Thanks to Shelly Shaffer for writing this post during her vacation so I could enjoy a bit more of mine. Oh! Shelly has contributed in the past and you can find her earlier posts here and here. Check them out. They are both worth a click.

​I’ve been traveling around in an RV for the past 30 days, visiting Yellowstone, San Antonio, the Black Hills, and numerous other places, along with various family members. It’s been the road trip of a lifetime, as Johnny Cash said, “I’ve been everywhere, man!” (Mack, 1959) 

We live near Spokane, Washington, and between June 20-July 16, we drove a 5000 mile loop through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, and then back through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, back home to Washington. (Note: I did not drive even one mile of the trip…. All of the driving is thanks to my husband, Jeff, who doesn’t mind driving!). In Yellowstone National Park, we got in an hour-long traffic jam—because three buffalo were walking down the road. Old Faithful spouted its stinky wonderfulness. In Wyoming, our RV had to grind its brakes to get down the 11% grade into Jackson Hole, which is nestled in a beautiful valley. After Jackson Hole, we hoped not to get blown over while driving toward Laramie. Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado brought its own adventure. At Carter Lake, we saw a tiny deer with its mother (so cute!) and rode our mountain bikes around the lake—getting our first sunburn of the year. Texas was hot! We planned to stay in Amarillo at Palo Duro Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of Texas,” but it was too hot for our two bulldogs, and we ended up driving straight over to Livingston, to my in-law’s house. My husband and I detoured to San Antonio, where we visited the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and several of the missions of San Antonio, which are all still functioning churches, hosting mass almost every day of the week.

In Livingston, Texas, my two little grandchildren, my mother-in-law, and I went to the public library for a Fourth of July event and our pictures were featured in the local paper. After one of the best fireworks shows I’ve seen (put on at my in-law’s house), we headed out to visit the backwoods of Missouri and Arkansas where my parents are building a house. We actually had lunch in a restaurant called “The Cave,” which is located in an actual cave carved into a mountainside in Lanagan, Missouri.
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I was born in a small town in Iowa, and my husband had never been there although we’ve been together for more than twenty years. He’s been there now! Lake Ikaria and Corning, Iowa were unchanged: humid and stifling, but homey and picturesque. After one night of visiting family and old friends, we headed toward Sioux Falls, South Dakota to visit my niece. Falls Park, in downtown Sioux Falls, rivals some of the prettiest waterfalls I’ve seen. The Black Hills and Mount Rushmore did not disappoint. Even though we only had one full day in the Black Hills, our experience included a bike ride down the Mickelson trail, a visit to Mount Rushmore, and a drive through Custer State Park. (I couldn’t help but think of the YA book, Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth (2018), where the main character, a Native American youth, lives on a reservation near a town where a restaurant own has named his place “Custer’s Last Stand.” Although not the main focus of the book, Gansworth writes of the insult celebrating Custer is the Native Americans. So, for me, entering Custer State Park felt wrong and disrespectful.)

As a new professor, I have figured out that most of my traveling can be a combination of business and pleasure. So, this entire trip revolved around my acceptance to present at a conference. After learning that my colleague and I were accepted to present in San Antonio at the Children’s Literature Association (ChLA) annual conference.  I planned the rest of the trip accordingly. And, this is one of the ways that Young Adult literature fits into this column. Our presentation focused on the Intersectionality of Comfort and Conflict in LatinX Literature. We examined children’s, intermediate, and Young Adult books to discover the ways that authors treated culture and conflict in children’s and YA books. What we found was that picture books, such as Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match (Brown, 2011), often featured “comfortable” conflict. For example, I Love Saturdays y Domingos (Ada, 2002) features a character who goes to grandma’s house on Saturdays and goes to Abuela’s house on Domingos . Everything is comfortable and the character’s two cultures don’t conflict.

​In René has Two Last Names (Colato Laínez, 2009) the main character goes to school in the U.S. and that teacher only uses one of his surnames. He struggles because he feels like half of his family is being forgotten because the last name isn’t there. When he gets the chance to create a family tree, he takes this opportunity to educate his class and his teacher why his two last names are equally important and the conflict resolves nicely by the teacher saying she’ll always use his two last names from then on. For the most part, children’s picture books featuring LatinX main characters had comfortable conflicts that were resolved easily without too much discomfort for the characters or the audience. Even in the book Antonio’s Card (Gonzalez, 2005) where the main character lives in a less traditional family, with two mothers, the conflict that could have occurred does not. The issues that could have been discussed are not. 

However, a few books pushed the boundaries on this, such as Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs  which begin to explore conflict in more realistic ways; however, most teachers would view both of these books as “safe” choices to include in the curriculum. Although Ryan’s book has been challenged, the way immigration and Esperanza’s experiences are presented are not nearly as gritty as the way some YA novels approach the same topic.

I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Sánchez (2017) explores LatinX identity and experience in a more uncomfortable way. Exposing the ways Julia (hoo-lia) gets frustrated when her name is mispronounced, is expected to act by her parents—especially after her sister’s untimely death, hides her crush with a White boy from her family, and struggles with depression and anxiety. The way the author writes about each of the conflicts that Julia experiences are uncomfortable and realistic, which is a contrast to the safer exploration of similar topics in intermediate and picture books. Similarly, one of my favorite books, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero (2014) explores multiple difficult topics, as Gabi goes through her senior year. In this novel, Gabi’s best friend gets pregnant, her best friend comes out to his parents and is kicked out of the house, her dad is on drugs, her mom doesn’t want her to attend college, and she also struggles with body image and self-esteem. Each of these issues could affect real-LatinX teens, and because of this, this book crosses into uncomfortable territory. In the end, Gabi’s dad is still on drugs, her friends still face their own struggles, and Gabi still struggles with the expectations she has for herself versus her family’s expectations. It’s not comfortable, but that’s okay. This presentation, in the heart of Texas, at a time when immigration and children’s separation from their families was being protested, felt raw and emotional. 

But, San Antonio was not the only place where YA was a part of my road trip. In many of the places we traveled, there was little or no cell service or Internet access. We get spoiled. We’re used to being able to get online to check our social media or send an email. However, in my RV, I have a bookshelf, and on that shelf are several Young Adult books that have been on my “to read” list this year. On this shelf were: Wrecked by Maria Padian , The Cruel Prince by Holly Black , The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Seanz, and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon . What can be better than sitting by a lake, relaxing in the shade with a book you’ve been wanting to read? 

​This trip reminded me to appreciate the different experiences and lives of people throughout this vast country. This trip reminded me how grateful I am for my husband and my life. What other job allows so much time out of the office and the schedule to have a trip like this in the first place? I’m lucky. 

Shelly can be reached at: sshaffer1@ewu.edu
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Ok, so it isn’t my birthday until July 12. Nevertheless, you should try to make me happy. Come on, it my birthday and I want to think positive thoughts on my way to Denny's.

If you are reader, a writer, a teacher and you just might be one of those people who would donate to We Need Diverse Books consider doing so this week and help me celebrate my birthday. Here is the link.

Since the summit I have been trying to catch up with several projects, finish a few new novels, planning blog post so I can vacation a bit, entertain grandkids, and plan for fall classes. In the midst of all of that, I keep thinking about YA literature and the classics and if the classification of YA has developed its own classics. (I think it has and at the same time I think there are so many great new things that people don’t many “new” readers aren’t reading those classic YA texts.) Crag Hill and Victor Malo-Juvera seem to think so as well. See their call for chapters in a book with the working title: Canonical Young Adult Literature: Criticism & Critique. I hope you consider submitting a chapter. See the file below.

In the back of my mind I still have a nagging question; maybe not a question, but a concern. In the last fifty years, there has been a ton of good work about the value and the use of YA literature in the classroom. Granted, much of it has been advocacy or cheerleading, but still, there have been excellent works of criticism, pedagogical suggestions, and conversations about the role of choice in the reading lives of adolescents. Every one of those ideas could be its own blog post (any takers?) or for that matter, its own article or book topic. The specific concern is that I still find teachers and other educators who are unaware of the value of YA literature, or ignore it as a fad, or consider it of little value for “true” students of literature. Why would we spend our time teaching this when we have the classics? More specifically, the suggestion is that YA just isn’t quality literature.

Let’s talk about quality YA literature and why perhaps we have a focus on the classics instead of exploring YA. I think there are many novels that are exemplars of quality literature, novels that could be taught at many levels and usher students into quality literature while allowing them to master any standard. Is that the goal? In reality, most of our honors classes seems to focus on instruction as if their students are going to be English teachers. Well, they aren’t. In fact, in honors classes, we know that many of our students read cliff’s notes or some other summary sources instead of reading the book. I think those students in love with literature will take care of themselves. Some students will become English teachers, college professors, writers, or just great readers. We should probably encourage them, give a bit of direction, and then stay out of their way. What percentage of our students make up that small group? Not many.  I believe we need to be more diligent about nurturing and developing all of the others. All of the students who can’t figure out what we are talking about when we focus on theme, symbols, or theory. Those who just can’t figure out why we just don’t enjoy the story? Well, we do—enjoy the story--don’t we? 

Many of us spend time with what we might call “beach reads” or “mind candy” and we really like them. We know we aren’t reading William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Charles Dickens, James Baldwin, Henry James, Herman Melville, George Eliot, or Mark Twain. At the same time, we run in to a contemporary author who hit the bestseller list-- John Irving, Anne Tyler, or Colson Whitehead, E. Annie Proulx, Alice Walker, or Louise Erdrich and as we read them, we occasionally pause and think—“Wow! This person can write. Indeed, some of them win awards and probably will be part of serious, classical literature in the future. So, we don’t abandon them, we keep reading. Granted, some don’t make the cut, but we keep reading and trying to figure it out.

Just as we keep reading, we hope that our students read and keep reading. We hope they become life-long readers.
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Adolescents need the chance to fall in love with reading, but will they do it if we force feed books that don’t interest them, don’t meet their needs, or don’t reflect their lives and experiences. I get it. The classics are great. People should read them, but let’s get them reading first. I believe that happens when we are better readers when we are more widely read.
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​I want to suggest seven titles that I believe are examples of quality young adult literature. I believe they are seven books that will begin to persuade you that YA should be part of your reading and teaching repertoire. Don’t get mad, if I have picked your favorite old or new YA title. I still love the old ones Judy Blume, Robert Lipsyte, M. E. Kerr, Paul Zindell, Virginia Hamilton, Mildred Taylor and S. E. Hinton. Some new authors I love are A. S. King, Jeff Zetner, Peter Brown Hoffmeister, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Meg Medina, Brendan Kiely, Laurie Halse Anderson, Matt de la Peña and Jo Knowles. I could have chosen a book by any of these authors; but, again, it is my birthday and I get to choose the ones that I really like. The ones that stay with me. Most have been featured in the blog as part of a different post at one time or another. I hope you browse around, maybe even look more carefully at the weekend picks.   

​The seven books that follow are listed in publication order from oldest to newest. (It looks like I thought that 2014 was a pretty good year.)

This book has it all, mystery, government intrusion, point of view, and a complicated narrative. Cormier's sophisticated writing at its best.

Hesse provides a history lesson through a verse novel that is not to be missed. What have we done? Who do we care about? How do we face adversity? These are questions that remain today.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers dominated YA courses for at least 10 years and maybe it still does. Inventive narrative structure, point of view, the court system, and question of what is true about ourselves and others haunt this tale. Who are we? What do we think about ourselves, let alone what others might be thinking about us.

Like all of these authors Andrew Smith has more than one book that is to be embraced, relished, and admired. This is one that doesn't leave me. I heard Smith compared to Vonnegut and that thought never leaves me while I read his work. You can start anywhere with Smith's novels, but do yourself a favor and read this one right away.

People tell me okay, but what about Shakespeare. Yeah, well what about Shakespeare? He was a thief that stole stories and reshaped them. In We Were Liars, E. Lockhart uses fairy tales, Shakespeare and her own voice to create a modern day story of family and conflict that is here to stay.

Refugees and immigrants are in the news. They should be and we should do more. Sepetys' Salt to the Sea reminds us that, at times, we have the opportunity to do the right thing and, well, we don't always do it. Who are we? Contemporary issues, current events, history, compelling narrative, what more can you ask of any novel. You don't believe me, give it a try.

Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming is just beautiful. It is gift to readers everywhere. I just love it. I have written about it here Second Reaction: More Dominant than the First: The Power of Memory in Brown Girl Dreaming.

​This list isn’t perfect, but these are books I love. These are books that have strong literary quality. They represent a variety of themes, characters, styles, issues of diversity, and all of them could be taught in an honors class without apology. A student writing the AP literature exam could write about one of these books and have every confidence that they are writing about a book that is of similar literary quality.

Thanks for tuning in on a holiday or over the holiday week. This week, the contributors are students from the University of Central Florida and are graduates students who were in a class with Dr. Elsie Olan. Elsie is fantastic and I had the joy of attending their class through a Skype session. They were kind enough to use this blog as part of their class and they had great questions. In the following post they share some of their reactions to teaching and reacting to Young Adult Literature.  I am issuing a brief trigger warning. One of the presenters mentions the work of Sherman Alexie. Many of us have used his work and I suppose some us might continue to do so with qualifications and broader conversations. Just, remember, when this work was done, their study was well underway before we knew about the situation. The situation deserves our attention and our firm, but calm academic response as we consider how we study art.

The following students contribute: Jessica Margaret Adams, ​Ashley Antoniette Gecewicz, Duaa Lutfi, Jessica Mary Kirton, and Carly Mae Cravotta 

Scenes, motifs,
New ideas unfurled,
Use young adult literature
To experience the world.
 
Improve, inform
Understand your surroundings.
Society and culture
Knowledge is abounding.
 
See through the eyes
Of someone unknown
Let your thoughts take flight
And your dreams to roam.
 
Affect change you want
Don’t allow the past
To darken our future
And hatred to last.
 
Find what you enjoy
Always keep searching
So many opportunities
Are forever emerging.
 
Once upon a time
In a classroom on my own
I began to read YA novels
And I found my home.
 
Suzanne Collins created
A place, simply serene
A place I could find myself
My own self-identity.
 
This place that was created
Where I felt I could be
Nothing else, no one else
Just be me
Was only because
The author’s own life
Was spent understanding history
And looking back in time
 
Into crime, hatred, war
And how it can transform,
Change, hurt, maim
And also can inform.
 
This story reflects the author
And her own personal journey
With her family and her Dad
With their moving and their learning.
 
Battlefields and monuments
Places Collins knew well
Places she formed ideas
Experiences that would compel
 
The formation of her characters
The plot and the theme
The timing and the reactions
The creation of the scene.
 
The courage, the stamina
Of Katniss, my hero
The sheer rebel nature
My alter ego.

​Her name was Katniss
Katniss Everdeen
So many similarities
Finally could be seen
 
Between my life
And the girl in the book.
She made me think
Take a deeper look
 
At what I believed
And who I thought I’d be
All shifting, changing,
Into what worked for me.
All shifting, changing,
Into what worked for me.
 
As Katniss ventured
out on her own
She stated, “Some walks
you have to take alone” (Collins 2010).
 
Truth and many parallels
Between the character and me
Between the inner struggles
Of her self-identity.
 
The struggle to understand
Where we fit in
How our frame of reference changes
From where we are and where we’ve been.
 
Suzanne Collins was an author
Who changed my frame of mind
Transformed my way of thinking
And my sense of self it refined.
 
Another novel
That inspired me
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Which truly set me free.
 
Scott O’ Dell created
A place I could escape
Where I could find myself
Allow my beliefs to take shape.
 
Push the boundaries, the norms,
Find what I believe,
Karana’s life as my guide
Her determination as my reprieve.
 
As she decided
What she would believe
How she would live
All she would achieve

 
I began to see
So much of myself
In the girl in the book
That had sat upon the shelf
 
The pages came to life
As I learned of true courage
To question what is true
 Free thought encouraged.
 
I realized then
I could choose on my own
I did not have to follow
What I had always known
 
I could decide something different
Something not the same
As those who were before me
I could affect change
 
I could stand up for those
Who deserve a place
No matter where they come from
No matter what their race
 
No matter what their color
nationality or creed
All that mattered
Was that we all have a need[1] 
 
To connect to be
An equal part of this earth
To be given a chance
From the instant we are birthed.
 
To be able to connect
To thrive on our own
But work together
To cultivate this place we call home.
 
Karana and Katniss
Showed me something strange
I could have courage, love, and hope
I could be the change.

Back in the summer of 2009, my mother and I started to listen to an audiobook together on a long car ride. This was no big deal, it was something we frequently did. However, in that ride, little me had no idea what this book was about and was soon brought into a new world of heroes, monsters, and adventure. The book was an infamous young adult novel by the name of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and I became obsessed with the lore of Greek Mythology. It was unbeknownst to me that in a couple of months when I started ninth grade, I would actually be reading a little tale that some may know. The Odyssey. The connection I had was surreal. I knew ins-and-outs of the Gods and Goddess presented to me in my English 1 classroom, all because I happened to have picked up a book that was about a young 13 year old boy and his other 13 year old friends and became enthralled in the knowledge that surrounded me. This book took me to another realm and it made me want to be able to spread my knowledge of the literature that complimented Greek Mythology. This book alone was what sparked me to become a English teacher, all those years ago, and the fire still burns inside my soul today. 

As a young reader, I wanted adventure, of course, but I also wanted relatability in my readings. Yes, I knew that it was Fiction, but the characters were so real. The feelings the characters had were so raw and they were just like me. And that’s one of the most important aspects of Young Adult Literature. A student can read a book and look at a character and say “Hey! They’re just like me!” Young Adult Literature comes in many different genres and has many different themes, but the characters are the age of our teens, and they can relate to them and say that “They’re just like me!” and if that is not impactful, I don’t know what is.
           
Little did I know, I was pairing a young adult novel with a classical text, something that later in my life would become my focus of study in my academic career.
           
​Pairing young adult literature and classical text could have the same effect on students as it did on myself and that is data that is necessary. Not to focus just on their scores of tests but the effects on their personality growth and how their thinking changes through the course of said pairing. Students have the ability to understand the relation between texts, it’s one of the main things we, as teachers, teach them to do. 

For students to see how people of the past saw a concept and compare it to how those of today see it can enhance their understanding. For example, pairing 1984 (George Orwell, 1949) with The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins, 2008) to discuss dystopian literature or Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters (Rick Riordan, 2006) with Odyssey (Homer, 8th century B.C.) in discussion of Greek mythology. YAL can be more interesting for students due to them being more recent and relatable than the original concepts written as classics. It will broaden their resources and understanding of the controversial topics that are addressed and bring them into the light to be discussed how the topics were seen in the past and present. The students of today do not live in the past, from social media presence to life in the classroom, they are about the here and now, so we should be adapting our techniques to adhere to the new age of students. However, when doing so, we should still be teaching them the past and where the original thoughts were retrieved; that’s how a pairing of classical literature and young adult literature would make due. Both in educational means, by teaching of the past and present, as well as the influence that there will be on student growth, pairings would be beneficial for all.

Do you ever seem frustrated when you are connected to the WiFi, but your media is not loading? How about when you don’t have the WiFi password and you sit there hoping someone would mention it or display it? In both instances, you emotionally feel disconnected and physically detached to what is going on around you. Feelings consisting of impatience, frustration, panic, isolation, and fear of being shut out or left behind are starting to surface. What do you do?

​Now imagine that scenario above in a classroom of about 20-25 students, all with distinct emotional and behavioral abilities. Some students may confidently voice their concerns, others may silently sit there while hoping and praying they had magical abilities to disappear at that very instant. How can the teacher provide the necessary resources for ALL students to feel connected? How do we bridge the gap between students real life and the world they live in? How do we make learning substantial?

Teachers, educators, anyone relevant to the educational realm should come to the realization that we have diverse students with diverse learning needs and interests and we need to  utilize engaging, relevant instructional resources. We need to position ourselves to refrain from marginalizing our students in our classroom practices, mannerisms, and “all-inclusive” curriculums. We need to shift the status quo by teaching students how to fall in love with learning again and to become well-versed in the world around them. In order for us educators to do that, we need to invite the students to safe environments that are relevant to their lives; where all funds of knowledge are welcomed and appreciated. Now, where do we start?

Existing literature and numerous field notes have demonstrated the impact and power of Young Adult Literature novels or YAL and their merit in the field of education, classrooms, and students personal lives. These canonical and modern day novels have been seamlessly integrated across content area curriculums and have deemed paramount results among student emotional, cognitive, and behavioral levels, as well as, language acquisition. While the integration of YAL is critical in a classroom, it is imperative to note that these novels should be aligned with the cultures and relevant to the diverse learning backgrounds existing within a classroom. It is equally important to note the accessibility of these culturally relevant texts for students so that it becomes “…easier to bridge the students’ worlds with the world of the text” (Alsup, 2010, pg. 147). Teachers at times fail to validate our students’ cultures by not providing culturally relevant texts, which in return affects their abilities to be engrossed in the reading material and associated learning performances (Alsup, 2010, Hayn, 2017). If the students are not able to see the connections between the themes salient in these novels and their real worlds, these novels will not have the potential to change their lives (Alsup, 2010, pg. 13). These relevant novels can feed into students’ funds of knowledge about the world, society, their personal identities and journeys, etc. When students read about the stories of others, they are better able to make sense of the world around them and be more equipped in handling issues from different angles. Each canonical young adult literature novel has various cultures, societal pressures or issues, character structures, etc. that can be conduits to meaningful dialogical interactions among students. As the students read about different cultures through a lens other than themselves, they are able to properly question other cultures (motives, taboos, religion, etc.) and clear misconceptions in a safe setting. Literacy performances in conjunction with proper discourse and action yield to real world implications, where students voluntarily want to get up and correct the issues at hand (Alsup, 2010, pg. 58).  Teaching Young Adult Literature Today: Insights, Considerations, and Perspectives for the Classroom Teachers (2017) by Judith Hayn and co-authors, Jeffrey S. Kaplan, and Karina R. Clemmons, bring forth ideas of the educators Barbara A. Wards, Deanna Day-Wiff, and Terrell A. Young in their chapter on Civil Rights and Social Justice. These authors further rationalize that teachers “...need to promote students to be upstanders rather than bystanders…” and as a result of reading being an interactive process, ‘meaningful action’ takes place (pg. 144). Not only do students need to be involved in culturally relevant novels and materials, the concept of critical reflectivity is also significant (Alsup, 2010). Students need to gain the expertise of expanding the novel themes and character experiences beyond their scope and being able to “...see the similarities in a seemingly dissimilar situation” (Alsup, 2010, pg. 213). Essentially, the goals of [culturally relevant] YAL should successfully “...help teen readers work through problems in positive, life-affirming ways” (Alsup, 2010,  pg. 210). Now, how do we implement such rich resources?

There are numerous strategies to successfully  integrate YAL in an English Language Arts classroom. In this case, I will use The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo as an example to demonstrate possible implications.  The Alchemist is about a young shepherd boy named Santiago who has a dream of a hidden treasure. Throughout the novel, he goes on an adventure to seek his treasure and discover his True Legend or calling. Along the way, he meets some interesting characters and learns a few valuable lessons. One excellent way to teach this novel is by closely examining each character by deconstructing and problematizing their attitudes and beliefs, diverse cultures and mannerisms, perceptions and experiences, and/or influences upon the novel’s protagonist. Another example would be to model and practice Wonder Talk, consisting of reflective questions such as I wonder...? What if...? Have you ever...? (Hayn, 2017). Following this Wonder Talk, it would be essential to transition students lens from self to world and allow them to critically analyze the actions of the characters or events occurring in the novel.  In these examples, students are reading, writing, and discussing the text, hence actively transacting with the text, instigating their cognitive and emotional intelligences.

​Teachers should always find ways to motivate and excite their students; to instigate their thirsts for learning every day. Integrating YAL is a multifaceted avenue worth exploring, implementing, and creating in order to yield productive, self-autonomous students.  

“Good reads.” “Page-turners.” Books you simply cannot put down. What are these mystical reading experiences everyone buzzes about, and where are these magical books? As a child, I observed that my family loved books and my teachers did too. Oh, I how I wanted a glimpse into this wonderful world of storybooks! Oh how I tried to taste it for myself! But, my experiences were always the same: Reading was boring. Apparently, I was locked out of this wonderful book-world. And, eventually I accepted it.

Despite my ability and eagerness for reading, I never read more than I absolutely had to. Then, in my early twenties, I finally had a different experience after a friend told me about a “memoir” she was reading. A biography? No. A memoir. My friend described an author who wrote a personal story, a real account of something that actually happened to him. How fascinating, I thought! Renewed in the hope of finally discovering a good book, I set out to read this memoir, A Boy Called It. It was my first discovery of an actual “page-turner.” I read in the bathroom. At stoplights. Even while pumping gas! It was all so elusive before, but I finally found a book I could not “put down.” To this day, the only books I willingly and happily commit myself to are memoirs.

As a new teacher, personal reflection is an important part of my reading identity. Not only to stimulate self-awareness, but with the larger view of sharing literature with young adults as a way to help them overcome barriers. Consider the results of a national survey: Reading capability does not necessarily lead to engaged reading. In other words, just because students are good at reading does not mean they will enjoy and look for opportunities to read. To connect my personal reading experiences with my research on Young Adult literature, I ask:  How do my personal reading experiences shape me as an English teacher, and what does my literacy research tell me about adolescent student readers?

Three essential beliefs present from both my lived experiences and my research.

1) The simplest observation: I avoided reading because I flat-out did not enjoy it. This fact is so simple it hardly seems worth stating, but the implication is: If we want students to read, they ought to read for enjoyment and not just to get information. 

2) My long awaited “discovery” of reading was a matter of genre. It follows then, students should be exposed to a variety of different kinds of books and have the freedom to make choices about what to read.

3) It is important to consider how I learned about my favorite genre. Not through a book report, no! At long last, my renewed motivation sprung from a conversation I had with a friend. It follows then that students need the opportunity to talk about what they are reading in class. 

The hope of students being able to make real connections with in-school reading assignments means sharing selective power about the texts themselves. As teachers, we know which students are struggling to find a book or which ones are only pretending to be engaged.

One memoir novel proving to reach thousands of adolescent readers is The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Alexie, 2009). This is a coming of age, autobiographical fiction novel by Sherman Alexie and includes illustrations by Ellen Forney. The story is told in the form of a diary and is narrated by the protagonist, Arnold Spirit Junior, or “Junior,” a Spokane Indian. Junior goes to school and lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation near the town of Reardan in Washington State. He was born with water on the brain, survived a life threatening brain surgery at six months of age, and was plagued by many secondary health conditions due to the resulting brain damage; nevertheless, against all odds, Junior develops into an intelligent and ambitious young man.

But, growing up on the Spokane Reservation, or “the “Rez,” is an incredible struggle for Junior due to his family’s poverty, alcoholism, and general prejudice toward whiteness. The crux of his dramatic story centers on his powerful decision to leave his high school on the Rez at age fourteen and commute to an all-white high school in a neighboring town twenty-two miles from the Rez. Although a brave choice, it proves to make life even more difficult as Junior struggles to find acceptance at his new school and to win the support and validation from his community on the Rez. While Jr. lives on the Rez and goes to high school at Reardan, he is torn between two different worlds, two separate identities, and worse- he is an outcast in both circles. Through friendship, Junior finds at least some answers to his dilemma in a surprising insight about his own identity and that of “others.”  
       
In an article published by the Wall Street Journal, Sherman Alexie (2011), true to his honest form, responds to those concerns:
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And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing every-day and epic dangers. I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons–in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed (p. 4).

Every teacher’s goal is to reach each and every single student sitting in their classroom. Every teacher yearns to hear the string of words, “I love reading” or “This novel is good,” or even, “I checked out a book from the library.”  Every teacher’s ideal day consists of captivating their most reluctant readers through relevant curriculum entangled in an engaging lesson. But how can educators entice even the most detached students, begging for something authentic and raw to reel them back in? The most marginalized and disenfranchised students’ education can be salvaged through the relevancy and applicability found in young adult literature (YAL). All American Boys, co-authored by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, embodies an exemplar young adult (YA) novel to implement in a high school English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. With the ever-changing demographics of the United States, classrooms across the country are pleading for a diverse book like this that can be advantageous for students’ achievement.
*insert Carly image (a) & (b) here

The chapters toggle between the perspectives of the two protagonists, Rashad and Quinn, as they grapple with a single act of police brutality from different perspectives, from different races. The dualistic and authentic nature of the voices afford this novel to simultaneously function as both a mirror and window text for students. Students can either see themselves in one of the characters or are learning the idiosyncrasies of a person from an unfamiliar background. Powerful and contemporary themes attract even reluctant readers: providing authentic learning opportunities to explore social justice issues. Readers are then propelled out of the classroom and back into the real world, connecting their unprecedented experiences with the novel to their own lived experiences. The interaction with the text builds upon their perceptions and corrects any misconceptions of people from different backgrounds.
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As the United States remains a polarized nation, the classroom discussions and activities infused with this novel could evolve the divisive discourse surrounding the themes of police brutality and racism to a more unifying forum. Since these issues in the novel are prevalent in current society, teachers can incorporate authentic writing experiences and texts pairings to connect the novel to the real world. 

I have mentioned this before when talking about the recent YA Summit, but the best part is always the people. Always. Everyone had the opportunity to renew connections, start new projects, and meet new friends. One of my new friends is Diane Scrofano. I didn't know Diane at all, she submitted a dynamite proposal and few months later she is teaching all of us at the event about Hamilton and how YA literature is connected to this cultural phenomenon. Even more interesting, Diane had a chance to meet Kia Richmond. Low and behold, Kia has been quoting some of Diane's work on YA and mental illness for her new book. A new friendship, mutual academic respect, and, who knows, a future collaboration might be down the road.

​See Kia's previous work for the blog here.  Her blog post was entitled Language and Symptoms of Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature.
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Both Kia and Diane have provided handouts and pdfs of their PowerPoint presentation during the summit (Find them on the summit page) They did excellent work and inspired many teachers. You will want to check out their work.

For now, however, I turn to Diane to give us an introduction to Melissa de la Cruz's YA works related to Hamilton.

It began, as so many things do for women my age (40), at Target. The pink cover with the big heart practically steered my cart right over to the YA fiction aisle. I had already been planning to teach Hamilton: An American Musical in my fall 2017 Introduction to Literature class (thanks for making the music and lyrics all free on Genius.com, Lin-Manuel Miranda!) at Moorpark College in southern California. We had just selected it as our campus’ common reading selection, and I quickly concluded that I could use Alex and Eliza in conjunction with the musical in the spring of 2018 when I would teach that same introduction to literature class as a lower-division young adult literature course in collaboration with the local CSU’s upper-division YA literature class. While I probably could’ve just stuck with the musical, as it is much beloved by adolescents (one of my fall students got a “Rise Up” tattoo with the show’s iconic star image on her eighteenth birthday), I wanted to add Alex and Eliza because it was specifically marketed as YA (and written by a well-known YA author, Melissa De La Cruz—Disney Descendants, Summer on East End, and Blue Bloods series) and because I thought the novel’s focus on Eliza 

​Sure enough, gender considerations provided us with some of our richest conversations on the novel. One of my best students mentioned right off the bat that it was a bit embarrassing to carry around this big, pink, heart book. I reminded him that one benefit of a hardback is that the book jacket is removable, but of course the bigger question is why, in this day and age, is it still embarrassing for boys to carry around girl stuff but not for girls to carry around masculine-looking material? “Suck it up,” I exclaimed, feigning frustration, “We women have been carrying around your manly war books for decades!” Even so, as we continued to study the book, I caught myself playing into the same stereotypes as my students. I would down-play, smile, or joke about the “lovey-dovey” parts of the romance in a way that I wouldn’t for any other genre fiction.

​We all noted that we wouldn’t be as dismissive or ashamed to admit we liked mysteries, for example, in the same way as romances. Sometimes sci-fi and fantasy genre fiction gets put-down, but that’s for geekiness, not girliness. I felt often on the defensive, reiterating to my students that we were doing scholarly study of this book, not just reading “hot trash,” as that same high-achieving student called it. “Yes, I know this is silly,” I seemed to say, “but we are looking at its cultural significance!” But then I would recollect myself, and I would challenge the students: Why should romance be deemed more trivial than any other part of life? Or family and personal life? (Perhaps it’s time to revisit “The Personal Is Political.”) One student objected to the main conflict in the novel, which was Eliza’s needing to be rescued from an unappealing arranged marriage, not only because it was historically untrue but also because “History is exciting…just imagine a line of six pound cannons firing or a cavalry charge cutting down fleeing infantry. Exciting and badass things were happening back then.” In other words, why focus on mushy love stuff when you could write about cannon fire? War and politics—those things, not love, are the stuff of interesting stories. I remember hastily scrawling in the margins, “Don’t you think your idea of what’s exciting is gendered?” 

​Most students, not just this one, were disappointed to learn that, although Henry Livingston was a real person who existed in history, he was never engaged to Elizabeth Schuyler and that she never needed Alexander Hamilton to rescue her from a sexual assault by this very Livingston. In response to the climax of the story being fictionalized, the student above thought this too much a departure from the facts: “the premise for the major conflict in the story [is] completely false and untrue.” Others expressed similar disappointment. I asked students if De La Cruz should’ve included a table or author’s note at the end to specify which parts were true and which were made up. Perhaps others have offered up the same concern; De la Cruz does provide a brief author’s note in the second book in the to-be three-volume series, Love and War, which was just released last month (April 2018). After I read the novel, I ran to my colleague in the history department to check on some facts myself. In short, we were all stuck on what Joanne Brown calls “the problem of truth” and “the problem of accuracy” in her section headings in “Historical Fiction or Fictionalized History? Problems for Writers of Historical Novels for Young Adults,” a 1998 ALAN Review article that gave my students and I a helpful overview of common concerns and issues that could help us evaluate Alex and Eliza as a piece of historical fiction.  

As for the facts that I checked on with my colleague, Moorpark College History Professor Susan Kinkella, there is no evidence that Elizabeth Schuyler inoculated Revolutionary War soldiers for smallpox, but Abigail Adams did, so it’s realistic for women of that era. The novel also depicts Eliza as part of the homespun cloth movement of the era and as someone who sewed uniforms and visited wounded soldiers. While we don’t know for sure if she did these things, they’re not out of the realm of possibility, especially considering that her father, General Philip Schuyler, brought her to a major negotiation with the Iroquois Nation when she was only a pre-teen (thanks for that tid-bit, Susan!). For more about Eliza and what we do and don’t know, you can watch Susan’s half (the first half) of the talk (Eliza: Historical and Literary Representations of Hamilton’s Better Half) we gave on March 21, 2018, as part of women’s history month. 

In my half of the talk, I got back to the issue of why I chose the novel: it put the focus on Eliza. In the novel, she’s the protagonist. In the novel, we hear more from her point of view. In the novel, she’s more politically involved. That brought up the question as to whether the novel and the musical were feminist works of literature. What this really came down to, for my students and me, was how you define feminism. Was the novel more feminist because it depicted Eliza as more politically active early in her life than the musical did? As I said above, the novel has her inoculating soldiers, and later it also shows her awareness of the philosophical issues involved in breaking away from Britain. By contrast, in the musical, she’s “Helpless” and sings a clichéd love song mostly about Alexander’s eyes, though there is fleeting mention of his mind (Track 10). Though the musical shows Eliza excited about the American Revolution in Track 5 of Act 1 “Look around, look around at how / Lucky we are to be alive right now. History is happening in Manhattan…,” by Track 23, she is pleading with Alexander to come home and put family over career.  So, is it more feminist to depict a character breaking boundaries by getting involved in the traditionally male realm of politics, or is it more feminist to show a woman demanding that the patriarchal society pay attention to the historically female realm of home and family? Extrapolating from, and probably oversimplifying the difference between American feminism and French feminism, I tell my students: American feminism has emphasized the ability of women to do traditionally male things, while French feminism, by contrast, seeks to bring women’s experiences such as women’s experiences of sex and motherhood to the forefront of the culture. In short, must a woman act like a man to be feminist? 

It would seem so if you read some feminist critiques of the musical: In a New Yorker article, Michael Schulman looks at the large part that Eliza played in preserving Hamilton’s legacy, which is emphasized at the end of the musical: “Is it a feminist ending? Almost. The notion that men do the deeds and the women tell their stories isn’t exactly Germaine Greer-worthy.” In Princeton’s Feminist Spectator, Stacy Wolf concludes that “In the end…the three women in the musical occupy the most conventional and stereotypical roles [of women]—muse, wife, whore—which is all the more troubling since Hamilton goes such a long way to dismantle stereotypes of race and masculinity.” After the talk, a student audience member asked me if a piece of historical fiction could be feminist only if it portrayed women as being more politically active than they likely would’ve really been at the time. In other words, would feminist historical fiction necessarily have to be factually inaccurate? Could a piece showing a woman in what Wolf calls a “conventional” role ever be considered feminist? 

​Like a good professor, I deflected the question back to him to determine for himself. But I think that it all comes down to how one defines feminism. Depictions of women doing non-traditional things is not the only type of feminism. When Eliza advocates for home and family, this is feminist in the French sense, I would argue. Another project of feminist literary criticism is to seek out voices that have been silenced, so to attempt to write a book from Eliza’s perspective when in life we have none of her letters, is an attempt at resurrecting her voice. In the musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Burn” (Track 38) gives Eliza license to express anger about the Reynolds affair, which she could never have done publicly in the historical period she lived in. However, when we try to fictionally reconstruct the story and point of view of those whose historical voices have been lost, we run the risk of anachronistically imposing our own worldviews on people from past times. Joanne Brown explains in the section “The Problem of Accuracy,” that “Some critics have insisted that historical fiction reveals more about its author than its historical subject, or as Henry Seidel Canby has said, historical fiction is ‘more likely to register an exact truth about the writer’s present than the exact truth of the past.’”

​The most troublesome issue with writing historical fiction, whether it’s a musical or a YA novel, of course is how to cover race and slavery. Despite its status as beloved by a modern, liberal audience, Hamilton the musical has received criticism in this regard. To get the gist of such criticism, I recommended that my students read a Slate interview with historiographer Lyra Monteiro. Basically, some of the criticisms of the musical are these: you can have people of color play the Founding Fathers, but the Founding Fathers really weren’t people of color; they were white and their status as slaveholders is largely disregarded by the musical while the stories of actual people of color who lived during Revolutionary times remain unknown. (For a young readers’ series that fictionally explores the lives of African Americans during the Revolutionary War, see Laurie Halse Anderson’s Seeds of America trilogy, including Chains, Forge, and Ashes! In fact, on her website, Anderson provides a list correlating chapters of these books to various songs from Hamilton: An American Musical!) In addition, I tell my students that many historians regard Hamilton as an elitist; he didn’t want Washington to step down and many worried that Hamilton’s views would lead to a continuation of the monarchy. While the musical depicts Hamilton as the common man who came up from nothing, Jefferson advocated for the small farmers of the early U.S. while Hamilton could be seen as the creator of the Wall Street one percent. The musical as well as the novel present Alexander as despising slavery, yet students should know that, while there is no evidence that Alex and Eliza owned slaves, Ankeet Ball, on the Columbia University and Slavery website, describes Hamilton as advocating against slavery only when it was convenient for him career-wise.  

​The novel Alex and Eliza, too, is problematic in its treatment of slavery. With Alex and Eliza set while she was still single and living in her parents’ house, there are mention of “servants,” but not of “slaves,” presumably to reflect the fact that Philip Schuyler called his slaves “servants,” according to the Schuyler Mansion Historical Society.  However, what does this lead young readers to think? If they don’t know that Philip Schuyler (as did most other wealthy New Yorkers at the time) owned slaves, why wouldn’t they picture white servants? Especially troubling is the line, spoken by Eliza, declaring that “We Schuylers have always, always espoused a belief in the equality of black and white souls” (178). At this point in the novel, Alex is asking Eliza if she supports the abolition movement. I’m surprised that De La Cruz has Eliza respond not about herself merely but about the whole family and suggest that they have historically been abolitionist. The only reference I could find to the color of the “servants” in the whole book was in a sentence in which guests to Eliza’s Aunt Gertrude’s house “dump” their hats and coats “into the servant girl’s thin brown arms” (169). One might expect more of De La Cruz, a Filipina immigrant, herself a woman of color, but perhaps the issue is with the publisher, Putnam, sweeping the issue under the rug, as mainstream media has often done. In any case, Joanne Brown’s criteria for evaluating historical fiction can be brought up again: “Strict adherence to historical accuracy can pose a problem if ‘accuracy’ involves brutal or immoral behavior. What are the writer’s options when the intended readers are young adults, an audience for whom some readers may desire a subdued version of historical events?” A good question for students is who are the “some readers” who want a “subdued version” of history and why? Who does that “subdued” version protect? Who does that “subdued” version of history erase? 

​By the time the unit was over, my student who complained about the book cover did concede that this book was more than just a “cash grab” riding the coattails of the musical’s success. Since it brings up  all these issues to discuss, I would agree. I’m eager to read Love and War.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. “Connect with the Hamilton Musical!” Laurie Halse Anderson.   http://madwomanintheforest.com/hamilton/.

Ball, Ankeet. “Ambition and Bondage: An Inquiry on Alexander Hamilton and Slavery.” Columbia University and Slavery. Columbia University. Retrieved from https://columbiaandslavery.columbia.edu/content/ambition-bondage-inquiry-alexander-hamilton-and-slavery

Brown, Joanne. (1998). "Historical Fiction or Fictionalized History? Problems for Writers of Historical Novels for Young Adults." The ALAN Review, Vol. 26, No. 1. Retrieved from https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall98/brown.html

De La Cruz, Melissa. (2017). Alex and Eliza: A Love Story. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
——. (2018). Love and War: An Alex and Eliza Story. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Funiciello, Danielle.  (5 Jun 2016). “An Overview of Slave Trade in New Netherland, New York and Schuyler Mansion.” Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site. Retrieved from http://schuylermansion.blogspot.com/2016/06/an-overview-of-slave-trade-in-new.html

Hanisch, Carol. (1970). “The Personal Is Political.” Retrieved from http://www.carolhanisch.org/CHwritings/PIP.html
Kinkella, Susan and Diane Scrofano. (21 Mar. 2018). “Eliza: Historical and Literary Representations of Hamilton’s Better Half.” Moorpark College. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS7K8ooUR_A&feature=share
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Miranda, Lin-Manuel. (25 Sept. 2015). Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording. Genius. Retrieved from https://genius.com/albums/Original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton/Hamilton-original-broadway-cast-recording
Onion, Rebecca. (5 Apr. 2016). “A Hamilton Skeptic on Why the Play Isn’t as Revolutionary As It Seems.” Slate. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2016/04/a_hamilton_critic_on_why_the_musical_isn_t_so_revolutionary.html
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Wolf, Stacy. (24 Feb. 2016). “Hamilton.” The Feminist Spectator. Princeton University. Retrieved from http://feministspectator.princeton.edu/2016/02/24/hamilton/

You can contact Diane at: dscrofano@vcccd.edu

​Until next week.

I hope Rachelle and Julia don't mind. We just finished the 2018 Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. So many great things happened. Ideas from a variety of perspectives where shared. People renewed old friendships and new friendships were established. There are new plans for research, book ideas, white papers and some new ideas about using this literature in the classroom. More of that will be laid out in the weeks and months to come. We are making plans for some follow-up events here in Las Vegas and in Clark County School District. People are planning on how to reconnect at NCTE in November. All who were in attendance are looking forward to sharing. 

We were lucky that Noah Schaffer was in attendance. He has experience snapping pictures at several ALAN Workshops. Below we have a visual taste of the people and events form the first day of the summit-- all of the photographers belong were taken by Noah. Browse through these a bit. After that, read what Kate and Julia have to say about Hot Button issues and YA. This was certainly a topic of conversation in several sessions. Let's consider what Kate and Julia have to say as a post summit extension.   

Rachelle Savitz is an assistant professor of adolescent literacy and previously a secondary literacy interventionist. Julia Kate Bentley is currently a PhD student studying early literacy with a children’s literature emphasis. Both authors are lifelong readers, passionate about advocating use of children’s and young adult literature in all classrooms as they are not only complex texts but discuss myriad of tough topics, such as culture, race, sexual identity, and immigration. 

Challenging our own thinking as educators and creating student agency and voice for all individuals is a goal of education. We want our students to value individuality and get involved in civil engagement to better their lives and that of others. However, teachers tend to avoid certain topics due to fear or lack of knowledge. Good novels push against barriers and challenge the ‘norm’ by valuing the differences of all individuals.
 
Immigration rights, DACA, Dreamer status, and ICE raids are consistently in the news, and being talked about across the country. Students are experiencing the devastation of families being yanked apart either through watching the news or experiencing it first-hand through friends, family, or personal situations. We have bared witness to children being pulled from loved one’s arms and being sent back to countries that have not been visited in many years, if ever. Protests for and against immigration are happening throughout the country, with both sides not standing down. Fake news continues to purport misleading, and often incorrect information regarding various cultures and people attempting to enter the US.
 
At the same time, we watch as funding is pulled from LGBTQ safe zones and organizations, same-sex couples must fight for their rights of equality, and states propose laws that do not condemn bullying of students that differ from the norm in regard to sexual identity. Students are left to question and wonder about their own feelings alone without a safe forum for open discussion.
 
The devastation happening to our own students and students across the country is evident, yet many teachers are worried to begin open discussions, not knowing how to address certain topics or questions that may come. As a culture, when we do not understand something, misunderstandings flourish, often leading to negative stereotypes and even hateful acts. Our students need guidance from trusted adults to distinguish fact from opinion and access accurate information from all sides. They want to ask questions. They seek understanding. Terry Farish and Sara Farizan provide a way “in” for opening up dialogue relating to the Muslim culture, war, immigration, and sexual identity. 

Viola’s mother, Tereza, accepts the need to escape, without her older, frail mother. The journey is long and tumultuous, as they narrowly escape and must walk miles and miles only to face a long wait in Cairo. For two years in Cairo, Viola finds herself standing in long lines, filling out forms over and over, working, and waiting for the blue card that will provide permission to travel to the United States. During this time, Tereza is incapacitated by grief brought on by the loss of her son, forcing Viola to act as the adult. She teaches herself English as she knows she will need it when arriving in America.
 
Once again, upon arriving in America, Viola and her mother are torn between two worlds, as they attempt to understand American culture and laws while also keeping to their Sudanese roots. Viola is confused by new freedoms, such as wearing clothing that does not cover her arms and legs and the fact that she may attend school. Teresa struggles to understand how to raise Viola, as her punishment of burning Viola’s hand for spending time alone with a boy is not acceptable in America like it was in Sudan. Grief, loss of innocence, death, need for community and belonging, and survival, are tragically, yet elegantly depicted throughout the novel as Viola and Tereza discover their new identities as both, American and Sudanese. 

Sahar questions governmental laws and officials by bringing to light the hypocrisy and irony of various laws. For instance, women are to need protection yet also to fear the police. Or, that it is okay to accept being born the wrong gender and having a government funded gender reassignment surgery. However, it is a death sentence to be attracted to someone of the same sex, such as the hanging of two boys or when Sahar’s cousin was arrested, tortured, and beaten for being gay.  Unable to turn to her father, Baba, emotionally unavailable due to her mother's death, Sahar must struggle alone with her questions and feelings. When she meets a group who have benefitted from gender reassignment and affirm the government’s position that homosexuality is a mental illness, she believes undergoing the surgery could be the answer to "fix" her desires.
 
When Nasrin’s mother arranges her marriage Sahar again questions what to do and who she is. She agonizes over Nasrin’s decision to walk away from their love and questions her own options. At the wedding, Nasrin’s mother makes it clear that Sahar should forget the love formed and move on. After months of little communication, Nasrin’s husband sees how depressed she is and invites Sahar over. However, he makes it clear that Sahar must behave appropriately and respect his home and marriage.
 
Ultimately, Sahar accepts and understands that she is not a man trapped in a woman’s body and is at peace with understanding who she is. Sahar and her father learn how to grieve and let go. Baba returns to work and Sahar returns to school, where she meets another female student Taraneh. The power of friendship, hope for those facing challenges alone, and moving from grief to love are captured throughout this beautiful novel as we learn to understand Sahar as an individual, not Sahar as a lesbian or Muslim.
 
Understanding Sahar’s world provides an inside view into the isolation, alienation, bullying, guilt, shame, tension, acceptance, and perseverance that she faced personally and due to others. There is no universal experience for students that identify as LGBTQ, as is shown by the characters in this novel. Farizan disrupts what is considered “normal” in respect to sexuality and gender. 

​As educators, it is our responsibility to provide the means for our students to push against boundaries, question everything, and enhance their knowledge and acceptance of diversity in this world. We must become okay with being ‘uncomfortable’. These books, and others similar, demonstrate how people of the same age, regardless of where they are from, have commonalities with fears, desires, dreams, and goals while also struggling in their own unique ways. We must show, not just state, that we value individuality. 

Wow! It has been nearly a year of planning for this event. Let's  get one thing clear, it isn't happening because of me. 

Early planning happened at the CEE Conference in Columbus at the Ohio State. A ton of people weighed in on the planning and purpose of the Summit.  The early committee was Michelle Falter, Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil, Crag Hill, Sarah Donovan, and myself.  Everyone contributed a great deal. As life goes, Michelle and Gretchen have had important--not tragic--family and life issues that had them going in different directions during the summit. They will be missed. While Michelle and Gretchen were still working hard we added a local librarian, Susan Slykerman, and we asked Bill Konigsberg to weigh in from an authors perspective from time to time. Both have  added tremendously to what will be happening this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday June 14-16, 2018. 

Susan helped us make the needed connection with Clark County School District they helped us create one of our a valuable partnerships. Bill helped us think about things from the point of view of the author. As we discuss teaching and research, we want authors to understand what we do and we need to better understand their work. What is their role in the classroom, in the conferences, and in the publishing industry?  We often don't think about how difficult it is for them to be a full time writer and to make economic ends meet. I appreciate Donalyn Miller's constant reminder to buy their books.

Other partnerships include the UNLV College of Education--we go nowhere without Sheila and Kelsy, the UNLV Department of Teaching and Learning, the UNLV Teacher Development & Resources Library--Yeah Amanda, Katherine and Huston, The Southern Nevada Writing Project--Thanks Denise, Ben, and Amber, and the Gayle A. Zeiter Literacy Development Center. A special shout out to the UNLV Lied Library for providing such a wonderful space for Thursday and Friday and to Valley High School for doing the same on Saturday. 

So, the time has arrived. About 40 people have prepared presentations. There is a link to the program on this page.

We developed a quick questionnaire so that many of you who can't be here, could weigh in with your opinions. It isn't to late to do it now. 

We will hear presentations on Thursday and construct an EduCamp format on Friday. We are going to learn from each other. We will struggle to understand, to define, and plan for a new era of research and teaching of YA literature that is  vibrant. The field has so many quality authors that I can't even begin to start naming names, but you might browse through the blog and see who the contributors and I have highlighted over the last three years. Take a look at the weekend picks. 

What, you aren't able to be here. Don't worry we want to hear from you follow #YASummit2018 and #YACritical and make comments and share ideas. Look at the list of presenters, you are bound to know one of them, and send them an email. If you don't know them, that is okay, they are all nice people. Just email somebody.

Our registration  is over 150 people and thank goodness we are starting to look like the summit might break even after all the costs. If you want to donate to help the cause, just register and tell me you are not coming and we will save the money.

We get to hear from four keynote authors along the way: Laurie Halse Anderson, who understood what we wanted to do from the beginning and has lent her unfailing support. Chris Crutcher, who says he owes me --which could never be true since I owe him a great debt from the first time I read Running Loose. Kekla Magoon, for being willing to trust some academic she did know at all. How it Went Down still chills me to the bone every time I think about it. Bill Konigsberg, whose kindness and unflinching honesty in his books and in his life are an enduring example to stay in there and do good work.

Who wouldn't what to hear them talk about their work and their take on the field of YA literature?

In addition, 8 other authors will be attending, presenting, talking with participants, and weighing in with there ideas and expertise. Please check them out on the summit page and buy there books.

Don't for get to follow along and starting to night get ready to follow #YASummit2018 and #YACritcal.

More updates soon.

Today, we have one of our old friends posting again. About a year and a half ago, Anne Cramer suggested a post about YA and Shakespeare. I thought it was a great idea. She produced it and it remains one of my favorites. Especially, when I talk with teachers who think that YA isn't sophisticated or useful in the curriculum. You can find it here. This time Anne discusses YA and science fiction. 

​When I first began writing this blog post, I wanted to highlight exploring content areas in the English Language Arts classroom through the use of science fiction texts. Trilogies like His Dark Materials and The Hunger Games worked as a springboard in my middle school classroom to engage even the most reluctant researchers in a quest to uncover the scientific reality governing the multiple dimensions of Philip Pullman’s Oxfords as well as the creation of genetic hybrids like Suzanne Collins’  tracker jackers. The right text can create fire where there was barely a spark. 

What was at first a battle slowly became a part of the classroom culture. By viewing the future through a particular lens, my classroom began to discuss important moral and ethical questions such as the aftermath of cloning and genetic engineering. This framework also created a natural interest in learning the proper ways to research and write up results, formulating opinion pieces, preparing for debates, and other ELA content areas. Together, we created a classroom community of inquiry and investigation while also meeting a great deal of content standards.

This exploration created free-thinkers interested in fact checking. My students became connoisseurs of exploring speculative fiction that carried current scientific theory into the future.  They followed Merriam-Webster's’ definition of science fiction as “fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component”. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/science%20fiction).   
 
From this pursuit, my classroom generated a list of titles they felt would allow educators and librarians to engage students in scientific endeavors while also creating a myriad of exploration of cross-curricular themes and academic pursuits . 

Science fiction forces the reader to examine his or her role in the future. The author of The Carbon Diaries, Saci Lloyd, said in an interview that science fiction is the “The best lens for examining contemporary society”. While my students generated the list above, many of the books did not reflect the future being created in the here and now, the one reflected in a multitude of news outlets.  Lloyd touches on the role of political and ecological refugees seeking asylum in her novels, a small and poignant piece of her larger narrative. Each of the novels above touches on one aspect of culture and color but none are written directly from the perspective of a person of color. 

Many of today’s science fiction novels paint a monochromatic future, (see The Future Is Pale: Race in Contemporary Young Adult Dystopian Novels By Mary J. Couzelis) There tends to be a lack of cultural and racial identity in the characters in the novels. Our students need to see themselves in our future or have the platform to explore how, in the future constructed in many science fiction novels, race has been extinguished and cultures whitewashed in order to achieve a perfect world.  The Marrow Thieves, The Giver, and Parable of the Sower provide three opportunities to explore not only the science behind science fiction but also tap into the diversity of science fiction characters and novelists. The three books create a framework to discuss how the need for a “perfect” world erases different cultures and communities in order to achieve some semblance of salvation. 

​Indigenous writer Cherie Dimaline The Marrow Thieves and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower create dystopian futures where climate change has created chaos due to resource scarcity and poverty. Moreover, the race of the characters plays an important factor in their future: white is good, everything else is bad. The authors address these in different ways. The books highlight many of the themes touched upon in The Critical Merits of Young Adult Literature: Coming of Age and our students can use the lens of science fiction to examine contemporary society by comparing current social, political, and scientific trends to these timeless texts. 

Dimaline and Butler are also not afraid to introduce a wide variety of characters that are usually sidelined in mainstream science fiction (note I use mainstream- there are many other examples in the genre that break the mold). One of the great and tragic love stories in The Marrow Thieves is Miigwans’s loss of his husband Issac to recruiters, a story that echoes the relocation of indigenous people to American Indian Schools for cultural assimilation.  Butler’s creation of a black female science fiction protagonist in Lauren Olamina (especially when looking at the publication date of the novel) is as revolutionary as Lauren Olamina’s actions. Butler also broke through racial and gender boundaries with her presence in the science fiction world. She remains the only science fiction writer to ever become a MacArthur fellow. Dimaline is the first Aboriginal writer in residence for the Toronto Public Library. 

​There is no shying away from the attempts to whitewash the future in these texts. The bittersweet introduction to The Marrow Thieves instantly alerts the reader that the genocidal mistakes of our past are being repeated in the future as the main character, Frenchie, and his new family try to save the oral history tradition and rituals of their respective tribes. They are at the edge of extinction and desperately clinging to their community. Lauren Olamina and her family are barely managing an existence in walled-off community, Robledo, California. They are trapped inside for safety reasons but, at the same time, are slowly dying of poverty and lack of opportunity.  The only way out is to sell themselves to a company, a comparison to slavery that many students will not miss. 

The community and culture of our schools is changing. Through exploring the role of community in these unique texts, we can promote not only the science concepts inside the novels but also to make sure that we address the importance of community as well the silencing of the voices of any racial group, economic faction, or sexual orientation. These three novels are a unique insight into the role of interconnectedness, a force that no matter how old civilization becomes, continues to drive our youth to seek each other out and form community. While the definition of community changes from each novel, the main characters intrinsically find themselves hurtling towards each other with a force as strong as gravity.

These diverse texts show us that the answer to many of our dystopian problems are not solved by one hero or even science but through true leadership that utilizes delegation of authority and makes  space for those who do not fit the conventional molds of the future.  These science fiction novels that paint a diverse landscape for our students to identify with also make sure to create communities of acceptance, something that many of our students long for.
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The true horror of our future in these three novels is not what science creates or the scientists that wield the power. No, the true horror lies in what humanity creates in the name of protection while hiding behind a mask of fear: the breakdown of community. The ritualistic and thought-out plans to dismember the foundation of civilizations by destroying art, music, culture, language, and love. The humanities ground the communities in these science fiction novels. Community as revolution is something that our students see reflected in current social and political movements and even better, like the protagonists in these three novels, these movements are headed by teens who are refusing to accept the answers that society is dealing them. They are hurtling together through tiny hand-held devices to lead us to a brighter and safer future for generations to come. 

Bibliography
 
Butler, O. E. (1995).Parable of the sower. London: The Women's Press.
Dimaline, C. (2017). The Marrow Thieves. Toronto : Cormorant Books
Lowry, L. (1993).The giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Until next week.

It is time for another special Friday Edition of Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday. Leave it to Bryan Ripley Crandall to point me to exciting people and ideas. Bryan has contributed before. I asked in to weigh in about immigration and you can find his post here. It was Bryan who introduced me to Kwame Alexander, before everyone new about Kwame. Thanks Bryan. This time he has introduced me to Jayne Penn and I am already a fan. I hope to run into her at a conference.  

Roxas (2008) writes that an increase of diversity in student populations and a “lack of diversity in teachers and teacher educators is contributing to an ever-increasing divide between what students need in schools and what schools can currently provide” (2). Having experienced what it feels like to be the only Black student or Black teacher in multiple institutions it is clear to me that I am likely a representation of a demographic that many of my students rarely encounter.  My pedagogy and advocacy for literacy has shifted drastically as a result, including how I am currently exploring young adult literature to pair with more traditional texts encouraged and expected by my school’s curriculum.
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My moral identity results from societal influences and, as a result, I incorporate ideas of institutional and cultural socialization in my preparation and teaching processes. These ideas include the vision I carry forth for teaching empathy. Harro (2000) writes, “our socialization sources are rapidly multiplied based on how many institutions with which we have contact” (p. 18). Such socialization has been true for me, too, where the beliefs I hold have been influenced from traditional Baptist Christian practices to liberal compasses that provided throughout my education. Transitioning in the role of a teacher in different states, both educationally and professionally, has helped me to mold my moral compass in different ways, which is something I express with my students. Exploring empathy encourages my students to grow as individuals for themselves. Banks and Banks (2009) also help me to realize that similar to how I was influenced by my environments, so it will be for students. In their words, “schools are also cultural sites and teachers are themselves cultural beings” (p. 37). As a result, I am aware of the effect I have on my students’ cultural assimilations, and I try my best to be a resource for them. This includes the literature I introduce them to and the multicultural perspectives I want them to appreciate, not only in their high school experience but throughout their lives.

​An overarching mission for my school is to help young men to develop holistically. In order to do so, I’ve had to be creative in my methods, especially because my cultural background and gender differs from the vast majority of youth who attend the school. In a high school where 98% of the student body are athletes, however, it was not difficult to find a link to connect literacy education with their personal experiences and my own. I, too, am an athlete. Appleman writes (2009):

​I speculated that sports stories might be the way to expose my students to cultures and backgrounds different from their own and to make the connection between their worlds and the worlds lived by others. I took a tip from Gay, G. (2002) to build, “Pedagogical bridges that connect prior knowledge with new knowledge, the known with the unknown, and abstractions with lived realities,” and began to develop “rich repertoires of multicultural instructional examples” (p. 113) to promote diverse reading experiences. My high school, with a 20% minority student population, encouraged me to develop more inclusivity in my curriculum and to represent multiple perspectives. Sports stories, I have found, unite the stories of my students. Similar to what Brown wrote in  “When Sports and Literacy Collide” (2014) and “Sports Talk, Free Snacks, Good Books: The Paisley Sports Literacy Program” (2018), tapping sports in literacy instruction allows educators to provide intellectual links within knowledge gaps. Many students positively to athletic narratives and stories. An athletic lens, then, especially in relation to teaching empathy, provides a way to diversify the reading experiences of my classroom.

A primary objective at the Jesuit high school where I teach is to motivate young men to appreciate and enjoy the literary experience. A few years ago, I began to employ theme-based objectives for each of my units-of-instruction and Empathy was chosen as one of the themes. Teaching empathy became a tool to help students to relate to things they did not know or were unfamiliar with.  I brought the theme of empathy to my sophomore year curriculum where students also explored the hero in moral conflict. The books chosen for the curriculum during this year also depicted characters dealing with ethical dilemmas.
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 With the goal to mix-up the curriculum so that it was more diverse, I added August Wilson’s play, Fences. Fences encompasses qualities in a story that I desired: sports, race issues, family issues, personal growth challenges, the journey into manhood, ethics, conflict, etc. It also offered a location to discuss empathy. Fences explores the conflicts within a male protagonist, Troy Maxon, and his effect on family and friends. As a former baseball player in the Negro Leagues who was rejected from being integrating into Major League Baseball, Troy blocks his son’s, Cory, opportunity to play college football. The play serves as a vehicle to dig into Troy’s history and to question the choices he makes throughout the book.  Troy’s decisions throughout the script make it hard to like him yet learning his past helps to understand that his flaws make him the individual that he is.  As a way to be most effective in reaching goals with my students, I designed a class project to help them better understand empathy.  

In chapter one of Multicultural Education, in reference to Nieto and Bode (2008) and Sleeter and Grant (2007), Banks (2009) explains there needs to be a “school reform effort designed to increase educational equity for a range of cultural, ethnic, and economic groups” (7). This includes finding texts that explain background information on stereotyped persons (i.e. athletes and people of color). Therefore, not only was I able to help students connect to the play, I was able to expose them to experiences different from their own, and to provide a narrative that minority students could see themselves in.   In order to reach more students, I realized that some of my non-majority students needed to be represented in the texts used in class.
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I named the project The Athlete Narrative, a project that requires students to choose one athlete they respect but know very little about. While reading Fences, they research and write a report on that athlete’s experiences, explain their journey, and look critically at the athletic careers, including the many communities that help make them the individuals they are. Jesuit schools like mine encourage students to be men and women for others, and I wanted my students to see themselves as individuals who are also influenced by larger communities: families, neighborhoods, regions, friends, histories, etc. I wanted them to see that characters in the stories we read are also impacted by the societies that make them who they are. 

The Athlete Narrative helps students to understand that athletes are human beings, too, and not just idol figures. Every person has a story and that story shapes who they are. Hoops4Hope, a global non-profit that encourages life-skills for student athletes, calls this Ubuntu – a S. African philosophy of togetherness. That is, a person is a person because of other people. The same is true for athletes, and I wanted my students to see that like characters in the books we read, we are influenced by the communities we belong to. An athlete is an athlete because of the fellowship of athletes. The same is true for readers. The Athlete Narrative is the springboard for reading and analyzing Fences and it builds context for how students view the challenges the main characters present. Further, because Fences is a play written about an African-American family, it provides a location for me to share my own story as a Division I track athlete and the obstacles I faced.
As the young men work through the play, too, I supplement reading materials that expose them to a wider understanding of athleticism, including:
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• Darkness Unto Light: Kris Dunn’s path to stardom at Providence
• Undaunted by grim prognosis, college softball star vows to return to field
• Reborn and revived: Marines vet Hank Goff rediscovers joy through football
• New York Liberty star Tina Charles determined to help her community

 
Reading such news stories brings a richer understanding to Wilson’s play, as well provides additional angles to teach empathy. The work aso enables students to avoid preconceptions of people they do not know and provides a scaffold to students’ prior knowledge with new knowledge.  Using the theme of empathy has enabled my students to understand experiences different from theirs and, in turn, to see the humanity in people and not just occupations or labels.  My intention was not to trivialize ethnic cultures or the struggles they face; rather, I wanted to work through sports stories to challenge “stereotypes and misconceptions” (Banks, 1989) p. 17).

​Using empathy as a tool to help students connect with text makes the literary experience more valuable and effective. Students gain more from reading when they can relate to the text, and for this reason I’ve explored bringing young adult literature into the classroom, as well.  Students find success when the stories they read relate to the world around them. For these reasons, YA novels have tremendous potential to enhance The Athlete Narrative project and how my classes explore moral conflicts throughout the sophomore year.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. In The Hate U Give, the main character, Starr, is a high school basketball player dealing with several tragedies. Starr lives in the “ghetto” part of her city, attends a prep school where she is one of the two Black students in her grade level, and is a key witness to a police-shooting. Thomas’s story tracks Starr’s experiences of coping with the deaths of two of her best friends, one in a drive-by shooting and the other at the hands of a cop.  The book provides a great scope into the mind of a teenager, and shines light on relevant issues of modern society. Perhaps there is not a better book to teach empathy to high school students, particularly in a prep school! 
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The Hate U Give also does a fantastic job portraying Starr’s world as a prep student from the “ghetto” and what it is like to live separate lives: one as Williamson Prep Starr and the other as Garden Heights Starr. As she becomes the central witness of controversial police shooting of an unarmed black teen, she begins to unravel the identities she carries and struggles to keep Garden Heights Starr out of Williamson Prep, especially as the shooting gets nationwide attention. The Hate U Give has tremendous potential for teaching empathy.  Currently, the only novel offered to students with a black protagonist in the sophomore curriculum is The Bluest Eye, and that is a challenging text for my students. The Hate U Give would provide a modern, relevant story that would engage more of readers, whether at the beginning of the school year or at the end.   

​Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Dear Martin by Nic Stone is another text that would be relatable for my students during The Athletic Narrative and would serve as an alternative to Thomas’s The Hate U Give.  The main character, Justyce, would be relatable to many of my Black students, but also a character for opening perspectives for non-Black students, as well.  Although Justyce is not an athlete, his best friend Manny is – a player on the basketball team. Justyce struggles with his identity at a prep school in a way that Manny does not.  Because Justyce, like Starr, comes from a culture of poverty, he wrestles between the ‘hood’ and the Prep school life.  The story relates to athletic experiences, too, and the fact that Justyce is a great student about to attend an Ivy League university – and on the debate team –  brings a unique angle for breaking down barriers of identity, stereotypes, and cultural misconceptions.  Stone, with the way she wrote Dear Martin, offers a vehicle for discussing diversity that would allow me to bringing forth a theme of empathy even further.
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Cop-profiling and the killing of young Black men are relevant to the lives of young people today and on message with the current state of this country (e.g, Milwaukee’s Sterling Brown and experience as a Black male athlete). The book explores a sensitive and complicated topic and can be used to initiate class discussions within a theme of heroes and conflicts. At the same time it would my male readers to look at all sides of a complicated issue through an empathetical lens.

Iron Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher. Chris Crutcher’s book, Chinese Handcuffs, is another text that explores the lives and struggles of teen athletes that could pair well with The Athlete Narrative. Crutcher’s writing, along with his article, “Speaking My Mind: Sports Lit” (2014), introduces enlightening concepts for using sport’s literature to engage reading in students.  Chinese Handcuffs is paced as if characters are in a race. Crutcher writes with such intensity that it forces the reader to stay aware and engaged Aside from his storytelling skills, Crutcher includes compelling background stories of his main character and the late brother. He vividly details the actions of the characters while working out and competing, making the athletic story relatable and realistic.  Crutcher writes in a way that is designed to maintain the attention of a hyper-active student – it is fast paced, engaging, and believable. Additionally, the point Crutcher makes about treating writing as teamwork or corroboration between readers and writers – where both parties bring their best imaginations to the experience – parallels the life skills I also encourage.     

Similarly, in “Teaming Up: Teaching Analysis and Research through Sports Controversies,” Beckelhimer (2014) makes the argument that sports create controversy that, in turn, can initiate arguments, analysis, research, and context. Teachers can and should use sports to help their students learn rhetoric and analyze controversy. Beckelhimer also encourages the idea of expanding resource options for research, similar to how the Athlete Narrative requires my students to research background stories of professional athletes as a way to understand the reasoning behind the human behavior and to see athletes as humans, and not merely entertainers.  

​A Final Thought. Promoting sports narratives and stories, especially when they expose cultural differences with relatable characters, helps students to better interact with and appreciate the texts we teach. One of the struggles when working with adolescent boys is sparking their interests in reading. Using empathy as a tool has helped me to gain student interest in the texts chosen and pairing this theme with athletic narratives has kept the attention of the young men I teach.  Implementing sport’s related texts improves reading engagement, and the use of YA literature with athletic characters has tremendous promise. 

I admit it. It is easier being a grandparent than a parent. Even so, every once and awhile I am not just cool and permissive, but I hit one out of the park. About a month ago, our oldest grandson had a birthday –he was going to be 11. It is amazing how fast it all happens. I am a book guy. A new book for Christmas or a birthday was a score. Book nerd that I am, I still realize that not everyone feels the same. I consulted with my daughter. Deacon is into skateboarding, building with Legos and reading up a storm. Well, I like the fact that he is outdoors, but I wasn’t sending a skateboard and we have sent our share of Legos.

Didn’t I just get permission to send a book? Well, yes I did. He is getting to the borderline adolescent/young adult stage. Shouldn’t Grandpa use his expertise to provide some landmarks? I picked a book about skateboarding and two books that I felt every young boy should at least try. In fact, I have anecdotal information that Paulsen’s Hatchet and Wilson’s Where the Red Fern Grows are nearly universally loved. In fact, I had a pre-service English Teacher tell me Hatchet was his favorite book in middle school and maybe the only book he voluntarily read during those formative years. I placed the order and waited for the feedback. 

Deacon loved them. He yelled, when he opened the package, that Hatchet was the best book ever. He had read it, but didn’t own it. (Shouldn't we own our favorite books?) If Grandpa knew enough to send this one then Where the Red Fern Grows might be great. His mother had fond memories of the book and offered to read it will him. Yip, score one for grandpa. 

Below, I place the books in three groups: 1.) Books written before 1900. 2.) Books written before 1967—the commonly accepted date that marks the birth of young adult literature. 3.) Books since 1967, 

The first group includes only three books. Technically, all three might be considered classics of children's literature. We have to remember that the concept of the adolescent post dates all of these titles. While they are still read by young people, I would like someone to provide some data about at which ages kids start reading these titles: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Little Women, and Tom Sawyer.  What's your opinion? Do these books belong in a top 100 lists? Are they favorites because people discovered them when they were young? If we were to classify them now, would they be YA? Were they even written with an adolescent audience in mind?

The second group is comprised of 9 books written between 1908 and 1961. I might argue that one, The Little Prince, is really written for adults, but I can sure name students who first found the book as adolescents. Two others strike me as children's literature without question. Both Charlotte's Web and The Chronicles of Narnia are read in elementary school. While older readers still embrace them and revel in their magic, I still think they pull in young readers. Three more seem like books found by readers in late elementary or during middle school-- Anne of Green Gables, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Where the Red Fern Grows.  

The final three books in this group deserve separate consideration. All three continue to be taught in American high schools. They are frequently included in discussions about the "real" birth of Young Adult Literature. Many of us have written about them and discussed their merits as literature, books for adolescents, and their place in the classification of YA literature. I don't believe any of their authors envisioned them as standard texts for adolescent reader, but they are omnipresent in that environment.

I am quite sure that J. D. Salinger did not see The Catcher in the Rye as a novel for teens. Nevertheless, its themes of loss of innocence and a distrust of adults was one of the hallmarks of the early realistic YA novel and both remain prominent, if not dominant, themes of the classification. Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of the primary ways that young people are introduced to the themes of racism and social justice. Is it a perfect text or the perfect model of behavior? I think not. But it has its strengths.  A Separate Peace by John Knowles was in my curriculum every year that I taught tenth grade. Students liked it. The themes of friendship, death, and war resonated with my students. I liked teaching it and just finished writing a chapter about it for a forth coming book. in addition, the latest edition of the book has an afterward by David Levithan. For my money, David has a pretty good eye for quality literature.

The last group begins with a book published in 1967 and is considered a fixture in the beginnings of Young Adult literature and ends with a 2016 publication by one of the most exciting voice in the field today. Hinton's The Outsiders has certainly stood the test of time. It remains important thematically and still resonants with readers who might think about Chris Pine instead of Paul Newman as they exit a movie theater. Jason Reynolds has my vote as a powerhouse, but I am not sure that I pick Ghost as my favorite among his solo works. You can decide for yourself. Nevertheless, Ghost is a fine middle grades book that introduces his fast past and invigorating Track series (Patina, Sunny, and Lu). 

The final nine books in this group all strike me as Young Adult literature. I would love to be in the room during the marketing discussion. For example, I don't think either The Book Thief or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time were initial considered Young Adult. At the same time, the eventual marketing, readership, inclusion in school curricula, and adolescent characters have certainly made them easy to identify as Young Adult.

Others will take issue with the Harry Potter series and claim it as Children's literature. I think that is probably true with the beginning books in the series. As the characters age and the books begin to take on the issues of adolescents directly confronting adulthood, I believe the books become squarely Young Adult.

It is impossible to argue with the success of either the Twilight and The Hunger Games series. Both series are terrific reads. The plots move and those of us who where teaching when these books arrived can attest to the fact that kids--and perhaps their parents--were devouring them. One might argue with the stylistic quality of some the writing, but plot and character development are strong and compelling. Publishers relished the rise of books with fantastical creatures--vampires, werewolves, and zombies and a renewed interest in distopian conflicts. Both books have been aided by the movies that accompany them and have become legitimate, bankable franchises.

The last four books all seem unquestionably young adult and represent different genres. The oldest is Hatchet, and as I mentioned earlier, it remains a popular book. It fits a classic set of definitions about Young Adult literature--the adults are gone, the kid must do the work, and the themes of independence, loss of innocence, and self-discovery play an important role. In many ways, The Giver is the epitome of the YA novel and introduces young readers to the danger of group think that was formerly given to adolescent in high school through Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451. Well, the barn doors are open and a host of YA novels have distopian settings. 

Looking for Alaska in often considered John Greene's tour de force. I love the book, but I also think he had a lot to say in An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns. His books are clearly placed in the context of the YA realistic problem novel. I am one of those critics who still thinks we should pay attention to everything he writes. I think there is more to come. 

The final book in the group is in the spirit of Feed and The Last Book in the Universe. Cline's Ready Player One takes on the role technology, gaming, and corporate control play in the modern world. I read it and start to wonder just how far in the future it might be. 

Whether you agree are not with my short assessments about these 23 titles, I think you would agree that American readers haven't done a bad job of giving us a set of novels that good easily be the core of class on Young Adult literature. The list, however, seems a bit short and restricted. I would love to add a couple of titles to hit some gaps. For my money, both Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming and Draper's Copper Sun would be welcome additions to the list. I also think that American Born Chinese, We Were Here, and Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass should be there as well. 

There are two final points too make about an already pretty good list. First, Young Adult literature, as a classification, is full of quality novels. Second, the list needs to be more inclusive in a number of ways. Both points suggest the beginnings for future blog posts. 

Start reading and start voting.

Until next week.

Welcome to a special Friday Edition of Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday! Are you sick and tired of school shootings? of gun violence? Do you want to feel empowered with tools that might help you talk with your students? Shortly after the Parkland, Florida shooting, Tom Leveen released a new book. Mind you, it was well on its way to publication before this event. The fact that the book is, unfortunately, timely lets you know that YA authors and ELA educators are thinking about the safety and trauma that these events bring to schools and communities.

For this special edition by Dr. Joellen Maples (who has contributed before and you can find her previous post here.) talks about how quickly she encountered the book and how she used it to engage her students and local teachers. The topic is timely and important.

The same time that Joellen was working in her environment, I had occasion to be in conversation with Dr. Shelly Schaffer and Dr. Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil. Infact, I asked them to preread my blog post reaction to the previously mentioned tradegy at Stoneman Douglas High School (Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora Colorado, Orlando, Las Vegas, and now Parkland). I consider both of them friends and valued colleagues. More importantly, I know they care deeply about adolescents and the preservice and inservice teachers in their spheres of influence. Thankfully, I work in a profession where that is true of so many people. I picked on Shelly, because she has written about the issue. I turned to Gretchen because she has written for the blog several times (look for her on the contributor's page) and she and I have been writing together on several projects. She does her best to make sure I say what is on my mind with clarity. After they offered their advice we disussed the possibility of a book on gun violence in schools. We formed an idea, invited other English Educators and YA authors to write chapters on the various aspects of the subject. We started. We crafted a proposal. The chapter authors began writing. We acted with faith, hoping that someone would want to publish this important book.

We got the news yesterday morning, Thursday, May 24, 2018, that Routledge is offering us a contract. The tentative title: Contending With Gun Violence in the English Language Classroom: Teaching Beyond Fear. Now the work begins in earnest so that we can submit by August 1, 2018 and have the book in hand by NCTE. Do you hear that chapter authors? The pressure is on.

Thanks Joellen for leading the charge with this Friday post.

As I was working on my blog submission, the horrific news came across my television. There had been another school shooting. This time it was in Santa Fe, Texas. 10 killed. 13 injured. I might have thought it coincidental that I was writing about Tom Leveen’s latest book, Mercy Rule, which on the surface is about a school shooting. Yet, coincidental would be lucky because school shootings have averaged out to be one a week since this year started. No coincidence. I could have been writing this blog any week this year, sadly. 

And yet, Mercy Rule was released 6 days after the Parkland shooting. I stumbled upon it when I read an article about Dr. James Blasingame’s work using young adult literature to work through school violence. Mercy Rule tells the story through multiple points of view of different high schoolers all struggling in their own way with various stressors. Danny is struggling to fit into a public school since he got taken out of his private school, and he deals with unrequited feelings from Candice, a freshman, who is positive all the time. Brady appears to have it all together as a talented football player, but he often is homeless and doesn’t have food to eat. Other characters deal with their identities, unhealthy ways of expressing their stressors (cutting), and also having to take on the role of caretakers. You begin to care about the characters as you read and realize that any one of these characters could be the school shooter and more importantly, that this book is about so more than just a school shooting. The stressors mount throughout the novel until that day when one of the characters simply has had enough. Leveen adds twists to the plot that the reader doesn’t expect, and he plays with format through font changes and blank spaces on pages. Definitely a worthwhile read to share with adolescents to finally talk about what precipitates these horrific events that has become a reality for teens. 

I immediately got the book on its release date and was reading it when a lot of teachers (my former graduate students in literacy) were telling me about the “protests” in their schools that were also happening nationwide as a result of the Florida shooting. I say “protests” because these protests were mostly allowed by the schools and planned by the adults. Principals told students when they could exit the building and for how long. Parents signed permission slips for their kids to participate. With not a lot of discussion in classrooms about protesting and the issue at hand, some students merely went out for 10 minutes to get out of class. To make matters worse, when students returned, many teachers felt upset that they were told to move on. Business as usual. There were no discussions about the shooting, the protest, nothing. Then the barrage of questions from my former students, “What can we do?” “Are there any books out there that we could use with our students?” And there was one. Just released. In my hand. Mercy Rules.
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In response to such questions, I felt the need to start a “What is Dr. Maples Reading?” book club with my colleague, Kathy Broikou. Former students have always contacted me about new books to use with their students, and I felt teachers needed a place to talk in hopes that they might use this literature with their students as an avenue toward discussion. I decided to open up the book club to 50 teachers all across the Rochester area, and with the help of Dr. Blasingame, I was put into contact with the author, Tom Leveen. I asked if he would be willing to Skype with a group of teachers who would read his book, participate in the book club in small groups, and then ask him questions when he skyped in. He graciously agreed. It was a profound experience for all the attendees.

​Weeks after the book club, I spoke with a couple of my former students, Nicole Lombardi and Courtney Alexyn, who liked the book and wanted to use it in their classes in the future.  I asked them about what resonated with them about the discussion on Mercy Rule. 
 
Nicole focused on the use of multiple perspectives in the book while also bringing up issues of race and class. She replied, “What resonated with me during my group's discussion was the fact that there were many characters in the novel who could've been the shooter. The multi-perspectives showed that adolescents deal with issues such as bullying, feeling like an outsider by family and peers, abandonment, homelessness, pressure to be someone they're not, self-harm, mental health concerns, etc. Kids don't really get to be kids anymore because society is making them grow up so quickly. What also resonated with me was that school shootings are predominantly occurring in predominately white middle to upper class suburban schools, yet it’s city schools with predominantly lower socio-economic, students of color  that have metal detectors. More attention to taking preventative measures should be put on making all schools safe, regardless of location and socioeconomic status.” Even while listing all the stressors adolescents can face, she still saw hope when she said, “With this book being released in the wake of the Parkland shooting and the influence characters had in the novel, it became even more apparent to me that the students who essentially are putting their lives on the line to come to school have the potential to be incredibly powerful in their speaking out against gun violence. We should not take for granted the maturity of these young people and what a difference they can make with their words and actions.”

​Courtney now teaches in a rural setting, and what struck me as she was talking was she said school shootings have become the norm which were the exact words a Santa Fe student remarked when a reporter asked her if she was surprised this happened. Courtney continued with, “I recall when I was in high school and we did a few lock down drills, but my teachers always taught through them because they were just drills.  It's crazy to me that in just 10 years this has changed so much.  As the teacher, I find myself rearranging my room so we have more hiding spots in case a drill is no longer a drill.  When the principal comes over the loud speaker with the code word, my students just know to get up, hide, and sit quietly.  As their teacher, I find that heartbreaking.  I want my students to feel safe in school like I did, not worrying that this drill might be real.  Working out in the country, a lot of my students are experienced with guns because they are hunters, and after the latest school shooting, that concerned many.  I had students profiling each other.  Because of this, I feel that topics that are brought up in this novel NEED to be discussed in the classroom.  Not only is bullying something that is a cause of these tragic events, but mental health is something that needs to be addressed as well.  I think that students should know where they can get help if they are having these feelings.  Luckily I work at a school where we have a great mental health staff, and they work well with both teachers and students.  Although the topic of school shootings can be uncomfortable it is something that students should be discussing in their classes.”
 
I asked Courtney how reading the book affected her own teaching and view of teens and she replied, “Teens are very complex.  I've learned from teaching in two different schools, one urban and one rural, that although each teen is different they all want the same thing: someone to care about them.  I understand as a teacher I am not going to be every student's "favorite" or the person they go to for advice; however, I make it known to all my students that I am there for them.  I am grateful for where I work and the team of teachers I work with.  We set aside a period every day to discuss our 9th graders.  We talk about changes we see in them or any concerns we are having with a specific student.  I think that this is beneficial because we are able to discuss ways we can help this student.  Do they need to go talk to a trusted adult? Is something going on at home? Can we reach out to their parents? Can we bring the student in and talk to them?  These are all options we discuss as a team. 
 
I think that is very important to have in a school.  The teachers need to work as a team to help the students succeed.  I also learned that if you are the trusted adult students come to it is part of your job to get them the help they need.  I have had kids come to me and talk about how I might not see them on Monday.  It was hard to break their trust, but I followed the necessary steps to get them the help and support so I could see them on Monday.  School shootings are something that can be uncomfortable to teach because it is about more than just a school shooting.  It is looking into bullying, mental illness, the lack of home support, and teachers not doing their jobs.  However, these are all issues students need to discuss and talk about because this is what is impacting them. It really only takes ONE person to listen to a student and help.  It was heartbreaking to read in Mercy Rule about someone who is begging for that help and isn't getting it.  It personally made me more aware in my own classroom.” 

Courtney and Nicole understand that this issue is so much more complex than just guns, and Courtney points out the tenuous nature of discussing guns with students whose families hunt and grew up around guns. As teachers, it’s important for us to consider all the multiple viewpoints in our classroom. Whenever I use young adult literature that my students are uncomfortable with or afraid of discussing the topics with their students, I always respond with three precepts (they could probably quote me by now!): 
 
1) You do right by kids all the time.
2) Books do not harm children.
3) If not you, then who?
 
I realize that last one puts a lot of pressure on them, and in the context of gun reform, it sadly seems it might just be teachers since our lawmakers certainly are not taking up the cause. I taught Courtney as an undergraduate and then was fortunate to have her as a graduate student---she’s heard my 3 points above many times. As an undergraduate she was afraid of teaching such topics. She’s progressed since then and I was happy when I asked her about teachers teaching Mercy Rule and talking about school shootings she said, “As uncomfortable as this topic might make teachers,  they need to discuss and teach it.  Whenever I am teaching a topic that is deep and raw and might make me uncomfortable, I always tell my students that I do not have all the answers and I might not know what to say. But I want to talk about this because it is important that they are aware of what is going on in the world because they can make a difference.  It's okay to be uncomfortable; I found my students appreciate it when I am honest and tell them that.  It makes for a greater discussion.  Mercy Rule is the book I recommend to all students when they come to me for a book recommendation.  I tell them it is a book they can all connect to.   I highly recommend reading the book and trying to find ways to implement it into the classroom.  I know I will be working on that over the summer. “
 
Listening to Courtney, I might just add another precept:

4) It’s okay to be uncomfortable.

Read the book. Spread it widely. And listen to kids and let them talk. 

​Technically, MERCY RULE is a prequel to another novel I was working several years ago about a group of students who meet every Friday night at a place they simply call “The Corner.” As I was working on it, I realized I needed an impetus for them to be there, and thought perhaps there had been some tragic event that originated the weekly meetings. That led to the idea of a school shooting.
 
Every novel I’ve ever written comes from a question that can’t be answered by any conventional means. My novel just prior to this one, HELLWORLD, is a horror story that asks “What do you do when your world goes to hell? When you know tomorrow is going to be worse than today?” Thematically, it’s a book that is entirely about dealing with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s, even though that has nothing to do with the plot. In MERCY RULE, given our preponderance of school shootings since Columbine, I wanted to find an answer or seek to understand more what would drive a person to such a horrific act. Readers will notice very quickly that there is more than one person in the novel who might have a “reason” for doing it, and that is intentional—I wanted to draw attention to the fact that there are a lot of hurting students (and adults) in this nation who are being dismissed; unseen, unheard. Rejection at least implies acknowledgement, while dismissal is the utter denial that you even exist, or deserve to. What I learned through writing the book is that it’s easy for any one of us, myself included, to dismiss someone, and that those cumulative dismissals—from parents, family, teachers, peers, whomever—can be devastating.
 
To me, it’s not a “school shooting book.” That is the climax, but it’s not the point. Looking closely, I think readers will find multiple types of violence and dismissal throughout the story.

​In high school athletics there is often an official or unofficial decision referees can use called the “mercy rule.” It essentially means that if one team is being terribly, terribly beaten—a complete shut-out—the referees will no longer stop the clock so the game will end more quickly and the teams can get off the field instead of being made to stay on and stretch out the embarrassment.
 
One character describes what the mercy rule is and that “in real life, there is no mercy rule,” meaning that too often, it feels as if there is no one to help us, no one who will at the very least allow us some dignity. I think far too many people—students and adults alike—feel this way today. We have to find a way, culturally, to stop treating one another this way.

​The first is that I hear you. That if you have ever felt any of the things these characters feel, you are not alone. There are lots of others who have been where you are, and that there is reason to hope and to hang on.
 
Secondly, I hope it reminds readers that we have got to talk and to listen to one another. We’ve all gotten so good at smiling and saying, “Good, good!” when someone asks us how we are, yet we could be full of torment inside. That’s not helping us. We have to speak up about what we are really feeling; we have to speak up when we suspect someone is not well; and we have to listen when someone tells us (through words or actions) that they need help. It feels as though “slipping through the cracks” has become the norm for us, and I hope this book and others like it get readers to stop and think and choose to listen to others.