Children's Literature and Culture

"Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults is the first study devoted to this increasingly popular genre of literature for young readers focused on the question of ideal social organization. The collection defines and explores the category of utopian writing and its thematic conventions, offering detailed case studies of individual, works from the eighteenth century to the present day. Ten critical essays, all appearing here for the first time, discuss how imaginary worlds are created, how characters travel there, and how these worlds function as perfect or radically imperfect societies. All address the pedagogical implications of writing that challenges children to grapple with questions of social organization, individual autonomy, and just governance. In addition to critical analyses, the volume includes essays by leading contemporary authors of utopian fiction - James Gurney, Monica Hughes, and Katherine Paterson - as well as an exclusive interview with Lois Lowry, whose award-winning novel The Giver has generated ardent response from adults and children alike. The collection concludes with an annotated bibliography of primary sources, a valuable tool for those readers who wish to pursue further this pioneering exploration."--Jacket.

"From the jaded, wired teenagers of M.T. Anderson's Feed to the spirited young rebels of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy, the protagonists of Young Adult dystopias are introducing a new generation of readers to the pleasures and challenges of dystopian imaginings. As the dark universes of YA dystopias continue to flood the market, Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults: Brave New Teenagers offers a critical evaluation of the literary and political potentials of this widespread publishing phenomenon. With its capacity to frighten and warn, dystopian writing powerfully engages with our pressing global concerns: liberty and self-determination, environmental destruction and looming catastrophe, questions of identity and justice, and the increasingly fragile boundaries between technology and the self. When directed at young readers, these dystopian warnings are distilled into exciting adventures with gripping plots and accessible messages that may have the potential to motivate a generation on the cusp of adulthood. This collection enacts a lively debate about the goals and efficacy of YA dystopias, with three major areas of contention: do these texts reinscribe an old didacticism or offer an exciting new frontier in children's literature? Do their political critiques represent conservative or radical ideologies? And finally, are these novels high-minded attempts to educate the young or simply bids to cash in on a formula for commercial success? This collection represents a prismatic and evolving understanding of the genre, illuminating its relevance to children's literature and our wider culture.".