Despite the use of various anti-bullying programs, bullying continues to plague middle schools. However, there is an approach to bullying that complements other programs and can be easily integrated into course curriculum. This approach uses young adult novels to encourage adolescents to use perspective taking and empathy building through…

No one believes that bullying is a problem isolated to teens and tweens. Children tease one another from a very young age; they discover power by rejecting someone or by taking another's toys. Adults are hardly immune. By addressing bullying behavior early on, at every grade level, and in a variety of ways, educators have a better chance of…

Some of the world's best children's book artists got together to help Amnesty International celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' 60th anniversary in "We Are All Born Free," one of the 42 titles recommended by the fourth annual United States Board on Books for Young People's (USBBY) Outstanding International Books…

An increasingly visible youth transgender population is emerging and the number of transgender-inclusive fiction texts for young adults is growing. Adults serving teens in schools, libraries, and community agencies must begin actively pursuing, utilizing, and incorporating these texts into resource collections. This article provides an overview of…

The authors of this article have collectively read and researched the portrayal of disabilities in juvenile literature for nearly 25 years. The authors have therefore generated their list of the top 25 children's and young adults' books that portray characters with disabilities. This article briefly describes each of the books on the top 25 list…

Of the more than 5000 books reviewed in "School Library Journal's" ("SLJ's") pages in 2008, the 67 books listed in this article stood out as having distinctive voices, singular vision, and/or innovative approaches. They include books for toddlers and preschoolers, terrific picture books and easy readers, and some highly original novels. Fantasy,…

One in every five Americans lives with at least one disability or disorder, including both the obvious, such as those requiring the use of a wheelchair, and the less evident ones, such as eating disorders or Asperger's syndrome. Those responsible for teaching disabled students and providing services and support for them need ready access to…

Middle school students are acutely aware of their social surroundings. In the process of emerging from childhood they attentively observe one another, looking for clues to belonging. Striving for independence from adult authority, young adolescents endeavor to blend in with their contemporaries. From clothes to music, from posture to attitude,…

This article presents annotations of 30 trade books on the 2008 list of Young Adults' Choices that are the result of voting by students in five different regions of the United States. Trade books (books other than textbooks) published in 2006 were submitted by more than 50 publishers. Each book had to have at least two positive reviews from…

This discussion of criteria for choosing books for young adults (including literary quality, relevance, and motivation) is followed by an annotated bibliography of quality books first appearing in 1977 for the young adult audience. (AP)

Discussion of horror fiction for teenagers focuses on the element of humor. Topics include parodies, plots, the element of mystery, cover art, end-of-chapter cliffhangers, and formula books. An annotated list of 10 pertinent titles is included. (LRW)

Presents annotations of 32 works of young adult literature that are not depressing but rather give the reader a good laugh. (TB)

Presents an annotated bibliography of 81 science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre titles that were judged best-reads by reviewers in "Voice of Youth Advocates" from June 2001 through April 2002. (LRW)

Presents an annotated, alphabetical list of 100 significant books for children and young adults from the 19th century. Indicates which titles were unanimously selected and which authors were unanimously selected but titles were debated. (LRW)