According to a recent Education Week story, many middle and high school literature teachers are incorporating contemporary young-adult fiction into their courses as a way to make reading more relevant to students. However, some critics fear that the practice dumbs down the curriculum, while others charge that often dark and violent content of today’s young-adult novels has no place in the classroom.
What’s your view? What’s the best way to get students interested in reading? What kinds of texts are best for the classroom?