The Great Terror of 1936--1938 and mass deportations of "enemies of the people" between the 1930s and the 1950s are among signature atrocities committed by Stalinist Russia. Claiming the lives of several million Soviet citizens and foreign nationals, these executions and deportations were a silenced topic until the collapse of the Soviet…

Literary criticism of children's literature asserts a one-directional view of power with the adult writer constructing the child reader. Using "aetonormativity"-- adult perceptions of normality -- this paper explores what happens when children co-construct publishable fiction. Our analysis of drama and creative writing workshops shows…

In this article, the author describes several innovative activities for engaging students in studies of literary characters: voting on superlatives for characters, creating characters' Facebook profiles, and composing creative dialogs in which characters from different works meet each other. The author points out that it is this self-knowledge…

Mass-marketed teen chick lit has become a publishing phenomenon and has begun to attract critical interest among children's literature scholars. Much of this critical work, however, has shied away from robust critical assessment of the postfeminist conditions informing the production and reception of young adult series like Private, Gossip Girl…

Investigates the issue of misogyny in Roald Dahl's 1983 book and Nicolas Roeg's 1989 film, "The Witches." Looks at the general differences in the two texts--the most explicit difference is in the film's ending. Explores the significance of the witch in the book and to what extent Roeg's film uses the implied connection between evil and gender. (PA)

Examines three works of fantasy that have been awarded the Newbery or Carnegie Medal during the last 15 years ("The High King,""The Owl Service," and "The Grey King") and that have used Wales as their setting. (HOD)

Examines the issues in adjudicating disputes between critics and experts over quality in children's literature. Finds that critics look for the best work, and popularity is irrelevant to them, while the "expert" looks for books that define the time that the expert lives in. Explores one critic/expert debate over Katharine Tozer's…

Discusses the elements that make some children's fiction memorable. (TO)

The successes and failures of the realistic mode when utilized by writers for children. (RM)

Despite its absence on American library recommended lists and its absence from the children's room collection in public and school libraries, the Oz stories are still loved and read by children as much as ever. (MF)

Provides a comparative analysis between the work of Kenneth Grahame and Enid Blyton. Finds that a truly unbiased comparison is impossible. States that Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows" is most often seen as a "classic," and that Blyton's work is seen as "popular trash." Cautions that definitions of…

Argues that the works of G.A. Henty are a phenomenon worthy of study for the literary historian and examines some of the main reactions to his work at and since his time. (HOD)

Although often represented in movies and on television, West Point's most frequent and influential appearance in popular culture has been in children's literature, most notably in juvenile series books. (HOD)

States that finding a critical language in which to speak about children's fantasy texts is not as straightforward as might first appear. Discusses ideas held by T. Todorov and J.R.R. Tolkien. Argues that fantasy is a metaphorical mode, and details an anatomy of children's fantasy. Concludes that children's fantasy can be described as a body of…