Library & Information Science, Course 262: Resources for Young Adults.
Dr. David Loertscher
Summer 2002

w1af

YA Authors

General Lists

• A growing number of YA authors are starting to have web pages. The list at Yahoo is a good start. Sample authors include: Avi, Cherie Bennett, Judy Blume, Robert Cormier, Christopher Pike, etc.

• Twentieth Century Young Adult Authors (w1g) is a list of American Authors recommended in The Young Adult's Readerís Advisor published by R.R. Bowker in 1992.

• A good list to test your knowledge of YA authors and the type of material they are best known for is: The 100 Most Popular Young Adult Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies (w1v) by Bernard A. Drew and published by Libraries Unlimited, 1996.

• Professional article (w1az.pdf): McElmeel, Sharron and Lin Buswell. "Readers' Choices: The Most Important Authors of Books for Young Adults," The Book Report, January/February, 1998, p. 23-24. - two lists of authors are presented here: most recongnized authors of books for YAs and most important authors writing for an older audience but widely read by young adults. Topping the first list is Stine and Poe for the second list.

 

Multicultural Authors

• African American Authors (w1h) - a short list to know.

• Hispanic Authors(w1i) - a short list to know.

• Asian American Authors(w1j) - a short list to know.

Biographical Sources:

• Hipple, Ted, ed. Writers for Young Adults. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1997. Courtesy of the publisher, a sample entry for Richard Peck is given here. (w1an.PDF) -- An excellent newer source for biographical sketches and bibliographies by and about the author.

• Loertscher, David V. Biographical Index to Childrenís and Young Adult Authors and Illustrators. 1993 ed. Hi Willow Research & Publishing (PO Box 720400, San Jose, CA 95172-0400), 1993.

An index to biographical information in books and audiovisual materials for thousands of authors and illustrators.

• Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Gale Research. Semi-annual.

An expensive but wonderful compilation of authoritative biographical sketches of authors both current and classical in the young adult genre. A recent volume highlighted Louisa May Alcott, Rodolfo Anaya, Maya Angelou, T. Ernesto Bethancourt, Kenneth Branagh, Gwendolyn Brooks, John Donovan, Michael Dorris, Anne Fine, Brian Jacques, Mike Judge, R.R. Knudson, etc.

• Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults: A Selection of Sketches from Something About the Author. Gale, 1993.

A collection of biographical essays for the library that canít afford the whole set.

 

Individual Authors

• Avi - all kinds of stuff about the author and his works.

• Judy Blume - questions and answers and notes about censorship

• Student project: (w1br.html) Judy Blume by Michele Meyer.

• Karen Cushman (w1ar) - student project - Marianne Robatto

• Lois Duncan (w1aw.html) - student project - Sharon Brown. See also her web site.

• Student project: (w1bu.html) Paul Fleischman by Barbara Sutton

• Mem Fox website

• Jean Craighead George website - photographs, childhood, and stories about her encounters with nature.

• Norma Klein (w4l.pdf): Zeisler, Andi. "Growing Up Norma: Why We Love the Queen of Teen," Bitch: Still El Nino, vol. 3, no. 1, 1998. - Zeisler celebrates Klein's works and their frank discussion of sexuality.(the article is the second of two - at the end of the Jervis article)

• Ben Mikaelsen - the bear books guy web site.

• Stident project: (w1bs.html) Gary Paulsen by Elizabeth Voorheis.

• Patricia Polacco website.

• Student project: (w1bt.html) Cynthia Voigt by Geri Ogle.

See other YA authors under the primary genre they author. For example, see Chris Crutcher under biography(sports) week.

 

 

 

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