IRL: Resources for Teaching YA Nonfiction

  Banned Book Club By Zachary Grago, Isis Gomez, Ofelia Figueroa, Ori Harder, and Jorge Gutierrez Biography Kim Hyun Sook was born in Changwon, South Korea. Growing up in South Korea, she worked at her family’s restaurant and convinced her traditional mother it was a good idea for her to go to college. She attended Anjeon University in 1983 and unknowingly joined a banned book club. As a literature major, her first book choice was The Scarlet Letter. After coming to grips with the reality of censorship in her country, her passion grew as she became an active advocate for great works of illicit literature. After experiencing a suppressive government, and overcoming the challenges that came with living in South Korea, she decided to write about her experience. Her husband, Ryan Estrada, is a comic artist and writer who helped her translate her story into a graphic novel. Ryan Estrada was born on November 20, 1980 in Detroit, Michigan. He began submitting his work to newspapers at the...

  Biography of the Author:                                                                                 * Picture derived from Little, Brown and Company       History is something that is often overlooked when it comes to young adult literature. 52-year-old Marc Favreau is an author who has made it a point to incorporate some of the most significant events in all the history of the United States into young adult literature. Marc Favreau was born in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and was always interested in history as a child and young adult. Favreau’s immersion into the world of history began when his dad began to take him to different historical landmarks throughout the United States. It was then when he became fascinated with history and developed a de...

  Glimmer of Hope by The Founders of March For Our Lives Reviewed by Siera Pactwa, Crish Padua, Sela Pastrana, Viviana Quintana, and Andy Ramos Review:     The novel, Glimmer of Hope , by the founders of March for Our Lives, focuses on the stories of several students who were affected by the traumatic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, in Parkland, Florida. These accounts shed light on the emotions and experiences these students underwent, as well as the process it took to create one of the largest organizations that pursue to end gun violence. Through this traumatic event, the prominent themes that arose throughout the novel were perseverance, coming of age, and the pursuit of social change at a young age. B y compiling these themes together, a non-fiction narrative on ending gun violence is created in order to expose readers to such tragedies like this. As a result,   Glimmer of Hope provides young readers with an opportunity to ...