Among the many factors contributing to the historical lack of reading gains of our Black male students is the absence of texts accurately and authentically representing African American characters in today's schools. In addition, well-meaning educators are not adept in identifying and selecting these types of texts in order to provide African…

As both a teacher and a parent, Ranck-Buhr knows a little something about working with students and keeping them engaged in the reading and writing processes... even recalling a son who was a reluctant book-report writer until he was offered some choice of reading material. She suggests practical ways to implement two vital elements in the…

This article describes, "Getting Acquainted with Young Adult Literature," a book club geared specifically toward teachers, launched by Angela Boccuzzi-Reichert. Angela is a media specialist at Merton Williams Middle School. The club is the perfect way to familiarize teachers with contemporary young adult literature--and ultimately expose hundreds…

While English teachers want students to enjoy reading, to appreciate the beauty of literature, and to recognize the universality of the classics, many adolescent students do not become interested in the aesthetic aspect of literature until they are beyond high school age. Some works, outside the traditional literary canon, speak more directly to…

This annotated bibliography lists approximately 500 titles that reflect the diversity of interests and levels of sophistication among young adult readers between the ages of 12 and 18. Within each subject division is a varied array of fiction and nonfiction titles, some ideal for middle graders, others more appropriate for adult-level readers. The…

Listing 81 chapter books for children published between 1996-1999, this annotated bibliography gives interest level ratings, reading level ratings, a brief summary, and theme assignments. The 13 theme categories listed in alphabetical order include Adventure-Survival, Autobiography-Biography, Death, Divorce, Good Reading, Handicaps, Historical…

Presents a way of interesting students in high school literature by starting with children's books. The technique involves teacher modeling, using illustrations to motivate writing, and linking a children's book with a more advanced work on a similar topic. (SKC)

This book was written to help teachers, librarians, and anyone else working with young people find books of fiction in a particular genre that will interest their readers. The books reviewed represent the best and the most popular children's fiction published in the United States since 1990. Titles included will appeal to children who like fiction…

With the rise in popularity of teen romantic fiction, many teachers wonder about the nature of such books and whether they should be used in the reading program. Most of the teen romantic fiction is written to a well-defined formula, based on guidelines from the publishers and on high-interest low-vocabulary literature. Characteristics with the…

This categorized 121-item annotated bibliography should prove useful to teachers in each of the content areas. The books listed are children's choices and are guaranteed to be informational and entertaining as students study math, health, science social studies, and the language arts. (RAE)

Finds that utopias act as catalysts to young people exploring issues of personal growth through reading. Discusses several books that contain utopian elements. (EL)

This book provides information to help teachers, librarians, and parents establish a book club for the Prekindergarten through eighth-grade school community. The first chapter discusses book club planning, publicity, preparations, process, and acquisition of books. The following 13 chapters suggest books for a variety of subject areas, including…

With many annotations written or edited by students, this booklist contains 3,100 citations of fiction and nonfiction publications for adolescents. Most entries were published within the past few years, although well-written older books are also included. The annotations, which include appropriate age ranges, are categorized as follows:…

Intended to help parents and teachers select books for young people that reflect the actual interests of adolescents, this booklet discusses titles that both appeal to teenagers and help adults gain insight into their needs, their concerns, and their values. Titles of chapters in the booklet are as follows: (1) "Are Young Adult Books…

Intended for the junior high school or secondary school English teacher, the articles and features in this journal focus on young adult literatue and the adolescent audience. The first article, Zibby Oneal's "Writing for Adolescents: Pleasures and Problems," describes the responsibilities of authors of adolescent fiction, while the second article,…