From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics

The literary classics that are traditionally required in grades 7-12 are often too complex and removed from adolescent experience. This highly readable guide, from a classroom teacher and one of the nation's leading authorities on young adult literature, shows teachers and school librarians how to use young adult literature as a bridge to the classics to help students become more critical and enthusiastic readers. Innovative thematic connectors link quality young adult novels, many of them multicultural, to the 12 most frequently taught works of literature. Extensive annotated lists of additional works of young adult literature complement each of these 12 classics. Herz and Gallo also show how young adult books can be incorporated into other subject classes.