YA Lit Class: An Overview

So I thought tonight being our final class, it would be beneficial for me to reflect on some of the things I learned this summer. I should start by saying that I was genuinely impressed by the quality of the presentations and resource lists presented in tonight's class. I was wowed (and felt very inadequate), but also think that the varied lists created by my classmates will definitely come in handy for future use. Otherwise, I really learned a great deal this semester. I came to the class having not read any YA lit since I actually was a YA and then my reading consisted mostly of books from the Sweet Valley High series. I think the reading list gives me a solid background of what is out there right now. Some of the books I enjoyed so much I am going to read others by the same authors (I definitely want to read more by E. Lockhart and Laurie Halse Anderson and can't wait to read Speak, for example). What really struck me about the reading though was how little some things have changed. Books for teens are still about love, identity, not fitting in, not getting along with parents, etc. Although teens today are way more media savvy and in some ways mature then they were when I was a teen in the early 1990s, the core issues remain the same. I am so excited to take tween lit next semester and thank you with all my heart for a truly great class!