Female empowerment--especially among girls--is one of the most significant issues to come out of the 90's, and one that will continue to play a significant role in the new millennium. But how do we define empowerment? And more importantly, how do we identify its characteristics within literature? With problems like teenage eating disorders and pregnancy still very much at the core of American society, it is no surprise that a book as important as Declarations of Independence is the latest addition to Scarecrow Press's Studies in Young Adult Literature. Authors Brown and St. Clair use their...

Young adult historical fiction brings the past alive through stories of adventure, suspense, and mystery. The genre is both complex and controversial, encompassing novels that range from romance and fantasy to stark historical realism. The book examines the various approaches to young adult historical fiction and explores the issues that it has engendered. Part One focuses on the broader issues spawned by the genre itself, including its various subgenres - the line between fiction and fact; to what degree must an author adhere to historical accuracy?; time boundaries; the diary format; the...