Textbook Reflections - Ch. 6-10

Chapter 6: How do adolescents develop?

Summary:

When children transition from childhood to adolescence they encounter some physical, intellectual, moral, and reading development changes.  Puberty causes physical changes to their bodies.  Their intellectual development is transitioning from concrete to more abstract complex understanding.   They also go through a moral development and start to decide what is right or wrong for themselves.  All while they continue to develop as readers.  Their reading development allows them to gain empathy for others, read to better understand themselves or others, form their own thoughts and ideas about the world around them, and read for pure enjoyment.  All these developmental changes should be considered when making collection and program decisions for the library. 

Reflection:

In any line of work, it is important to know your customer.  In a school library the students are the customers.  To properly serve students, I need to know how they are developing and changing over time.  This understanding will inform decision about book purchases and programs for the library.  This chapter has taught me that adolescents are going through tremendous changes.  Many of the changes may feel too uncomfortable for them to talk about with someone else.  They may not yet have completely formed their own thoughts on what they are experiencing.  Books are a resource for them to explore their thoughts, experiences, and understanding of others.  As a librarian, I need to make sure the collection is as diverse as the student population it serves, and the programs meet the student’s needs. 

Chapter 7: Literary Elements

Summary:

Literary Elements

• Antagonist – a character, or group of characters, that oppose the protagonist
• Character – any person, figure, object, or animal in a story
• Conflict – the struggle between two opposing forces 
• Mood and Tone – tone is created by the author’s choice of words and descriptions used to evoke feelings within the reader that create a mood 
• Plot – events that create the foundation of the story, around which the setting and characters are built
• Protagonist – the central character 
• Setting – the environment that establishes when and where the story takes place 
• Themes – message or messages in the story, that also apply to the world at large, stated in a complete sentence by the author

Literary Devices

• Allegory – demonstrating the meaning of an abstract concept using a tangible example for a comparison to teach a moral lesson
• Allusion – a brief reference of someone or something else to indicate similarities that the reader should be able to make a connection to
• Archetype – the original example of a character, theme, a symbol, or a setting which all things of the same type are representations or copies of.  Ex. Romeo and Juliet are the archetype for star crossed lovers
• Deus ex machina – when an implausible character or concept bring about a pleasing resolution to a conflict
• Hyperbole – to exaggerate to emphasis a point. Ex. I’m so tired I can’t walk another inch
• Imagery – using words or phrases to create a mental image or represent a physical sensation.
• Metaphor – a comparison between two unrelated things to demonstrate similarities to better understand the lesser known of the two
• Motif – a recurring element, subject, or idea throughout the entire body of literature used to develop or explain the theme
• Point of view – the person (1^st or 3^rd person) telling the story that influences the tone of the story
• Simile – a comparison of unrelated things to bring better understanding, usually using the words “like”, “as”, or “such as”
• Symbolism – an object or action representing another that has a meaning that develops throughout the story beyond its literal meaning.

Reflection:

The content of this chapter may seem like second nature to some, but not to me.  I was relieved to get a refresher on literary elements and devices.  My prior knowledge of literary elements is good.  I was able to easily write my own version of these definitions.  Literary devices seemed like a foreign language to me.  It required extra research before I felt confident enough to write my own definition.  I’ve recently recognized examples of deus ex machina in the film The Hobbit.   I was conflicted when unforeseen and unbelievable events saved the characters from danger.  I was happy that the characters did not perish but I felt a bit cheated by the story line.  I now understand why this literary device is an indication of a poorly developed plot.  These literary elements and devices will help me to write my book blogging reflections. 

Chapter 8: Awards & Lists

Summary:

Book Awards

• Prinz Award – awarded to books that exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature
• YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction – best nonfiction book published for YA during Nov 1 – Oct 31 publishing year
• Margaret A. Edwards Award – honors an author for significant contribution to young adult literature
• Alex Award – given annually to 10 books written for adults that have special appeal to YA
• Odyssey Award – given to the producer of best audio children and/or YA book
• William C. Morris YA Debut Award – given to a book published by an impressive first-time YA author
• Edgar Award – various book category awards given each spring by the Mystery Writers of America

Booklists

•  Great Graphic Novels for Teens – a yearly list of recommended graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction for ages 12-18
• Best Fiction for YA – best fiction titles published for YA during the past 16 months
• Outstanding Books for the College Bound –a list of books, developed every five years, with new ideas on a variety of subjects with an academic discipline. Ideal for students preparing for college, educators, librarians, and parents.
• Popular Paperbacks for YA – a list of books that encourage reading for pleasure
• Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers – a list of books that encourage reading by teens who dislike reading
• Reader’s Choice – a yearly booklist of the most popular teen titles voted for by YALSA members
• Teen’s Top Ten – top ten best YA from the previous year nominated and voted for by teens
• Amazing Audiobooks – a list of audiobooks significant to YA released over the past two years
• Young Adults’ Choices Reading List – a list of books, selected by readers, that encourage adolescents to read
• Lone Star Reading List – a booklist developed by Texas public and school librarians to encourage 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders to explore a variety of current books for recreational reading
• Tayshas Reading List – a list of books developed to motivate 9^th -12^th graders to become lifelong readers
• Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List – a list of books developed to encourage 6^th – 12^th graders to explore current graphic novel books

Reflection:

According to TheBalance.com, “The number of Young Adult titles published more than doubled in the decade between 2002 and 2012 — over 10,000 YA books came out in 2012 versus about 4,700 in 2002.”  The Young Adult market has seen a boom in the number of books published each year.  This begs the question, how does a librarian read all those books?  They don’t.  There are time constraints and other tasks that make it impossible to read all new YA literature published each year.  Book awards are a librarian’s resource for collection development and reader’s advisory.  In addition to helping librarians, book awards also help young adults to choose books that suite their personal reading preferences.  A good dose of skepticism is always in order.  Just because a book received an award does not mean it is going to be a great read.  Ask yourself who is giving the book award?  Are they reputable?  What is their motivation?  What is the award given for?  Is this the type of book I’ve previously enjoyed?  Ideally you want to consider awards given by leaders in the field of library science who are motivated by encouraging literacy.  Book awards can add value to libraries and readers, but it is always important to think critically before purchasing.

Reference:

Peterson, V. (2018, January). Young Adult and New Adult Book Markets. Retrieved from The Balance website: https://www.thebalance.com/the-young-adult-book-market-2799954

Chapter 9: Poetry

Summary:

This chapter covered what children like about poetry, criteria for evaluating and selecting children’s poetry, reasons to share poetry with children, elements and forms of poetry, how to involve children in poetry, and notable poetry authors.  Ann Terry conducted a research study to identify what children like about poetry.  The study showed that children like narrative poems, contemporary poems, funny poems, familiar poems, animal poems, rhyming poems, rhythmic poems, and poems that use sound devices.   The following criteria should be considered when evaluating children’s poetry: sound, language, rhythm, sensory images, rhyme, humor, emotional intensity, substance, and purpose.  Children can be involved with poetry by reading it aloud, writing it, moving with it, acting it out, or writing poems.

Reflection:

The criteria for evaluating children’s poetry will be useful in developing a well-balanced library collection that includes engaging poetry for children.   I enjoyed exploring the ways to involve children in poetry.  I envision using these during my library lessons each April, during National Poetry Month, to spark a love of poetry in children.   Watching Poetry Part I inspired me to create a poetry list on Goodreads.  I saved several of the author’s books mentioned in the video.  Seeing Ruth Heller’s poetry book brought back found memories of teaching third grade.  I used her poetry books when teaching adjectives, nouns, and verbs.  Reading the poetry books during the lesson got my students interested in the poetry section of our classroom library.   I agree her poetry books are excellent and provided a unique opportunity to incorporate poetry into my lessons. 

Chapter 10: Historical Fiction

Summary:

Historical fiction is a made-up story set in the past.  Children’s historical fiction should: seamlessly blend the story into the historical setting, be historically accurate, demonstrate the values of the period, be consistent with the social setting of the period, and have a theme that children can relate too.  What qualifies as history varies from person to person.  Each person will decide for themselves if events should be considered historical based on their own age and when the event occurred in relation to their own life.  What is considered recent for an adult will seem like history to a child.  Librarians should keep this in mind when categorizing books for a children’s library.

Reflection:

To develop my understanding of historical fiction, I did more research.  I found an interesting article written by H. Scott Dalton called What is Historical Fiction?  Dalton defines historical fiction as, “a fictional story in which elements of history, be they person, events, or settings, play a central role.“  Dalton’s historical fiction definition expands on what I considered historical fiction to be.  He indicates that a historical character or historical event, if it plays a central role in the story, makes a book is historical fiction.  Hmm, Dalton’s definition really has me scratching me head now.  I decided to dig a bit deeper.  I’ve realized I’m not the only one struggling with how to define historical fiction.  Sarah Johnson at Eastern Illinois University has written an article on this very topic.  Johnson states that the Historical Novels Review defines historical fiction as, “a novel that is set fifty or more years in the past, and one in which the author is writing from research rather than personal experience.” This is vastly different from Dalton’s definition.  I do appreciate that Johnson established that fifty years in the past qualifies as history.  Johnson’s article indicates that most people have their own version of what historical fiction is.  The debate will continue.  Dalton did give me insight into the purpose that historical fiction serves.  Dalton states, “We write historical fiction, and read it, not to learn about history so much as to live it…We finish history and think “So that’s what happened!”  We finish historical fiction… and think “So that’s what it was like!”  This comparison helped me better understand the purpose of historical fiction and the value it holds in a library collection.

Reference:

Dalton, H.S. (2006). What is Historical Fiction? Retrieved from Vision: A Resource for Writers website http://fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue34/historicalfic.htm

Johnson, S. (2002). Defining the Genre: What are the rules for historical fiction? Retrieved from Historical Novel Society website https://historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre/defining-the-genre-what-are-the-rules-for-historical-fiction/