"This bookisa valuable resource for in-service teachers, pre-service teachers, and teacher educators. From well-reasoned book recommendations to innovative writing prompts to classroom-tested instructional activities and assessments, Cook and Pitre share practical tools and advice for teaching YA literature in a manner that invites adolescents to deepen their understanding of themselves and their relationships with other people. In doing so, they make a strong argument for the continued importance of teaching literature in the secondary school." --Sean P. Connors PhD, associate professor, English Education, University of Arkansas "Going beyond the current canon of traditionally taught titles in high school, Cook and Pitre's text offers secondary teachers not only an in-depth discussion of themes that are taught ubiquitously in English classes (love and loss, friendship and betrayal, hate and its consequences, and the American dream), but a detailed lesson plan for each theme using contemporary young adult literature. There is something for every teacher and student here as each lesson proffers multiple possible titles for teaching. This is a must have book for thematic instruction in English language arts classes!" --Victor Malo-Juvera, Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.