Young Adult Literature as Transitional Literature (continued)

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Joan F. Kaywell (1993–2000) has edited a series of books that provide detailed instructional guides for linking young adult literature with the classics. A few of the combinations include linking Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman with Cynthia Voight’s The Runner (1985); Ibsen’s A Doll House with Sue Ellen Bridgers’ Permanent Connections (1987); or The Tragedy of Julius Caesar with several novels including Lois Duncan’s Killing Mr. Griffin (1978), Will Hobbs’ Downriver (1991), and Bruce Brooks’ No Kidding (1989).

Connecting Adolescents and Their Literature

Knickerbocker and Rycik (2002) believe that “it is inappropriate to make sharp divisions in the instructional practices for middle and high school students” (p. 200). Instead, they suggest four types of literary experiences that all adolescents should have:

• Reading young adult literature.
• Developing bridges between young adult literature and more complex texts and revisiting texts to apply “new understandings or methods of analysis” (p. 201).
• Interpreting literature by listening to dramatic oral readings by skilled individuals such as teachers and library media specialists.
• Responding to literature in ways including discussion groups, journals, and group conversations.