Ok, so it isn’t my birthday until July 12. Nevertheless, you should try to make me happy. Come on, its my birthday and I want to think positive thoughts on my way to Denny's.
If you are reader, a writer, a teacher and you just might be one of those people who would donate to We Need Diverse Books consider doing so this week and help me celebrate my birthday. Here is the link.
If you are reader, a writer, a teacher and you just might be one of those people who would donate to We Need Diverse Books consider doing so this week and help me celebrate my birthday. Here is the link.
Okay, for those who can't wait, I talk about these fine book at the bottom.
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Since the summit I have been trying to catch up with several projects, finish a few new novels, planning blog post so I can vacation a bit, entertain grandkids, and plan for fall classes. In the midst of all of that, I keep thinking about YA literature and the classics and if the classification of YA has developed its own classics. (I think it has and at the same time I think there are so many great new things that people don’t many “new” readers aren’t reading those classic YA texts.) Crag Hill and Victor Malo-Juvera seem to think so as well. See their call for chapters in a book with the working title: Canonical Young Adult Literature: Criticism & Critique. I hope you consider submitting a chapter. See the file below.
Maybe Some of These Deserve a Chapter
In the back of my mind I still have a nagging question; maybe not a question, but a concern. In the last fifty years, there has been a ton of good work about the value and the use of YA literature in the classroom. Granted, much of it has been advocacy or cheerleading, but still, there have been excellent works of criticism, pedagogical suggestions, and conversations about the role of choice in the reading lives of adolescents. Every one of those ideas could be its own blog post (any takers?) or for that matter, its own article or book topic. The specific concern is that I still find teachers and other educators who are unaware of the value of YA literature, or ignore it as a fad, or consider it of little value for “true” students of literature. Why would we spend our time teaching this when we have the classics? More specifically, the suggestion is that YA just isn’t quality literature.
Let’s talk about quality YA literature and why perhaps we have a focus on the classics instead of exploring YA. I think there are many novels that are exemplars of quality literature, novels that could be taught at many levels and usher students into quality literature while allowing them to master any standard. Is that the goal? In reality, most of our honors classes seems to focus on instruction as if their students are going to be English teachers. Well, they aren’t. In fact, in honors classes, we know that many of our students read cliff’s notes or some other summary sources instead of reading the book. I think those students in love with literature will take care of themselves. Some students will become English teachers, college professors, writers, or just great readers. We should probably encourage them, give a bit of direction, and then stay out of their way. What percentage of our students make up that small group? Not many. I believe we need to be more diligent about nurturing and developing all of the others. All of the students who can’t figure out what we are talking about when we focus on theme, symbols, or theory. Those who just can’t figure out why we just don’t enjoy the story? Well, we do—enjoy the story--don’t we?
Let’s talk about quality YA literature and why perhaps we have a focus on the classics instead of exploring YA. I think there are many novels that are exemplars of quality literature, novels that could be taught at many levels and usher students into quality literature while allowing them to master any standard. Is that the goal? In reality, most of our honors classes seems to focus on instruction as if their students are going to be English teachers. Well, they aren’t. In fact, in honors classes, we know that many of our students read cliff’s notes or some other summary sources instead of reading the book. I think those students in love with literature will take care of themselves. Some students will become English teachers, college professors, writers, or just great readers. We should probably encourage them, give a bit of direction, and then stay out of their way. What percentage of our students make up that small group? Not many. I believe we need to be more diligent about nurturing and developing all of the others. All of the students who can’t figure out what we are talking about when we focus on theme, symbols, or theory. Those who just can’t figure out why we just don’t enjoy the story? Well, we do—enjoy the story--don’t we?
Classics Writers I Love
Many of us spend time with what we might call “beach reads” or “mind candy” and we really like them. We know we aren’t reading William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Charles Dickens, James Baldwin, Henry James, Herman Melville, George Eliot, or Mark Twain. At the same time, we run in to a contemporary author who hit the bestseller list-- John Irving, Anne Tyler, or Colson Whitehead, E. Annie Proulx, Alice Walker, or Louise Erdrich and as we read them, we occasionally pause and think—“Wow! This person can write. Indeed, some of them win awards and probably will be part of serious, classical literature in the future. So, we don’t abandon them, we keep reading. Granted, some don’t make the cut, but we keep reading and trying to figure it out.
Just as we keep reading, we hope that our students read and keep reading. We hope they become life-long readers.
Adolescents need the chance to fall in love with reading, but will they do it if we force feed books that don’t interest them, don’t meet their needs, or don’t reflect their lives and experiences. I get it. The classics are great. People should read them, but let’s get them reading first. I believe that happens when we are better readers when we are more widely read.
I want to suggest seven titles that I believe are examples of quality young adult literature. I believe they are seven books that will begin to persuade you that YA should be part of your reading and teaching repertoire. Don’t get mad, if I have picked your favorite old or new YA title. I still love the old ones Judy Blume, Robert Lipsyte, M. E. Kerr, Paul Zindell, Virginia Hamilton, Mildred Taylor and S. E. Hinton. Some new authors I love are A. S. King, Jeff Zetner, Peter Brown Hoffmeister, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Meg Medina, Brendan Kiely, Laurie Halse Anderson, Matt de la Peña and Jo Knowles. I could have chosen a book by any of these authors; but, again, it is my birthday and I get to choose the ones that I really like. The ones that stay with me. Most have been featured in the blog as part of a different post at one time or another. I hope you browse around, maybe even look more carefully at the weekend picks.
Adolescents need the chance to fall in love with reading, but will they do it if we force feed books that don’t interest them, don’t meet their needs, or don’t reflect their lives and experiences. I get it. The classics are great. People should read them, but let’s get them reading first. I believe that happens when we are better readers when we are more widely read.
I want to suggest seven titles that I believe are examples of quality young adult literature. I believe they are seven books that will begin to persuade you that YA should be part of your reading and teaching repertoire. Don’t get mad, if I have picked your favorite old or new YA title. I still love the old ones Judy Blume, Robert Lipsyte, M. E. Kerr, Paul Zindell, Virginia Hamilton, Mildred Taylor and S. E. Hinton. Some new authors I love are A. S. King, Jeff Zetner, Peter Brown Hoffmeister, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Meg Medina, Brendan Kiely, Laurie Halse Anderson, Matt de la Peña and Jo Knowles. I could have chosen a book by any of these authors; but, again, it is my birthday and I get to choose the ones that I really like. The ones that stay with me. Most have been featured in the blog as part of a different post at one time or another. I hope you browse around, maybe even look more carefully at the weekend picks.
The Old Guard
The New Wave
The seven books that follow are listed in publication order from oldest to newest. (It looks like I thought that 2014 was a pretty good year.)
I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
This book has it all, mystery, government intrusion, point of view, and a complicated narrative. Cormier's sophisticated writing at its best.
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Hesse provides a history lesson through a verse novel that is not to be missed. What have we done? Who do we care about? How do we face adversity? These are questions that remain today.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Monster by Walter Dean Myers dominated YA courses for at least 10 years and maybe it still does. Inventive narrative structure, point of view, the court system, and question of what is true about ourselves and others haunt this tale. Who are we? What do we think about ourselves, let alone what others might be thinking about us.
100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith
Like all of these authors Andrew Smith has more than one book that is to be embraced, relished, and admired. This is one that doesn't leave me. I heard Smith compared to Vonnegut and that thought never leaves me while I read his work. You can start anywhere with Smith's novels, but do yourself a favor and read this one right away.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
People tell me okay, but what about Shakespeare. Yeah, well what about Shakespeare? He was a thief that stole stories and reshaped them. In We Were Liars, E. Lockhart uses fairy tales, Shakespeare and her own voice to create a modern day story of family and conflict that is here to stay.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Refugees and immigrants are in the news. They should be and we should do more. Sepetys' Salt to the Sea reminds us that, at times, we have the opportunity to do the right thing and, well, we don't always do it. Who are we? Contemporary issues, current events, history, compelling narrative, what more can you ask of any novel. You don't believe me, give it a try.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming is just beautiful. It is gift to readers everywhere. I just love it. I have written about it here Second Reaction: More Dominant than the First: The Power of Memory in Brown Girl Dreaming.
This list isn’t perfect, but these are books I love. These are books that have strong literary quality. They represent a variety of themes, characters, styles, issues of diversity, and all of them could be taught in an honors class without apology. A student writing the AP literature exam could write about one of these books and have every confidence that they are writing about a book that is of similar literary quality.
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