In Cart‘s chapter, he aptly describes young adulthood as “an ill-defined developmental space somewhere between childhood and adulthood” (Cart, 3). As a relatively new concept in the history of humanity, does the ambiguity of the young adult experience impact how controversial young adult literature is in today‘s classrooms? With no good definition of YA, how do we determine what is or isn‘t appropriate for students from all different backgrounds?
The short stories that make up this collection are a beautiful celebration of what it means to be human, in all of our diverse ways. The book, adeptly named, teaches students about themselves and their surroundings, and can help mentors discern how to best guide those around them. Through learning independence, how to stand up for oneself, how to be a good friend, and how to tell a good story, each story taught young adults a lesson in how to fly.
I love stories in verse. The short segments. The quick turn of the page. The fast pace. Verse contains so much potential to captivate audiences who struggle with rambling sentences that include so many extra details. For those with a short attention span, writing in verse is great. I also enjoyed the plot of “Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents”. I would love to use this as a mentor text for students looking to format a narrative uniquely.
The more stories I read in this book, the deeper my appreciation grows for the lessons present in each chapter. In addition to the rich diversity present in the backgrounds, there are different perspectives, issues, and forms of resilience present. For both students and teachers, these texts can be useful in finding authors giving a voice to different experiences, and encouraging us to challenge our understanding of the larger world.
“How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court Into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium” eloquently demonstrated that success cannot be left to talent alone. One must also put in the work. Additionally, mentorship comes in all shapes and sizes. Mentees can learn that you may receive the best life advice from someone you least expect. For mentors, it's helpful to see how one impacted another, even by speaking to them once.
