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Friday, May 13, 2011

Defining and Qualifying YAL


Defining and Qualifying YAL of Merit


A work of young adult literature isn’t special because of what it’s about -- it’s special because of how it’s about what it’s about. More than just a great story, literature is the great telling of a story. 

Form and function are linked, and this marriage of art and craft transports the young reader to some new understanding – or new question. The energy released by the writer in devising the perfect way to convey his or her story, dictates style and is transferred to the reader as the story’s deeper meaning. 

This connection between art/craft, meaning/style, writer/reader -- activates metacognition. It's not unlike the double delight in witnessing a stage magician’s perfectly performed illusion -- we both marvel at its magic and wonder how the trick is done. 

The hallmark of a great piece of young adult literature then, is its metacognitive effect on the young adults who read it. Is it a mirror that prompts the shock of recognition? Or a window providing a new way of seeing what we see? 

Does it provoke thought?

Based on the generally used criteria of literary organizations and professional journals, the qualities I would look for in assessing literary merit in young adult books can be framed in four areas.

To qualify as a exhibiting the highest literary merit, a work of YAL must be:


Pertinent
  • Convey something relevant to the lives of young adults
  • authentic, socially conscious and culturally competent

Purposeful
  • Examine a new question or an enduring truth
  • Activate metacognition

Powerful
  • Innovative, unique, or distinct in some way
  • Well-crafted, aesthetically pleasing, fully realized work of art

Persuasive
  • Stir the senses and arouse the spirit
  • Emotionally convincing and morally satisfying

Thought Provocation



 
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