed a proud mother, but I am so glad I read it because I am now better informed. ... Read more

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This book is designed to help middle school teachers develop concept-based, transdisciplinary units that reflect what we know about the importance of students working together to construct knowledge and the value of putting young adult literature at the center of such a planning process. ... Read more

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This examination of humorous young adult literature in light of adolescent developmental issues and theories of comedy reviews family situations, adventure stories, problem novels, satire, romance, and coming-of-age stories. Books, protagonists, and situations for and about younger teens and older teens are discussed. Librarians, teachers, parents, and teens will find this an informative guide as well as a fun read. ... Read more

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This highly affordable and authoritative guide enables you to thoroughly evaluate your young teen literature collection and to create thematic and genre-oriented reading lists for curriculum-related and recreational reading. The entries provide annotations with lively, succinct plot summaries and indications of ISBNs, price, reading level, and review citations. Award-winning and series titles are noted. If you work with teens and teen literature, this guide is a must-purchase.