As researchers seek to make sense of young people's online literacy practices and participation, questions of methodology are important to consider. In our work to understand the culture of physical, virtual and blended spheres that adolescents inhabit, we find it necessary to expand Gee's (2004) notion of affinity spaces. In this article, we draw…

Examination of a subset of books popular with young adults--problem novels or young adult realism--is based on deductions concerning nature of reading response that text invites. Young adult realism as formula of popular culture, changes in conventions, narrators and narratees, and identification and distance are discussed. (34 references) (EJS)