Literature for Young Adults
Young adult (YA) literature is a rich resource for doing philosophy with teens in English class. By combining the ethical deliberations of coming-of-age with the thematic literary elements of an individual character's relation to nature, society, and themselves, award-winning YA literature provides the perfect genre to do philosophy with adolescents.
According to Todd Mitchell, YA literature author and instructor of YA literature at Colorado State University, adolescents engage daily with persistent questions of identity. In that space between childhood and adulthood, young adults are faced with two questions: "Who am I?" and "How do I fit into the world of my peers and the greater world beyond?"
According to Todd Mitchell, YA literature author and instructor of YA literature at Colorado State University, adolescents engage daily with persistent questions of identity. In that space between childhood and adulthood, young adults are faced with two questions: "Who am I?" and "How do I fit into the world of my peers and the greater world beyond?"
Finding and Choosing Literature for Young Adults
The following links, also found on the Resources and Links page, should help you and your students find the perfect the contemporary, critically-acclaimed philosophy-provoking YA literature. Involving students in text-selection can help stimulate authentic engagement in the reading and the perennial questions of identity, character, and purpose. You may use these resources, in conjunction with your local librarians, to facilitate the student choice suggested in the Philosophy-Enriched Choice Book Unit (grades 6-12).
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Book Awards and Booklists for Libraries. Arguably the best resource to help students find books perfect for the philosophical inquiry learning cycle. A Division of the American Library Association (ALA).
The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature is a particularly great source for relevant and well-crafted literature written with young adults in mind. These winners and nominees often situate enduring questions about identity within the context of contemporary issues of globalization, environmental degradation, consumerism, democracy, inequality, media, and technology (See Hannam and Echeverria 53ff).
The National Book Foundation's National Book Award has a special category for "young people's literature." Scroll down to find winners and nominees from the last twenty years.
Scholastic Book Wizard allows you to find books by searching for theme and grade level. The online Book Adventure provides a similar service.
Librarians of Houston Area Independent Schools Library Network (HAISLN) have created wonderful Recommended Reading Lists by grade level. Each list is annotated for teachers, students, and families.
TeachersFirst provides Suggested Reading Lists by grade level and interest.
Ann Arbor public schools provides helpful resources and reading lists for understanding reading ability and the Lexile Reading Levels used with Common Core State Standards.
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Book Awards and Booklists for Libraries. Arguably the best resource to help students find books perfect for the philosophical inquiry learning cycle. A Division of the American Library Association (ALA).
The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature is a particularly great source for relevant and well-crafted literature written with young adults in mind. These winners and nominees often situate enduring questions about identity within the context of contemporary issues of globalization, environmental degradation, consumerism, democracy, inequality, media, and technology (See Hannam and Echeverria 53ff).
The National Book Foundation's National Book Award has a special category for "young people's literature." Scroll down to find winners and nominees from the last twenty years.
Scholastic Book Wizard allows you to find books by searching for theme and grade level. The online Book Adventure provides a similar service.
Librarians of Houston Area Independent Schools Library Network (HAISLN) have created wonderful Recommended Reading Lists by grade level. Each list is annotated for teachers, students, and families.
TeachersFirst provides Suggested Reading Lists by grade level and interest.
Ann Arbor public schools provides helpful resources and reading lists for understanding reading ability and the Lexile Reading Levels used with Common Core State Standards.