Chapters 7 & 8 of YAL in the 21st Century

*The end is near!  I graduate May 15!  I have so much work to do before then!*

I love the tables of book suggestions in this text.  I always flip forward and read those first before I read the rest of the chapter, just to see how many of the suggestions I've read and to get a general feel of what I should expect from the chapter.

Chapter 7 is titled "Mysteries, Thriller, and Horror," and this is a chapter I needed to read.  I have lots of kids ask for scary suggestions, and I usually have to defer them to the librarian.  I am someone who HATES being scared, so I stay away from scary books. (I try to stay away from scary movies, but my husband is a horror addict, so sometimes I get roped into watching them.) 

This chapter talked a little about why people like to be scared, but I still think those people are nuts.  Being scared is a terrible feeling.  I don't like feeling terrible. 

the exception to this is The Shining because it
is a work of genius.

Anyway.  For those who do enjoy feeling terrible, I now have a list of options.  One thing I really enjoy about this text is that all the books they recommend have literary merit.  I'm familiar with most of the authors, even if I haven't read the texts.  Furthermore, the tables are broken into sections for younger, older, and mature teens. 

Near the end of the chapter, Cole writes a section on inferential thinking and metacognition that has some helpful suggestions for getting students to make inferences.  I plan to try her think aloud strategies such as read, infer, share and also Kelly Gallagher's strategy of word scramble.

Chapter 8 is over science fiction and fantasy, another weak spot for me.  Cole breaks down many sub-genres such as "space operas, cyberpunk, and other science fiction adventures" and "genetics, DNA, and cloning."  I love the idea of finding a topic students are interested in and being able to recommend several books they might enjoy. 

She again gives reading strategies, this time visualizing strategies.  I appreciate the section on visualizing nonfiction since the Common Core is so heavy on NF.  Furthermore, she suggests vocabulary strategies since many science fiction books tend to be heavy on new words. 

Next up: short stories and non fiction.  I'm excited to get suggestions here, as the last book I need to read for this class is one from that genre.