Traces the 48-year history of the "white-life" novel in American literature and argues that these novels, written by black or other non white authors, conform to majority group tastes and expectations for reasons of attaining literary and financial success at the expense of denying the author's own heritage. Several literary works are…

Examines, via the multicultural feminist perspective, 16 young adult novels about non-white, non-American, or nonheterosexual characteristics concerning themes of oppression and resistance. Findings point to a greater variety of such themes than might have been found if only a liberal feminist lens had been used. (GR)

Presents an annotated bibliography of best new fiction for ages 11 to 13, determined by a team of San Francisco Bay Area librarians, middle school teachers, and middle school students. Includes remarks from middle school readers in most annotations. Presents two additional lists of books championed by middle school readers despite adult skepticism…

Discusses English-as-a-Second-Language book clubs for adult students, highlighting the benefits and describing the format. Reveals comprehension strategies used for discussion. (Author/VWL)

In merging social studies education with language arts, classroom teachers are utilizing selections of historical fiction to teach critical literacy skills while also meeting social studies standards. While most of the selections used for teaching history and social studies themes are strong in terms of literary merit, they may be deficient in…

This article contains a small selection of mathematical fiction chosen with the teaching of mathematics in secondary school in mind. However, an attempt is made to classify the works and provide a few ideas about how these items may be used by mathematics teachers, sometimes, but not necessarily, in collaboration with science and humanities…

Based on the Dyches and Prater (2000) guidelines, characterizations and plots in 34 eligible children's books published during 1999-2003 were evaluated; 36 characterizations are discussed in detail in terms of each guideline. Results showed that, compared to a previous study (Dyches, Prater, & Cramer, 2001), characters with developmental…

This chapter examines how the study of popular romantic fiction was used to transform students' understandings of the ways in which gendered identities are constructed and their perception of the way textual meanings are determined.

This paper attempts to draw attention to non-conventional but popular modes of transmitting scientific knowledge in Jesuit institutions in the 17th century. The particular case study focuses on a fictive dialogue between Galileo, Mersenne and Paulus Guldin on the power needed for moving the huge globe of the earth by mechanical means. The dialogue…

Recently some writers and scholars have complained that the academy, particularly American Indian Studies (AIS) programs, gives too much attention to American Indian literature while ignoring scholarly works that focus on the pressing needs of American Indian communities in the areas of economic development, social justice, and sovereignty, among…

Designed to help teachers, students, and parents identify engaging and insightful books for young adults, this book presents annotations of over 1,000 books published between 1990 and 1994. The book begins with a foreword by award-winning author Jerry Spinelli that tells students why they should read. Annotations in the book are grouped by subject…

This reference book includes 51 alphabetically arranged entries about writers of multicultural fiction for young adults. Each entry consists of a biographical introduction to the author, an overview of his or her major young adult works, a section on the critical reception of the author's writings, a bibliography of works by the author, and a…

A study expanded on earlier research into "envisionment," defined as "a personal text-world embodying all the reader understands, assumes, or imagines up to that point in the reading," in learners of English as a second language (ESL). Five Mexican engineering students performed think-aloud protocols while reading a short…

Taking off from the theme that makes Laurence Yep such a popular and beloved young adult author--the outsider seeking identity and connection in a strange, foreign world--this study of Yep's most important works shows how his experiences as a Chinese American in San Francisco fill his stories with firsthand knowledge of what it is like to be an…

This handbook has been guiding writers through the writing process for many years, helping them every step of the way, from getting ideas to getting published. In 110 chapters, the revised and updated 1996 edition presents the practical side of how to write and sell novels, short stories, articles, nonfiction books, poetry, and drama. The 3,000…