1. Books Students WILL Read!
Nikki Steckroth
Renaissance Academy
Virginia Beach, Virginia

2. What’s “HOT” in YA Fiction
for
"I Don’t Read!" High School Students

4. “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.”
Jorge Luis Borges

8. Disclaimers Been Teaching 38 Years 18 Years, English Teacher
18 Years, Librarian
Alternative School, Alternative Ideas
High % of At-Risk Students
Supportive Principal
Best Room in the House!

9. “Illiterates versus Aliterates”
NCLB: Focus on improving scores
Instruction is narrowed
“Big Brother”
Developing test-takers not readers

10. Overteaching books
Underteaching books
Outside influences & competition
Sanitized books in “Magic Pill” reading programs

11. Adults don’t ask questions that kids want asked
Prior knowledge is paramount

12. Young Adult – “YA” – Fiction
Catcher in the Rye (1951)
The Outsiders (1967)
Go Ask Alice (1971)
Written for teens with teens as main characters

13. Pinpointing components of genre is difficult
Structure changes; popular trends emerge
Controversial aspects (language, sexual content)
BUT!
Springboard for valuable conversation – hot topics!
Teens have insightful opinions and make informed decisions based on characters’ actions.

14. “Children grow into the intellectual life of those around them.”
Lev Vygotsky, 1978

15. I do want the readers to live their darkness in fiction, to get the rage out, and to suffer the consequences on the page.
The reader can work through natural teen confusion, despair, rage, and pain, but allow the character to walk in the dark woods, let the character commit the violence, and let the reader suffer the character’s consequences
vicariously.
Gail Giles, 2003

16. 90

17. 28

18. 71

19. 37

20. 21

21. 35

22. 92

23. 49

24. Dystopian Literature Dystopia An unfavorable society in which to live.
From the Greek roots dys – “bad” and –topia - "place to live”.
Antithesis (exact opposite) of Utopia. 

25. Why is it so popular among teens?
Young people in dystopian fiction tend to take control; they are the heroes.
Creates a "high-stakes" scenario – instant conflict and adventure.
Easy to sympathize with the main character.
Big Questions: “What is Freedom?” “What is Love?” “What is Human?”
Generally has a hopeful ending.
Provides an escape from the watched over, controlled world of teens.
Masters Programs in Library and Information Science, University of Alberta

26. 1

27. 62

28. 57

29. 96

30. 43

31. “The difference between fiction and reality. Fiction has to make sense
Tom Clancy

32. Prior Knowledge
It’s Fiction – But . . .

33. 48

34. 51

35. 72

36. 80

37. 22

38. 12

39. 89

40. 11

41. 9

42. 54

43. 86

44. 69

45. 84

46. 55

47. “Cli-Fi” (Climate Fiction)
Man against the extremes of a changing environment
Earth’s systems are “off”
Unable to accurately predict or control
Man must react to it – but how?

48. “Sci-Fi” usually takes place in a dystopian future.
“Cli-Fi” happens (most often) in a dystopian present.
More literary.
Centered on human psychology.
“New” way to get people thinking about the environment.
(Should Al Gore write a cli-fi novel?)

49. 63

50. 58

51. 25

52. 26

53. 65

54. 88

55. 32

56. 27

57. 38

58. 21

59. 17

60. 5

61. 31

62. 93

63. 16

64. 70

65. 29

66. 30

67. 95

68. 85

69. 87

70. 41

71.
Juvenile Series and Sequels
Young Adult [YA] – for 6th through 12th grade readers
View by:
Series Title
Series Subject
Book Title
Book Author

72. # Book Title (Young Adult) Author 1 Gone Michael Grant 2 Hunger 3 Lies #
Book Title (Young Adult)
Author  1
Gone
Michael Grant  2
Hunger  3
Lies  4
Plague  5
Fear  6
Light
Subjects: Good and Evil.   Supernatural.  

73. Thank you for attending!
WHEW!
Comments?
Questions?
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