Final Blog

     1.     I disagree with the statements made against children’s and young adult literature. The two I agree with most are “No one around here knows anything about it. If it was really worth knowing, we’d have heard about it.”, and “Children’s and young adult literature has no permanence. Something is popular today and something else is tomorrow.” In my opinion, both of these arguments are very flawed. Every great book was once unknown to the masses at some point. The great books used in classrooms across the country all had to be introduced to teachers, school boards, and administrators at some point. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman can be the next great book introduced to our school’s curriculum. The book is a Newberry Medal winner with a great plot, numerous exciting characters, and many of the literary elements that should be taught to students. The book is a great read that students will love, and I am sure all of you would see the value a book like this can offer if it is given the chance. Along with that, children’s and young adult literature does have permanence. While some trends come and go, and take some books with them. There are many iconic children’s and young adult books that have become permanent staples of the genre. A book like Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White was published in 1952, but has remained a favorite book of many children for decades. Young adult books such as Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (published in 1986) and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (published in 1977) are still commonly read and taught in schools today. These books are just a few of the many examples of permanence in the genre, so who is to say that The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman can’t be the next to join this long lasting list? The Graveyard Book has the permeance and value that a book used in our curriculum should have, which is why it should be added to the curriculum. 

2.     2. Children’s and young adult literature are rich categories of literature that provide many benefits to young readers. Children’s literature tends to contain more images and be shorter in length than young adult literature. Graphic novels, such as Persepolis, are an exception to this statement as they contain many images yet are still considered young adult literature due to the length and subject matter. Children’s literature typically has pages with simple language and colorful images that add a visual aspect to the story. Young adult literature tends to create the visuals in the readers mind through detailed and descriptive language. Children’s literature tends to be aimed for readers in elementary school or early middle school, while young adult literature is written for readers in the later parts of middle school and high school. Children’s literature and young adult literature can both use a variety of character within the story. Both genres tend to teach the reader something, but children’s literature tends to have a much simpler lesson such as “be kind to people”. Young adult literature typically explores much deeper and more serious topics, and therefore teachers a deeper and more serious lesson. I think a perfect example of a book that contains all the elements of young adult literature that are not found in children’s literature is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. This book features characters that are relatable to a young adult reader, realism, and a deep and detailed story line. The book focuses on Ari growing up and discovering his own sexuality, which is a deep topic that children’s books likely wouldn’t tackle.  In my opinion, the difference between a simple lesson and a real life problem are what separate children’s and young adult literature. Children’s books contain simple lesson such as “be kind” or “help others who are in need”. A good example of this is The Selfish Crocodile by Faustin Charles. This book contains simple words, colorful pages and illustrations, and the simple lesson of “help others who need help”. This is a light topic and the story is told through animal characters, which are not necessarily relatable to the reader. Young adult literature goes into much deeper topics and has characters that are relatable to the reader. Other than Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, another good example of young adult literature is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This book discusses the Holocaust and death, two very deep and heavy topics. Much like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, The Book Thief tells the story in a detailed way and uses characters that are relatable to young adult readers. This key topic of subject matter is what, among many other things, distinguishes the clear difference between children’s and young adult literature. While these two genres can be very different, they can be intertwined together to create a positive experience with literature as they grow up and progress through the K-12 school system and beyond.