Literature
Colony High Branch Library
3850 East Riverside Drive
Ontario, CA 91761-2603
Telephone 909-395-2014
Important Links
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Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are given annually to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.
Margaret A. Edwards Award
The Edwards Award honors an author and a specific work for significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.
William C. Morris Award
The Morris Award honors a book written for young adults by a first-time, previously unpublished author. The first award will be given in 2009.
Odyssey Award
This award honors the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States. Co-administered with ALSC.
Michael L. Printz Award
This award honors excellence in literature written for young adults.
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
YALSA's newest award will honor the best nonfiction book for young adults; the first winner will be named in 2010.
Unit 1: Coming of Age
Laughter, tears, failure, and triumph are part of every life. These experiences are part of growing up and part of growing older. Along with the characters and authors in this unit, experience what it's like to travel on the road of life—finding adventure and friendship, and gaining insights about life.
Self-Test "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," Ray Bradbury
Self-Test "Charles," Shirley Jackson
Self-Test from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Self-Test "Old Man," Ricardo Sánchez
Unit 2: Meeting Challenges
From taking your first steps, to learning to ride a two-wheeled bicycle, to graduating with honors, to curing cancer or eliminating world hunger—challenges occur throughout life. Some challenges make headlines; others are personal. In these stories, poems, and essays, you'll meet people who encounter challenges of all types and meet them head on.
Self-Test "Cub Pilot on the Mississippi," Mark Twain
Self-Test "Harriet Tubman: Guide to Freedom," Ann Petry
Self-Test "Up the Slide," Jack London
Self-Test "Thank You, M'am," Langston Hughes
Unit 3: Quest for Justice
It's human nature to fight for what we believe is right. The quest for justice occurs in many forms and in many places—courtroom battles, drawing attention to world hunger, solving a dispute among friends. The selections in this unit explore the various ways in which people join the search for justice.
Unit 4: From Sea to Shining Sea
Some people describe the United States as a melting pot, in which people from all cultures blend to become American. Others prefer the image of the United States as a mosaic, in which people retain their original cultural heritage and pride while sharing the values and beliefs that unite all Americans. The selections in this unit explore what it means to live in this vast and diverse nation.
Unit 5: Extraordinary Occurrences
Life is full of surprises, big and small. For example, on a "typical" day, you might be surprised by the strange behavior of birds, a spooky deserted mansion, or a frightening apparition that turned out to be nothing more than headlights through a window. As you read the selections in this unit, be prepared to encounter extraordinary occurrences of all kinds.
Unit 6: Short Stories
Short stories take you on a quick trip to other worlds and into other people's lives. Within the pages of a short story, you may encounter anything—from deadly cobras to absent-minded professors to deranged criminals. Despite their varied content, almost all short stories have the following elements in common: plot, character, setting, and theme. This unit highlights the elements of the short story while it shows the power and variety of the form.
Unit 7: Nonfiction
Nonfiction writing tells about real people, events, places, and objects. Nonfiction categories include Autobiography, biography, essay, and speech.
Unit 8: Drama
Drama is a form of literature that is meant to be performed on a stage. When you read a drama, you should picture in your mind how it would appear and sound to an audience. As you read the drama in this unit, notice how the following elements help bring the drama to life in your mind: stage directions, dialogue, character, plot, and theme.
Unit 9: Poetry
In poetry, language is used in special ways to create vivid, memorable, and sometimes musical impressions. Poems may capture a single moment in time, take you into a world of make-believe, or tell the story of a person's life. As you explore the poems in this unit, you will encounter the following terms: lyric poetry, narrative poetry, poetic form, sound devices, and figurative language.
Unit 10: The American Folk Tradition
The American folk tradition is a rich collection of literature that grew out of the oral tradition. These stories amaze, explain, teach, and amuse the reader of today just as they did the listener of generations ago. Following are the types of folk literature you will encounter in this unit: myths, folk tales, and tall tales.
