Engagements with Children’s and Young Adult Literature offers an accessible guide to studying Children’s and Young Adult (CYA) literature, teaching readers how to read critically. This book introduces this dynamic field encompassing diverse genres, audiences, and interpretations. Lydia Kokkola and Sara Van den Bossche examine its historical, cultural, and ideological dimensions while addressing adult perspectives and the ambivalence of child agency. Tools for critical analysis, genre-specific insights, and emerging research trends enhance readers’ engagement with CYA literature and its broader implications.

The book approaches CYA literature from various complementary angles:

Historical

the influence of religious and philosophical convictions on its development;

Thematic

commonly-occurring genres and types of CYA literature, such as realism versus speculative fiction;

Narratological

plot, time, tension, character, and setting;

Visual

the main principles for reading images in picturebooks, graphic novels, and comics;

Ideological

power dynamics and common constructions of childhood;

Social

questions of identity politics related to race, gender, and orientation, and offers tools to read critically.

Engagements with Children’s and Young Adult Literature brings together established theories and new perspectives on CYA literature, combining engagement with theory with hands-on analytical, interpretive, and methodological tools for budding scholars of CYA literature. Exploring a diverse range of writing, this dynamic introduction is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of this vibrant field.