Young adult (or YA) literature and publishing are not simply flourishing. They represent perhaps the fastest-growing field of all. With graphic novels and so-called crossover works like the Harry Potter series selling in the tens of millions, the field of YA literature is one of the most dynamic and exciting in the U.S. and Canada. YA is increasingly an international phenomenon as well.

The Continuum Encyclopedia of Young Adult Literature is the only reference guide to this phenomenon in any language. It is a collaborative effort by 200 authorities who contribute some 650 original,...