I have used the text Literature for Today's Young Adults again and again; the book was very thorough, and the background it gave about young adult literature helped me to understand the importance of using this genre in my classroom. I have used the booklists to find books that fit into certain genres or help students find a great book about a certain topic. For example, when my colleague and I prepared a unit on bullying, we used the list on Buddies and Bullies in Chapter 4. I have also used many of the ideas about using YA literature to create stronger reading and writing assignments. Notes I have made in the margins include: Good book questions to ask...; Good quote, could use when writing short stories or narratives; and NOTE TO ME: Don't forget to look at humor in literary analysis.
-- Shelly Shaffer, Brimhall Junior High School, Mesa, Arizona
Literature for Today's Young Adults has served as a wonderfully useful resource in my role as both a practicing teacher and teacher educator. During my first year of teaching, I dedicated myself to reading every title listed on the Honor List to enhance my familiarity with texts available to teen readers. In the university classroom, I regularly draw upon the censorship materials to help students engage in preemptive behaviors to ward off the likeliness of such attacks and know how to best respond should they arise.
-- Wendy Glenn, University of Connecticut
My field is ESL and I took Dr. Nilsen's course in an effort to learn new ways of engaging international students in the world of literature as I aimed to develop their reading and writing skills in English. I found that Nilsen's Literature for Today's Young Adults serves me well not only as a guide and reference but as a rich source of insight into American culture and modern English literature for young people.
--Thomas Washington, American English and Culture Program, Arizona State University
Teachers need a good resource library which will enable them to teach to all students across varied interests and literacies. I use VideoHound to find films, and Literature for Today's Young Adults to find YA books.
--Stacy Graber, Desert Vista High School, Tempe
I purchased the 7th edition of Literature for Today's Young Adults in 2007, and I still refer to it four years later, as I prepare for my English methods courses and as I write and review articles. The pages are bookmarked, dog-eared, highlighted, and annotated, and the book itself holds a prominent place on my shelf so that it is easily accessible to me and my students.
-- Katie Mason, Wichita State University
All librarians working with teens should have Literature for Today's Young Adults on their reference shelf. As a middle school librarian, I relied on the Honor List to build a collection of the best reading material for my students. When I moved to a university library, I used the book as a guide in the creation of a collection of young adult e-books for future English teachers. Literature for Today's Young Adults continues to be my number one resource for young adult literature collection development.
-- Ann Dutton Ewbank,Arizona State University