Literature for Young Adults LSSL 5385 Textbook Reflections 11-end

Chapter 11:
In chapter 11 you will be introduced to Realistic Fiction which is sometimes called Contemporary Realistic Fiction (CRF).  The story is realistic, believable and is written to be as if in the real world.  Characters, settings and event are are also life like and believable.  You can evaluate this type of fiction by using three simple steps.  First, is it believable, consistent and contemporary, second, does the theme emerge naturally, and lastly does the story relate to modern readers?

My reflection on this chapter is that all of these types of stories seem to be something that could possible happen.  For example a child being sick, or being bullied at school.  I think John Green is a perfect example of an author of Realistic Fiction with books such as, The Fault in Our Stars or Paper Towns.  Young Adults can really see themselves in stories of these types; the events and places are like things that have happened in their lives, places they live or people that they know.

Chapter 12:
This chapter was about Nonfiction and included biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.  The evaluation format was listed with five steps.  First, we need to look at the qualifications of the author.  The web is a good source to research the author and also we can get to know them by reading the back cover of the book.  Second, check the book for accuracy by researching their account in time.   Third is purpose and scope, purpose meaning was the book written to give us information about a subject and scope the amount of information included.  The Fourth evaluation method given was organization.  The things that can show organization are like a table of content, index, timelines, glossary and bibliographies.  And lastly, Visuals were the final evaluation of nonfiction.  Does the text include photos, paintings, color boxes for interest, division with chunks of information, and artifacts?  A balance is also needed with non-fiction.

These types of books give fact based information but they can also be very entertaining.  The knowledge that young learner gain can be from multiple areas, for example, science, math, history, religion or anything else fact related.  It is usually an unbiased opinion over broad subject matters.

Chapter 13:
The video I viewed from the LSSL 5385 class states that Fantasy and Science Fiction are the "stories that violate the laws of physical reality".  There are four evaluation aspect for this category.  The first is even though things appear fantastic they must be believable.  The second is that it requires rules.  The third is the authors assist the reading with suspense and disbelief.  The last is the theme is universal throughout.   There are two types Hard (more science) and Soft (more story line/plot).  I heard through this video that there were multiple different types of Science Fiction.  To include, Apocalyptic, Post Apocalyptic, Steam Punk, Cyber Punk, Bio Punk, Dystopia,  ESP,  Space/Aliens - Extra Terrestrials, Time Travel/Parallel Universe, Virtual Reality/Gaming and Miscellaneous.

I never knew there were so many different types of Fantasy and Science Fiction.  My reflection is that my favorite is Soft Science Fiction because I enjoy having more of a plot.  In my opinion Dystopia seems to have more real world features and I like that it can be historical based with propaganda and government corruption.  Also, I like to explore the ESP with knowledge of the future, dream states, telepathy and reading of minds.  The Bio Punk are selection that I will look into more in my future reads because I do enjoy a good read about medicine and DNA.

Chapter 14:
This chapter deals with Graphic Novels (described as comics)  which are a form or format and not a genre.  These can be history, fantasy, nonfiction, and all other sub genres.  They are not just for unmotivated readers.  They are designed with panels which are squares or rectangles.  The gutters are the spaces between panels.  In these novels there are dialog balloons, thought balloons and sound effects to include black and white or a great amount of color schemes.  They normally read left to right.

Graphic novels really appeal to a diverse population of readers because they include so much variety.  They are fun to look at due to the drawings, pictures, artwork and style choices.  They are not just comics they are read for the storytelling and sometimes just for the creative fun. They can be read by readers with a broad range of reading skills and abilities.  They story line can focus on real life problems and situations or just be for the artistic and creative interest of the reader.

Chapter 15:
This chapter called Ten-Questions to Ask About A Novel by Richard Peck (1978) is an evaluation process as the name states.  These question will have you looking at a novel from a different point of view by asking question about ways that the novel could be changed.  He ask questions like could the story make a good movie or how is the character in the story different from you.  His questions help you to evaluate the stories to see if the reader can identify with the authors book.

These Ten-Question could be used by teacher to have students evaluate books and librarians to choose interesting books that would add to the library collections.  The readers could use these questions as critical thinking questions or just to induce learning and make them want to read more further.  I also believe that these types of questions could be used as ways to help writers create more involved real life story lines to as interest for the readers.

Chapter 16:
This chapter was called Crowd Sourced List for Middle School Authors and included a list for 5th - 8th graders with over 569 books.  The list would make a great starting point for librarian and libraries for their collections.  The list was created for this large group interest of 5th to 8th graders with the idea and opinions of books for their age group.

I could see these books being added to a collection at a middle school or public library.  I believe this list would change frequently and would need to be evaluated based on the check out involvement of the collection.  I would be a great starting point for readers to choose books.

Chapter 17:
This was the last chapter in the series for my LSSL 5385 Class and it was a variety of videos that focused on why we need diverse books.  The authors all stated the same thing that children need to be able to see themselves on the pages of books.  The books should honor and reflect the lives of a diverse population.  Books should include people of color, native people, different cultures, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA, gender diversity, ethnic diversity, and religious minorities.

I thoroughly enjoyed the videos,  but it was sad that the children stated that books seem to mostly have white children as the main character.  All children and adults alike should see people like themselves in books so they can relate to the story. Books need to show all walks of life, be diverse, and change with our changing world.  As John Green eloquently stated, "all kids want to be the hero" and that is what the authors and publishing companies should try to do through their words and works of art.