Historical and/or Multicultural YA books

• ALA young adult connection
  • • ALA related Book lists
  • African-American YA/CHLit
    • Virginia Hamilton's Home Page:one of the most outstanding African-American child/ya writers of today
    • Study questions for Hamilton's Cousins
    • Excerpts from Hamilton's essay "Illusion and Reality"
    • A new essay written just for Amazon.com by Virginia Hamilton
    • Mildred Taylor's ALAN 1997 acceptance speech
  • Latino-American YA/ChLit
  • The Quarry: a new site for Latino/a literature--from William Flores Orchard at University of Chicago
    • CSUSan Marcos Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents (see all the possibilities for using this information to develop curriculum)
    • Latino Literature web page (under construction)
    • Hispanic Heritage books from Berkeley Teen Site
    • Very brief information about Parrot in the Oven and its author Victor Martinez
      • • Parrot in the Oven study guide from Harper
        • Study Questions for Parrot in the Oven
        • Student Reading Responses from YA lit class to Parrot in the Oven
        • An essay about Under the Feet of Jesus and Parrot in the Oven
    • Information about Helena Maria Viramontes and her novel, Under the Feet of Jesus. Does her novel represent a new trend in Hispanic/American literature?
      • • Study Questions for Under the Feet of Jesus
    • Arturo's Flight"-- a short story from Island Like You by Judith Cofer
      • See a list of other books under this category
  • American-Indian (or Native American) YA/ChLit
    • YA novels of Michael Dorris: an article in ALAN (Spring 1998)
    • Sharon Creech:the Newbery-winning Native/American writer
      • Discussion from Childlit list serve about Walk Two Moons
    • Leslie Marmon Silko:an essay by a Native-American adult writer (pertains to Walk Two Moons & Sees Behind Trees)
  • Asian-American YA/ChLit
  • Asian American Sources for Research_by Noelle Williams at SJSU English Department
    • Asian-American Teenage Literature: an article in ALAN (Spring 1998)
    • Bibliography of Picture Books for Chines and Japanese Cultures
    • Lawrence Yep's information page:the best known Chinese-American child/ya writer of today
      • Child of the Owl: questions, comments, and links to pictures
      • Dragonwings site and teaching resources
      • Dragonwings: another wonderful site with chapter by chapter questions

• • Resource for information about the Holocaust (Yale U)
  • A personal and dramatic story/account of escape--from Nyssa Patten about Ilse and Henry Wolf
  • WWII through children's eyes: a comprehensive guide from Yale
  • A teacher's guide to the Holocaust
    • The Nazification of Germany
  • Adolf Hitler: a guide to his speeches, rise to power, etc.
  • Holocaust Resources for discussion of Briar Rose (Jane Yolan)
    • The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolan
  • Information regarding stories about Rescues during the Holocaust, from Humboldt State
  • No Pretty Pictures: a wonderful close reading by Francesca Ferracuti
    • Anne Frank On-Line
    • AnneFrank: more pages found describing her parents' marriage
    • Number the Stars by Jane Yolan
    • The Upstairs Room by Joanna Reiss
    • I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Coming of Age in the
      Holocaust (1997)
    • My Bridges of Hope : Searching for Life and Love After Auschwitz
      by Livia Bitton Jackson
    • Night by Elie Wiesel--a complete guide to using Night in the classroom, with historical background
    • The Summer of my German Soldier
    • If I Should Die Before I Wake
    • No Pretty Pictures by Anita Lobel-a really powerful book
  • A Teacher's Guide to Holocaust Literature
  • Hegi's Stones from the River
  • Holocaust, Anne Frank (an oasis of innocence), and WWII
  • A very thoughtful movie about German youth resistance: Swing Kids
• Farewell to Manzanar
  • Ansel Adams photos of relocation centers
  • Manzanar--America's concentration camp
  • California's ghost town
• Teacher's Guide

Briar Rose--along with Devil's Arithmetic, this book provides an insightful, refreshingly different picture of the Holocaust experience, one we should never forget.

• • • Briar Rose study questions
    • Holocaust Resources for discussion of Briar Rose
    • Political Manipulations of the Sleeping BeautyFairy Tale
    • Numerous Variants of the Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tale
    • Teen Books about the Holocaust
    • Japanese Internment in the US
    • Amazon's list of Teen books about the Holocaust
    • YA Books about the Japanese Internment in the US
    • Close Reading of No Pretty Pictures

• Carolyn Coman's What Jamie Saw. A report
  • Social Issues and Reviews

Short Stories for YAs

• "Arturo's Flight"-- a short story from Island Like You by Judith Cofer
• "On the Sidewalk Bleeding" by Evan Hunter (a powerful short story that works well as an "into" for The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet
• "The Day the Fifties Became the Sixties" by John Kenny Crane

• Graphic Books and Other Ways to Go

• • • Listing for Poetry for Young Adults: an almost-complete listing
    • A few YA multicultural poems--
    • Poetry by Graham Patten
      • Some more poetry by Graham--a 14 year old at the time

Learning about YA Authors (from Kay Vandergift's pages)

Different Ways to Have Student Give Book Reports

Almond, David

• Skellig--an Explication by Stanley Dudek

Bloor, Tangerine

• Bloor, Tangerine--a short essay by a 15 year old

Bradbury, Ray--

• Ray Bradbury pages
  • Semester Research Project on Dandelion Wine--by Patricia Johnson
  • More bibliographical information about Ray Bradbury's writings
  • Journey into Dandelion Wine
  • Guided reading questions etc.
  • Author Sheet on Bradbury: a very comprehensive list of articles
  • Sources available in the library

Cormier, Robert

• Robert Cormier biography: indeterminacy or negativity?
• Robert Cormier: an article
• The inappropriateness of a true/false quiz for I am the Cheese--what not to do with Reading quizzes

Fleischman, Paul Seedfolks

• Article from New York Times depicts a touch of reality

Gaines, Ernest.

• Gaines, Ernest. A Lesson Before Dying--an anticipation guide
  • • Questions from Random House
    • Another commentary about the book, including a brief summary
    • Some listserve questions/answers from NCTE
    • Questions from Oprah
    • About A Lesson Before Dying and Ernest Gaines
    • Real Books: Chapter 1 from A Lesson Before Dying
    • National Book Circle Critics Award and commentary--a quite complete entry
    • Jim Crow Laws--a complete lesson plan from Yale
    • "The Day the Fifties Became the Sixties" by John Kenny Crane

Gallico, Paul

• Gallico, Paul. See this web page for a complete listing of all his imaginative, inspirational books

Hemingway, Ernest

• Old Man and the Sea--analysis and other details
• Old Man and the Sea--teaching strategies
• Old Man and the Sea--classic notes

Hesse, Karen Out of the Dust

• Out of the Dust Study Questions
• An explication by Etta Jensen

Lewis, C. S.

• C. S. Lewis and Narnia: main information page

LeGuin, Ursula K.

• The Left Hand of Darkness
  • Afterword by LeGuin (1994)
  • some views on fantasy, the symbol, and myth
  • Quotations for discussion in class of The Left Hand of Darkness
  • Key words glossary web page for Left Hand of Darkness
  • The Unofficial Ursula K. Le Guin Page
  • Introduction to Science Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Another helpful Le Guin site
  • Reading and Discussion Questions on Left Hand of Darkness

Lowry, Lois

• Lois Lowry responds
• The Giver
  • Lesson Plans for The Giver
  • W. H. Auden's "The Unknown Citizen"
• The Giver teaching ideas

Herman Melville

• Benito Cereno--complete text
• an academic source for "Benito Cereno"
  • Information about the slave ship uprising
  • Symbolism in the novel

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster

• Assignments by Claire Teel
  • Monster, assignment sheet
  • Analysis
  • Choices
  • Edited assignments
  • A comparison between Monster and A Lesson Before Dying

Oates, Joyce Carol

• Joyce Carol Oates: main page
• Joyce Carol Oates's ideas on American Gothic. Her many short stories and novels are particularly appropriate for YAs.

O'Brian, Robert.

• Robert C. O'Brien: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Paterson, Katherine

• Katherine Paterson:with links to discussions about her books.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter

• A super visual site for Harry Potter--excerpts from the movie
• The Harry Potter Lexicon
  • Word Meanings and Word/Name Derivations in Harry Potter books
• Articles from the NYTimes on Harry Potter
• "The Dark Underbelly of Writing Children's books" from NYTimes, July 8, 2000
• Harry Potter and J. K.. Rowling at Scholastic --a great site from the US publisher
• Childhood friend of Rowling provided original concept of Harry
  • Harry Potter in the News--January 26, 2000
  • A new Children/YA site from UK: view to find out more about Rowling
    • • An Interview at Amazon.com with Rowling
      • a newspaper column by Joanne Jacobs---rational comments about censoring the Potter series
        • Salon.com site: Harry Potter
        • Harry Potter and Girl Trouble: The feminist article discussed in class March 13
  • Discussion questions for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Discussion guide written by Kylene Beers and Teri Lesesne at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. **TM & © 1997-99 Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: an activity guide by Nancy Polette, with questions
• Questions and Answers to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• A Reading Response by William Brown from English 112B, Spring 2000
• Another Reading Response by Francesa Ferracuti
• A Unit Plan by Allison Moss-Fritch for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Salinger, J. D.

• Catcher in the Rye--a summary of important issues--see also YA Lit
  • Catcher in the Rye --study questions
  • Three different versions of Robert Burns's "Comin' thro the rye"
  • Glossary for Burns's works
  • Richard Cartoni's RR to Catcher in the Rye
  • Grant Maher's RR to Catcher in the Rye
  • Allison Moss-Fritch's RR
  • Patricia Erisson Johnson's RR
  • A sample theme from Writing Themes about Literature on Catcher in the Rye
• J. D. Salinger Link
  • J. D. Salinger home page
  • Page Index to Catcher: includes wonderful notes
  • a Photographic album to enhance Catcher
  • Censorship of a new sort: Salinger and the Web
  • The Praises and Criticisms of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye
  • Lesson Plans, Anticipation Guide, and many helpful hints for reading the book

Sachar, Louis Holes

• Brief Biography of Louis Sachar
• The life of Louis Sachar
• Meet the author: Louis Sachar
• Activity Guide from Nancy Polette
• Holes Discussion guide from Scholastic
• the Absurd in connection with Sisyphus--consider in connection with Stanley Yelnats.
• Post-structuralism and Structuralism--definitions
• Deconstruction--by Jack Lynch
• A complete and thorough discussion of Post-Structuralism

Shakespeare, William Romeo and Juliet: a site developed by Mr. Paul Yllana & his students at Leland High, San Jose, CA

• Main page
• Act I
• Act II
• Act III
• Act IV
• Act V

Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens) Huckleberry Finn: Problems and issues

• On-line version
• Teaching Huck Finn: a guide to online sources
• Culture Shock: Huck Finn in Context
• Is Huck Finn a racist book?
• Writings on the River--a lesson plan from NYTimes
• Teacher's Guide
  • Score Teachers' guide--temporarily unavailable, but keep checking
  • Huck Finn--trivia challenge, an on-line quiz--temporarily unavailable, but keep checking

Yolan, Jane Briar Rose

• Briar Rose study questions
• Holocaust Resources for discussion of Briar Rose
• Political Manipulations of the Sleeping BeautyFairy Tale
• Numerous Variants of the Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tale
• Teen Books about the Holocaust
• Japanese Internment in the US
• Amazon's list of Teen books about the Holocaust
• YA Books about the Japanese Internment in the US
• Close Reading of No Pretty Pictures