What Preservice Teachings are Recommending

First, check out the 2026 Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature

Meet the Contributor: Liz Pilon

Liz Pilon serves as the Instructor of English Education for her alma mater, Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. Housed in the English department, she teaches Communication Arts and Literature Methods, Young Adult Literature, and Reading and Writing Methods for Secondary Education among other English courses. One of her favorite parts of her job is having the opportunity to visit her preservice teachers during their clinical hours and watch them teach secondary students in local schools. Her research interests include YAL, trauma-informed instruction, and best practices in assessment. She is a member of NCTE, ELATE, and ALAN. 

What English Education Students are Recommending by Liz Pilon

Meet Marisa: Marisa Ratliff is a college student studying Elementary Education at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. She is passionate about using children's and young adult literature to promote empathy, cultural understanding, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning. Marissa believes that stories like A Wish in the Dark can inspire students to stand up for fairness and what they think is right vs. wrong, and to engage them in new genres of text.

A Wish In The Dark by Christina Soontornvat ​

Christina Soontornvat's A Wish in the Dark takes readers to a Thai-inspired island where the Governor controls all light. This story starts with the main protagonist, Pong, a boy born in prison who dreams of escaping and finding freedom, and Nok, the other protagonist, the warden's daughter at the same prison, who is set to capture Pong after his escape. As their journeys intertwine, both characters begin to question what justice really means. Throughout the reading, the book's detailed fantasy world-building with visual writing and storytelling explores themes of fairness, empathy, and moral courage, and reminds readers to be true to themselves.

As a college student studying elementary education, I was immediately drawn to how this story connects to fundamental classroom themes like social justice, empathy, and personal growth. The colorful, eye-catching cover also made me seek it out. A Wish in the Dark would be a meaningful read for upper elementary and middle-grade (grades 4-7). 

The story encourages readers to question what fairness is, to think critically about the authority of power and privilege, and to reflect on the compassion between the characters that creates change. Pong's struggle to find acceptance in society and Nok's process of unlearning bias open the door for deep, whole-class discussions. Students can easily connect with these characters because their own conflicts, such as wanting to belong, making mistakes, learning what's right, and unlearning stereotypes and bias, are universal.

One teaching idea is a “Rules vs. Justice” discussion. To start, ask students, "Can a rule be unfair?" Have the students share examples from school or society and write them on the board. Then connect those examples to how the Governor uses his power in A Wish in the Dark. This activity can help students use critical thinking skills to discuss fairness and authority in a collaborative setting. 

Reading A Wish in the Dark reminds me why young adult literature is a powerful teaching tool. This story blends adventure, emotion, and a moral lesson throughout, helping students grow into critical thinkers. Soontornvat's story shows that understanding others through key themes presented throughout the story highlights the understanding of those who are different from us.

Meet Murphy: Murphy Carey is a preservice teacher from Edmond, Oklahoma studying at Concordia College-Moorhead. His classroom goal is to create a space where students feel safe enough to learn, no matter who they are or where they come from. He keeps aquariums, knits, and writes poetry in his spare time.

El Deafo by Cece Bell

When ELA teachers pick literature for 5-8th grade classrooms, we need to consider the rapid change they are experiencing. We also need to remember how isolating middle school often felt, especially for those of us who grew up different. I remember feeling stuck in my own head. I felt powerless and self-conscious and weird. That is why I (will) purposefully pick literature for my middle school students that focuses on difference and self-assurance. One of my favorites, for many reasons, is Cece Bell’s El Deafo.

After recovering from childhood meningitis, Cece Bell discovers that she cannot hear. The doctors give her a big, clunky hearing aid to wear strapped to her chest: the Phonic Ear. At school, she gives her teachers a microphone (connected to her Phonic device) which broadcasts their voices directly into her ear. People treat her differently than the rest of her peers when they notice she’s wearing it. To cope with how isolated she feels, Cece creates a persona for herself: the superhero El Deafo! Something that makes her feel different and isolated ends up becoming one of her greatest strengths. This book is a graphic novel, an “equalizing” medium. It often goes beyond lexile; graphic novels do not have to forego complex themes to incorporate understandable language. 

It would be topical, fun, and interactive for students to create a superhero based on themselves and their “powers.” I hesitate to tell students to create a superhero with powers based on their differences– that could lead to uncomfortable, exposed feelings about particular insecurities. Keeping the assignment broad will alleviate that burden. I suspect, however, that when this assignment is paired with El Deafo, students will naturally pick one of their differences to highlight in their hero. Then, students will create a 5-panel comic strip with a plot that demonstrates how their superpower could be used for good. This assignment relies on their ability to pick up contextual clues from both the words and the pictures in a graphic novel as well as their knowledge of character traits, plot structure, and dialogue.

Meet Emily: Emily Lubenow is a preservice English teacher at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. She is passionate about helping students find their voice in their writing and connect to texts that help them understand themselves and their world. Emily hopes to teach middle school English when she graduates, and eagerly anticipates being a highly active member in the artistic spaces at her school, especially relating to music, dance, and performance. When she isn’t reading, Emily finds her sweetest moments in simple joys: good chocolate and time well spent with those she loves.

49 Days by Agnes Lee

In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine days after they die, before they can fully cross over. In Agnes Lee’s graphic novel 49 Days, readers travel with one Korean American girl, Kit, on her journey through her forty-nine days, while also spending time with her family and friends left behind. The novel includes the perspectives of Kit as she traverses through the afterlife, following a map leading her to an indeterminate final destination, Kit’s loved ones in the present, struggling to live in a world where she is gone, and their shared memories of past together, ranging from distant childhood memories to recent, all giving context to the relationships Kit had while living and the ways her family’s lives changed.

Students navigating questions of grief, remembrance, acceptance, or cultural belonging will find Kit’s journey meaningful. Because the novel uses sparse text and relies heavily on imagery to convey emotion, it can also engage visual learners and students developing confidence in literary analysis. Its accessible graphic format invites reluctant readers while still offering sophisticated thematic material for advanced students.

One learning activity a teacher may employ with this novel is research stations that build contextual awareness of the text, which can be especially useful if done prior to or during the process of reading the novel. Around the classroom, the teacher sets up three to four stations focusing on key topics: Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, Korean mourning rituals, Korean American identity, and visual symbolism in storytelling. Each station includes short readings, photographs, brief videos, or infographics. Students rotate in small groups, spending 8–10 minutes per station while completing a “What? / So What? / How Might This Connect?” organizer. This structure encourages inquiry-based learning, requiring students to summarize information, interpret its significance, and anticipate how it may relate to the novel’s themes.

Meet Malik: Malik Smith is a preservice English teacher at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. He is passionate about bringing diverse young adult literature into the classroom so that all of his future students can see themselves reflected in the books they read. After graduation, he hopes to teach high school English. When he isn’t reading, Malik enjoys spending time with friends and making the most of every moment.

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

Promise Boys follows three students J.B., Trey, and Ramón at Urban Promise Prep, a strict school in Washington, D.C. When their principal is found dead, the trio quickly becomes the focus of suspicion. Each has a reason to be angry with him, but none want to be wrongfully accused of murder. Told through multiple perspectives including students, teachers, and social media posts, the novel reads like a fast-paced true-crime story. As readers follow the investigation, they are challenged to ask: if these students didn’t commit the crime, then who did? With suspense, relatable characters, and pressing social questions, this mystery pulls readers in from the first page.

This book is written from multiple points of view, short chapters, and interspersed “documents” like interviews or social media posts encourage students to analyze how bias shapes storytelling. Students can examine how each character’s perspective is interpreted differently and consider how societal and institutional structures affect the treatment of young people. These discussions support diverse learners by validating varied perspectives, promoting critical thinking, and encouraging empathy.

Additionally, Promise Boys connects to foundational ideas in the mystery genre, such as presenting a puzzle, inserting red herrings, and placing ordinary characters in extraordinary circumstances. Using these elements, students can explore literary devices, narrative structure, and suspense techniques while reflecting on social issues that are highly relevant today.

There are a lot of great ideas for teaching this book in a whole-class setting. Here are a few:
●  Suspect Chart: Students track clues, motives, and alibis as they read. This visual organizer helps students see connections and evaluate evidence.
●  Character Perspective Journals: Assign each small group one character (J.B., Ramón, or Trey) and ask them to journal how bias influences how others perceive their character. This activity encourages empathy and deeper understanding of perspective.
●  Mock Trial: Students assume the roles of lawyers, witnesses, and jurors to argue the Promise Boys’ case. They must consider how bias and societal assumptions affect the investigation and verdict.
​
These activities not only reinforce reading comprehension and literary analysis but also connect the text to real-world issues, prompting students to think critically about justice, bias, and representation.