Websites
Find from the Internet
Check out this list of websites about young-adult literature.
Always be cautious when using sites from the open internet, and be sure to read websites critically.
How Google Search Works
Suggested Websites
- Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year’s publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in and became an official ALA award in .
- International Literacy Association
The International Literacy Association (ILA) is a global advocacy and membership organization of more than 300,000 literacy educators, researchers, and experts across 86 countries.
- Teaching Matters
Teaching Matters is a national professional learning organization dedicated to increasing teacher effectiveness, a critical factor in student success.
- Young Adult Library Services Association
YALSA brings together key stakeholders from the areas of libraries, education, research, out of school time, youth development and more to develop and deliver resources to libraries that expand their capacity to support teen learning and enrichment and to foster healthy communities.
Addressing Censorship
- ‘Sensitivity Readers’ Are the New Thought Police, and They Threaten More than Novelists
Nobody calls himself a censor anymore in the 21st century. We’ve got better words for it.
- The Exhaustive History of ‘Cancel Culture’ in YA Fiction
The term refers to social media communities’ desire to hold organizations, individuals, and artistic works accountable for their questionable or unpopular opinions. In the Y. A. book community, it’s meant acts of what some perceive to be virtual dogpiling, assailing unpublished novels with one star reviews and bad publicity in order to deprive the target of profit or platform.
- The Problem with Sensitivity Readers
If sensitivity readers were simply about helping a writer improve or consider ways that their message was not getting through, that might be one thing. In practice, these readers—who are by no means credentialed or even accomplished editors or writers in the industry—have begun to serve as a kind of gatekeeper about what should or shouldn’t be allowed to be published.
- Freedom to Read Foundation
The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. FTRF protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect—and individuals to access—information.
- National Council of Teachers of English’s Statement on the Students’ Right to Read
The Students’ Right to Read provides resources that can be used to help discuss and ensure students’ free access to all texts.
Read Websites Critically
Anyone can publish anything on the internet.
Use the Spider Method to ensure that your internet sources are appropriate for your research.
- Source
Who wrote the information? Is he qualified? If you can’t find an author, you shouldn’t trust the information until you verify it elsewhere.
- Purpose
Why does this website exist? Is it intended to sell a product or convince readers of something? Can you detect any bias?
- Information
Is the information current? Check for a publication date. If there isn’t one, you need to verify currency with another source.
- Domain
Be aware of the host site. Is the domain .edu or .gov? These domains sometimes have more authoritative or reliable information.
- Educational
Who is the intended audience? Is there adequate depth to the information? Are you sure it’s not a hoax site or satire?
- Reliability
Is the same information available on other websites? Triangulate with other sources to improve the chance of getting complete or accurate information.