Literature for Young Adults
5385.03-Dr. Lesesne
Textbook Reflections (1-5)
Why do we share literature with children?
The first time I read this question, I thought the answer was obvious. As a librarian, I wanted to share my passion and love of literature with children. As I listened to the various reasons stated by Dr. Lesesne and Dr. Perry, I realized that there are so many more reasons to share literature with children. Literature can be fun because it allows children to explore different worlds, and to use their imagination to believe, even in the impossible and improbable. It can help in the development of children's language by aiding them in acquiring a tremendous amount of vocabulary. Children can and should acquire language "naturally", and this can occur when they are reading or when they are listening to a story being read to them (read-alouds). Children can also develop empathetic bonds through books. This is one reason why it is important to provide children with a diversity of books about different cultures, social awareness issues, and stories with different perspectives on other variety of important issues. Perhaps, in my opinion, one of the greatest reasons why we share literature with children is that it supports lifelong readers. We can help readers grow by providing reading ladders which can give them a place to start, such as through series (ex...Magic Tree House) or serially (through preference in authors and genres). Lifelong readers read for unconscious delight, reading autobiographically (mirror-you see yourself in a book), read for vicarious experiences (window-looking at other peoples lives), for philosophical speculation (feelings about ethics, culture, religion...Who am I?), and reading for aesthetic experiences (joy, love, and pleasure).
Divisions of Young People's Literature
It is important, especially as a librarian, to know how Young Adult literature is divided among the different age groups. Children's literature is considered between 0 and 8 years of age which may consist of wordless picture books, easy readers illustrated chapter books, early chapter books, and novels such as Charlotte's Web (one of my favorites). Middle Grade/Tween is considered between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. It is very important not to confuse this with middle school (6th, 7th, and 8th) which are between the ages of 11 and 13 years old. The literature of middle school age children would not be appropriate for middle age children. Young Adult is considered between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. It is important to consider the topics so as not to confuse the literature appropriateness especially for middles school age children. New Adult literature would be considered 18 through 30 years olds. These may be recent high school graduates, college students and older, and the topics of this literature usually deal with first time situations or relationships. It is important to be able to match the appropriate literature with the right audience, therefore knowledge of the divisions and types of literatures found in each age group is extremely important.
Genres and Formats
There seems to be some confusion as to which are the correct genres sometimes when you walk into a classroom or some libraries. Fiction and NonFiction are genres and everything else is a sub-genre. The sub-genres classified under Fiction would be Realism and Fantasy. Realism entails Realistic: Modern Contemporary and Historical. Fantasy entails Modern which includes Hard Science Fiction and Soft Science Fiction, and High Fantasy and Low Fantasy. Fantasy also entails Traditional which includes Folktale, Ballad, Fable, Legend, Myth, and Fairy Tale. The sub-genres under NonFiction would include Informational texts such as Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir. Then there is Narrative NonFiction which is written like a story, and Expository NonFiction which gives facts and sites information. Other topics which have become popular, but are not genres (genrifying libraries) are chick lit, mystery, guy reads, horror, sports fiction, and several others which are subjects or categories, but not genres. Formats include poetry, drama, novels, chapter books, short stories, picture books, and graphic novels. An example of an explanation of a genre and a format would be, Narrative NonFiction in Graphic Novel format.
What is YA literature?
Young adult literature is about adolescence. It may be written from the point of view of an adolescent, involve a significant change by the main character which has to deal with the consequences of his/her decisions and actions, and will mirror contemporary issues dealt with by adolescents. The protagonist is usually young and highly independent. It had directness of exposition and direct confrontation. It draws upon a sense of how adolescents develop. (Mertz & England, 1983)
How do adolescents develop?
Can there be a more difficult period in a human beings life than adolescence? We can all look back and think about those awkward moments when we didn't feel as if anybody understood us or even knew we existed. Peer pressure, social awkwardness, puberty, and those hormones on overdrive...It is a wonder we all survived. All these reasonsand many more, are why we need to know the readers and nonreaders that walk into our library. There are many theories dealing with the developemental aspects (Intellectual, Moral, Developmental, Physical, and Reader) of young adults. There are the Developmental Stages by Havighurst that talk about the transition young adults make from childhood to adolescence. These entail difficult changes from learning to get along with peers, working for pay, developing morals and values, etc..., to defining appropriate sex roles. There is also Kohlberg's Theory on Morality which consists of three stages: Pre-conventional (Reward & Punishment), Conventional (Follow the Rules), and Post-conventional (Humanity supercedes the law). Perhaps the best known theory is Maslow's Need Hierarchy that starts at the bottom from the Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, to Self-Actualization. The most basic of these needs must be met before we can move on to the next. All these theories play a role in the development of a reader ("Birthday Cake" by Donaldson & Nielson), especially a life-long reader.
All this information is crucial in being able to assist children and young adults in finding the "right book" that will enable us to guide them on the journey from the concrete levels of reading and learning to the abstract, where they develop such an understanding of literature that reading becomes a true love and passion. As librarians, we need to be able to evaluate literature (such as the books we are reading now), and consider the effect that they will have upon the young reader. How will that special book help them grow? How is that character, plot, or theme going to help them better understand that whirlwind of emotions and feelings that, at times, they are not even able to control or express? Will they be able to bond or "make a connection" to their own lives by reading a certain book? All these questions and more are also the reasons why, as librarians, we need to take a close look at the types of books we offer our readers. If we are not life-long readers ourselves, how can we expect our young adults to be???
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