Chapter 5: What is YA Literature?

Chapter 5: What is YA Literature?

This chapter covers the 10 essential characteristics that helped define YA literature. These 10 characteristics came from Mertz and England in 1983 to help define the classification of YA literature. The 10 characteristics include:
- The protagonist is youthful
- The point of view centers on an adolescent’s perspective on events
- Direct exposition and confrontation of events
- There is normally a significant change in the main character’s life
- Exemplifies high amount of independence in the protagonist
- Shows a gradual change in the character’s growth (coming of age- incomplete not completely grown)
- Brings to light concerns over contemporary issues
- Shows a character dealing with the consequences of their decisions and actions
- The setting, timer period, and characters might be brief and limited as part of the main characters world view (structural convention)
- It builds on how adolescents actually develop over time
These fundamental truths that are mentioned in the chapter are easily seen in nearly all YA literature, especially it’s fiction. As an adult working in education, I read YA not only because I love it (which I unequivocally do) but also to help me better understand what my students are going through every day. It is easy for adults to forget sometimes how it feels to be 100% in it, dealing with growing up but never quite being grown.

Reflection:

I think that these 10 characteristics of YA literature is easily seen in nearly all YA books that you can read. Recently, I have been reading Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden, and as a reader I can see each of these characteristics. Knowing these characteristics is important for evaluation because the reader should be able to identify them, but more importantly, be able to identify when one is missing or an author purposefully did not adhere to all of these characteristics. Annie on My Mind definitely checks off each of these characteristics even when it is verging on New adult as Liza is writing this in a sequence of flashbacks building up to her speaking to her love again. It shows Liza’s incremental and gradual acceptance of her own sexuality and a significant change in her life as she falls in love with Annie. I particularly love the fact that YA literature includes mirroring “concerns over contemporary issues” because it allows students to grapple with and see themselves or others in situations through a book and develop empathy for them. YA books help build understanding of young adults and the issues they deal with daily while also building bridges for them to empathize with others.