Once again, Dr. Binford, a Social Studies Educator, shows us ways to combine Young Adult Literature with the Social Studies. He has written previous for the blog and you can review his earlier entries here, here, and here. If you are interested in cross curricular activities these posts are worth revisiting.

The School Bus Incident
On a country road in southern Mississippi, Jesse Brown waited patiently to exact revenge.

In the distance, Jesse heard the unmistakable sounds of the school bus approaching. As he knew all too well, the rattling of the engine would soon be drowned out by noises more hostile—taunting, cursing, and spitting.

While Jesse anticipated the vehicle’s approach, the students on that bus would soon spot their next victim.

The year was 1939.

Jesse, the oldest son of an African American sharecropper, understood the routine. The bus would pass near him, the windows in the rear would be slid backward, and, then, angry faces would pop out followed immediately by a barrage of racial epithets and spittle.

Jesse instructed his two younger brothers to move off the road and into the field. Meanwhile, he grabbed a dried cornstalk about four feet long, shook off the dirt, and repositioned himself on the side of the road.

When the bus drew alongside, the rear windows retracted as expected. Jesse “choked up on the cornstalk like a bat. As the bus passed, he swung the cornstalk and smacked the first face that jutted from the windows” (pp. 28-29).

The ill-fated youngster squealed, and the boy’s friends yelled for the driver to stop the bus.

Adam Makos, the author of Devotion, finishes the story about the intrepid young Jesse Brown, who later became the first African American to serve as a U.S naval aviator:

If this rural southern Mississippi school bus story sounds familiar, it might be because of the striking parallels to be found in Roll of Thunder, H(ear My Cry ROT) by Mildred D. Taylor. In ROT, a menacing school bus torments the Logan children (pp. 12-15 & pp. 47-49) followed by sweet revenge (pp. 49-56). This is not to suggest that the former historical incident inspired the latter dramatic rendering. Rather, it is to recognize the credibility of the ROT’s historical infrastructure. 

Like many children, the Logan siblings assume the mantel of self-worth, but this clashes with the realities of living in the Jim Crow South. Some of the most poignant and revelatory moments in this novel occur when the Logan children confront racism (in various forms), and the ways they (and their parents) grapple with and process this hatred while maintaining a sense of familial pride and dignity. Sadly, the Logan children are introduced to these profound racial disparities through their schooling.
​
Two more (brief) examples of the intersections of historical fiction and reality, as illustrated by ROT’s portrayal of schooling, are the focus of the remainder of this blog post. 

In the early 1950s, the state government recognized the legal push for integration posed a serious threat to Mississippi’s segregated school system. Their response was to provide increased funding for “Negro” schools as a bulwark against this racial mixing. However, the first step was to document (i.e. photograph) the existing condition of public schools throughout the state.
​
For the reader of history and historical fiction, this inventory provides a treasure trove of evidence that “separate educational facilities [we]re inherently unequal.” While not all the inventory has been digitized (i.e., Jefferson Davis County’s school photographs are viewable only by traveling to MDAH in Jackson), enough county inventories are available digitally for teachers and students alike to view the obvious and disturbing disparities.

The School Textbooks​
The opening chapter of ROT culminates with the Great Faith Elementary and Secondary School teachers distributing “new books” to their excited pupils (pp. 21-25). But the buildup belies the condition of these hand-me-down textbooks. The Logan children’s disappointment at receiving dilapidated books is acerbated by the official label, inside the front cover (p. 25), the last entry of which reads, in part :

Date of Issuance: September 1933. Condition of Book: Very Poor Race: nigra 

The historical reality is Mississippi did not begin issuing free public school textbooks until 1940. However, individual school districts in the state did have the latitude to provide free school textbooks. Keep in mind, for most states the issuance of school textbooks—free of charge—began in the early to mid-twentieth century; this development was preceded and necessitated by compulsory school attendance laws.

One of the prevailing arguments against free public school textbooks, as Clyde J. Tidwell noted in 1928, was that “no satisfactory plan ha[d] been devised . . . for successfully fumigating or disinfecting textbooks." Needless to say, this concern over fumigation and disinfection had immigrant and African American households squarely in mind.
​
In the summer of 1940, the Mississippi State Textbook Purchasing Board was empowered to administer the newly enacted free public school textbook legislation. Regarding the distribution of textbooks to students, the board stipulated:

​All books distributed under the provisions of the State Textbook Act shall have printed labels on both inside covers [emphasis mine]. On the labels shall be space provided for:

1. Name of pupil
2. Space for serial number of book and date
3. Name of school district and name of school
4. Name of County
5. Race [emphasis mine]
6. Condition of book when assigned and returned

​In brief, ROT presents schooling in Depression Era Mississippi in a historically credible manner, which could readily serve as a representative example of the evils of Jim Crow for the nation at large. Furthermore, these intersections of fiction and reality provide ELA and Social Studies teachers and their students with rich opportunities for cross curricular teaching and learning.

I love what Dr. Binford has done in this post. I think more ELA teachers could add more informational texts and primary documents. Dr. Binford have collaborated as an English educator and Social Science educator and we will continue to do frequently. I have added images of several books that would be appropriate at several grade levels. With minimal effort teachers good easily find informational texts, visuals, first person narratives, and parallel events that would enhance a unit centered on one of these novel.  Thanks Dr. Binford for modeling constructive educational ideas.

Dr. Paul E. Binford is an assistant professor of Secondary Social Studies at Mississippi State University. He is the author of two teacher wraparound editions, various journal articles on the history of the social studies and cross curricular connections. His website is the RingofTruth.org, which includes a blog, Lesson Launch. He can be reached at theringoftruth.org.

Until next time.

This week Sophia Sarigianides returns as a guest contributor. She has posted twice before. The first time she discussed Youth and Sexuality in YA Literature and the second time she discussed the “YA lens” as she and her colleagues Mark Lewis and Rob Petrone defined it and as it was discussed in an issue of the English Journal. I hope you will take a bit of time to explore both entries again.
​
This week, Sophia works with a student, Christine Luongo, who is reporting on her Seniors Honors Project. This is a great collaboration and a clear example of how we learn from our students. In the post, Sophia mentions that she is learning about terms and definitions from her student. This has happened to me frequently. As academics we are often experts in a couple of areas but can be woeful unaware of others. I found this blog post to be informative in many ways. I try to be open minded, but I can be narrow in my understanding until it touches me directly or someone I know or work with. This blog post has help me see things with a new perspective. Thanks Sophia and Christine.

​As a cisgender, hetero-identifying female professor who teaches Young Adult Literature (YAL) to English teachers, Sophia thought she at least had a “working” knowledge of YA texts representing LGBTQ identities. She tried to keep up with research, analyzing the significance of representations of LGBTQ identities. She always included multiple YA texts featuring LGBTQ characters on her syllabus, ensuring that coming out or identifying as LGBTQ was not the “problem” of the texts. And then, Sophia was approached by an undergraduate student eager to complete her Seniors Honors Project (SHP) with her on representations of bisexuality in YAL.
 
As it turns out, Sophia had very little understanding of what might be involved in seriously considering the “B” in LGBTQ representations in YAL. Perhaps readers of this blog might feel the same way—or not realize they feel the same way...yet. For this opportunity to shape her emerging understandings around bisexuality and how it is represented in YAL, Sophia is so grateful to her student and co-author of this blog, soon-to-be high school ELA teacher, Christine Luongo.
 
Christine identifies as bisexual and loves YAL, making her SHP research study a labor of love. Part of the labor involved was helping Sophia to get behind far more complex definitions of bisexuality than she had imagined. Additionally, recognizing what was at stake in such definitions as social justice issues under the LGBTQ umbrella complicated matters further. Below, we begin to signal what some of these issues are by also sharing a list of YA texts we recommend for your reading pleasure and inclusion in your teaching.

​The traits we’ve pointed out thus far help to show what good representations of bisexuality can look like in YA books. We should also touch on the importance of seeing one’s identity represented in YA novels. Representation helps to validate that identity and to provide a sense of community for the individual. Often, bisexuals can be excluded by both homosexuals for not being “gay enough” and by heterosexuals for not being “straight enough.” Therefore, representation in YAL can be especially beneficial for bisexuals who may find it difficult to find a community otherwise. Seeing bisexual identities represented in schools would take this a step further for bisexual youth; it would show students that their teacher values their identity.
 
As an example, this past fall semester, and as a direct result of Christine’s study, Sophia included Ramona Blue on her YA course syllabus, requiring aspiring English teachers to present on the text, and engaging students in theoretical reading around bisexuality. Christine co-taught the class with Sophia and her presence as well as the place of this novel on the syllabus invited, permitted and required students to consider complex questions around gender, sexuality and an identity under the LGBTQ umbrella they hadn’t previously considered with depth.
 
All of these books represent bisexuality in ways that feel real. The characters are complex, and their different backgrounds shape how they experience their sexuality. Autoboyography was the first bi book Christine ever found. When reading it, she frequently sent quotes to her other bi-identified friends because they resonated with her experience. Even as someone who already had a bisexual community, seeing herself in these books throughout the study further validated Christine’s identity.
 
To close, we’d like to highlight some of our favorite books that we read over the course of the project:
 
Little & Lion by Brandi Colbert features a black bisexual protagonist, Suzette, whose stepbrother has bipolar disorder. This book highlights how her bisexuality intersects with her race and her stepbrother’s mental illness.
 
Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee is a middle grade novel that shows Mattie, an eighth-grade girl, realizing that she likes girls as well as boys. The romantic storyline follows how Mattie’s feelings develop over the course of the eighth-grade production of Romeo and Juliet.
 
Like Water by Rebecca Podos features a Latina protagonist, Vanni, whose father has Huntington’s disease. The novel shows how her bisexuality intersects with her father’s illness and her related fears about her future.
 
If readers are interested in accessing Christine’s SHP for a far deeper analysis of some of the books mentioned here, she can be reached at cluongo0748@westfield.ma.edu. Sophia can be reached at ssarigianides@westfield.ma.edu.  

If readers are interested in accessing Christine’s SHP for a far deeper analysis of some of the books mentioned here, she can be reached at cluongo0748@westfield.ma.edu. Sophia can be reached at ssarigianides@westfield.ma.edu.  

I hope that Christine will work this project into an article. I am sure that she and Sophia would appreciate ideas about how to shape the article and where they might submit it. Or course, I think Study and Scrutiny is always a good place.

Until next time.

What a great guest post to start off 2019! I love that Rachelle Savitz and her graduate student, Donna Confere have taken their time to prepare this post during their break. The post reminds us that there is so much to do with YA adult literature that goes beyond sharing it with preservice teachers and getting it into the hands of adolescents. Take it away.

This past semester, three Clemson doctoral students and I taught an Honors Seminar in which non-education Clemson undergraduate honors students (sophomore through seniors) elected from a list of predetermined options. This course focused on reading and analyzing various social constructs presented within young adult literature (i.e., adolescence, race/ethnicity, and nonconforming sexual orientation or gender.) Students read four required YA novels (House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Good Braider by Terry Farish, and If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan) and then chose five additional YA novels from provided lists, focusing on identifying, understanding, and disrupting social constructs. These books were chosen from professional organization reading lists or recommended by literacy experts and English language arts teachers and were organized by lenses to be studied and discussed. For instance, books with LatinX protagonists were organized in a list focusing on LatinX. For the Youth Lens, a list of random young adult literature was provided, while also allowing honors students to choose their own book, as this was the first lens discussed. Doctoral students presented each social construct through a relating lens, through PowerPoints, readings, and discussions based on examples and driving questions. At the end of the semester, students were asked to reflect on why young adult literature is important and valuable as well as books that were influential to their own growth. The following presents four responses from these students. 

Young Adult Literature (YA Lit), covers a wide range much like other classifications of literature. However, YA Lit separates itself as it tends to center around a younger protagonist similar in age to its target audience. Because of this, young adult literature is characterized by how it addresses certain problems and situations that pertain mainly to teenagers. Through class discussion and articles read, I understood YA as having a young protagonist facing issues and concerns relatable to other teenagers. Usually, this leads YA Lit to center around that time of life which typically marks large amounts of change. In the end, Young Adult Literature focuses on what matters to teenagers which can range from small issues present in everyday life to a larger array of social problems present throughout all of society.
 
Young Adult Literature also proves its importance as it can be used to teach certain morals to younger generations. YA novels can be used to teach social responsibility to students and can be used to discuss moral dilemmas that are present today, which helps validate the point that YA Lit has merit even though it may not be considered a part of the canon. Thus, it becomes necessary for its ability to teach social responsibilities and its relevance to adolescents.

​For me, this was a unique experience. Most of the doctoral students were ones that took a Special Topics in Young Adult Literature with me last Spring, so it was nice to see them put their talents to use within this unique classroom setting. It was truly enlightening to see them engage non-education majors in discussions about “taboo” topics. It was also interesting to see the undergraduate students grow, not only through our class purpose of reading and analyzing YA, but personally. For instance, when first introduced to analyzing books through racial and ethnic stereotypes, students were hesitant to open up during discussion. They did not know each other, and they did not know us. As the semester went on, students started asking questions during discussions related to stereotypes, and how novels disrupted generalizations, often through the eyes of characters within the novels. Through their weekly responses, students would comment about not realizing how comments made, either by them or friends, could be misconstrued. In their final reflection, students commented about this being their favorite course. That they had signed up because they thought it may be an easy class or because they liked reading. However, many spoke about how life changing this course was and how they now understood the need to speak up and make changes for a more just and equal society. Although I had worried going in to this course, teaching non-education majors about YA, it was truly a rewarding experience for all involved. 

Rachelle S. Savitz (Clemson University, Assistant Professor of Adolescent Literacy) and Donna Confere (Clemson, Doctoral Student)
Rachelle can be reached at: rsavitz@clemson.edu

Until next week.

It is nice to have colleagues who are generous with their time and talents. This blog doesn't exist without the hard work and ideas that contributors offer two or three times a month. 2018 was productive year for the blog and for my academic work. They are clearly intertwined. My academic work--teaching, writing, guiding graduate students, work with and for members of ALAN--is influence by the work I do for the blog. The reading, talking with teacher and other academic, talking and listening to authors, and sharing with students in classes, and writing and editing blog posts all help me think about how to teach YA literature, how to share it with others, and how to get this literature in the hands of students. to all of those who contributed--Thank You.

The unique visits for the blog are up 41% in 2018 and the page visits are up 30 %. Thank you!

Please talk a minute and browse the contributors link. Drop to the bottom and take a look at all of the great minds who wrote a post last year. They include middle grades and high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, classroom teachers, and other academic who are teacher educators and/or scholars of Young Adult literature. ​

​Take a minute to look at the Weekend Picks, it has been update with a slide show of all of the picks.

I was invited by Jennifer and Shelbie into a project in 2017 that finished in 2018. They didn't need me. They are both so bright and generous that I was blessed every day to work with them. I learned so much. My confidence grew and I was able to think more creatively about other projects. I have been learning from them both since I was in graduate school. I can still remember the first time I heard Jennifer present at an NCTE convention. I remember sitting with Shelbie Witte and Crag Hill has we all discussed next steps towards becoming an Associate professor. I was in awe ( and I still am) at their intellects and accomplishments.

We ended up with two edited books about using Young Adult literature in a digital world with digital tools. In the blog we highlighted the books and the chapter authors in this blog last May (Please find it here.). We are proud of the books and the books at the contributions of the wonderful chapter authors. After all, isn't a blog about teaching and reading YA literature just another example of YA literature in the digital world?

After the Netflix premier of series adaptation of 13 Reasons Why social media went nuts responding to the series in a variety of ways. Some of the responses critiqued the format of as a glorification of the suicide and death. I followed with some interest, recognizing that the original release of the book did not 2009 did not cause great concern even though the book was well received and widely read by adolescents. One of the most interesting posts was by Michelle Falter. I asked her if she would expand her social media comment into a blog post. She agreed and it remains one of the largest single day response that Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday blog has experienced. (You can find it here.)

Michelle and I talked about the issues and decided to collaborate on a book project about grief and death and how it is addressed in the English language arts classroom. We started thinking and put out a call for proposals. We received many more responses than we could use. The publisher agreed to give a contract for two books. One that concentrates on the individual experience with death and grief and one that focuses on how society focuses on these issues.

The two books were officially available  Nov. 23, 2018. We know many of you have been able to get it yet, but it should be one of you New Year's resolutions to remedy that. I look below we have a coupon. Come who can resist a coupon. 

Like with the previous project, I learned a great deal. It was pleasure to work with Michelle and her sharp intellect. Once again these book enter the world as a result of some tremendous work done by the chapter authors. We had a wonderful round table session at NCTE with a keynote address by Sharon Draper who graciously agreed to participate. We will highlight that session with chapter summary for each book a blog post in the near future. Stay tuned.

On Feb. 15, 2018 I found myself struggling to write about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. I was more than just a bit distraught. As most readers know, I live in Las Vegas and woke up on Oct. 2 to announcement that 50 people were dead. In June of 2016, I wrote about the shooting in Orlando. This blog should have to be a place where I write about shootings, let alone school shootings. Yet, there I was again. Kids who must attend schools are affected by shooting in their communities or in communities they are connected to. They might have family members or neighbors who were at the tragic event. The Las Vegas shooting certainly had an impact on the city, but many of the attendees where from southern California and other parts of the United States.

I have written about mass shooting too many times:
Say His Name!
Las Vegas Strong. Find the helpers. On Tuesday Morning I Found Kathryn Erskine
Once Again.Shocked and Sad. That is my emotional state today 10.2.2017
​Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora Colorado, Orlando, Las Vegas, and now Parkland.

When I wrote the last post, I was afraid to post it until I consulted a couple of trusted readers. I turned to Shelly Shaffer, who studies YA literature that focuses on school shootings, and Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil who has become one of my co-authors and who judgement I value. They both agreed I should post the piece--with a couple of edits as always. Together we continued to discuss the issue of gun violence in the English language arts classroom. With in two weeks we had an outline for a book and began soliciting authors for specific chapters. In a month, we had a contract. The book was done very quickly and was published, according to Amazon on Nov. 22, 2018, but is so new we don't have our author copies yet. But once again--there is a coupon.

Shelly, Gretchen, and I are thrilled this book is in the world. The book has YA literature components, but it does not focus on YA literature. Instead, it focuses on how to talk about the issue in a variety of ways within schools. We looked for English Education experts who could talk about writing, social media, teacher education, advocacy, and we added discussions about how to use literature to talk about the issue before students experience the issue and what might be done in the aftermath of shooting.

We are preparing a round table session for next year at NCTE and we will feature a blog post that summarizes chapters and what they have to offer. 

Frankly, in our opinion, putting one of these books in the hands of every ELA teacher would do more for the instruction integrity of lessons around the issue of gun violence and the emotional well being of students and teachers, than arming them with a gun.

People remind students, both young and old, that they need to look for helpers.  I have written previously and I still believe it to be true:

Students see us (teachers) as anchors of sanity in a world that is often confusing. They look to us to say something soothing and to carry on with hope. They don’t look for us to be helpers. They already think we already are. It doesn’t matter if we also feel grief; we do. It doesn’t matter if we hurt for the loss that might directly touch our lives or lives of others; we do. ​

As 2019 marches forward you can look for new book projects--(Hang in there Shanetia Clark, this is happening), more posts by and about specific authors, more Weekend Picks from authors beside the opinionated Dr. Bickmore, and robust line up or guest contributors through out the year. 

When you visit the blog. I hope you take a couple of minutes to check out the Weekend picks, look up a few past contributors or share the url with your students and colleagues. 

If you need a speaker for a conference, a book group, a ya literature course, please send me a message.

Until next time.

As I thought about the event, I approached Sandra who put me in touch with one of the marketing people at Simon and Schuster and Paula Wiseman Books, Sarah Woodruff. When Sarah heard about the event she help make 13 copies of Between the Lines available for the winners. It is a generous offer from Simon and Schuster and a great way to add to the celebration of the art and these wonderful artists.

It was fun to talk with some of the winners. I explained a bit about the book and took a few pictures for the blog. All of the winners are listed at the Silver State Schools Credit Union announcement. Unfortunately, I had another holiday event to run of to before the night was over. Next year, I will schedule it first and spend more time with the winners. Below you can get a glimpse of some of the winners with the book and their art. 

In the meantime, I invite you to look at the other work of Sandra Neil Wallace and Bryan Collier. Two people who are making their way in the arts: one as a writer and one as an artist.

Until next week.

Melissa is one of the best teachers I know. When she was a graduate student at Louisiana State University, it was a joy to teach with her. She has great passion for her students whether they are still in high school or at college. She has had great success as a teacher and has reached many students. To her credit, she is not content to sit with the results of just reaching many of her students. Instead, she continues to try and figure out how to inspire more of them. Below, she tells an important story. A story of not having everything turn out just right. Frankly, it a story that those of us who have taught for any length of time are familiar with. We all have classes where we don't quite reach all of the students or don't reach them as successfully as we would have liked. I love Melissa's willingness to report when things don't go just the way we planned them. Even more, I love that she is still showing up every day and trying again.

I started a new job at a different high school this year. I was hired for many reasons, one of which was to raise the test scores of a particularly low-achieving group of juniors, in addition to teaching the honors Freshmen (my fave!).
 
To call this school rural is an understatement. I have cows as my neighbors, the football field is affectionately known as “The Pasture,” and there’s an actual barn, where FFA students sell handmaid wreaths, poinsettias, and mandarins at Christmas time. I was the “new kid” coming in, and boy did they resent me.
 
So in I come with my brand-new bookshelves and my boxes upon boxes of all the Young Adult literature that I have amassed over my years of teaching. I also had recently framed my brand-new Reading Specialist certificate that I proudly earned during my doctoral program in English Education at LSU. I was ready for the year, or so I thought…
 
I’ve taught reluctant readers before, but this was a whole new ballgame. “I hate reading” was the mantra. And boy, did they mean it. I took the entire class to the library the first week to check out reading books—whatever they wanted—and it took longer than I imagined. Mostly, the students hung out among the back shelves and talked. Very few came to ask me for recommendations (they didn’t know me, after all), the rest picked out what looked tolerable to them. My brilliant idea of 10 minutes of reading time each day (which I had definitely lobbied for with my administration, by the way) was now appearing to be a form of torture, not a privilege.
​
I thought if I made it clear how much I value reading, then they might too. If they saw me reading, then they would read too. And if I made an assessment worth a lot of points, that they would take reading seriously. Instead, it was the opposite—barely any of them finished the quarter reading assignment because most of them didn’t finish their books! I thought the page requirement for juniors was reasonable, but I never bothered to figure out how well they could read and whether or not they would read. Their grades tanked. I needed to reassess the situation. 

Confronting Difficulty
​
I did everything wrong. Everything I swore I’d never do, I did. Everything I learned from my gurus--Gallagher, Kittle, Miller, Beers—went out the window as I struggled to get these kids on board with reading. Didn’t anyone want to hear a Booktalk about my latest YA find? Didn’t anyone care what I was reading? These kids didn’t want to read the latest and greatest—hell, they didn’t want to read period. 

So I refuse to give up. I am not a teacher because I give up on kids. On the contrary. I may not be crazy enough to think that I will turn them into Literature majors, but I will continue allowing (forcing?) them to read for 10 minutes every day. I will take them to the library and give them suggestions. And I will keep my classroom bookshelves stocked with all the YA lit that Dr. Bickmore’s blog—and everyone else I follow—recommends. All the John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Lauren Oliver. The Natasha Preston, Kiera Cass, and Alyson Noel. All of it.

Because I am an English teacher. I love books and I love kids. And when I can get the right nook in the right hands…the magic happens. And if I can do that for even one student, then I will have succeeded. 

Melissa Gulden is a high school and college English teacher in Northern California.
​
 Until next week.

I love this time of year and all of the holiday fun. Okay, I still have to grade a bunch of student work; I have all of those "end of the semester" meetings; I am consulting with graduate students: I need to plan syllabi for the next semester; NCTE proposals are due soon; ALAN proposals are due soon; and I am planning for next year’s ALAN workshop.

While I still have a lot to do, I love considering all of the books I have read this year. I made my end of year picks a tiny bit early. I was lucky enough to give a couple of presentations last Saturday at a Clark County School District event for middle and secondary literacy educators. The day's keynote speaker was Ernest Morrell. He was fabulous and I always learn something that helps me when I listen to his scholarship.

When I started making picks in 2016 I thought I would pick 5. Well, I couldn't do it. Instead, I focus on the books that I can’t stop thinking about or talking about during the course of the year. It always seems to be more that 5. I admit I am a bit narrow in my focus. I tend to read realistic fiction with a focus on race class and gender, that are written for older adolescents. I also find myself reading more and more nonfiction. 

I readily admit that excellent books are abundant in middle grades, science fiction, in fantasy and other genres. It is hard to read everything. I rely on others to guide me. It is worth reviewing the weekend picks that others have selected during 2018. Another place to look is at the recommendations suggested by others through other blogs. I recently had my attention drawn to Dr. Michael Macaluso’s blog post. He points to his top 10 resources for finding multicultural books. His suggestions provide excellent advice.
​
As you prepare for the holidays and look for gifts I hope you consider some of the books listed below. Without a doubt these are powerful texts. If you only read these 7 books in the course of a year, you would have plenty to think about. I love that The Poet X won the National Book Award, but I am a little bit proud of myself that it was on my list of my best books before the award. Many of these books  received high praise during the year, and they deserve it. The one book that is under represented on this list is Too Shattered for Mending. It is Peter Brown Hoffmeister’s second YA novel and it is fantastic. It might be the one I would select above all of the others if I was forced to do so. I don’t have to so it will have to remain a tie among them all. I just think that not enough people have been exposed to this book yet. Maybe this post will help remedy this situation. Please read it. Read everything on the list, you won’t regret it. In fact, I think that after reading you will be looking to share these titles with others.

Pick #1 Jeff Zentner The Kirkus Review Goodbye Days

Pick #2 Elizabeth Acevedo The Kirkus Review The Poet X

Pick #3 Elizabeth Partridge The Kirkus Review Boots on the Ground

Pick #4 Aisha Saeed The Kirkus Review Amal Unbound

Pick #5 Nic Stone The Kirkus Review Dear Martin

Pick #6 Peter Brown Hoffmeister The Kirkus Review Too Shattered for Mending

Pick #7 Joy McCullough The Kirkus Review Blood Water Paint

This week we welcome back Mark Lewis as a guest contributor. His previous contribution was about YA adult literature that investigates Urban spaces. I hope you will revisit that post as well. Mark is one of the first scholars I meet as I began my work as and academic and he began his. We are constantly running into each other and I am always better for the exchange. Mark is also one of group of scholars alone with Dr. Rob Petrone and Dr. Sophia Sarigianides who have develop and strive to explain a youth lens. Their contributions are significant. Now, let's turn to Mark's new post.

​Recently, I have been reading a stack of graphica aimed at middle school-aged readers. As a young reader, I never was that interested in comic books—I was more into The Hardy Boys and The Black Stallion series—and only begrudgingly joined my friends to go see the latest Superman movie. Even as a middle school teacher, although not restricting my students from reading comics and graphic novels as part of their independent reading, I continually encouraged them to “move on” to chapter books. My use of quotation marks is to not only to indicate my exact words, but also as an indicator of how I viewed such literature—it was a bridge to more rigorous reading; one that should be burned once its utility was fulfilled. 

s I hope my list has shown, middle school graphica is doing well in including stories about more than boys, superheroes, and monsters. These stories are diverse, both in terms of content and representation, and in providing appealing options for young readers of all backgrounds. ​
Mark A. Lewis, Ph.D.A
Associate Professor of Literacy Education
Loyola University Maryland
malewis2@loyola.edu

​Until next week.

From Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil

As with past ALAN experiences, it's been difficult for me to narrow down to one favorite moment.  Of course there is the not-so-different-from-Christmas-morning anticipation of opening those book boxes and the joy of seeing a long-awaited book such as Shout.  Or there is the not-so-different-from-family-reunion joy of connecting with beloved colleagues who love young adult literature as much as I do.  And I will never downplay the not-so-different-from-being-completely-starstruck feeling of shaking a respected author's hand and telling them just how much their writing has impacted my--and my students'--life.    This year was a bit different because I had the privilege of introducing a conversation between Sandhya Menon and Kayla Cagan.  Both writers recognize the transforming power of art, especially among young women.  Not only did their discussion inspire me to encourage my own students toward books that nurture an artist identity, but it also made me think about how I've never tried painting.  Sandhya and Kayla will be happy to know that I'll be borrowing my daughter's watercolor brushes, paints, and paper this week--that is, after I finish Art Boss and From Twinkle, With Love.​

From Sarah Chan

Five hundred book walls
Each magical brick creates
Mirrors and windows

The ALAN Workshop is something special. This was my third year attending, and I can honestly say that a buzzing room full of educators and authors is some of the best company—I always leave feeling inspired (and a little sad that all good things must come to an end). There are too many highlights from ALAN ’18, so I just picked one from each day. Closing out Monday’s session, Tomi Adeyemi spoke about the power that teachers have to unlock, or lock, students’ potential and change how our students see themselves. She later signed Children of Blood and Bone for my former student who recommended the book to me last school year. Above her signature, Tomi wrote a note that read: “For Queen [name of my student], I wrote this for warriors like you.” On Tuesday, Elizabeth Acevedo talked about how she doesn’t write books that give answers because it’s important for readers to wonder and ask questions. As I stood in her signing line, it felt a bit surreal and so very cool because The Poet X is easily one of my top five favorite reads of this year (as well as a must-listen audiobook) and she’s a National Book Award winner! When I first read the book, the dedication warmed my heart because my grad school teaching internship back in 2013-2014 was at Buck Lodge Middle School, and I remember being blown away by the performance she gave during an assembly in the school’s cafeteria. I love that her students inspired her to write The Poet X and now her words pay tribute to them and inspire countless others.

At ALAN, I’m always reminded that representation matters. Our students deserve to be seen, and they deserve to be heard. They also need to be exposed to stories that celebrate diversity and make marginalized identities and perspectives visible. I’m grateful for all the authors and the 500+ educators who keep these values at the heart of what they do. ALAN ’18 was a much-needed time to reflect and refuel, and I hope to continue to attend the workshop in the future.

From Katie Sluiter

I look forward to the ALAN conference all year. It is my Christmas morning because it feels like coming home. Seeing fellow educators who are all so passionate about reading, connecting with friends I only see once a year, and of course experiencing all the authors and books! This year was one of the best. Cynthia Leitich Smith did a fantastic keynote and set the tone for the inclusivity that YA lit can sow in the classroom. Bill Koningsberg’s speech made me weep for the work we have yet to do, and reminded me of how important it is to create a safe space out of my classroom. Ellen Hopkins and Kody Keplinger grabbed the issue of gun violence, and Laurie Halse Anderson and Gayle Forman talked about using their own experiences in their writing. I left the day fired up and ready to hug all my students. Thank you, ALAN for another great conference!

From Mary Warner

One of the best parts of NCTE 2018 and ALAN was actually seeing and being able to hear Kylene Beers  and Teri Lesesne.  Both women are such major contributors to ELA and ALAN and have struggled with serious health issues.  What a gift that they could be there!

Second I loved the session "Crossing Selma's Bridge..." featuring you, Gretchen, Laurie Halse Anderson, Luke Rumohr, Rich Wallace, Sandra Neil Wallace,  Brendan Kiely, and Shentia Clark.   It simply was so relevant and poignant, and scholarly and worthwhile!

I could only stay for Monday for ALAN -- I liked Cynthia Leitich Smith's keynote; Laurie Halse Anderson and Gayle Forman were great too -- especially because Laurie is so supportive of newer authors.

From Anita Dubroc

ALAN 2018 marked my first ALAN conference and I didn’t know quite what to expect. Being greeted with a huge box packed with (very heavy) young adult titles was quite a shock. My new friend, Book Box, and I were fortunate enough to get first-row seats for two days filled with author readings, conversations, and panels on YAL’s many forms, some genres were like familiar friends and others new acquaintances. I think my TBR exploded a little, which is never a problem. (Many thanks to FedEx for delivering them safely home). I liked how each author focused on his or her writing as a form of writing resistance and each panel, though composed of two to three people, was like peeking in on a conversation. The writers and their works took on hard to discuss subjects, which many adults shy away from, yet are important in young people and teens’ lives. I was also happily surprised at my fellow attendees’ passionate responses to the panelists works and words. Though many of us endured a busy four day NCTE, I was thrilled to see so many faces at 8am on Tuesday! Bringing in the many books recommended and spoken of during ALAN 2018 makes me think of the many ways in which we can encourage young people to activists in the classroom, at school, and in their communities. ALAN 2018 showed me that young adult literature extends much further than the books we read and enjoy and into acting upon the issues that the books present. I was thoroughly inspired by my first ALAN experience and I truly hope to continue attending. 

I made it back from NCTE and ALAN 2108. I marched through with about 5 to 6 hours of sleep. (I know some of you got even less.) If you promised me a paragraph about your experience about the ALAN breakfast, Y2A reception, or the ALAN Workshop, please send it along. You can find what you need in the contact section. This post has a strong family component. That feels right. I feel like my family grew over the last week. Erinn Bentley (She has a previous post of the blog here.) and her son talk about finding books that you not only want to read, but maybe can't wait to read. 

I will turn it over  to Erinn and Noah. I hope all have a great holiday weekend.

​For today’s blog, I would like to focus on an issue most of us have probably experienced as educators and/or parents: How do we inspire a child who is a reluctant reader? What books might appeal to such readers? This issue hit home for me when my older son, Noah, transitioned from 5th to 6th grade. At that time, he absolutely hated to read. He had a fantastic English teacher, excellent grades, and no literacy-associated learning disabilities. His Lexile scores and other reading assessments revealed he was on the lower end of his grade level, but he was not considered a “struggling” reader. Still, he hated reading.
 
As I combed through our bookshelves, I noticed that he had outgrown the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and I Survived series. He had no interest in the young adult literature I adored, such as the Harry Potter saga and The Chronicles of Narnia. I then realized the heart of our issue: I had no idea what his adolescent reading tastes or interests were. He lived in a home stocked with tons of books; yet, these texts were either too juvenile, too difficult, or (according to him) too boring. We needed to find authors, genres, and topics that resonated with him.
 
Noah and I then set out on a quest to develop a personalized reading list. In this blog, we will describe the top 5 books that transformed him from a reluctant to an engaged reader. For each book, I will first provide a brief summary of the novel’s content as well as why we selected it. Then, Noah will share his perspectives and recommendations as an adolescent reader.

​Noah’s Perspective:
This book was really interesting because the story was spread out across different settings making the theme more dramatic. The main character went to so many concentration camps that it makes readers see how much the Holocaust impacted a whole race of people. I would recommend this novel to people who would like to understand what life was really like in WWII. Because this was a true story, I feel like it gives a better picture of the Holocaust than some fictional stories I have read. Because it is dramatic, this novel is more interesting that reading about war in a textbook. Until I read this book, I don’t think I really understood how terrible the Holocaust was. This book made it real for me.

​Noah’s Perspective:
I liked this novel better than Prisoner B-3087. I don’t know of any other book that shows perspectives of the Nazis like this one does. It was interesting to see how the Nazis treated the younger generations and raised them. As I read the book, I kept thinking that I was the same age as some of the characters, and I’m glad I didn’t have their experiences. Something else I liked was that there was a lot of action in this novel. Most protagonists in action stories are adults (like Spider Man or Iron Man). This was the first time I saw a boy as this kind of protagonist. I would recommend this novel to people who really like historical fiction but also like a suspenseful story. 

​Noah’s Perspective:
I wanted to read a book that was interesting and had a deeper meaning. A Night Divided showed how people lived when the Berlin Wall was built. But the book is more than just a story about a literal wall. It’s a story about other walls that divide people in different ways. For example, the protagonist (Gerta) experiences invisible walls. Gerta and many characters in the book question whether they should silently accept being trapped inside the wall’s borders. They also question who they can trust when they are talking about their true feelings and beliefs. They are trapped with what they can or can’t say, do, and think. I would recommend this novel to people who want to think about these deeper ideas.

​Noah’s Perspective:
The Saturday Boy was appealing to me because this novel was very different from the other books I have read. In this novel, the protagonist’s father went off to fight in a war, and Derek did not know what happened to him. The readers did not know what happened to the father either, so it kept the plot suspenseful. Derek also experienced being bullied; I thought that was harsh because he didn’t have a father to help him get through it. It was interesting to see that Derek and his father did have a relationship by writing letters to one another when his father was away. This novel made me wonder what happens to people when families experience separation and wonder how they keep those relationships over a long distance. I would recommend this novel to people who like fiction but also a dramatic story. It made my mom cry! 

Noah’s Perspective:
I liked this novel because it shows what being a “bystander” really means – If you are a bystander, you are just as guilty as the person doing the bullying. I have never been bullied, but I thought the events in the novel felt realistic to what kids in middle or high school experience. I chose Bystander because I liked that the novel was based on a topic that is really important right now. A lot of kids might not know what to do when they see their friends being bullied. If people read this novel they might realize that it is better to stand up to bullies rather than stay silent and ignore them. I think it would be good for teachers and parents to read this novel because they probably do not understand the different ways that bullies intimidate the people around them.  This book shows how actions, even small actions, can affect others.

Until next week.