So, what is Children's and YA literature and why should I care?

 I think these claims made about children’s and young adult literature are much more nuanced than they seem. I do not think it would serve true justice and be a proper answer to say I agree or disagree with all of the claims. I would like to think these novels are more complex and deserve more explanation than a simple yes or no could provide. I am going to use the novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz to tackle these arguments. Now the school board, and or parents, may object to children/young adult literature because it seems to come in and out of style. There are trends in reading and trends in content that seem to be changing all the time. They also may argue that these novels are “formula literature”. I agree that what is popular is constantly changing and plots for novels seem to all be the same, but it is the themes within the novels that hold true. Finding a sense of belonging and digging deep to find who you truly are themes and topics found consistently through many novels, including Saenz’s novel. We see it in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, we see it in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being A Wallflower, and we see it in The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. These are staples of children/young adult literature both inside and outside of the classroom. They continue to strike a chord within students because they find that struggles they may be pushing through are struggles their favorite characters, of different varieties, are pushing through as well. The only way these themes can be recycled and continue to be relatable, is if the concept and characters are different. In Aristotle and Dante, we see a Mexican-American, gay teen who is struggling with identity, growing up, and feeling like he belongs. In Harry Potter, we see a white, young, wizard orphan also struggling with identity, growing up, and feeling like he belongs. Students will all identify with characters differently, but seeing a variety of characters struggle with the same issues assures a variety of students that their issues, problems, and concerns are valid, and that is why children/young adult literature is valuable enough to stay in the educational curriculum. 

When defining literature as whole, it is important to remember that literature is art. Of course, art is subjective. No two people are going to have the exact same definition of what exactly literature is or means. Now, literally, children’s literature can be defined as books meant for ages 3 - 12. Young adult literature can be defined as books meant for ages 12 - 18. However, it is much, much more complex than that. 

First, children’s literature is created for the purpose to inspire, educate, and motivate. A lot of development comes from reading, either alone or with an adult, so ensuring that novels are created with this impact in mind is what makes great children’s literature. As a child, you are learning how to exist in your body and essentially learning what it takes to be a human being who has emotions, consciousness, and sensitivities. Books created for this time in life focus on honing self-awareness, fears, handling emotions, and being aware of the feelings of others. Topics often covered are starting school, meeting friends, and identifying fears. In Wemberley Worried by Kevin Henkes, we see a little mouse named Wemberley full of anxieties and fears of all sizes. She is starting her first day of school and has a lot of questions, “What if no one else has spots? What if no one wears stripes? What if no one else brings a doll? What if the teacher is mean?...” (Henkes). Novels like this show validate kids’ need to ask questions and their nervousness towards larger life events, like starting school. It also develops their ability to identify the severity of their fears and can help build confidence to voice their concerns. Kids also learn inference skills and how to assess the mood/tone of the story through the images and pictures within these books. They learn to associate colors with moods like red with passion (anger or love), blue with sadness, and yellow with happiness or more light hearted tones. Dr. Seuss does a great job with illustrations and rhyme schemes in his books. He fully develops the color palettes and line shapes to tell his stories as much as the words do. His simple rhymes like, “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am,” help introduce children to poetry and make it easier for them to read along with a teacher or adult, which encourages them to learn how to read on their own (Seuss)! 

With young adult literature, authors have more freedom to take the skills developed in childhood and apply it to more mature concepts and characters. We see young adult literature take many different shapes and forms through fantasy, realism, historical fiction, poetry, and graphic novels. These all have things to teach teenagers, and can be good reminders for readers into adulthood. This age category has the intended audience of people 12 - 18, but I think it can span beyond that. These stories almost always contain a protagonist going through some sort of transition. Whether that transition is from childhood to teenage years, teenage years to adulthood, or something more specific like moving from one city to another. These novels also can tackle stronger topics like sexuality, race, class, and society around us as a whole. Aristotle and Dante Discovers the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz touches on themes like sexuality, race, family, and coming-of-age. The protagonist has a hard time making friends and struggles with belonging, “And me, I always felt that I didn’t belong anywhere. I didn’t even belong in my own body--especially in my own body,” (Saenz). I think this makes novels relatable to readers. Teens are looking for places to fit in and people to relate to, so making characters similar to readers makes the texts more engaging. What makes a young adult novel go from good to great is how well reader’s can see themselves in it, or people around them in it. Creating room for reflection on ourselves and environments is creating room for growth and improvement. Essentially, children and young adult literature should make space for growth and development in readers, so they become inspired, encouraged, and confident in their own minds.