Young Adult and Canonical Literature

In the last decade alone, the world has changed in seismic ways as marriage equality has been ruled on by the supreme court, social justice issues such as #metoo and BlackLivesMatter have arisen, and issues of immigration and deportation have come to the forefront of politics across the globe. Thus, there is a need for an updated text that shares strategies for combining canonical and young adult literature that reflects the changes society has – and continues to - experience. The purpose of our collection is to offer secondary (6-12) teachers engaging ideas and approaches for pairing young adult and canonical novels to provide unique examinations of topics that teaching either text in isolation could not afford. Our collection does not center canonical texts and most chapters show how both texts complement each other rather than the young adult text being only an extension of the canonical. Within each volume, the chapters are organized chronologically according to the publication date of the canonical text. The pairings offered in this collection allow for comparisons in some cases, for extensions in others, and for critique in all.

Greathouse and Malo-Juvera provide ample evidence of the value of pairing YA literature with classic texts. From Pride and Prejudice to The Bluest Eye the authors of every chapter demonstrate how quality YA makes complex ideas and theories encased in the classics relevant to the modern audiences.--Steven T. Bickmore, Associate Professor of English Education, University of Nevada Las Vegas; curator, Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday Blog, This book is an essential resource for English teachers who want to use BOTH young adult literature and canonical texts in their classrooms without sacrificing either. The world has changed dramatically since my last edition of Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the Classics was published in 1993 and Greathouse and Malo-Juvera provide a timely update that reflects current issues and features recently published young adult titles. Young Adult and Canonical Literature: Pairing and Teaching provides practical methods for teaching, in chapters written by the new vanguard of educators in the field of young adult literature. This is a must have book.--Joan F. Kaywell, professor of English education, University of South Florida

Paula Greathouse is associate professor of secondary English Education at Tennessee Tech where she teaches English methods, literacy, and young adult literature courses. She was a secondary English and Reading teacher for sixteen years. Victor Malo-Juvera is a former middle school teacher and current associate professor of English Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he teaches courses in young adult literature and multicultural young adult literature.