Popular Literature for Children and Adolescents

Popular literature: The arguments; The nature and appeal of popular literature; Criteria for analysing popular literature; Supernatural, horror and science fiction; Detective, mystery and adventure fiction; School stories, pony stories, romance and ‘subromances’, Slice of life problem fiction and sports stories; Humour, animal stories and miscellaneous fiction for younger readers; Popular fiction: An overview; Picture books; Magazines and other formats; Conclusion and the future.

The emphasis of this work is, where possible, on Australian material, but, as so much of that which is popular in Australia is from overseas – America and Britain, especially – non-Australian material is also considered (including the Harry Potter phenomenon). It aims to give those who are involved with this literature the tools with which they can evaluate it, if they wish to do so, or, if not, to understand its appeal and content. Topics covered include the nature and appeal of popular literature, criteria for analysing popular literature, popular fiction (two chapters), picture books, alternative formats, children’s choice book awards and the future of popular literature. The book is intended primarily for teachers and for school and public librarians. Although suitable for tertiary use, it is not written in an overly scholastic style, and will be enjoyed by anyone interested in this particular "louse in the locks of literature".

Teachers; Public and school librarians