Getting colleagues hooked on YA titles is a great way to reach kids

When I joined Merton Williams Middle School three years ago, the most common complaint I heard from teachers was, "I wish I could read and talk about young adult literature to my students." Don't get me wrong, most of our seventh- and eighth-grade students loved to read and were exposed to a variety of classics. It's just that previous media specialists tended to choose more traditional fiction for their collection, and my teaching colleagues were so caught up with trying to meet the rigorous standards of No Child Left Behind that they just focused on familiar, tried-and-true books. Other teachers were simply unaware of the latest young adult novels, such as Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging (HarperCollins, 2000) by Louise Rennison, and didn't realize that I was the perfect person to turn to for advice. That's when I decided to launch "Getting Acquainted with Young Adult Literature," a book club geared specifically toward teachers. It was the perfect way to familiarize all of our teachers with contemporary young adult literature—and ultimately expose hundreds of students to these wonderful titles.

Since it was obvious to me that the value of these books extended beyond English teachers' classrooms, I made sure to send e-mail messages and flyers to all of my colleagues—everyone from social studies and science teachers to special education instructors. I went out of my way to explain that books that fit into certain genres, such as Soldier Boys (Atheneum, 2001) by Dean Hughes, could easily be tied to a social studies or history lesson, and that books like Out of the Dust (Scholastic, 1999) by Karen Hesse would enhance any English lesson. Within a week, I had more than a dozen teachers clamoring to join my group—enough to convince my district to turn the club into a staff-development course in which participants could earn in-service credits. It didn't hurt that the book club met all of New York's state standards for reading, critical analysis, and literacy.

Keenly aware of the limited time on everyone's schedules, I organized monthly hourlong gatherings in the media center after school and asked participants to read the books beforehand on their own time. We decided that each teacher would read a different book in order to expose the group to as many new titles as possible. I recommended Printz and Newbery award winners and Voice of Youth Advocates' Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers, as well as frequently challenged titles and books that dealt with controversial topics. By reading controversial books, our staff became better equipped to justify why a challenged title should remain on our library shelves. I also scoured professional journals and Web sites, and attended Scholastic book fairs to find the latest and most exciting YA books. As a result, Spanish and social studies teachers now use Esperanza Rising (Scholastic, 2001) by Pam Muñoz Ryan to supplement lessons on Hispanic culture and history.

The discussions in each of my sessions are always lively, as we consider ways to engage students in reading and explore strategies for integrating titles into lessons. The Giver (Houghton, 1993) by Lois Lowry, for example, was added to an eighth-grade lesson on the Holocaust because it deals with issues of conformity and diversity. And teachers find themselves enjoying books that they normally wouldn't read. One language arts teacher who read Among the Hidden (S & S, 1998) by Margaret Peterson Haddix told me she had never before picked up a science-fiction novel and that she planned to read the entire series.

Those in my group now feel a sense of ownership in the library's fiction collection. They've gained confidence in recommending YA titles to their students and using them to supplement classroom lessons. My book club has exposed my colleagues to the exciting world of contemporary YA literature, but, more importantly, that enthusiasm has trickled down to our students. The idea is simple, but the rewards are large.