What does democracy look like in the teaching of literature? Selecting texts that authentically and democratically engage students in the knotty questions of contemporary life is no small task, especially where young adult (YA) literature is concerned. This article critiques didactic YA literature grounded in a developmental stage model of…

O'Connor, an author of realistic fiction for children, shares her attempts to strike a balance between carefree, uncensored, authentic, realistic writing and age-appropriate writing. Of course, complicating that balancing act is the fact that what seems age-appropriate to her might not seem so to everyone. O'Connor suggests that while it may be…