Reflections on Young Adult Literature

Michelle Allen

ICL 7301: Literature in the PreK-12 School

March 4, 2017

There were three questions I asked myself when I started the research on this paper. First,

why should teens read? I know they all have thought that themselves. With so many activities

pulling teens in different directions, they rarely choose reading quietly as the top choice. I want

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down-to-earth reasons to explain to students the gravity of the need to read. Second, how can I,

as an educator, hook them on books? I knew of several novels that the majority of students who

read it, enjoyed it. Those authors must have figured out a magic recipe to sell books. There

must be something they all have in common. And finally, how can I expand students literary

experiences so that they take pleasure in reading lots of different types of books, not just what

the majority reads? I want them to read for more reasons than just for pleasure. One problem will

be getting teens out of a rut of reading one type of literature, and moving on to more literary

quality, but still have it be a novel that interests them.

Why should teens read?

I know I dont have to ask this question to an adult, but it is on the minds of all teens. There

are so many other things they can or have to do. School, social gatherings, athletic practices and

games, clubs meetings and membership requirements, homework, housework, and sleep fill up

the majority of a teens life. How does a teacher or librarian get teens to understand the benefits

of reading? First, you can explain that it will improve their social station in life. Second, you

can let them read for pleasure and finally, bribe them with good grades or peer pressure.

Readers succeed. It is almost too simple to believe. Research suggests those who read for

pleasure demonstrate an intrinsic desire to engage with stories, texts and learning. Reading for

pleasure therefore reveals a predisposition not just to literature, but to the sort of lifelong learning

that explains increased social mobility(Douglas, 2013). Teachers see it all the time, the students

who read are smarter. Reading about an experience in text has been shown to integrate into a

readers psyche as distinctly as if the person had that experience first hand. When Common

Core wants the student to activate background knowledge, the student has to have had these

experiences to draw from. Reading about them is considered the next best thing. The more

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background knowledge the student has, the easier they make connections to their self and the

world and to other literature. In literature-based programs, teachers plan instruction around

experiences with "real" books, experiences that include helping students make their own reading

choices and giving children time to share responses to reading with their peer group. Schools

with such literature-based programs recognize the importance of creating a classroom

community of readers that will not only help children learn how to read but will also encourage

them to become lifelong readers (Kiefer, n.d.). Reading helps the student be more well-rounded

and can unite a classroom by talking about a book they are all reading together.

Reading for pleasure early creates life long readers. The concept of pleasure reading starts

with the childs first teachers and that is the parents. Kids with parents who read, who buy or

take books out of the library for their kids, and who then set time aside in their kids daily

schedule for reading tend to read the most (Laden, 2014). Sometimes the teacher does not have

that luxury of parental involvement. We may have to cajole the student into reading. Teens

who choose to pick up a book for pleasure are more likely to succeed in life, research shows. But

getting them to do so isnt easy(Douglas, 2013). Allowing students to choose their own books

and to offer the librarian suggestions on what to buy for the library can give students a sense of

ownership in their reading choices. Teachers and librarians should be liberal about the times in

which students are allowed to read for pleasure, all the while guiding them toward higher literary

quality. This is because even as adults we shouldnt read for pleasure alone (Schinsk, n.d.). In

all honestly, we cant, not all the time. There are many times when adults read technical

literature out of necessity and this skill should be taught to students as well. We all, at times,

have to draw practical information from what we read. Common Core stresses non-fiction

reading and being able to think critically about informational text. There are forms of non-

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fiction that can be read for pleasure, such as poetry. However, it may be challenging to use in

the classroom because poetry is cause of unease and anxiety for professionals seeking to engage

children with literature(Maynard, Davies, and Robinson, R., 2005). Educators find it easier to

teach using fiction than poetry. The verse novel may allow a way to bridge the two. Patty

Campbell (2004) explains the genre and offers educators several titles to introduce the verse

novel to students. Students may seek these novels because they are a relatively short read and

seem to flow faster than prose. Whatever there reason to read these alternatives to fiction, it can

be agreed on by educators that learning to find pleasure in reading non-fiction is a skill students

should cultivate in order to be successful over time.

Bribery works. The #1 reason for reading a book is recommendation by friends (Rog and

Kropp, n.d.). So students read the next big thing basically because ofpeer pressure. The

hottest novels often circulate in a library until they are falling apart. The book usually has no

other push to get it in the hands of students than by word of mouth. A school is a tight knit

community and the classroom clique is the best promoter of good books. Students see others

really enjoying a title and then librarian gets more requests to see if there is an additional copy.

Popular titles are bought by librarians in bulk to meet the demand. Purposeful book talks by

students for other students will increase the buzz on a quality literary novel. In my school, The

Crossover by Kwame Alexander was read by one student who loved it. Which then sparked the

interest of another student and so on until finally, students in other classes were asking for it and

once they read it they asked for any other novels in verse because they were trying to replicate

the same magic they felt with The Crossover. The problem for librarians is that some books

possess that magic, where all who read it connect with it, and some books dont. I tell students

the reason why The Crossover won the Newbery Medal is because there is nothing else like it, a

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male protagonists story told in verse, but still uniquely boy, while at the same time being

vulnerable and about basketball which is a popular subject, especially with boys who are

reluctant readers.

How to hook them on Books and harness the magic.

What makes some books so loved by so many who read them? Why is the Harry Potter series

so good that most everyone who reads it loves it? What do the series of Harry Potter, Twilight

and The Hunger Games have in common? Once a book gets public accolades there is usually a

lot of copy cat books written. Spurred by the popularity of Twilight, a plethora of titles with

similar covers and themes began to flood the market(Diaz, 2015). The Divergent series came

after The Hunger Games and have some qualities in common, such as a female warrior

protagonist that starts a revolution. The most popular novels seem to have a special formula that

sparks the interest of the masses. However, there may be trends in each genre that may help us

see if there is really is a common thread. Weve become used to trends and the next big thing

in YA, we overlook staples like horror that dont fall neatly into one genre. Yet, [horror]

continues to command shelf space and endear reader (Jensen, 2013). Maybe the thing they all

have in common is that they are dark. The surge of dystopian and post-apocalyptic YA novels

in recent years taps directly into the interest in horror (Jensen, 2013). The stereotype of gloomy

and awkward teenage years may make teens identify with the dismal situations in of some of

these novels. There is an author named Lurlene McDaniel whose books would not stay on my

public library shelves because they were so popular. In her books, there is usually a character

who has a terminal illness and falls in love (Grossman, 2010). Lurlene McDaniel was popular in

the 1980s, but this morbid type of subject matter is still a hit with teens, as we have seen with

both the print and movie success of John Greens The Fault in Our Stars.

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 Bleak story lines seem to be interesting to teens. These may be the same teens who once

were elementary and middle school students reading James Pattersons comical Middle School

series or the goofball Captain Underpants. When they become teens they may find that there are

hazards inherent in the promise of happiness(Wayland, 2015). They may start to understand

the world around them in a way they did not at an earlier age. The injustices in the world may be

overwhelming to them in their stage of development. Wayland states that there may be a

freedom of being unhappy as it offers insights into the limitations of the promise of

happiness(2015). Perhaps being unhappy helps them cope with the bad things that happen in

the world. Judith Franzak and Elizabeth Noll in their article, Monstrous acts: Problematizing

violence in young adult literature state that there is a place for extreme violence in teen

literature. In their article, they give the reader the virtues of books like Walter Dean Myers

book Monster that describe in detail the horrible choices inner-city teens face. The subject

matter is freely discussed and while reading teens are not alone in facing such atrocities. Surely,

dystopian novels of crumbling cities, horrific monsters, dying teenagers in love and violence,

isn't the magic formula to make teens interested in reading. However, escaping into worlds that

are much worse than the trauma of average teen life may be the true reason why the above

themes are so popular.

Moving toward literary quality

Pleasure reading and literary quality do not have to be separate. While capable readers often

have a wide range of reading interests, and can access texts in a variety of genres and levels of

difficulty, struggling readers tend to be more narrowly focused both in terms of interest and

ability(Rog and Kropp, n.d.). Teachers and librarians should periodically push students to read

outside their comfort zone, but guide them when they have difficulty. In order to grow as a

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reader, the student must try something new. Effective materials for struggling readers have

their own textual integrity: realistic characters, readable and convincing text, and a deep sense of

the readers' interests and needs (Rog and Kropp, n.d.). The authors suggested giving reluctant or

struggling readers high interest, low vocabulary or hi/low books. Once students have gained

confidence in their ability to step outside their literary comfort zone, they may find that the more

they explore, the more pleasurable reading such a wide variety becomes. Readers do not read in

the same pattern over time. We move back and forth between easy to read, escapist fiction, to

denser texts that provide more connection. This prevents reader fatigue. I also think that the

push for students to read for accelerated reader or for grades makes reading not as fun. Reading

should be a vacation, not a vocation (Labell, 2014). However, they often do read for grades and

for the AR program and the desire to read is combined with both negatives and positive

outcomes.

In conclusion, what I have learned from this research is that reading is subjective. The

process is so unique to each person there is not a magic formula to get teens to read. There are

times when we may devour books and times of famine and as I librarian am ok with that. Not

everything in a teens life will be consistent and a friend or two in a favorite book may get them

through the rough years ahead. If they read at all, either for pleasure or good grades I will be

satisfied that I have done my best as their librarian. And if I turn them on to the magic of a good

book, all the better.

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 References

Campbell, P. (2004). Vetting the verse novel. The Horn Book Magazine, (5). 611.

Diaz, S. (2015). YA: A Category for the Masses. But What About Teens? School Library

Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/2015/11/teens-ya/ya-a-category-for-

themasses-but-what-about-teens/

Douglas, J. (2013). The importance of instilling a need to read. Telegraph. Retrieved from http://

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/10035473/The-importance-of-

instilling-a-need-to-read.html

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Franzak, J., & Noll, E. (2006). Monstrous acts: problematizing violence in young adult literature:

the authors present descriptive analyses of eight novels and then offer ideas and

resources for engaging students in critical inquiry of the violence portrayed in those

books. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, (8), 662.

Grossman, Marni. (2010). Dying Teenagers in Love. Bust. Retrieved from http://

www.utne.com/arts/sick-lit-lurlene-mcdaniel

Jensen, K. (2013). Horror in YA Lit is a Staple, Not a Trend. School Library Journal.

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Luden, J. (2014). Why Aren't Teens Reading Like They Used To?. NPR: Morning Edition.

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Maynard, S., Davies, J.E., and Robinson, R. (2005). Poetry for Pleasure: promoting poetry for

children in public libraries. Journal of Libraianship and Information Science. pp. 35-43.

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