Post by Charlynn on Nov 22, 2010 15:52:15 GMT -5
As readers, we all know how many different opinions and reviews are out there for any given, moderately popular or well-known book, whether these reactions are from professionals or just avid novel consumers. So, with that in mind, I was shocked to learn that there are so few review sources out there for YA fiction. With that in mind, this post is to both share this surprising information and to provide help to those who are interested in perhaps reviewing YA literature themselves.
From Alleen Pace Nilsen and Kenneth L. Donelson's Literature for Today's Young Adults:
"Teachers and librarians working with books for young people have more opportunities to be among the decision makers than do those working with books for adults, because fewer than two dozen people in the United States are full-time reviewers of juvenile books. Most reviews of children's books (which is where in the publishing world YA lit is categorized) are written by teachers and librarians who evaluate books both as part of their assigned workloads and as a professionally related hobby."
Below is a listing of the kinds of writing those who wish to evaluate YA Lit will do as suggested by the authors of the above listed textbook:
1. Keeping a record of your own reading - Now, the authors suggest not only writing down the title and author of the work but also including descriptions of the work, publishing information, the book's genre, any prizes the book might have won, and any other information the reader anticipates wanting to access in the future. However, personally, I do not feel that such a lengthy record is necessary. With how easily accessible book summaries, publishing information, and award winning lists are thanks to the internet, such a detailed description, to me, just seems like wasted time and energy.
2. Making annotations, little descriptions - These could be helpful when teachers or librarians go back to create lists of books for certain themed recommendations, such as with a particular subject area of study or for particular events or holidays
3. Writing reviews for locally or nationally published newsletters, magazines, or journals - What's important here to remember is that readers/buyers are going to want to know whether or not the work is worth the investment of money, while teachers and librarians will want to know additional information such as potential censorship issues and whether or not there is a tie-in with an upcoming movie or some other event. Additionally, thanks to such sites as amazon.com, anyone can do this now... including students. (And, when it comes time to pick a book that students might like, what better recommendation could there be than to read a review straight from one of their peers?)
4. Writing pedagogical (teaching-related) articles for fellow educators about such matters as how you've been successful at using a particular book with a class or in finding three or four books that worked well together. - Such articles will appear in publications such as Voices from the Middle, English Journal, Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates), School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine.
5. Writing scholarly articles, i.e., engaging in literary criticism, in which you look more closely at the literature than at how it might be used in an educational setting. - There is a great deal of opportunity with this style of writing, due to how relatively new the development of YA Literature is.
Cautions:
~ Because YA Literature reviews are written by people who love books, often the field of juvenile reviewing is criticized for being too positive.
~ Be warned that it is not uncommon for YA book reviews to be released sometimes a full year or more after the novels are released.
~ Finally, because different reviewers use different styles - they evaluate the books based on literary quality, or reader interest, or potential popularity, or what the book is trying to teach its readers (social and political philosophies), evaluators should make sure that they clearly state which style they employed in order to avoid misunderstandings, especially when it comes time for readers of the reviews to purchase items.
From Alleen Pace Nilsen and Kenneth L. Donelson's Literature for Today's Young Adults:
"Teachers and librarians working with books for young people have more opportunities to be among the decision makers than do those working with books for adults, because fewer than two dozen people in the United States are full-time reviewers of juvenile books. Most reviews of children's books (which is where in the publishing world YA lit is categorized) are written by teachers and librarians who evaluate books both as part of their assigned workloads and as a professionally related hobby."
Below is a listing of the kinds of writing those who wish to evaluate YA Lit will do as suggested by the authors of the above listed textbook:
1. Keeping a record of your own reading - Now, the authors suggest not only writing down the title and author of the work but also including descriptions of the work, publishing information, the book's genre, any prizes the book might have won, and any other information the reader anticipates wanting to access in the future. However, personally, I do not feel that such a lengthy record is necessary. With how easily accessible book summaries, publishing information, and award winning lists are thanks to the internet, such a detailed description, to me, just seems like wasted time and energy.
2. Making annotations, little descriptions - These could be helpful when teachers or librarians go back to create lists of books for certain themed recommendations, such as with a particular subject area of study or for particular events or holidays
3. Writing reviews for locally or nationally published newsletters, magazines, or journals - What's important here to remember is that readers/buyers are going to want to know whether or not the work is worth the investment of money, while teachers and librarians will want to know additional information such as potential censorship issues and whether or not there is a tie-in with an upcoming movie or some other event. Additionally, thanks to such sites as amazon.com, anyone can do this now... including students. (And, when it comes time to pick a book that students might like, what better recommendation could there be than to read a review straight from one of their peers?)
4. Writing pedagogical (teaching-related) articles for fellow educators about such matters as how you've been successful at using a particular book with a class or in finding three or four books that worked well together. - Such articles will appear in publications such as Voices from the Middle, English Journal, Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates), School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine.
5. Writing scholarly articles, i.e., engaging in literary criticism, in which you look more closely at the literature than at how it might be used in an educational setting. - There is a great deal of opportunity with this style of writing, due to how relatively new the development of YA Literature is.
Cautions:
~ Because YA Literature reviews are written by people who love books, often the field of juvenile reviewing is criticized for being too positive.
~ Be warned that it is not uncommon for YA book reviews to be released sometimes a full year or more after the novels are released.
~ Finally, because different reviewers use different styles - they evaluate the books based on literary quality, or reader interest, or potential popularity, or what the book is trying to teach its readers (social and political philosophies), evaluators should make sure that they clearly state which style they employed in order to avoid misunderstandings, especially when it comes time for readers of the reviews to purchase items.
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