Criticisms+and+Praises+of+YA+Literature

﻿ Despite the different levels of genre young adult literature provides, it has seen its share of criticism and praise. ﻿**Criticisms of Young Adult Literature** Many critics have attacked YA literature. Their arugments stem from two components: 1. YA literature is not the classics. 2. YA literature misleads our youth.

﻿I. Young Adult Literature is Not the Classics ﻿ A. How to Properly Label These Types of Books B. The Bad Qualities of the Literature
 * 1) To some this label is mistaken and bothersome because some teenagers believe adults do not see them as such; therefore, they feel calling it 'young adult' is false.
 * 1) Some critics believe YA literature invites only poorer readers who have difficulty reading and comprehending the true classics. They think adolescent readers would be bored with lower level reading and that parents would launch complaints.
 * 2) Unfortunately, because of a few bad YA books, the whole literature is under fire for generating poor quality work.

﻿II. Young Adult Literature Misleads our Youth ﻿ A. Unwelcoming Message
 * 1) Many people feel that YA literature sends a depressing, gloomy message to our children. This, in addition to the badly written YA literature, fuel the negative perception of the overall young adult literature. All this bad press overshadows the good quality YA literature has to offer our students.

﻿﻿**Young Adult Literature Praises** In the face of criticism, there are many who believe and support young adult literature. In an article from Chris Crowe (2002), he shares the opinions of actual students on the subject of YA literature. Some of these students were skeptical about reading YA literature; however, had a change of heart once exposed to the pieces of literature. In the article, students communicate their positive experiences reading YA literature. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿I. How YA Literature Facilitates Readers <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">A. Younger Readers <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">B. Older Readers
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">It helps younger students find themselves by being able to associate with a character or situation the character encounters.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">It assists students to start the process of thinking critically about what they read, which will benefit them as they get older.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">It allows students to explore social issues, such as relationships and conflicts, in which they may be able to relate to.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">It permits students to inspect their role in society. It makes them think about how they want to be represented in society.

//<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Young adults seem to be looking for novels that speak to them and about them in an honest and realistic way". // //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">by: Katherine Bucher and M. Lee Manning﻿ ﻿ // //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿ ﻿ // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">II. Good Qualities of YA Literature <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿ A. The literature should reflect young students' age and development which directs their reading abilities, cognitive level, and interests. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">B. The literature should deal with issues students can relate to, such as authority figures, illnesses and death, peer pressures, and etc. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">C. The literature should consider global issues such as culture, social interactions, and etc. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿III. Purposes of YA LIterature <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">﻿ A. The following list serves as how young adult literature can assist students. (It is taken from Bucher and Manning, 2006). Young adult literature:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">teaches adolescents about diverse peoples and the world beyond their community,
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">provides pleasure reading,
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">demonstrates the range of human emotions and allows adoelscents to experience them as a result of reading quality literature,
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">reveals the realities of life,
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">provides vicarious experiences,
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">focuses on "essentials" that make order out of chaos,
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">depicts the functions of institutions of society,
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">allows readers to escape into the realms of fantasy,
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">introduces readers to excellent writers and writing, and
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">increases literacy and the ability to analyze literature.

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Carlos is reading //The Giver// by Lois Lowry as part of our Reading and Social Studies classes.