YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

as researched by

TEACHER-LADY

DEFINITION

LITERATURE FOR

& ABOUT ADOLESCENTS

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Doll, Jen. “What Does 'Young Adult' Mean?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 30 Oct. 2013, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/what-does-young-adult-mean/329105/.

ORIGIN

• Began in the 1960s when, for the first time ever, authors spoke directly to teens--a demographic that was feeling disenfranchised
• Two 1967 Books put YA Lit on the map:

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“How ‘Young Adult’ Fiction Blossomed With Teenage Culture in America.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 7 May 2018, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-young-adult-fiction-blossomed-with-teenage-culture-in-america-180968967/.

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S.E. Hinton’s THE OUTSIDERS

Robert Lipsyte’s THE CONTENDER

CHARACTERISTICS

• literature for & about teens
• bridges the gap between children’s chapter books & adult fiction
• Old Demographic → 12-19-year-olds; New → 10-25-year-olds
• Tackles real-world topics (e.g., substance abuse, race, sex)
• more of a category that can be further divided into genres

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Doll, Jen. “What Does 'Young Adult' Mean?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 30 Oct. 2013, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/what-does-young-adult-mean/329105/.

FAMOUS CONTRIBUTORS

• John Green (e.g., Fault in our stars, looking for alaska)
• Veronica Roth (e.g., Divergent series)
• Suzanne Collins (e.g., the hunger games series)
• Angie Thomas (e.g., the hate you give, on the come up)
• Chris Crutcher (e.g., whale talk, staying fat for sarah byrnes)
• Sarah Dessen (e.g., Just Listen, Dreamland, How to Deal)
• Mark Zusak (e.g., The Book Thief, I am the Messenger)
• J.K. Rowling (e.g., the Harry Potter Series)

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“Best Young Adult Books (12031 Books).” Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/43.Best_Young_Adult_Books.