Hey-YA 2.0: The Sequel!

All of the best Young Adult books have sequels, and now Hey-YA does, too!

Young Adult Literature is constantly changing. New authors debut, trends emerge, and genres blend to create a unique reading experience.

Each class meeting of this course will cover a facet of young adult literature that was not addressed in Hey-YA: Young Adult Books to Know, including "problem" novels, LBGQT books for teens, series, poetry, and using social networking to connect with authors. Participants will read approximately one book per week (sometimes a book in common and sometimes a self-selected title to be shared with the class). Links to each week's topic appear on the left-hand side of this page.

The goals of this course are for teachers to:

• Become familiar with the "latest and greatest" trends and titles in young adult fiction
  • Incorporate technology and Web 2.0 tools in researching and recommending young adult selections
• Establish strategies for staying up to date on current young adult titles

The final project involves designing, implementing, and evaluating programs and activities for young adults that incorporate the titles we have read. Some possibilities include:

• Record a "book haul," wrap-up, and/or TBR video
• Create a NetGalley.com account and user profile
• Participate in a Goodreads Read-Along for Panic by Lauren Oliver.
• Complete a Ridley Educational Foundation grant application for a project that incorporates young adult books
• A comparable project of the participant's choice (with instructor approval)

ICE BREAKER: Create an avatar that represents you as a teen or as a character in a teen book. We'll share our avatars and a few fun facts about our teen selves. Use DoppelMe, Blobomatic, or the avatar generator of your choice. You can stay true to life, or represent the teen life you always wanted! I'll let you guess which route I chose ...

And look, I've been joined by some of the class participants!

Let's hit some high points with "A Brief History of Young Adult Literature" by Ashley Strickland (CNN.com, 15 Oct. 2013).