BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
Presented by Wendy Morano, Teen Services Librarian
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Hilltop Branch
1919:
1926:
1933:
1937:
1937:
1942:
1968:
1971:
1970s:
1980s:
First YA librarian. Mabel Williams was appointed Supervisor of Work with Schools at the NY Public Library
Cleveland Public Library dedicated first separate YA room.
Margaret Edwards was appointed to work with teens at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore
First book about YA literature published (The Public Library and the Adolescent by E. Leyland)
Earliest documented use of the term YA for teen books
Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly published
The Outsiders by SE Hinton published
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous published.
YA paperbacks were created.
YA literature became a genre of its own, with its own star authors.
During the Regan era government funding dried up. Libraries struggled to balance budgets, YA librarians were
some of the easiest jobs to cut.
Small stores were overtaken by Barnes and Noble and Borders. Knowledgeable librarians were replaced by cheap
labor.
The “problem novel” lost popularity as TV talk shows and tabloids took off.
The children’s book market was exploding
“YA is dead.”
Publishers responded in three ways: the series, changing the meaning of YA, and the exceptional book.
1990s:
Graphic novel
Manga
More diversity (Hispanic, gay, lesbian, African-American…)
Poetry (rap music)
2000+:
Even more diversity
Teen authors (Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Christopher Paolini, Flavia Bujor, PUSH series…)
Internet publishing
Independent publishing
Blogs and wikis
Presentation created by:
Wendy Morano, Teen Services Librarian
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Hilltop Branch
511 S. Hague Ave.
Columbus, OH 43204
wmorano@columbuslibrary.org
WHO AM I?
Sexy by Joyce Carol Oates
16 year-old Darren is a good-looking "guy's guy," a junior on the swim team, but he is uncomfortable with his maturing body and with girls. Darren
believes men watch him, too, something that both disgusts and excites him. A seemingly innocent encounter with his English teacher, Mr. Tracy,
troubles Darren. There are rumors Tracy is gay, and after the teacher flunks one of Darren's teammates, some boys retaliate, implicating Tracy in
child porn. Tracy, who insists he is innocent, appeals to Darren for help. Grades 9 & up.
Absolutely, Positively, Not by David LaRochelle
Steven's a 16-year-old boy with two obsessions: sex and getting his driving license. The problem is Steven's not thinking girls when he's thinking
sex. Could he be, don't say it, gay? Grades 6 & up.
Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
Dimple Lala, a New Jersey teen interested in photography, has been confused about her identity since she entered the world the "wrong way,"
causing her mother "twelve treacherous hours of painful labor. "Not quite Indian, and not quite American," Dimple unsuccessfully tries to blend in.
Grades 9 & up.
Crackback by John Coy
Miles is a likable and talented player who tries to please everyone: coaches, his father, his teachers, and the girl he is interested in. Regardless of
his efforts or his talents, he can't seem to satisfy his coach and winds up on the bench where he meets, and likes, the second-string players who
have lives outside of football, something that has never occurred to Miles or his father. Grades 7 & up.
SUPERFREAKS
Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles
Skye clearly has a dangerous agenda, but how can Matt resist the mystery and drama she trails in her Goth wake? She promises a way out of his
dreary existence, but at what price? This gripping page-turner will propel you from one shocking revelation to the next, right to the astonishing
ending. Grades 8 & up.
Caught in the Act by Peter Moore
Ethan Lederer’s got a great girlfriend, and he's in all honor classes. Life is almost normal until Lydia Krane shows up. She's not really Ethan's type;
she's some variety of goth with peculiar markings up and down her arms. But he feels an attraction to her he can't explain. Lydia is so different. As
they get to know each other, Ethan finds himself opening up in ways he never could with his girlfriend or his family. But suddenly Lydia changes.
Why does she seem so attached and desperate? It doesn't take long for Ethan to realize that Lydia will do anything to keep him, the boy of her
dreams. Grades 8 & up.
Candy by Kevin Brooks
When Joe meets Candy, it seems like a regular boy-meets-girl scenario. They chat over coffee, she gives him her number, and he writes her a song.
But then Joe is drawn into Candy's world, a world of drugs, violence, and desperation. As the dark truth about Candy's life emerges, Joe finds
himself facing real danger at every twist and turn. Grades 9 & up.
Dead Connection by Charlie Price
Nikki is dead, and she's angry that her killer has hidden her where she won't be found. Enter Murray, a high-school student who likes to sit in the
cemetery and listen to what the dead have to say. In fact, on his own tombstone he would like the words “friend to the deceased”. So begins this
mystery, with a conclusion that's inevitable, but twists and turns that are not. Grades 8 & up.
LET US PRAY
Burned by Ellen Hopkins
It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von
Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious, yet abusive, family, a simple dream may not be exactly a sin, but it could be the first step
toward hell and eternal damnation. Grades 9 & up.
Godless by Pete Hautman
Fed up with his parents' boring old religion, agnostic-going-on-atheist Jason Bock invents a new god, the town's water tower.
I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale
When her quirky mother takes off, 14-year-old Kirby is left with her uncle's family, whom she has never met. An elder in a strict religious cult, Uncle
Caleb changes her name to Esther, dictates old-fashioned clothing and language, and conducts lengthy family prayer sessions for her salvation.
Grades 7 & up.
Presentation created by:
Wendy Morano, Teen Services Librarian
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Hilltop Branch
511 S. Hague Ave.
Columbus, OH 43204
wmorano@columbuslibrary.org
RAISED BY WOLVES
Claiming Georgia Tate by Gigi Amateau
Georgia Tate Jamison never knew her mother, and what she knows of her daddy from their one vacation together isn’t good. Her grandparents have
raised her ever since she was a baby. When Nana suddenly passes away, Georgia Tate’s beloved preacher granddaddy decides that a father and
daughter belong together and sends her to live with hers in Jacksonville. The only problem is that some men, like Granddaddy Tate, were always
meant to be fathers, and some men, like Rayford Jamison, were never meant to be. Grades 8 & up.
Massive by Julie Bell
When her mother sweeps her off to live in the city, Carmen finds that her old world is disappearing. As her life spirals out of control Carmen begins
to take charge of the only thing she can, what she eats. If she were thin, very thin, could it all be different? Grades 8 & up.
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
Intelligent, popular, handsome, and wealthy, 16 year old Nick Andreas is pretty much perfect -- on the outside, at least. What no one knows, not
even his best friend, is the terror that Nick faces every time he is alone with his father. Then he and Caitlin fall in love, and Nick thinks his problems
are over. Caitlin is the one person who he can confide in. But when things start to spiral out of control, Nick must face the fact that he's gotten more
from his father than green eyes and money. Grades 9 & up.
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson
Caring for an alcoholic mother, dealing with an overbearing grandmother, going to school, and working to make ends meet all collide and 17 year-old
Zoe finally walks out. She finds solace in a small rented room on Lorelei Street and discovers a new friend in Opal, her eccentric elderly landlord.
Unable to make enough money at her waitressing job to pay the rent, Zoe finds that she will do anything, no matter how self-destructive, to keep her
safe haven. For her, the rented room represents an escape from an impossible situation, a break from suffocating family bonds that gives her the
impetus to start a new life. Grades 9 & up.
NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT
Totally Joe by James Howe
Twelve-year-old Joe knows he is gay. He played with Barbies as a young child, prefers cooking to sports, and has a crush on a male classmate.
Written in the form of an assignment, an "alphabiography", the story takes readers through the school year, one letter at a time. Grades 6 & up.
Luna by Julie Anne Peters
Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female namesake, his true self,
Luna, only reveals herself at night. In the secrecy of his basement bedroom Liam transforms himself into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help
from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change. Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and
friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives? Grades 8 & up.
Finding H.F. by Julia Watts
Abandoned by her mother and raised by her loving but religiously zealous grandmother, 16-year-old Heavenly Faith Simms has never felt like she
belonged anywhere. When she finds her mother's address in a drawer, she and her best friend, Bo, hit the road in Bo's scrap heap of a car and
head south. Their journey through the heart of the American South awakens both teens to the realization that there is a life waiting for them that is
very different from what they have known and that the concept of family is more far-reaching than they had ever imagined. Grades 9 & up.
A FEW BRICKS SHORT…
Inside Out by Terry Trueman
In a busy coffee shop, a robbery goes wrong. Two gunmen hold seven hostages, including teenager Zach Wahhsted. What nobody realizes at first
is that Zach is anything but ordinary and his troubled mind is more dangerous than any weapon. Grades 7 & up.
It’s Kind Of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
When 15-year-old Craig Gilner is accepted by a prestigious Manhattan high school, the pressure becomes taxing, and he finds himself battling
depression. Grades 9 & up.
Love Sick by Jake Coburn
A crippling drunk-driving accident has cost basketball star Ted his cushy college scholarship and forced him into AA. But then a second chance
comes in the form of a shocking offer: keep private-school princess and struggling bulimic Erica under surveillance for her wealthy father, and enjoy
a free ride. It’s a dangerous deal, but Ted is willing. Grades 9 & up.
Presentation created by:
Wendy Morano, Teen Services Librarian
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Hilltop Branch
511 S. Hague Ave.
Columbus, OH 43204
wmorano@columbuslibrary.org
HOME, CRAP, HOME
The Blue Mirror by Kathe Koja
Sixteen-year-old Maggy's life consists of trying to be invisible at school, taking care of her alcoholic mother, and spending all the time she can at the
Blue Mirror, a downtown café. She can lose herself there for hours with a cappuccino and her sketchbook. But everything changes when she meets
Cole, a charismatic runaway. Grades 8 & up.
Can’t Get There From Here by Todd Strasser
Her street name is Maybe. She lives with a tribe of homeless teens, runaways and throwaways, kids who have no place to go other than the cold
city streets, and no family except for one another. Abused, abandoned, and forgotten, they struggle against the cold, hunger, and constant danger.
Grades 7 & up.
Theories of Relativity by Barbara Haworth-Attard
My fingers search the cardboard container, but I’ve finished the fries. I squirt ketchup on my fingers and lick it off. I’m never full. I think it was one of
the reasons I had to leave, or, rather, my mother kicked me out. Jenna’s a runaway, but I’m a throwaway. Tossed out. Like garbage. Grades 7 &
up.
Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
17-year-old Jordan tries to rescue 18-year-old Chloe from her attackers, and the two homeless teens form a fierce, siblinglike bond as they help
each other survive the streets, a struggle that sometimes drives Jordan to prostitution. Both have deep scars: gay Jordan nearly died from his
father's abuse; childlike Chloe can't speak directly about her past horrors, even to Jordan. At last, they strike out on a healing, cross-country trip in
search of "beauty . . . maybe even some decent, kind people." Grades 9 & up.
SILENCE ISN’T GOLDEN
No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia
Akilah, a 10-year-old African-American girl from Queens, can't wait for her best friend, Victoria, to come home from a visit to her grandmother in
Nigeria. The Victoria who returns home, however, seems like a very different girl: quiet, reserved, and unhappy. Victoria finally spills the truth.
Akilah is outraged, but keeps her friend's secret. Grades 6 & up.
I Can’t Tell You by Hilary Frank
During a huge fight with his best friend and college roommate, Jake says something he cannot take back. As a result, he decides to communicate
with everyone by writing, using dry-erase boards, Post-its, stained napkins, whatever, figuring he can better control what he has to say by not
opening his mouth. Grades 9 & up.
On the Head of a Pin by Mary Beth Miller
After a party at his father's isolated cabin, Andy is kidding around with friends Josh and Victor when he points a rifle and it accidentally goes off,
killing Helen, who is coming downstairs. Terrified, the boys drug Helen's boyfriend, Michael, and bury Helen on a neighbor's property. What begins
as a story about an accident develops into a carefully crafted, complex character study of young men reacting to the horrifying events of a single
evening. Grades 9 & up.
WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters
Nicholas Nathaniel Thomas Tyler has four first names and two mothers. As the only child in his class with gay parents, he endures the taunts and
prejudices of classmates and adults over the years as best he can, drawing reassurance and strength from his parents. Challenges nearly
overwhelm him, though, when their relationship ends; Jo moves out, and Nick, now a teenager, is left with Erin, his birth mother. Grades 7 & up.
Donorboy by Brendan Halpin
14 year-old Rosalind's lesbian moms have been killed in a motor accident, and she is placed in the custody of Sean, 35, her sperm-donor dad. He
knew her mothers, saw her, and loved her at birth, but she hasn't known him until now, when suddenly they are a family. Grades 9 & up.
SICK & TIRED
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
Shawn McDaniel is an enigma and a miracle, except no one knows it, least of all his father. His life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at
him. Not even those who love him best have any idea what he is truly like. Shawn has cerebral palsy. He can't speak, interact, or control his
movements and bodily functions. But Shawn is also a genius; he remembers everything that he hears and is even able to read. His father has
watched and loved Shawn since he was a baby. He left the family when he couldn't bear to watch him anymore. Still he's a part of Shawn's life, and
he fears his boy suffers with no reason and no hope. Does the responsibility of a parent to care for a child include ending suffering? Grades 6 & up.
Presentation created by:
Wendy Morano, Teen Services Librarian
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Hilltop Branch
511 S. Hague Ave.
Columbus, OH 43204
wmorano@columbuslibrary.org
Hard Hit by Ann Turner
As the pitcher on his HS team, Mark lives and breathes baseball. Sure, there's pressure from his coach and his dad, who both push him hard, but
it's nothing that time with his buddy, Eddie, or with his crush, Diane, can't diffuse. But all that changes when Mark's dad is diagnosed with cancer,
and everything Mark has ever believed in, love, God, and baseball, is called into question. Grades 7 & up.
Fade to Black by Alex Flinn
HIV-positive Alejandro Crusan, a Florida high-school junior, is the target. After being attacked in his car by a baseball bat-wielding teenager, Alex is
hospitalized while recovering from his injuries. Clinton Cole, prejudiced and afraid of catching AIDS, hates Alex and is responsible for tormenting
him on several previous occasions. Now he claims he's innocent. Grades 7 & up.
Chanda’s Secret by Allan Stratton
The statistics of the millions infected with HIV/AIDS in southern Africa find a human face in this gripping story of one teenager, Chanda Kabele, who
sees the disease threaten her family and community. Chanda's stepfather and baby stepbrother died of the disease. Now Mama may have it.
Grades 8 & up.
WAR IS HELL
Under the Sun by Arthur Dorros
Separated from his parents by the Balkan war, 13-year-old Ehmet must use all his skills to survive a 400 mile journey across wilderness and war-torn
landscape to find a place he's only heard rumors of: a village of children living cooperatively and peacefully away from the violence that is tearing
their country apart. Grades 6 & up.
Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen
Based on a true story, this disturbing novel of civil war in Guatemala tells of mass atrocity through the first-person narrative of Mayan teenager
Gabriela Flores, who witnesses the Latino soldiers' torture, rape, and massacre of Indians, including her own family, before escaping to a refugee
camp in Mexico. Grades 6 & up.
Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Najmah, a young Afghan girl whose name means “star,” suddenly finds herself alone when her father and older brother are conscripted by the
Taliban and her mother and newborn brother are killed in an air raid. Grades 6 & up.
Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hannah Jansen
8-year-old Jeanne was the only one of her family to survive the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Then a German family adopted her, and her adoptive
mother now tells Jeanne's story in a compelling fictionalized biography that stays true to the traumatized child's bewildered viewpoint. Grades 7 &
up.
NOT FROM AROUND HERE, ARE YOU?
Boy Kills Man by Matt Whyman
In Medellin, Colombia, 12-year-old Sonny lives in poverty with his ineffectual mother and vicious uncle. He finds refuge with his best friend, Alberto,
dreaming of soccer and escape. Then Alberto appears with a gun; he's become one of the ubiquitous child assassins, hired to kill by local drug lords.
Grades 8 & up.
Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos
Nadira and her family are illegal aliens, fleeing to the Canadian border, running from the country they thought was their home. For years since
emigrating from Bangladesh, they have lived on expired visas in New York City, hoping they could someday realize their dream of becoming legal
citizens of the United States. But after 9/11, everything changes. Grades 7 & up.
First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants edited by Don Gallo
It's hard enough to be a teenager, trying to fit in, trying to get along with your parents, trying to figure out how the world works. Being from a different
culture makes everything that much harder. Grades 7 & up.
Real Time by Pnina Moed Kass
A suicide bomb attack on a crowded Jerusalem bus is the focus of this tense, terrifying debut, told from the viewpoints of the passengers and their
families, friends, and lovers. Among the narrators is a German boy wanting to find out if his grandfather was a Nazi; a young woman who has
reclaimed her Jewish heritage, which her father denied; and an elderly Holocaust survivor. Grades 9 & up.
Presentation created by:
Wendy Morano, Teen Services Librarian
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Hilltop Branch
511 S. Hague Ave.
Columbus, OH 43204
wmorano@columbuslibrary.org
BUSTED
Black and White by Paul Volponi
Marcus and Eddie are best friends. They’re also stars on the basketball court, where they’re known as Black and White. Race has never been an
issue: Marcus is black, Eddie is white, but it doesn’t matter. Until they start to pull stickups for extra pocket cash and the gun they’re using goes off.
Now Marcus is going to jail and Eddie is going to college. Grades 9 & up.
Endgame by Nancy Garden
A new town, a new school, a new start. That's what fourteen-year-old Gray Wilton believes as he chants, "It's gonna be better, gonna be better
here." But it doesn't take long for Gray to realize that nothing's going to change. There are bullies in every school, and he's always their punching
bag. Grades 8 & up.
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
Keir Sarafian may not know much, but he knows himself. And the one thing he knows about himself is that he is a good guy, a guy who's a devoted
son and brother, a loyal friend, and a reliable teammate. And, maybe most important of all, a guy who understands that when a girl says no, she
means it. But that is not what Gigi Boudakian says he is. What Gigi says he is seems impossible to Keir. It is something inexcusable. The worst
thing he can imagine, the very opposite of everything he wants to be. Grades 9 & up.
RESOURCES
Aronson, Marc. “Coming of Age: One Editor’s View of How Young Adult Publishing Developed in America.” Publishers
Weekly 249.6 (Feb 11, 2002): 82-87.
Atkinson, Joan. “Pioneers in Public Library Service to Young Adults.” Top of the News 43 (Fall 1986): 27-44.
Campbell, Patty. “The Outsiders, Fat Freddy, and Me.” The Horn Book Magazine 79.2 (Mar-Apr 2003): 177-184.
Chelton, Mary K., Christine A. Jenkins and Jennifer Burek Pierce. “Two Hundred Years of Young Adult Library Service
History.” VOYA (June 2005): 106-111.
Developing a Love of Reading: Why Young Adult Literature is Important. Ed. Mary Owen. 2003.
<http://www.alia.org.au/publishing/orana/39.1/owen.html>.
Morano, Wendy. The contents of my brain. 2000-2006.
Nichols, Mary Anne and C. Allen Nichols, ed. Young Adults and Public Libraries: A Handbook of Materials and Services.
Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1998.
Reading Rants: Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists. Ed. Jennifer Hubert. 1998-2006. <http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen>.
Presentation created by:
Wendy Morano, Teen Services Librarian
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Hilltop Branch
511 S. Hague Ave.
Columbus, OH 43204
wmorano@columbuslibrary.org