Author+Links

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. --Mark Twain

(Photo of me (reading) and my sister--circa 1973) Photo from the Doughty Family Archive. Used with permission.

Young adult literature has become a respected new genre to supplement the curriculum of any content area. This new brand of author focuses on the experiences and issues that face adolescents. They target teen readers because these books speak to the hopes, fears, and frustrations of this vast age group. It is easier to relate and appreciate a text if you can connect to the characters and if they can connect to //you//. Authors such as Chris Crutcher, Walter Dean Meyers, and Gary Paulsen can hook the male audience through their commonly male protagonists and outdoor/sport/adventure themes. Females find their niche with authors such as Jodi Picoult, Sara Dessen, and Patricia McCormick who focus more on the strong female protagonists and coming of age tales of love, loss and confused emotions. There is a young adult literature book for everyone with the action and fantasy of Suzanne Collins or the vampire/ werewolf relationships of Stephanie Myers. The beauty of young adult literature is that there is an author to connect to anyone. Whether you are the ugly duckling of a story by Gail Carson Levine or the misunderstood jock of a Chris Crutcher novel, there is an author for you.✰◆ ⇧

//Enjoy the links to author's homepages where you will find biographical information and information about their books. Also found on these websites are lesson plans and ideas for incorporating YA Lit into your curriculum://

[|Laurie Halse Anderson]

[|Joseph Bruchac]

[|Suzanne Collins]

[|Chris Crutcher]

[|Sarah Dessen]

[|Sarah MacLean]

[|Patricia McCormick]

[|Stephenie Myers]

[|Walter Dean Myers]

[|Gary Paulsen]

[|Rick Riordan]

Jodi Picoult

Ann Rinaldi

Gail Carson Levine