Young Adult Literature : From Romance to Realism

Today's young adult literature is every bit as complex as the audience it's written for, unflinchingly addressing such topics as homosexuality, mental illness, AIDS and drug abuse. In this much expanded revision of his 1996 book, veteran author Michael Cart shows how the best of contemporary YA lit has evolved to tackle such daunting subjects without resorting to sensationalism. He brings his historical survey of this category fully up to date, covering its explosive growth in the past decade, and advocating that librarians and teachers look beyond romance and horror when advising young adults. This survey helps YA librarians who want to freshen up their readers' advisory skills, teachers who use novels in the classroom, and adult services librarians who increasingly find themselves addressing the queries of teen patrons by covering the following: Reading habits of today's teens, Influence of new technologies and formats, New YA lit awards, This insightful and often humorous work presents the evolution of YA lit in an appealing way, making it equally useful for students of literary studies. You'll definitely update your recommended ""to read"" lists after a spin through Cart's advisory. Today's young adult (ya) literature is every bit as complex as the audience it's written for, unflinchingly addressing such topics as homosexuality, mental illness, aids and drug abuse. In this much expanded revision of his 1996 book, veteran author Michael Cart shows how the best of contemporary ya lit has evolved to tackle such daunting subjects without resorting to sensationalism. He brings his historical survey of this category fully up to date, covering its explosive growth in the past decade, and advocating that librarians and teachers look beyond romance and horror when advising young adults. This survey helps ya librarians who want to freshen up their readers' advisory skills, teachers who use novels in the classroom, and adult services librarians who increasingly find themselves addressing the queries of teen patrons by covering the: (1) Reading habits of today's teens; (2) Influence of new technologies and formats; and (3) New ya lit awards. This insightful and often humorous work presents the evolution of ya lit in an appealing way, making it equally useful for students of literary studies. Librarians and teachers will definitely update their recommended "to read" lists after a spin through Cart's advisory. A selected bibliography and an index are included From Sue Barton to the sixties : what's in a name? and other uncertainties -- -- The sixties and the seventies : the rise of realism and the first golden age -- -- The eighties : something old, something new : the rise of the paperback series, multicultural literature, and political correctness -- -- The early nineties : a near-death experience -- -- The rest of the nineties : revival and renaissance -- -- A new literature for a new millennium? The renaissance continues -- Romancing the retail : of series, superstores, Harry Potter, and such -- So, how adult is young adult? The crossover conundrum -- Back in the real world : immigration, mixed race, and other new realities of teen life -- Sex and other shibboleths : YA comes of age, and not a moment too soon -- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender literature : the controversies continue -- -- The viz biz : transforming the funnies -- -- The eyes have it : other visual forms : photoessays and the new nonfiction -- Of books and bytes : multiple literacies, the death of print, and other imponderables. From Sue Barton to the sixties : what's in a name? and other uncertainties The sixties and the seventies : the rise of realism and the first golden age The eighties : something old, something new : the rise of the paperback series, multicultural literature, and political correctness The early nineties : a near death experience The rest of the nineties : revival and renaissance A new literature for a new millennium : the renaissance continues Romancing the retail : of series, superstores, Harry Potter, and such So, how adult is young adult : the crossover conundrum Meanwhile, back in the real world : immigration, mixed race, and other new realities of teen life Sex and other shibboleths : YA comes of age, and not a moment too soon Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender literature : the controversies continue The viz biz : transforming the funnies The eyes have it : other visual forms : photoessays and the new nonfiction Of books and bytes : multiple literacies, the death of print, and other imponderables.