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- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the author
- Reviews
Named a 2023 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
"Keep the literal and figurative lights on; cockroaches hate that": read an interview with the author now!
Editorial Advisory Board: Sarah Park Dahlen, Associate Professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Marianne Martens, Associate Professor, School of Information, Kent State University; Amy Pattee, Associate Professor and Co-coordinator of Dual-Degree MS LIS/MA Children’s Literature, School of Library and Information Science, Children’s Literature, Simmons University
“Comprehensive and substantial … a highly recommended resource," raved VOYA about the third edition. Now, to keep pace with changes in the field of publishing and realign itself to the newest generation of young adults, Cart returns with a sweeping update of his classic text. Relied upon by educators, LIS instructors and students, and practitioners for its insight and thoroughness, his book
- surveys the landscape of YA lit both past and present, sketching out its origins and showing how it has evolved to deal with subjects every bit as complex as its audience;
- closely examines teen demographics, literacy, audiobooks, the future of print, the role of literary criticism, and other key topics;
- provides updated coverage of perennially popular genre fiction, including horror, sci fi, and dystopian fiction;
- delves deeply into multicultural and LGBTQIA+ literature, substantially updated in this edition;
- features expansive interviews with best-selling authors like Eric Shanower, Jackie Woodson, and Bill Konigsberg as well as several publishers and leaders in the field;
- discusses the impact of the Printz Award, ALAN’s Walden Award, the National Book Award, The Los Angeles Times Book Award, and other honors; and
- features abundant bibliographic material to aid in readers' advisory and collection development.
In its newest edition, this “shrewd and thorough survey” (ARBA) is a must-have for everyone who wants to understand where YA lit has been and where it's heading.
Introduction
Part I: That Was Then
1 From Sue Barton to the Sixties
2 The Sixties and Seventies
3 The Eighties
4 The Early Nineties
5 The Rest of the Nineties
Part II: This Is Now
6 A New Literature for a New Millennium?
7 A Critical Apparatus
8 Genre on the Agenda
9 Romancing the Retail
10 So, How Old Is Young Adult?
11 Meanwhile, Back in the Real World
12 Reality Revisited
13 Sex and Other Shibboleths
14 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender+ Literature
15 Still the Controversies Continue
16 The Viz Biz
17 The New Nonfiction
18 Of Books and Bytes
References
Appendix: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation—A Close Reading
About the Author
Index
"This fourth edition of Cart's seminal work on the history of and trends in young adult literature is even more impressive than the three previous editions and includes 35 percent more content ... [It is] a near-perfect text for either an introductory undergraduate or graduate course in the genre."
— Choice
"This fourth edition of Cart's guide to young adult literature has been updated, lengthened, and strengthened, making it practically indispensable ... Literature, education, and library youth services students will appreciate the accessible descriptions and logical progressions from subject to subject; practicing professionals will benefit from the sections regarding representation, risky behaviors, and LGBTQIAA+ literature. This greatly expanded edition belongs in most academic and professional collections."
— Booklist
"A valuable overview ... it is well-suited to those new to young adult literature and wanting an accessible and streamlined American history of how it became what it is today."
— Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association
"For courses addressing collection development for youth services or school libraries ... one need look no further than this engaging and detailed accounting of the creation and reception of literature for teenagers."
— Journal of Education for Library and Information Science
Praise for the third edition
"The third edition of this enjoyably readable work—a high-level, research-based view of the field, rather than criticism of individual works or themes—features a good deal of new and revised content that should be of value to bibliographers as well as patrons ... readers should find this a shrewd and thorough survey of the YA literature landscape."
— ARBA
”Comprehensive and substantial, and the sheet amount of titles and authors used to illustrate the extent and diversity of YA literature is invaluable … this book is a highly recommended resource."
— VOYA
"With the recent trends in the field, it is no wonder that YA expert Cart has updated his already classic reference on YA literature with this third edition … His insights continue to inform and delight the reader."
— Booklist
"This definitive text on young adult literature is for teachers, students, and people who just love to read about literary genres. The book has a reference go-to quality as well as a pick-me-up-and-just-read-it quality … Reading this book is not only a walk down memory lane but a pathfinder for what to expect in today’s fast-paced, internet-driven, and ever-changing world of adolescents, however they are defined and whatever their ages."
— Catholic Library World