Examines arguments as to whether, how, and to what extent children's and adolescent literature is becoming postmodern. Suggests young adult literature has fully embraced the postmodern mode. Discusses three young adult novels that use postmodernist ideas and techniques: Sharon Creech's "Walk Two Moons," Louis Sachar's "Holes,"…

Notes that well over 1000 books for adolescents are published each year. Discusses seven major lists of "best books" (Best Books for Young Adults, Booklist Editors' Choices, Books for the Teen Age, Bulletin Blue Ribbons, School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year, Quick Picks, and Young Adults' Choices) that provide a good starting point for…

Describes censorship cases that have affected the author while he served on intellectual freedom committees of the International Reading Association and/or the National Council of Teachers of English. Recommends four books as valuable resources for protecting the freedom of teachers and students to have access to materials, and the freedom of all…

Presents a questionnaire for teachers of young adults to assess what texts are currently being used in classrooms, and for what purpose. Lists books that the author feels are appropriate for young readers. (PA)

Suggests that using young adult literature from other countries or set in other countries can open the eyes of young readers to commonalities of experiences with different cultures. (RS)

Gives suggestions that may help teachers when they are guiding readers toward their next book. Discusses how given the right book, young adults who are pressured in real life, may be able to relax and think. Considers three of the author's books that offer this. Includes a brief review of each novel and quotes from the books. (SG)

Explores some of William Blake's poetry that is suitable for middle school readers and its relationships to a number of current works for young adults. Highlights the "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" and suggests how Blake might be connected to other literary and musical works. Hopes to encourage teachers to reread or read some of…

Considers how in order to highlight the disastrous effects of systematic racial oppression, ethnic American writers of young adult literature have portrayed their characters struggling to break free of poverty against overwhelming odds. Discusses the problem of poverty in three adolescent novels. Concludes that poverty can be an equal opportunity…

Describes how a high school English teacher used the novel "Cold Sassy Tree" in an elective course entitled Thanatology: A Literary Approach. Notes that the novel clearly addresses virtually every aspect of death, dying, grieving, and loss through an artful array of three-dimensional characters. (RS)

Presents an annotated list of the 10 best fiction and the 10 best nonfiction young adult literature published in the 1980s. Notes that the books mix popularity and quality into a cake of reading motivation. (RS)

Offers "A Modest Proposal" to assist teachers and other school personnel in their attempts to anticipate censorship trouble directed most particularly at middle school language arts teachers. Suggests the creation of a "Published Materials List," and outlines steps for creating and disseminating a list. Discusses several benefits with the use and…

Discusses how to evaluate collective biographies of women, offering specific evaluation and selection criteria that examine the author, the collection itself, bias and stereotypes, the relationship of the collective biography's text to other books, and the intended audience. Discusses 29 books that offer collective biographies of women. (SR)

Considers if Anne Frank's diary is still viable or if it has been too far removed from its original author or its original context. Concludes that the book "Anne Frank and Me" offers historical accuracies about the Holocaust while placing its readers squarely at the millennium. (SG)

Presents descriptions of 7 adolescent novels that examine the specific experience of the motherless daughter. Acknowledges that the discussion of the death of a mother causes discomfort and resistance in some. Suggests that these titles are powerful in reducing the threat of the situation and prompting meaningful dialogue. (SG)

Presents 69 brief annotated bibliographies of books (published between 1978 and 1996) on the subject of basketball, available for young adults. Includes autobiography and biography, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and reference. (SR)