Tag Archives: Title A
About David By Susan Beth Pfeffer
He didn’t think there was any other way… I have not compiled any statistics, but my general impression is that as YA fiction moved out of the 1970s and into the 80s, the subject matter tended less toward shock value … Continue reading
And This Is Laura By Ellen Conford
Is Laura’s talent for seeing into the future a gift or a curse? Like her contemporary, Lois Duncan, Ellen Conford takes a rather casual attitude towards teenagers with psychic powers. Instead of focusing on suspense, however, Conford largely focuses on … Continue reading
The Accident By Todd Strasser
Four of his friends are dead. Only Jason survives…. Background: Todd Strasser has been writing YA novels for over 30 years, spanning such topical issues as Angel Dust, school shootings, and abuses at “boot camps” for juvenile delinquents. However, he is … Continue reading
Ann Landers Talks to Teen-Agers About Sex
The cover pretty much says it all: this is going to be plain-spoken, straight-talking advice delivered from Ms. Landers with a witty smirk. Background: “Ann Landers” as the world thinks of her was born in 1955, when Esther Lederer took … Continue reading
The Amboy Dukes By Irving Shulman
Irving Shulman’s novel about delinquent Jewish teenagers in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn was a publishing sensation upon its release in 1947, selling five million copies. It was also widely condemned as “pornographic” and reportedly banned altogether in Canada. Almost … Continue reading
Agnes Nixon’s All My Children Book I: Tara & Philip By Rosemarie Santini
An Annoying Autobiographical Pause: For years I was fascinated with every aspect of daytime soaps, except actually watching them: the visual grammar (Everyone has a hair-halo!) the narrative constructs (Why does a single conversation take all week, while a transatlantic … Continue reading
Angel Face By Norma Klein
Norma Klein often shares space with Judy Blume on the American Library Association’s list of “most frequently challenged or banned books”; Blume was in fact the editor of an anthology that featured banned and challenged authors, including Klein. But while … Continue reading
Swept Away #8: All Shook Up By Eileen Goudge
Background: When last we met teenaged girl-genius Ashley Calhoun, she sent her best friend Louise “Lou” Greenspan back in time to break up her 16 year old mother’s romance with a no-good hippie, watch The Who at Woodstock for like … Continue reading
Lost Classics of Teen Lit: 1939-1989 