Young Adult Literature and Reflections

A. Bibliography: Gephart, D. (2016). Lily and Dunkin. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780553536744. B. Summary:   Lily and Dunkin is a heartwarming tale with themes of true friendship, family support and getting to know your true self.   Two teenagers struggle to find their identity.   One is transgender, and the other suffers from bipolar disorder.   Written from both characters' perspectives, the reader gets an inside view of what it's like to struggle with an both an external and internal conflict.   The book focuses on the importance of individuality and the struggles that come along with that such as bullying and peer pressure.   Lily and Dunkin experience many trials and triumphs, both together and separately, as they come to be the truest of friends who support each other's individuality. C. Strengths of the Book:   Lily and Dunkin is an example of realistic fiction, which is a subgenre that people can really identify with...

Chapter 15: Richard Peck's Ten Questions to Ask about a Novel These questions were written at a higher order thinking level.  The questions are asked to get the reader to think deeply about what they are reading and hits just about every academic aspect of fiction literature (setting, characters, tone, connections, plot, etc).  I like the idea of having these questions available during a book club discussion for my fourth grade students next semester.  This allows readers to analyze and evaluate what they are reading, while also listening to the ideas of others.  This could spark a healthy debate between classmates as well. This set of questions helped me as a reader because it allowed me to reflect and analyze why the author made certain decisions in his/her writing.  For example, "Why is the story set where it is?" makes me think about the purpose of the chosen setting and how it affects the events of the novel.  One of my favorite questions on the li...

Chapter 10: Historical Fiction Historical fiction is any story taking place in the past.  This subgenre gives readers an experience of what it was like to live in that time period.  One thing that educators must remember is that events that seem recent to us, such as 9/11, is considered a historical event.  Books such as I Survived the Attacks of September 11th would fall into the historical fiction genre.  Historical fiction, in my opinion, is becoming more readily available and is presented in a more reader friendly way.  Just over the past couple of years, I've seen an increase in my students' interest in this genre because of some of the series that have grasped their attention, such as the I Survived series. When evaluation historical fiction, it is important to consider how the author blended the story and history.  One great example from my reading experience is Paperboy by Vince Vawter.  There are many historical references, but the read...

Chapter 6: How do Adolescents Develop? Intellectual- During this stage, young adults shift from concrete to abstract thinkers.  It is important to consider this shift in thinking because these students might need some scaffolding as they transition to abstract thinkers. Moral : Students' values are based on three stages: pre-conventional (based on rewards and punishment), conventional (following the rules), post-conventional (recognize the laws, but believing that human rights are more important: civil disobedience). Developmental: At this age, students start finding peers that share their same interests.  This is also the age where kids become more aware of the differences of the opposite sex, as well develop appropriate sex roles.  This can be a daunting task, as society holds its own expectations.  Adolescence is a stage where kids are adapting to their physical bodies.  Adolescents tend to become more independent as they begin to work for pay.  T...

Chapter 1: Why We Share Literature with Children: As a reading teacher, the chapter on sharing literature with children really spoke to me.  Read aloud and shared reading are my two favorite parts of the school day.  It is a time where all readers, no matter what their reading level, can come together and share a love of reading, while having a discussion and opinion on characters, and altering or confirming their views on life due to a story's theme and events (aesthetic experiences).  Reading to children also allows them to activate their imagination as they visualize the events in the book. I really liked the discussion and examples on the difference between sympathy and empathy.  I am a firm believer that the more fiction stories you read, the more empathy you have for others and the more culturally aware we all become.  As a reader myself, I have an empathetic bond to the book Wonder .  Before I even read this with my students four years ago, I rea...