Engagements with Children’s and Young Adult Literature

<p><i>Engagements with Children’s and Young Adult Literature</i> offers an accessible guide to studying Children’s and Young Adult (CYA) literature teaching readers how to read critically. This book introduces this dynamic field encompassing diverse genres audiences and interpretations. Lydia Kokkola and Sara Van den Bossche examine its historical cultural and ideological dimensions while addressing adult perspectives and the ambivalence of child agency. Tools for critical analysis genre-specific insights and emerging research trends enhance readers’ engagement with CYA literature and its broader implications.</p><p>The book approaches CYA literature from various complementary angles:</p><ul> <li>Historical: the influence of religious and philosophical convictions on its development;</li> <li>Thematic: commonly-occurring genres and types of CYA literature such as realism versus speculative fiction;</li> <li>Narratological: plot time tension character and setting;</li> <li>Visual: the main principles for 'reading' images in picturebooks graphic novels and comics;</li> <li>Ideological: power dynamics and common constructions of childhood;</li> <li>Social: questions of identity politics related to race gender and orientation and offers tools to read critically.</li> </ul><p><i>Engagements with Children’s and Young Adult Literature</i> brings together established theories and new perspectives on CYA literature combining engagement with theory with hands-on analytical interpretive and methodological tools for budding scholars of CYA literature. Exploring a diverse range of writing this dynamic introduction is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of this vibrant field.</p>