Product Description

Young adult (or YA) literature and publishing are not simply flourishing. They represent perhaps the fastest-growing field of all. With graphic novels and so-called crossover works like the Harry Potter series selling in the tens of millions, the field of YA literature is one of the most dynamic and exciting in the U.S. and Canada. YA is increasingly an international phenomenon as well. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Young Adult Literature is the only reference guide to this phenomenon in any language. It is a collaborative effort by 200 authorities who contribute some 650 original, signed entries. These key contributors include: Michael Cart, Ken Donelson, Danny Fingeroth Ted Hipple, Teri Lesesne, Alleen Nilsen, Hazel Rochman, Stephanie Svirin, and many others. (Some are subjects of entries themselves.) Among the authors and educators written about are: Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Chris Crutcher, Will Eisner, James Cross Giblin, Karen Hesse, S. E. Hinton, Robert Lipsyte, Lois Lowry, Linda Sue Park, Gary Paulsen, Richard Peck, Philip Pullman, Louise Rosenblatt, J. K. Rowling, Art Spiegelman, Dorothy Strickland, J. R. R. Tolkien, and many others. A considerable effort is made to include authors and graphic-novel artists who are not found in any other reference work on adult or children’s literature. Another special feature is the topical article. These often include up-and-coming figures that are not covered in their own entry. There are 75 topical articles, including African American Literature; Asian American Literature; Australian Literature; Canadian Literature; Crossovers; Death and Dying; Fantasy; Feminist Fairy Tales; The Graphic Novel; Harry Potter – “Not Just for Kids Anymore”; Horror; Latina/Latino Literature; The Lord of the Rings and Beyond; New Zealand Literature; Science Fiction and Crossovers; Superheroes of the 1960s and Stan Lee; Witches and Dragons; Tween and Teen; Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow; and others. For easy reference, The Continuum Encyclopedia of Young Adult Literature features an appendix listing major-award winners as well as an index of names cross-referenced to entries where applicable.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2055712 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-02
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 2.04" h x 7.32" w x 10.24" l, 3.99 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 784 pages

From School Library Journal
The remarkable growth of YA literature in recent years is evident in this massive one-volume encyclopedia. The 800 signed entries, written by 200 contributors, include author profiles, trends, and topical articles covering the usual genre designations and a few newer ones, such as Chick Lit and Urban Legends. Michael Cart's overview of YA literature affords a fine historical perspective of the field; Will Eisner's cogent piece on graphic novels is followed by an article on graphic novels in libraries chronicling the recent trend for acceptance. Other pieces seem oddly out-of-place. An article entitled A Meditation of Writing Landscape, excerpted from a forthcoming book by Jane Yolen, is directed toward writers rather than critical readers, and has no corresponding discussion of plot, character, or theme. An article entitled Beyond Harry Potter seems to have been lifted out of context from a listserv discussion. A booklist entitled rather grandly The Top Dozen Favorite YA Books turns out to be an eclectic list of 12 favorite titles compiled by one student. The wide variety of authors covered includes luminaries such as Cormier, Hinton, and Blume as well as relative newcomers to the field, but there is no standardization of bibliographic references, and there are many inconsistencies and errors. The varying length of the articles is often puzzling: a piece on Daniel Pinkwater is given twice the space as one on Philip Pullman. The list of contributors contains many professors, librarians, and experts in the field, but also a large number of students whose grasp of the subjects assigned to them often seems tenuous. The appendix contains highly useful lists of book awards with Web sites for further research. However, a final list of Best of the Best YA Books–By Preconference doesn't explain which preconference or when it took place. Given the sheer volume of material covered, a stronger editorial hand was needed for overall clarity and accuracy. Still, nothing else of this scope is currently available, and the book could be a useful tool if the information is checked against other sources.–Connie Rockman, Stratford (CT) Library Association
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The editors of this volume have concentrated their efforts on the widening field of young adult literature, its authors, and related topics. More than 650 signed entries, arranged alphabetically, provide information on young adult authors and others of importance in the field, and also include topical articles that deal with thematic material, including genres and international YA literature. Several pages of photographs of selected authors are found in the center of the volume.

The length of the entries varies based on the subject's perceived importance. Coverage extends to some adult and children's authors who have a minimal relationship to YA literature, authors studied in high-school literature courses, and obscure personalities not easily found in other resources. The approximately 95 topical articles run the gamut from Chick lit (and chick movies and television shows) to YA literature in New Zealand. The best articles are those written by a topic's experts, such as Will Eisner's article, The Graphic Novel, and James Cross Giblin's Informational Books: An Author's Point of View. Several gems might be lost to the reader because of their esoteric titles (e.g., Jane Yolen's A Meditation on Writing Landscape). There is no indexing that would direct readers to these types of entries, since indexing is by author only. The thematic entries are, however, listed in the volume's front matter.

Cross-references embedded in the text are highlighted by the use of all capital letters. An extensive appendix lists book award winners and includes Web sites and "Best" lists. We found several small errors (for example, Lindsay instead of Lindsey, Stebenow instead of Stabenow). Although this title will be useful as a desk reference for the young adult librarian, the comprehensive coverage of topics and people makes it equally appropriate for the serious student of YA literature. Rochelle Glantz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
The publication of this first-ever encyclopedia of young adult literature provides not only an indispensable and comprehensive companion to the genre but also offers compelling evidence that YA has, at last, come of age as a literary form deserving of study and critical examination. Bravo! --Michael Cart

"This welcome encyclopedia is for anyone with a serious interest in the unique and lasting impact YA literature has made and continues to make." --Judy Blume

" In total, thereare 800 A-to-Z articles (written by some 200 contributors), ranging inlength from half a column to ten pages. Featured are author entries on thelikes of Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Ernesto Bethancourt, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, C.S. Lewis, and J.K. Rowling (though, surprisingly, V.C. Andrews has been omitted) and topical entries ranging from "Harry Potter: Not Just for Kids Anymore" and "Harry Potter Poem/Story" to "The Graphic Novel," "Recent Trends in YA Literature," and "Review Journals." Accurate and well written, these entries are impressive in quality as well as range.Bottom Line: Reading like a combination of NYPL's Books for the Teen Age and snippets from a basic YA textbook for MSLstudents covering topics and concerns of interest to YA specialists, this unique resource makes for a solid addition to academic libraries supporting YA literature courses or teacher education programs." -Laurie Selwyn, Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX (Laurie Selwyn, Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX Library Journal )

“…will be the first to cover comprehensively what remains the fastest-growing field of the publishing industry.” –Library Journal, August 2005 (Library Journal )

"While this title will be useful as a desk reference for the young adult librarian, the comprehensive coverage of topics and people makes it equally appropriate for the serious student of YA literature." — Booklist, January 1, 2006