In this article we discuss the respective roles of young adult literature and literary texts in the secondary level English Language Arts classroom and explore the connections that can be made between popular young adult books and the traditional canon. We provide examples showing how young adult literature bestsellers such as "The Book Thief," "Looking for Alaska," "Smile," "Eleanor & Park," and "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" can be paired with canonical texts such as "The Catcher in the Rye," "Lord of the Flies," "Little Women," "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Death of a Salesman," and "Night." Furthermore, we provide a rationale that teachers can use with secondary level colleagues and administrators to support the use of young adult literature in the secondary English classroom.