Alex Flinn discusses her debut novel, Breathing Underwater, which received much critical acclaim. She absolutely felt like her second book was being compared to Breathing Underwater at first. Breaking Point (which was completed before Breathing Underwater was published) was very different in tone. It was darker. The voice was different. The ending…

Reading aloud is often considered an elementary classroom activity, but think again. Lesesne offers research and classroom evidence that confirm reading aloud as a valid strategy for all ages of students. She also includes annotated lists of professional books that provide rationales and suggestions for teachers, as well as books, recent and…

Presents two lists of young adult literature titles totaling 100 works. Notes that the first list includes books with lasting appeal and the second list includes some new and notable books to fill a summer reading list. (SG)

This paper offers 9 teaching questions to be used with Stephen Manes', "The Obnoxious Jerks," a humorous novel in which students challenge school rules in high school. The paper also provides a brief description of the novel, a biographical sketch of the author, and a selected bibliography of 21 related works. (PRA)

Suggests some criteria for evaluating young adult (YA) literature. Presents three ideas for criteria, and annotations of 12 YA novels published in 2001 or 2002 that meet the criteria. (SG)

Discusses how some recent short story collections written for young adults can make studying the genre exciting and interesting for students. Describes how teachers can awaken new vision within students by using the short story in the literature classroom. Focuses on stories written especially for adolescents. (HB)

Presents 13 works of nonfiction (published between 1993 and 2001) with strong appeal to middle level students. Notes that the books range in form from the essay to expository text to memoir and biography and cover everything from politics to slavery, from athletes to art. (SG)

Presents an annotated list of 44 young adult books that represent the wide range of young adult literature available for teens. Represents a variety of genres from poetry to science fiction/fantasy to historical fiction and story collections. Lists the 2002 winners for six major awards. (SG)

Considers how read-alouds motivate students who might be less than motivated readers and can also introduce avid readers to a world of books they might not otherwise find on their own. Suggests and describes 11 books to read aloud to the entire class. Lists 4 books suggested for individual readers. (SG)

Shares some novels that can reinvigorate a "dormant reader." Presents annotations of nine titles and some additional titles related to the main nine titles. (SG)

Describes the "shrinklit," a rhyming summary of a literary work which serves as an alternative to student book reporting. Suggests that shrinklits are enjoyable because they contain relatively sophisticated humor and are easy for secondary students to mimic. Provides examples of shrinklits written by students. (SG)

Offers brief annotations of 18 books for young adults which are the author's favorites: books that break new ground with unusual styles and formats; that discuss hitherto taboo topics; and present fresh distinctive new voices for readers. (SR)

Research shows that middle school students overwhelmingly cite three characteristics that they like in books they read: (1) humor; (2) mystery and suspense; and (3) reality (true stories about real people). Matching students with appropriate books helps turn students "on" to reading, and it is this "electric" reading that…

Explains how preservice middle school teachers were brought into contact with at-risk middle school students via e-mail to discuss young adult literature selections. (TB)

Describes the Student Teacher On-Line Mentoring Project (STOMP), which connects at-risk adolescents with preservice teachers in an adolescent literature class, thus encouraging adolescents to read more and more widely, and improving preservice teachers' confidence in using technology and allowing them to put into practice what they were learning…