Adolescence is a time of growth, change, and confusion for young women. During this transition from childhood to adulthood, sex and gender roles become more important. Meanwhile, depictions of females--from the hyper-sexualized girls of music videos to the chaste repression of Purity Balls--send mixed messages to young women about their bodies and their sexuality. Over the last several decades, authors of young adult novels have been challenged to reflect this concern in their work and have responded with varying degrees of success. In Learning Curves: Body Image and Female Sexuality in Young...
Adolescence is a time of growth, change, and confusion for young women. During this transition from childhood to adulthood, sex and gender roles becom...
Although substantial critical commentary has addressed children's animal stories and animals in adult fiction, very few studies have been devoted to adolescent-animal encounters.
In Animals in Young Adult Fiction, Walter Hogan examines several hundred novels and stories to explore the ways in which animals are represented in these works. In additional to providing an historical survey, Hogan looks at both realistic fiction and speculative works, including fantasy, supernatural, horror, and science fiction. Hogan reviews stories that feature wild animal encounters, stories centered on...
Although substantial critical commentary has addressed children's animal stories and animals in adult fiction, very few studies have been devoted to a...
This study of fantasy author Robin McKinley is the first full-length, in-depth analysis of the author's works, including her award-winning books The Blue Sword (Newbery Honor, 1983) and The Hero and the Crown (Newbery Medal, 1985).
This study of fantasy author Robin McKinley is the first full-length, in-depth analysis of the author's works, including her award-winning books The B...
Inspired by a vivid dream, Stephenie Meyer, a stay-at-home mom, wrote a manuscript that started a worldwide sensation that has yet to abate. In 2005 her debut novel, Twilight, crashed onto the shore of teen literature like a literary tsunami. Four books later, she had become the top-selling author in the world. When the final book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, was released in 2008, more than a million copies were sold on the first day alone. The popular culture phenomenon of Stephenie Meyer and her writing is much more than the sum total of her weeks on the bestseller list, however....
Inspired by a vivid dream, Stephenie Meyer, a stay-at-home mom, wrote a manuscript that started a worldwide sensation that has yet to abate. In 2005 h...
Chris Crutcher is a literary icon in the field of young adult literature. With his first book, Running Loose published in 1983, Crutcher established a reputation for giving young adults a voice in realistic fiction. Since then, Crutcher has written a number of books with spot-on depictions of young adults growing through hard times, including Ironman, Whale Talk, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and Stotan In Chris Crutcher: A Stotan for Young Adults, Bryan Gillis and Pam B. Cole examine the life, career, and works of this young adult advocate. This volume opens with a never-before-published...
Chris Crutcher is a literary icon in the field of young adult literature. With his first book, Running Loose published in 1983, Crutcher established a...
Young adults often struggle with confusion or guilt because they perceive themselves as different from others, especially their peers. For some of these individuals, the arts can help them cope with adolescent turmoil, allowing them to express their emotions in poems, stories, painting, songs, and other creative outlets. Sensitive teachers and parents know how important it is for young people to realize that they are not alone in their quest for self-knowledge and finding their way in the world. It can make a difference when readers find something in a book that helps them understand more...
Young adults often struggle with confusion or guilt because they perceive themselves as different from others, especially their peers. For some of the...