At first glance, any connection between professional wrestling and school-based literacy practices might seem far-fetched, or incongruous at best. This seeming incongruity, however, is what intrigues the authors most. It is also what drives them to wonder if governmental and media sources that regularly proclaim a crisis in literacy achievements…

Notes that adolescent readers view characters in young adult novels as living and wrestling with real problems close to their own life experiences as teens. Reviews recent studies related to teaching literature and adolescent identity construction. Offers a framework teachers can use to initiate discussions based on critical literacy in their own…