Introduction
A major obstacle presented to many teachers is a student's reluctance to read. So, how do we create an enthusiastic reader? This annotated bibliography focuses on literature that could peak even the most unenticed young adult's interest in reading. Though there may be multiple opinions towards an adolescent's reluctance to read, the ideas of Walter Dean Myers best reflect the spirit of this annotated bibliography. According to Myers, young adults who present a reluctance towards reading must have a "discomfiture with the reading process." There are two main processes involved in reading. First, a reader must decode the words, phrases, sentences, and various meanings within a text. Second, a reader must 'own,' or be able to personalize, the central meaning presented by the text. By mastering both parts of the process, reading "becomes pleasurable and a lifelong reader is created. Until then reading is only a chore and, to many, only another opportunity to fail" (Myers, pg. 36). In order to assist in the enjoyment and understanding of the reading process, teachers must offer students texts that are both fitting to their use of language and societal perceptions. By allotting opportunities to create more personal connections with texts, teachers may support the growth in students' interests towards reading.
Through this annotated bibliography, fellow teachers and educators may discover texts that could aid in helping students find an interest in reading. Some texts may be best used for individual students while others could be implemented within a unit that is supported by a theme or concept. The contemporary nature of the books included in this annotated bibliography may also help teachers keep up to date with the most popular and current young adult reading selections. Choices such as TTYL, Gossip Girls, and Fanfiction.net, reach out to the emailing, texting, blogging, instant messaging and otherwise technologically connected youth in today's school systems. While TTYL and Gossip Girls depend on instant messaging and blogging formats to illustrate a story, Fanfiction.net utilizes the internet to allow young authors to post their written works of fiction. Though other options in this bibliography do not rely on the format of instant messaging or blogging, they still pin-point popular interests in today's adolescent world. In Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian and Pretty Little Liars the diversity within the lives of young adults comes alive through the protagonists' experiences with growing up and dealing with a variety of aspects including disability, social and economic class, love, heartbreak, abandonment, identity, and friendship. Last, but certainly not least, The Hunger Games and Switched refer to more futuristic, paranormal and fantastic teenage worlds. Although the settings or characters, post-apocalyptic North America and trolls, may be unfamiliar to contemporary adolescents' real lives they still accentuate popular themes involving identity, forbidden love, politics, and power. Hopefully, with the variety in the selection of books I have chosen for this annotated bibliography, there is a text that will catch your interest and be useful in your classroom!
Myers, Walter Dean. (2005). Writing for the uninspired reader. English Journal, 94(3), 36-38.
Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian
Alexie, Sherman. (2007). Absolutely true diary of a part time Indian. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.
Through Arnold Spirit, a boy living with his family on an Indian reservation, we see the culmination of the struggles a teenager must deal with growing up. Along with the typical teen problems, the author also includes issues surrounding racism, disability, socioeconomic status, and culture. Torn between two very different life paths, Arnold struggles to maintain a life both on and off the reservation. Unfortunately, leaving the reservation is viewed negatively by most of the community, especially Arnold's best-friend Rowdy. Though he still has the support of his family, Arnold finds himself lost in his more promising life off the reservation. After joining his new school, an all-white population, Arnold realizes a loss of identity and friendship.
With an upbeat, spit-fire tone, the reader follows Arnold Spirit through his struggles and is subsequently allowed into his train of thought. In this way the reader is able to maintain a personal connection to the story, even if one has never had to cope with such experiences. As the novel comes to a close, Arnold does seem to find himself again while rekindling some lost relationships and building new ones. Simultaneously, the resilience and spirit shown throughout the story shines a sense of empowerment and value onto the teenage years.
Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The hunger games. New York, NY: Scholastic.
In the nation of Panem, a post-apocalyptic version of North America, we follow 16 year old Katniss Everdeen as she struggles for the survival of both herself and her family. With bow and arrow in hand, Katniss is an experienced hunter from District 12, one of the 12 oppressed and outlying districts surrounding the Capitol of Panem. Every year, the Capitol forces each district to send one boy and one girl to participate in the hunger games. During the hunger games, the 24 randomly selected teenagers compete in a brutal, gladiator-style fight to the death– all of which is televised live for viewing by all of Panem's residents. While acting as entertainment for Capitol's residents, the hunger games works as a reminder to the District residents of the totalitarian government's ultimate power.
Katniss's fight for survival and killing instincts come into play as she steps in to take the place of her sister in the hunger games. The story's twists and turns deepen as our main character is met by Peeta Mellark, a baker's son who is also participating in the hunger games in representation of District 12. As a cake decorator and bit of a softy, Peeta exemplifies characteristics much the opposite to his co-tribute. Even still, Peeta has a great infatuation for Katniss which is where things get complicated in The Hunger Games. While the competition proceeds, Katniss and Peeta begin to win over the audiences by embellishing the hunger games' storyline with an on-camera romance between the two of them. Though the strategy is effective, confusion takes over as the cameras stop rolling and it is difficult to tell what's real and what's not. In order to survive, Katniss must measure humanity vs. survival and life vs. love.
Reading like a fast-paced movie, this book touches on all the contemporary aspects of reality TV shows and our celebrity-obsessed culture. With this close connection to current pop-culture, most of today's adolescents are more than eager to find out who gets kicked off the island (well in this book's context, killed) or what happens between the beloved couple (in this book's case Katniss and Peeta). Further correlations can be discovered by discussing some of the most popular video games. Through popular X-box games, such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, young adults (as well as many older adults and most likely underage users) have the option to simulate a life of kill or be killed from the safety of their own home.
Fanfiction.net. Retrieved from http://www.fanfiction.net/.
The Fanfiction.net website offers a space for readers to create alterations or extensions to their favorite texts. These texts encompass a variety of forms such as anime, books, cartoons, comics, games, movies, plays, and TV. For the purpose of this bibliography, a focus is put on the books section. Under the books section on the Fanfiction.net website there is an array of rewritten or extended versions in young adult literature that span from the 'classics' to the most recent contemporary texts. These texts can be sorted by level of popularity by clicking the "popularity" button. The most popular literary choices are listed beginning with number one at the top, far left column. Starting with Harry Potter, the list continues with Twilight and Lord of the Rings, which are then followed shortly after by Chronicles of Narnia, Gossip Girl, Outsiders, and Hunger Games.
With this website, young adults are able to further their interests in their favorite choices in literature. Not only can adolescents read what their peers have created, but they can also participate by writing their own creative works of literature. Additionally, contributors to this site are able to write, with an alias if desired, for an large audience instead of just for a teacher or personal enjoyment. A few reasons why adolescents enjoy participating in this type of text involves the freedom of creativity within story development. While young adults may already enjoy a certain text, such as Twilight, they often have ideas of their own for how the story should end or who should be included in the character list. This source is the spot that allows this type of interaction with popular literature.
Fanfiction.net is a resource that can spark or further a reluctant reader's interest in a variety of texts. Though the books section is highlighted for the purpose of this bibliography, young adults may also reach out to other genres on the website that are listed in the first paragraph. Adolescents may find this website to be a turn from an unenthusiastic approach to reading to a growing appreciation and enjoyment for reading and writing. This resource could be used as a tool for the classroom in order to offer a larger audience for writers and present an alternative option for students read works that are similar to popular or current literature.
Hocking, Amanda. (2011). Switched. Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
Even from birth, Wendy Everly was not who she was supposed to be. Because Wendy was not Micheal, the baby boy her mother was meant to give birth to and take home from the hospital, her mother refused to name her. Instead Wendy was given her name by Matt, her older brother who was obsessed with Peter Pan at the time. The resentment from Wendy's mother continues when, on Wendy's sixth birthday, her mother attacks her with a knife claiming that Wendy is a monster who did something with Michael.
After eleven years of being raised by Matt and her Aunt Maggie, while her mother lived in an asylum, Wendy begins to see that her mother may have been right. The story unfolds quickly as Wendy, with the help of Finn Holmes, discovers she is a Trylle–a type of troll (without the stereotypes of ugliness and living under bridges). Brought into a whole new world, Wendy meets her real family while learning about her status as a Trylle Princess and the mental powers of most Trylles. As the storyline proceeds, Wendy is unsure if this new world is one she wants to be part of.
Just as the excitement is getting started, Switched is brought to an end and then picked up in the subsequent two books of the trilogy. Therefore, young adults may continue the story by reading Torn and Ascend also by Amanda Hocking. This book has the ability to draw the interest of uninspired readers who may enjoy a storyline that includes supernatural powers, forbidden love, and fantasy. In addition to matters of love, friendships, and growing up Switched also offers the opportunity to discuss issues about identity and belonging. With these great connections to current adolescent lives Switched should not only be on the shelves of your classroom and offered as suggestions to students, but also considered as a tool to open up whole class discussions about concepts or ideas within a themed unit.
Myracle, Lauren. (2006). Ttyl. New York, NY: Amulet Books.
In this drama filled book the lives of three teenaged best friend girls, Maddie (madmaddie), Angela (SnowAngel), and Zoe (zoegirl), are illustrated completely through instant messages. As their stories of love and heartache unfold, the three young adults discover the difficulties involved with growing up. Tenth grade proves to be a challenge as first loves arise along with new acquaintances, which could threaten the winsome threesome's tight nit friendship. Encounters with boys, parental control, math pains, and efforts to be popular all contribute to the context of the accumulated instant messages. Through abbreviated words and phrases, characteristic of instant messaging, the three girls struggle to maintain support for one another while simultaneously attempting to figure out their own individual social lives.
With a humorous and fast-paced manner, this book is very contemporary in both format and context. Those interested in reading texts that differ from the traditional format may greatly enjoy this book. Currently, young adults are interacting with a growing amount of possibilities to communicate; such as calling, texting, IMing, emailing, updating a Facebook status, posting, Tweeting, blogging, and sometimes writing notes with pen and paper or talking in person. By participating in these assorted methods of communication adolescents are conversing through diverse forms of language. Young adults must use their decoding skills, and therefore knowledge of the contemporary society, in order to comprehend the intricate abbreviations of words and phrases used in modern systems of the English language to read this book. Because TTYL tunes into this system it therefore allows most adolescents to make an immediate connection to their lives and understanding of a text.
The quick interactions, format, and descriptive manner of the conversations between the characters in this story make TTYL a book that veers away from the norm. This would be a choice that could make the unenticed adolescent an avid reader. What's more, because this book is the first in a series the reader can continue with the same storyline–making TTYL a great place for any uninspired reader to begin enjoying the reading process! Though this text could be used in the classroom to talk about themes surrounding the essence of pop-culture, TTYL could be best used to discuss various forms of writing in pop-culture. A class that is concentrating on the diverse structures of contemporary writing, possibly in comparison to 'classic' forms of writing, could use TTYL to look at modern techniques of grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Shepard, Sara. (2007). Pretty little liars. New York, NY: HarperTeen. 
Alison, Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer were best friends. But, after Alison mysteriously disappeared during a slumber party on their last day of seventh grade, the remaining four girls drifted apart. Though the four Rosewood, Pennsylvania girls mourned the loss of their best friend, and leader, each of them felt safer knowing that Alison was out of the picture. For everyone has secrets, and each of the four girls guarded a secret that only Alison had known.
Now, three years later the four girls are juniors in the same high school, but leading very separate and pleasant lives. While still plagued by the secrets they shared with Alison, they also have new dirty little secrets that they are trying to hide from their gossip-hungry world. So, when the four girls start receiving strange messages from someone named "A," the past threatens to ruin their perfect high school lives. "A" seems to know all of the girls' hidden secrets. The main question, is Alison back?
Themes of love, scandal, friendships, mystery, and identity throw this page-turner into the front of the line for many drama hungry teenagers. This book connects directly to current pop-culture as it is now a popular TV show. Just like a TV show, this book keeps the reader anxious to solve the underlying mysteries of who did or said what and what will happen next. An additional correlation is made to some of today's popular methods of communication, text messaging and emailing. As the messages must be pieced together, the reader is left in suspense while waiting for the next text or email from the mysterious "A." Though a general statement, many of today's youth seem to share an equivalent anticipation in their daily lives as texts and emails are often the main form of communication.
Incorporating this book into a classroom library would greatly enhance the options for reluctant readers to find an interesting text. The connection to modern culture creates an opportunity for many readers to find meaning without the process of decoding. Excerpt of this book could also be used for classroom discussions on appearance, stereotypes, friendships, and identity. For example, while one girl battles bulimia, all four struggle to maintain certain images and relationships. Though I would not suggest this as a book to read with an entire class, I may use it in literature circles or as a suggestion to individual students. Because Pretty Little Liars is the first of a series of books, students will have the chance to continue reading within the same storyline. This would therefore be a great starting point for any uninspired reader!
Ziegesar, Cecily von. (2002). Gossip girl. New York, NY: Alloy.
In this account of a ravishing, high-class, and scandalous teenage crowd in New York city we follow the narration of Gossip Girl, an anonymous teen living the luxurious life and exposing all the juicy details to her readers. As a new school year begins Blair is dumbfounded by the realization that her old time best friend, Serena, is back in the city. These two popular and high-fashioned girls used to be inseparable, but Serena always maintained a higher popularity status than Blair. As Serena arrives home from getting kicked out of boarding school, Blair is just starting to enjoy having all the star-light on her. Blair decides she will not let Serena take away her new reputation. She wants to be the most trendy and well-liked girl in New York City's Upper East Side, even if it means breaking a close friendship. While Serena spends most of the story questioning the changes that have occurred in her friendship, Blair is busy supporting gossip and spreading rumors that will destroy both the friendship and Serena's previously highly liked status.
Now both a series of books and television shows, Gossip Girl is one that touches on the pop-culture interests of adolescents. The fast-pace and catty nature of the narration keeps the reader in anticipation of what might happen next. In addition to the conversational illustration of the story, which contains frequent references to drugs and sex, the novel further relates to the popular culture of young adults through a blog that is used to convey part of Gossip Girl's storyline. With the style that this novel is written and association with popular culture, reluctant readers may be able to find their niche with the Gossip Girl series. From there student would be able to discover the enjoyment to reading instead of seeing it as a chore. A possibility for using this book to teach a secondary class would be to use it in conjunction with the theme of pop-culture or maybe even stereotypes. Still, this book may be best kept as an essential to have in the class library for students to read individually or in small groups.
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