How YA Lit is Challenging the Canon

There is magic in that moment when you pick up a book and transport into the narrative. The reader becomes a part of the story. I remember that moment. I was in sixth grade, and Tolkein hooked me. The Hobbit was my constant companion as I journeyed along with Bilbo, Gandalf, and even, Gollum. Bilbo Baggins lived a quiet life reading and writing, but was always eager for news of the world outside the Shire. I grew up in a small town in Vermont with no paved roads, and farms for miles. I could always be found with a book or a journal daydreaming about traveling the world. Bilbo was a kindred soul.

It is in these moments readers are forged. Unfortunately, so much of schooling has stolen this identity from young people. In a world where we experience school shootings, practice lockdown drills regularly, and grapple with identity, classic literature does not always provide the necessary spark to help young people through these choppy waters. Enter Young Adult Literature. For as long as I have taught, YA Lit has gotten the reputation of being fluff, not of “literary merit.” It did not have a place in the canon and was reserved for out-of-school entertainment. I did not accept this assertion. I was not alone.

Young Adult literature is such an important part of school libraries. Teenagers can be very hard to understand or reach. Offering them books they can see themselves in and apply to their lives helps them understand their own choices. I want to read books that have an impact on me. Madison M. (former student of Carrie Honaker)

Teachers across the country are taking the initiative to make YA Lit accessible to all of their students. One such program is Project LIT. Taken from the blog Booksource Banter, Project LIT is “a national, grassroots literacy movement, a network of dedicated teachers and students who are committed to increasing access to culturally relevant books and promoting a love of reading in our schools and communities.” Josh Thomspon, a teacher at Blacksburg High School in Virginia, started a Project LIT chapter at his school after noticing some mentions on Twitter. I reached out to Thompson for some thoughts on YA Lit and Project LIT.

Carrie Honaker: I have followed your journey with Project Lit for a while and was wondering if you could describe what it is, how you got involved, and how it has changed your classroom?

Josh Thompson: My involvement in Project LIT was serendipitous. One night, I saw people tweeting about daily independent reading and YA books using the hashtag #ProjectLITChat. I was like, “These are my people.” And I started participating in the chats. From there, I’ve attended two Project LIT Summits in Nashville, TN (where Project LIT was born) and have worked with students at my high school to establish our own chapter. 

Being in Project LIT has helped me make my classroom an even more student-centered space, especially with daily independent reading. It has also introduced me to phenomenal educators who inspire and encourage me. I’ve gotten many ideas and sparks of creativity from them. I’ve also been able to develop relationships with Project LIT authors, which students love to know and help me build even more student engagement.

CH: Why is YA Lit important to you as a teacher? 

JT: The books really resonate with students. They’re engaging. They’re written for them. I often think about Jason Reynolds’ statement that he writes for kids; he does it in service to them. That’s one reason why I think it just works. For students who are voracious readers, getting them into a book is usually easy. But it can be more difficult for more discerning readers. I have so many success stories, though, because of YA books. Most recently, a student who told me that he wasn’t a reader and never finished a book in his life picked up Nic Stone’s Dear Martin and couldn’t put it down. Since then, he has read Odd One Out (also by Nic Stone) and added other YA books with similar themes to his TBR list. 

Another reason why I love using YA lit in the classroom is because these books tackle current social issues in understandable ways for students. As an antibias, antiracist (ABAR) teacher, it’s critical that my students reflect on and interrogate issues and how they are connected to systems of oppression. YA lit is rich with these topics of discussion. 

CH: As a public high school teacher, resources were always an issue. I became particularly good at writing grants for books. How do you continue to bring new titles into your own classroom and what advice would you give a teacher wanting to implement the Project LIT model?

JT: I’ve written several DonorsChoose projects and applied for other grants, and, like many other teachers, I purchase books out of my own pocket. I’ve also been very lucky with winning free books from giveaways on Twitter and am fortunate to work in a school that allows me to purchase titles for my classroom library. And let’s not forget the power of our school libraries and librarians! I team up with mine all the time to bring in new titles for students. 

For a teacher looking to join the Project LIT Community, I would suggest following Project LIT Community on Twitter (@ProjectLITComm) and Facebook. Educators post resources there and are friendly and will respond to questions about getting books. For a teacher working in a Title I school, there’s also First Book. 

CH: I really admire your dedication to diversity and anti-racism in the curriculum. How do you integrate these ideas through works you teach, classroom policies and routines, and in the face of probable pushback from community or fellow teachers?

JT: Concerning curriculum, as an ABAR English educator who champions daily independent reading, I ensure that my classroom library represents the myriad identities of my students, as well as the world outside our classroom walls. I conduct an audit of my classroom library yearly to notice what voices and experiences are highlighted and those that are missing. And I make sure to use whole class texts that represent traditionally marginalized communities. My curricula are definitely not saturated with cisgender, straight white men. 

I also ask students to think about identities and how these texts represent them. In the beginning of the year or semester, we read and discuss Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” We talk about Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s notion of intersectionality. We read nonfiction texts that situate works within their sociocultural and sociopolitical contexts to analyze how systemic oppression affects us all. I believe in directly teaching these concepts and helping students develop the critical thinking, reading, and writing skills to be able to fight for an antiracist, liberated world. 

CH: How important is book choice to you and why?

JT: Book choice is everything to me. It is the heartbeat of my classroom. I believe that students are most engaged when they are doing or reading things they want to do or read. I believe in it because I see the results. I survey students every year or semester at the beginning and end of the course, and every year, students read more than they ever had before, and most students note an increase in their desire to read. So many students who have come into my classes not thinking of themselves as readers leave my classes with a more developed sense of themselves as readers.

YA Lit offers a relatable experience for teenagers. Authors create an action packed story that delves into real world questions, promotes problem solving, and inspires creativity. I love YA Lit because it feels like the authors are writing the novel for me. Lauren B. (former student of Carrie Honaker)

CH: I know you have done conference sessions and actively participate in PLCs online. There has always been pushback about YA Lit being of literary merit. What space in the canon does YA occupy and what role do you see Project LIT playing in that?

JT: The canon is a social construct. It has been historically used to uphold and perpetuate white supremacy. Thankfully, it seems that more and more, folx are reimagining it. At a conference, Nic Stone once said that the canon has to always have room to expand and allow new voices and experiences. I firmly believe what she says, and that place of expansion is where YA thrives. As more teachers incorporate YA lit into their curricula and allow for daily independent reading, we will socially construct a new canon. It’s happening now. A national, grassroots movement like Project LIT energizes this construction. At Project LIT book club meetings, students, teachers, parents, and community members have deep, powerful conversations about these YA texts, some of the same conversations teachers have with traditionally canonical texts. There shouldn’t be a traditionally-canonical-YA binary created; there’s no need for one. We need to see YA texts for the literary merit that they possess. 

If you travel the bookish world, it is apparent YA Lit is not just for teenagers. There are many devoted adult fans, including this girl. Stories that capture our struggles, leave us questioning, and rooting for the character we see ourselves in are timeless, whether it is the narrator of Ellison’s Invisible Man grappling with a society that does not accept him, or Melinda from Laurie Halse Anderson’s seminal novel Speak dealing with the aftermath of violence and finding security in silence. Both journeys are relatable to people young and old. The power of story is that it names our human condition, and gives us a mirror to recognize and grapple with it. YA Lit fits the bill.

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