What's Out There?
When I think back to what I read as a preteen and teen, I think of how I desperately wished to be best friends with the members of the Baby-Sitters Club. Later I wished I could be as brave as the leads of the horror stories crafted from the minds of R.L. Stine (pre-Goosebumps), Christopher Pike, and Caroline B. Cooney. What is available and desired by preteens and teens these days however, is a far cry what lined the shelves of my library back in the nineties.
In an aptly named article from Publisher's Weekly "What to Expect When You're Expecting YA", Sue Corbett offers insight into the trends of book topics in young adult literature. She explains that many publishers are buying manuscripts that deal with some heavy duty or "dark, complex, and mature" topics like horror, mental illness, gender identity, and the apocalypse (p. 20). The popularity of TV shows and movies of the horror realm may have sparked the rise in horror literature for teens. Teens like to read books that trigger a strong emotional response and horror books do just that. What is particularly interesting about the horror sub-genre is that more and more female authors are finding success in writing these books. Sharing in the success of YA horror are books about mental illness and suicide. Media attention surrounding the deaths of those who are depressed or the atrocious acts of the mentally ill have brought to light these issues. Publishers realize the responsibility that comes with putting out books for young adults that deal with this caliber of topic, and as a result are very selective about what they publish. Some publishers even require that a psychologist review the book prior to publication and add lists of resources to help for these sorts of crises. The hope is that putting literature out there that deals with these issues will help ignite conversations about it so those suffering from these illnesses or troubles can get help. Gender identity, like mental health, has also garnered its share of media attention lately, paving the way for more authors (many of whom are transgender or genderqueer themselves) to write about the plight of the youth dealing with gender issues. Corbett's article expresses that it is important for teen readers to see themselves in the books that they read because they are at an age in which they are trying to find themselves (p. 24). Apocalyptic offerings oftentimes communicate the same message because the characters have to find themselves by determining what is important to them in regards to their beliefs and how to live their lives. More and more of these "end times" books are focusing on religious aspects of the end of the world rather than the destruction of the world. Clearly today's young adult readers are reading much more sophisticated and serious books than previous years. Much of this switch in topic is a result of the world in which they live.
Further insight into the shift of YA literature can be gleaned by exploring the process of a YA author. When Marina Budhos first set out to write a YA novel, she reflected on her own reading experiences as a youth. She wanted to write stories about "what matters", about how youth are different but similar, and the "vast range of experience that young people can--and do--face" (p. 62). Budhos chooses to write about teens that are typically unseen, stating that she wants "to show characters and young lives that were not yet portrayed" (p. 62). She knows what teenagers' personalities are like and uses this knowledge to make her characters' voice very authentic which she believes is key to pulling readers into stories they would not normally read. These characteristics are what make teenagers interesting protagonists whose process of working out problems create amazing stories. If this article is any indication, Budhos' understanding of what makes good YA lit appears to be spot on.
One may be overwhelmed by where to start looking for books that tackle some serious issues and present the atypical characters filling the pages of the YA literature these days. A number of blogs exist that can expose students, teachers, librarians, and parents to reviews of titles for preteens and teens. A couple of my favorites, Reading Rants and Nerdy Book Club, are very informative and user-friendly.
Reading Rants! is a blog run by Jennifer Hubert, a middle school librarian and her intent is to provide lists of YA book reviews to preteens and teens. She reviews both new titles and those she read as preteen/teen. Visitors to the blog can expect to see entries in the same format each and every time. What she has to say about the books is short, sweet, and to the point, offering a brief summary (without spoilers) in addition to what she liked and didn't like about the book. Each review is tagged with a category (of her own creation) and her blog is set up so that users can browse categories like "Boy Meets Book" or "Nail Biters" to find what interests them. The blog's design has a bit of an "edge" to it using contrasting dark, bold colors and is visually-appealing without being too busy. This blog has been up and running for ten years and all of the blog entries are archived and easily accessible on the site. She also links to other YA bloggers which is helpful to those on a quest for YA literature.
Nerdy Book Club seeks to share information about both children's and YA books. Four teachers run this book blog, one of which is The Book Whisperer herself, Donalyn Miller. Posts on this blog range from single book reviews to lists that have been compiled relating to a central theme or topic. Occasionally, the blog features reading strategies or narratives about reading. The Nerdy Book Club even gives out its own Nerdy Book Awards and shares a list each year of award recipients for a wide-range of genres. With adorable animals reading books as the banner art for the blog, the design of this blog may give visitors the sense that it focuses on children's literature but a quick glance at the snippets of blog postings will convince them otherwise. A small preview of each posting is presented in a grid-style making it easy to see a large amount of entries all at once rather than having to scroll down the page. Nerdy Book Club's posts come from special guest bloggers in addition to the four facilitators. The blog entries themselves tend to be longer in length and include a lot of personal anecdotes and opinions from the bloggers. Like Reading Rants!, Nerdy Book Club also links to other children's and YA literature bloggers.
Another great way to learn about hot YA literature is to browse the local bookstore. Determining where and how to display middle grade (intended for the preteens or "tweens" demographic) and YA literature is source of confusion for bookstores these days. Most YA literature has mature content that may not be suitable for younger readers. As a result, some stores choose to separate the children's and YA sections, while others have the two nestled right up next to each other. One of the reasons why bookstores are torn between how to solve this problem is the fact that younger kids often want to read more mature books because of the popularity of movies, for instance The Hunger Games (Rosen, 2014, p. 24). Each bookstore handles the situation in a different way. The Barnes & Noble store in my city has the two areas separated, by quite a large distance actually. Previously the YA section was located one section of shelves running along the backside of the children's area. In fact, on March 20, 2011, I posted to Facebook a photo I had taken of one small section of this area because the signage was laughable to me. Here it is:
At the time, this section expanded to only about a total of five bookcases of this size (you can see children's section in the back). When I most recently visited Barnes & Noble (a store which I adore, but have to steer clear of except a few times a year because I'll blow my entire bank account on books and tchotchkes), I noticed that the YA section was located in a corner of the store completely opposite of the children's section. I noticed as well that the YA selection had grown significantly and also included the manga and graphic novels (together, these two alone equal the size of the YA books), which can only be attributed to an explosion in YA literature. I cannot help but think that the sub-genre "Paranormal Teen Romance" (thank you, Stephenie Meyer and the Twi-hards of the world) is what launched the explosion of it all. Signage these days is more general with labels such as "Teen Fantasy & Adventure", "Teen Romance", and "Teen Fiction". Here is a video of the long, double-sided YA section:
Meanwhile the children's area is as huge as ever. The signage for children separates by age and grade level. Graphic novels are also lumped in with the traditional novels here. Picture books have their own section away from the novels. "Chapter Books" are intended for ages 5-8 or grades K-3, where as "Young Readers" are classified as ages 7-12 or grades 3-6, so there is some overlap there. Here are some photos of how the books are grouped:
My belief is that the YA section is located completely opposite of its previous location due to the size that is needed to accommodate the collection of titles. It would be nice to see the section relocated in the future to a place closer to the children's area. Right now, it appearances as if Barnes & Noble is trying purposefully segregate the two which could affect the way shoppers perceive who the audiences should be for each collection of books.
How Do I Get Kids Interested?
These days preteens and teens respond very positively to digital communication. Most preteens are being trusted with their own electronic devices for the first time, and the ability to connect with a teacher through video or social media is a very novel idea to them. When I come across a book that I think students will enjoy, I use a variety of strategies to tell them about it. My newest line of attack is Instagram. I have an Instagram account (@miz.raj) that I use strictly for classroom purposes that I've been using for four years now. So I have up to four years worth of former students who are following me. My first posts about books were wimpy as far as I am concerned and consisted mainly of just a book cover and a text overlay explaining my reading status with the book, as seen in these two posts from summer break:
Over the past week, I've actually had a small amount of time to breathe (thank you Thanksgiving break!) and so I have decided to up my Instagram book talk game to include more information about the books, as seen in these posts:
In the past I have also created Animoto video book trailers and shown them to students in class. I really had fun choosing just the right pictures and music to convey the storyline and mood of the books. Needless to say, the books always flew off the shelves. Here are a couple of the Animoto book trailer videos I made:
Right now, my campus librarian and I are working with my classes to create "book commercials" for books they've read this year that they feel other people need to read. During our last visit to the library, students worked on scripts. We hope to fine tune scripts and film the commercials on the next library visit so they can be aired on Intermediate Live, our campus' morning announcements. My students are very excited about this opportunity and I am excited about their excitement. Some of them have come up with some very clever things to say about their books.
In the future, I plan to step outside my comfort zone and film more video book talks to post on my teacher website. I asked my Instagram followers how they felt about this idea and I have already posted a book talk video to my teacher website in a section I titled "Raj Reads". You can view the video and page here. I will continue to upload videos and I really want to try to seek out some books that boys would like to read--I have a few in mind for this purpose.
What About Controversy?
One of the scariest things about recommending books to kids is the potential backlash from parents who feel the book is inappropriate for their child. No one wants to have that uncomfortable confrontation. Good YA literature appeals to preteens and teens because it attempts to explain their very tumultuous world from their perspective which is not one of sunshine and lollipops, but rather, as Budhos put it, "subversive, rash, unformed, unpredictable" (p.65). As evidenced from complaints against banned or challenged books, many objections lie in offensive language and sexuality included in the books, both of which are commonplace in the teenage world--kids either use or hear offensive language daily and either participate in or discuss sexuality. Knowing the intellectual freedom rights preteen and teen readers have will help you arm yourself against challenges. Intellectual freedom guarantees that all people (including minors) have the right to seek out, locate, and use information from all perspectives without limitations. This means that preteens and teens are able to select and read any books about any ideas they wish to explore. No one can control what others want to read or view, but some try to do that via censorship. According to the American Library Association, a "censor wants to prejudge materials for everyone," which violates the First Amendment rights under which intellectual freedom falls. Understanding this guarantee is the most powerful weapon in your arsenal to combat complaints against books. Pair that with knowledge of what makes good YA literature and how these books fit into the development of preteens and teens and you should be able to defend the books against censorship.
Here are some examples of how you could defend some books that have been banned, challenged or books that have the potential to be, but are quite appropriate for high school juniors and seniors:
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers has won many prestigious awards for his writing including multiple Newbery Medals and Coretta Scott King Awards. He writes about the struggles of African American youth, particularly teenage males. His approach to dealing with these topics is real and also relevant to today's youth. The accurate depiction of the adversity and issues facing this group of people helps bring to light their perspective of the world. This book in particular discusses a sixteen-year old African American boy's quest for exoneration of a serious crime he didn't commit. Told from his perspective, the reader learns much about the legal process, the horrific circumstances involved with being in prison awaiting trial, and how quickly someone can be roped into a bad situation. The offensive language and glimpses of violence in this book serve to communicate a clear picture of the horror of this entire situation and rather than glorify the "thug life" as one who hasn't read the book may conclude, it actually acts as a cautionary tale. Monster has won the Printz Award, was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and a National Book Award finalist.
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
This is the story of two high school seniors falling in love. Their friendship sweetly evolves into romance. Annie on My Mind is frequently challenged because the two seniors who fall in love with each other are girls. While the girls express physical intimacy towards each near the book's end, there is no graphic or explicit description involved. In today's world, teens very frequently discuss and ponder their own and their classmates' sexuality. More and more homosexual teens are finding the confidence to come out to their families and friends; a large number however, keep their sexuality a secret, often with negative effects on their psyches. A book like this shows the perspective of the homosexual teen, his/her internal conflicts and external conflicts with family and society. This book, published in 1982, shows the progress that has been made and has yet to be made with the way the world responds to homosexuality. The book has won many awards in the literary community including being named one of the best books of the last four decades for young adults by the American Library Association.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak tells the story of a young teenage girl who was raped at a party and as a result of this trauma goes mostly mute. No one knows about the rape except her and the rapist who attends school with her. Her academic performance is affected by what has happened to her and the way in which she has chosen to deal with the issue. This book is unique in that it deals with rape from the first-person perspective of the victim rather than a third-person narrating the events. The details of the actual rape are kept a a minimum, but the book also uses profanity (it is an angry and scared teenage girl narrating the story after all). The narrator candidly speaks about the sexual culture of high school which may alarm some critics of the book. Despite this content, Speak belongs on the shelves of libraries and high school classrooms to educate victims of sex crimes that help is out there and that they aren't alone and to communicate their perspective to the world. It has won numerous literary honors including being a National Book Award finalist.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie's book addresses and explains the struggles of contemporary Native Americans from the perspective of a Native American youth living on a reservation. While most Americans are aware of this group's plight, few understand the scope and effect this adversity has Native Americans and, consequently, the rest of the nation. The main character Junior's existence in this world isn't an easy one and the cards are stacked against him in multiple ways. Through the raw narration of Junior, readers learn about the place Native American traditions still hold in their culture, the effect of alcoholism on multiple generations, and racial tensions. His narration involves the use of profanity and discussion of sex and sexuality. There is also some violence in the story and family drama. All of these components of the story reflect a realistic struggle of not only a Native American kid living on a reservation, but a big chunk of all American youth. Readers can identify with Junior's issues even though their experiences may not mirror his exactly. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been honored throughout the literary community for years, despite being frequently challenged for its content.
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
It's easy to see why critics would challenge this book. The cover art for this book depicts a part of the female genitalia. Its pages contain profanity and discuss teen pregnancy, teen sexuality, rape, drug abuse, and question religious beliefs. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces tells the story of how a Latino senior deals with her best friend's unexpected pregnancy, the death of her drug addict father, her first loves, and getting into college. She manages to do it all in this inspiring story that will appeal to many teens because these are issues they will most likely all deal with, either personally, or with someone they know. Unfortunately these issues are commonplace in our society and teens needs to have a place to go to read about how someone else overcame the adversity these issues present. Quintero's first novel, it has been lauded in the literary community winning several honors including the William C. Morris Award for best debut YA novel.
Whether you work with preteens or teens, in the classroom or the library, understanding the vast world of YA literature is imperative. The sheer amount of YA literature is staggering and knowing the good, bad, and ugly of this genre can be overwhelming. Taking the time to read extensively in the genre, become familiar with its readers' needs, figuring out how to best influence this population to read YA literature in their leisure time, and educating yourself about intellectual freedoms makes the task more manageable.
References:
American Library Association. (n.d.). Intellectual freedom and censorship q & a. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorshipfirstamendmentissues/ifcensorshipqanda
Budhos, M. (2015). YA meets the real: Fiction and nonfiction that take on the world. Horn Book Magazine, 91(5), 61-65.
Corbett, S. (2015). What to expect when you're expecting YA. Publishers Weekly, 262(19), 20-24.
Rosen, J. (2014). Middle grade and YA: Where to draw the line?. Publishers Weekly, 261(29), 25-25.
