YA Literature

Alexander, Kwame. (2014). The Crossover .  New York.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Mr.  Alexander uses a unique style for twelve-year Josh Bell tells about his love for basketball.  Josh and his identical twin brother Jordan are star players on their school’s basketball team.  Josh uses rhymes to express what is going on in his life.  Every topic began on a new page with a title, definition, or a certain emphasis.  It appears to be a story told in free verse poetry.  The book is divided as if it is a basketball game it includes the warm up and overtime instead of traditional chapters.  The theme of the book is basketball.  The author shows a family’s love for basketball through a former basketball star and his sons.  The father known as the “Da Man” trains his boys to be phenomenal basketball players and brothers even after suffering a heart attack and being very ill.This book is good for readers who love basketball, are reluc...

Realistic Fiction These are believable stories with real characters, settings and events.  One of my favorite to share is Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats.  One of my favorite growing up was Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.  I recently read The Absolute Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexander.  As a reader one can easily feel empathy for the characters in the story.  Children can identify or enjoy books that they can identify with and or is like how they live.  We also look to see if the theme is natural in the story.  Lastly, we look at how the topic relates to modern readers. I have found that I enjoy books of this format and so do my students.  I tend to be a person who will read books in a series or books by a particular author.  My students enjoy to compare and contrast with realistic fiction.  They will often begin a class discussion on their own pointing out elements of the story.  The theme of the story is something o...

Chapter 6:Literary Elements  This chapter is a list of terms used when discussing literature.  The words that were on the list for literary elements were words that I am familiar with except antagonist and protagonist.  I have heard of the two but, never thought to know what these words mean.  The literary devices list introduced me to five words that were new to me.  I used the link to define the words and added them to my bank of important stuff for a librarian. Theme: I understand theme.  It was emphasized that the theme is a message stated or suggested by the author in a complete sentence.  Truism is a term new to me.  Truism refers to things being  true and apply geographically or outside of the story. Knowing this term, I will definitely ask that question when discussing the theme of a text with students. Chapter 7: Awards This chapter is a list of awards given in YA literature.  Outside of my librarian courses I had only hear...

Chapter 1: Why do we share literature with kids? We share literature with children to develop life long readers.  Students need to see us enjoying reading and we share the joy of reading with them.  There are some things that I never thought of about reading.  Not only do we read because it delights us, but we read to read about people like us.  We read about people like us, vicarious experience, philosophical speculation, and aesthetic experiences.  I read and write and often times it is a vicarious experience.  I have noticed after reading a story that I have written my students seem to have the same experience.  I'm thinking there is no way that you went on a week long camping trip and it stormed and the same thing happens to you as it happens to me.  I am guilty of the same thing.  I feel as if I have experienced a luxurious life after reading a Danielle Steele novel.  My imagination just grows and becomes more exciting. Chapter...