Young adult (YA) literature is that literature which is written for, published for, or marketed to young adults. Many young adult books have a young adult protagonist. The American Library Association identifies young adults as ages 12-18. A YA work might not fall into all of these categories; Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, was written for an adult audience, has a young child protagonist, and is frequently marketed to young adults. The boundaries between children's literature, adult literature, and YA literature are often flexible and loosely defined. January 2006 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → 31 January 2006 (Tuesday) U.S. President George W. Bush delivers the State of the Union Address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). ... The protagonist is the central figure of a story, and is often referred to as a storys main character. ... The American Library Association (ALA) promotes libraries and library education in the United States and internationally. ... Harper Lee (born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama) is an American novelist, best known for her 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. ... To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 novel by Harper Lee, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. ... // Basic characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ... Literature is literally acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has generally come to identify a collection of texts, which in Western culture are mainly prose, both fiction and non-fiction...

In recent years, YA literature has been been increasingly treated as an object of serious scholary study by children's literature critics. Childrens literature criticism comprises both generalist discussions of the relationship between childrens literature and literary theory as well as an literary analysis of a specific work or works of childrens literature. ...

History of YA

Nineteenth Century

The first identification of young adults as a group that needed to be addressed and taught was by Sarah Trimmer in 1802, who described "young adulthood" as lasting from ages 14 to 21. However, nineteenth century publishers didn't specifically market to young readers, and adolescent culture didn't exist in a modern sense. Nonetheless, there were certainly books published in the nineteenth century that were extremely popular to readers in the 14-21 age group, such as Tom Brown's Schooldays (1857) and Treasure Island (1883). Sarah Trimmer (1741-1810), daughter of landscape artist John Kirby, was a noted writer and critic of childrens literature in the 18th century. ... --69. ... 1. ... Teenage Fun, 1948 Adolescence is the period of psychological and social transition between childhood and adulthood (gender-specific manhood, or womanhood). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cover of 1999 re-issue by Oxford Worlds Classics Tom Browns Schooldays, first published in 1857, is a novel by Thomas Hughes, set at a public school, Rugby School for Boys, in the 1830s when Hughes himself had been a student there. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Treasure Island. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Late Twentieth Century

Shortly before the advent of modern publishing for the teen market, in 1954 two books were published for adults which had substantial impact on adolescent readers in the United States: The Lord of the Flies and The Catcher in the Rye. From the 1950s through the social changes of the 1960s and 1970s, authors, publishers, and librarians began to recognize teens as an untapped market of readers with different literary needs than either adults or children. Teens were seen as confronting social problems inherent in adolesence, and books appeared which focused on controversial issues, particularly issues of sexuality. From Beverly Cleary's tame 1956 romance Fifteen, YA literature developed until there could be Judy Blume's controversial and frequently-banned Forever (1975), about a teen's first sexual encounter. As sexual mores have changed, so have the boundaries of YA literature: Forever gave way in 1982 to Annie on my Mind, about two high school girls who fall in love, which paved the way for the 2004 National Book Award finalist Luna, about a girl who has a transgendered brother. Not all YA books are about sex, of course, though many do deal with issues of personal or social upheaval such as drugs, gangs, illness, crime, violence, peer pressure, or divorce. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Lord of the Flies cover Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel by the Nobel Prize-winning author William G. Golding. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... // Events and No. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Look up Sex on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A sex is one of two specimen categories of species that recombine their genetic material in order to reproduce, a process called genetic recombination. ... Beverly Cleary (born April 12, 1916) is the author of over 30 books for children and young adults. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Judy Blume (born February 12, 1938) is a Jewish-American author. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... The National Book Awards is the most important literary prize in the United States, presented annually for the best books by living U.S. citizens published in the U.S. The awards have been presented since 1950 in at least one category, and is presently awarded in each of four...

The modern classification of young adult as a genre originated in libraries, in the 1950s and 1960s. As publishers increased their level of marketing to the emerging adolescent market, U.S. librarians began setting aside works which were expected to appeal to young adults in separate sections of libraries; both librarians and publishers began identifying this as a market distinct from either children's literature or books written for adults. A genre is a division of a particular form of art according to criteria particular to that form. ... Fundamental Concepts Library and information science (LIS) is the study of issues related to libraries. ... // Events and No. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... // Basic characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ... The term adult describes any mature organism, but normally it refers to a human: one that is no longer a child / minor and is now either a man or a woman. ...

YA as genre

A loose definition of the term includes all works which are written for, published for, marketed to, or consumed by young adults, or books with themes that young adults might find interesting. A more strict definition of the term, however, defines young adult literature as that literature which deals with issues of adolescence, coming of age, and maturation into an adult. Occasionally the entire genre is stigmatized as problem novels, those books which focus on a child coping with an issue of concern to society or teens, such as eating disorders, sexuality, or drugs.

Examples of books that predate the classification of young adult, but are now frequently shelved in YA sections of libraries are The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; Salinger's novel, with its troubled teenage protagonist, has been very influential on YA literature. Unlike most recent works classified as YA literature, these works were originally written with an adult audience in mind. [FitzGerald 2004, p. 62] This article has been removed. ... Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1953 Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (August 8, 1896 – December 14, 1953) was an American author who lived in remote rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings. ... The Count of Monte Cristo (Le comte de Monte Cristo) is a classic adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ... The Catcher in the Rye is a famous novel by J. D. Salinger. ... Jerome David Salinger (born January 1, 1919) is an American author best known for The Catcher in the Rye, a classic coming-of-age story that has enjoyed enduring popularity since its publication in 1951. ...

Graphic novels are especially popular with young adults and are being included in some public and school library collections. Diana Tixier Herald analyzed YA fiction genres in her book Teen Genreflecting (1997). She gives background on teen genre fiction and recommends specific authors and titles in dozens of categories, e.g. fantasy, mystery fiction, and romance novels. Some of the more unexpected subcategories are cyberpunk, splatterpunk, techno-thrillers, problem novels, and contemporary Christian fiction. Graphic novel (sometimes abbreviated GN) is a term for a kind of book, usually telling an extended story with sequential art ( comics). ... For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... Mystery fiction is a distinct subgenre of detective fiction that entails the occurrence of an unknown event which requires the protagonist to make known (or solve). ... A romance novel is a novel from the genre currently known as romance. ... Berlins Sony Centre in Potsdamer Platz reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ... Splatterpunk is a neologism coined to describe a subgenre of horror fiction distinguished by its graphic depiction of violence. ... Techno-thrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from spy thrillers, war novels, and science fiction. ...

Publishing Market

The blooming of YA literature in the U.S. in the late 1960s may be attributed, at least in part, to the availability of Title II funds for school libraries under the 1965 Elementary and Secondary School Educational Act. However, these funds diminished to a trickle in the 1980s; since then, YA literature in the U.S. has been mostly market-driven. [FitzGerald 2004, p. 66-67] The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...

At present about 400 titles a year are published by major U.S. publishers that are considered to fall under the heading of YA literature. [FitzGerald 2004, p. 63] Well-known pioneers of YA fiction as a distinct category include Judy Blume, S.E. Hinton. Well-known authors of fiction for adults who have written at least one work for this genre include Michael Chabon (Summerland), Joyce Carol Oates (Big Mouth & Ugly Girl), and Francine Prose (After). Judy Blume (born February 12, 1938) is a Jewish-American author. ... Susan Eloise Hinton (born on July 22, 1948 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American author who wrote five young adult novels in the 1960s and 70s. ... Michael Chabon (born May 24, 1963) is a modern Jewish-American author. ... Summerland can refer to two different things: The city Summerland, British Columbia Summerland, a 2004 novel by Michael Chabon Summerland, a television series ... Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938 in Lockport, New York) is an American writer of novels, short stories, plays, poetry, and non-fiction. ... Francine Prose (born in 1947 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American novelist. ... After is a young adult book written by Francine Prose. ...

Awards

Since 1966, the ALA has put out an annual list of Best Books for Young Adults. The ALA also annually gives the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature. Each year ALA and School Library Journal also recognize an author for his/her lifetime contributions to popular young adult literature with the Margaret A. Edwards Award. Past winners are S.E. Hinton (1988; no award 1989), Richard Peck (1990), Robert Cormier (1991), Lois Duncan (1992), M.E. Kerr (1993), Walter Dean Myers (1994), Cynthia Voigt (1995), Judy Blume (1996), Gary Paulsen (1997), Madeleine L'Engle (1998), Anne McCaffrey (1999), Chris Crutcher (2000), Robert Lipsyte (2001), Paul Zindel (2002), Nancy Garden (2003), Ursula K. Le Guin (2004), Francesca Lia Block (2005), and Jacqueline Woodson (2006). 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. ... School Library Journal is a monthly publication with articles and reviews for school and public librarians who work with young people. ... Susan Eloise Hinton (born on July 22, 1948 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American author who wrote five young adult novels in the 1960s and 70s. ... Robert Cormier Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925 - November 2, 2000) was an American author for young adults. ... Lois Duncan was born in Philadelphia in 1934 and grew up by the sea in Florida, where her parents were magazine photographers. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Judy Blume (born February 12, 1938) is a Jewish-American author. ... Gary P (born May 17, 1952) is a prolific American writer, who writes many young adult coming of age stories about the wilderness. ... Madeleine LEngle (b. ... At the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Anne Inez McCaffrey (born April 1, 1926) is an American science fiction author best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. ... Chris Crutcher is a Young Adult author. ... Paul Zindel (May 15, 1936–March 27, 2003) was an American author and playwright. ... Nancy Garden (born May 15, 1938 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American author best known for Annie on My Mind, which was critically acclaimed but attracted controversy because of its homosexual characters. ... Ursula K. Le Guin at an informal bookstore Q&A session, July 2004 Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (born October 21, 1929), is an American author. ... Francesca Lia Block (Born in Los Angeles, California on 3rd January 1962) is the author of many highly original young adult books, most famously the Weetzie Bat series. ...

References

• Eccleshare, Julia [1996]. “Teenage Fiction: Realism, romances, contemporary problem novels” Peter Hunt, ed. International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, p. 387-396, London: Routledge.
• Egoff, Sheila [1980]. “The Problem Novel” Shiela Egoff, ed. Only Connect: readings on children's literature, 2nd, p. 356-369, Ontario: Oxford Univeristy Press.
• Frances FitzGerald, "The Influence of Anxiety" in Harper's, September 2004, p. 62-70
• Nilsen, Alleen Pace (April 1994). “That Was Then ... This Is Now”. School Library Journal 40 (4): 62-70.
• Michael L. Printz Award
• Margaret A. Edwards Award
• Diana Tixier Herald. (1997) Teen Genreflecting. Libraries Unlimited.

An issue of Harpers Magazine from 1905 Another issue, from November 2004 Harpers Magazine (or simply Harpers) is a monthly magazine of politics and culture. ...

Additional links

Other Publications

• Authors and Artists for Young Adults, serial publication (Gale, 1989+) with bio-bibliographies of novelists, poets, dramatists, filmmakers, cartoonists, painters, architects, and photographers which appeal to teenagers. Entries typically are six to twelve pages in length, have a black & white photo of the author/artist and other illustrations. Recent volumes include a sidebar recommending similar books/works the reader might like also.
• Books for the Teen Age, annual book list selected by teens for teens, sponsored by the New York Public Library [1]
• Outstanding Books for the College Bound, put out by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association), professional organization for librarians serving teens in either public libraries or school library/media centers; a division of ALA. [2]
• Quick Picks, also by ALA/YALSA

External links

• Most Honored Young Adult Books

See also

• Children's literature
• Children's literature periodicals
• List of young adult authors