Textbook Reflections 6-9
Literary Elements
- Antagonist- A character that is in opposition to the protagonist
- Character-One of the people, or animals, in a story
- Conflict- A battle that protagonist experiences in pursuit of his or her dreams.
- Could be internal or external
- Mood and Tone- Tone the attitude of a writer towards a subject conveyed through words. Those words contribute to the mood that is felt by the reader.
- Plot-The structure of a story that is made up by events
- Protagonist- The main character in a story
- Setting- The environment or surrounding where the story takes place
- Themes- Message stated or suggested by author.
Literary Devices
- Allegory-a figure of speech
- Allusion-Reference made to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art to make the reader make a connection
- Archetype- a typical character, action or situation that represents universal patterns or human nature
- Deus ex machina- When an implausible concept or character is introduced into a storyline to resolve a conflict or favorable resolution
- Hyperbole- A figure of speech involving exaggeration
- Imagery- the authors use of words or phrases to create a mental image and appeals to the readers’ senses
- Metaphor-a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unalike things that have a common similarity
- Motif-a repeated symbol, image, or idea that helps reinforce the theme
- Point of View-The perspective from which a story is told 1st, 2nd, 3rd limited, 3rd omniscient
- Simile-a figure of speech that compares two things us the words “like” or “as”
- Symbolism-the use of symbols to represent ideas
Remember, teme is not a main idea, topic, summary, old saying, or a single word.
Reflection: This list reminds me of literary words that I need to use when discussing literature with colleagues and students. The majority of these words are tied to students TEKS and it is another way to model how the library and literature supports curriculum.
References
"Literary Devices and Literary Terms - The Complete List." Literary Devices. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
"Literary Terms." Literary Devices. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
Awards
The Michael L. Printz Award recognizes the best titles in young adult literature in a given calendar year. The winners are announced in January.
YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year. The winner is announced annually at the ALA Youth Media Awards, with a shortlist of up to five titles named the first week of December.
Great Graphic Novels for Teens is a list of recommended graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction for those ages 12-18, prepared yearly by YALSA.
YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past 16 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. The purpose of the annual list it to provide librarians and library workers with a resource to use for collection development and reader’s advisory purposes.
The Margaret A. Edwards Award, established in 1988, honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal magazine. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.
The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing.
This annual award will be given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States. The selection committee may also select honor titles. The Odyssey Award is jointly given and administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist.
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first awarded in 2009, honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The award's namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults.
The books on this list offer opportunities to discover new ideas, and provide an introduction to the fascinating variety of subjects within an academic discipline. Readers will gain an understanding of our diverse world and build a foundation to deepen their response to that world. This list is developed every five years.
A YALSA committee of public, secondary school, and academic librarians selects the list. Revised every five years as a tool for several audiences (students preparing for college, educators, librarians, and parents) it offers opportunities for independent reading and lifelong learning. Use it to round out your reading as you prepare for college entrance exams and courses, to strengthen your knowledge in a variety of subject areas and enhance appreciation for different cultures and times.
Each year, the Popular Paperbacks committee creates lists of books to encourage young adults to read for pleasure. The lists of popular or topical titles are widely available in paperback and represent a broad variety of accessible themes and genres.
The Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list identifies titles aimed at encouraging reading among teens who dislike to read for whatever reason. The list selects both fiction and nonfiction.
YALSA’s Readers’ Choice list seeks to engage a wide audience of librarians, educators, teens and young adult literature enthusiasts in choosing the most popular teen titles in a given year, as organized by broad genres. The list will also provide librarians with a timely means of identifying popular teen titles on an ongoing basis. Nominations will be posted monthly, with a final vote taking place each November. Any individual, provided he/she is not the author or an employee of the publisher, or a current member of the Readers’ Choice List Committee may nominate a title via an online form, while only YALSA members are eligible to vote for the final ballot, which is sent in the November issue of YALSA E-News.
The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted on the Thursday of National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. Readers ages twelve to eighteen will vote online between August 15 and Teen Read Week™ (October 8-14, 2017) here on the Teens' Top Ten site. The winners will be announced the week after Teen Read Week.
Each year, YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks committee selects and annotates an annual list of notable audio recordings significant to young adults from those released in the past two years. The name of the list became Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults with the 2009 list and was previously known as Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults.
Since 1987, the Young Adults' Choices project has developed an annual list of new books that will encourage adolescents to read. The books are selected by the readers themselves, so they are bound to be popular with middle and secondary school students. The reading list is a trusted source of book recommendations, used by adolescents, their parents, teachers, and librarians.
The Texas Lone Star list is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current books. The Lone Star list is intended for recreational reading, not to support a specific curriculum. Due to the diversity of this age range, Texas librarians should purchase titles on this list according to their individual collection policies.
The Tayshas Reading List was developed to motivate young adults, grades 9-12, to become lifelong readers and to participate in the community of young adult readers throughout Texas.
The Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List was created and approved in 2009 to encourage young adult readers, grades 6-12, to explore a variety of current books in graphic novel format. The name, “Maverick” was chosen for this reading list because Texas was the first state to create a graphic novel reading list- we were the Mavericks in the field.
Each spring, Mystery Writers of America present the Edgar® Awards, widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious awards in the genre.
NCTE established the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1977 to honor a living American poet for his or her aggregate work for children ages 3–13. NCTE also recognizes and fosters excellence in children's poetry by encouraging its publication and by exploring ways to acquaint teachers and children with poetry through such means as publications, programs, and displays.
The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award was established in 1989 for promoting and recognizing excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children. The name Orbis Pictus, commemorates the work of Johannes Amos Comenius, Orbis Pictus—The World in Pictures (1657), considered to be the first book actually planned for children.
The Batchelder Award is given to the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States.
In 1982, Scott O'Dell established The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The annual award of $5,000 goes to an author for a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults. Scott O'Dell established this award to encourage other writers--particularly new authors--to focus on historical fiction. He hoped in this way to increase the interest of young readers in the historical background that has helped to shape their country and their world.
The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.
Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award.
The first and most enduring award for GLBT books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. Since Isabel Miller's Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, many other books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
Reflection: Next year, I am considering making a display using this awards list for patrons to reference. It would also be a good tool to bookmark on my computer at the circulation desk and refer to when creating my book order for the year.
Poetry
Research shows(elementary students):
- Kids prefer narrative poems
- Dislike free verse & haiku
- Rhyme, rhythm and sound devices are strong preferences
- They also like funny poems, familiar experiences, and animals
- Preference for contemporary poems
Criteria For Evaluating Poetry:
- Is the subject of the poem something which children would be familiar?
- Does the poem use imagery?
- Does the poem rhyme?
- How is rhythm used?
- What role does sound play?
Reflection: The most important point I took away from this chapter is that poetry can be enjoyable for students. We don’t have to find poems that talk down to students. Funny poems do not have to be labeled as childish. We can introduce students to different types of poetry, but starting with the types that they prefer may bring a more positive attitude to how kids view poetry.
Historical Fiction
It may be hard to specify what would be historical fiction to some people based on their age and perception since anything that has happened in the past is technically history.
Criteria For Evaluating Historical Fiction For Children
- Does the book tell a good story that effortlessly blends in history?
- Are the historical facts accurate?
- How are the values of the time brought to life?
- Is everything consistent with the social milieu?
- Does the theme of the story relate to contemporary readers?
