Describes how the author, in a course titled "Literature for Adolescents" paired Walter Dean Myers' 1988 young adult novel, "Scorpions," with Paul Laurence Dunbar's 1902 novel for adults, "The Sport of the Gods." Describes student readers' responses to the pair of books, which focus on the difficulties of growing up…

Discusses Thomas Bailey Aldrich's "The Story of a Bad Boy" (written in 1868), one of the first children's books in the United States to introduce realism to children's literature. Describes the book's appealing qualities, and Aldrich's life and career. Lists classic elements of the book, and suggests six activities for stimulating…

Presents an interview with David Bradley, professor of English at Temple University (PA), who defends the teaching of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" to black students despite recent moves to remove the book from some public school libraries because it is deemed offensive. Bradley provides recommendations for teaching "Huckleberry…