Campbell's Scoop Reflections on Young Adult Literature

At the request of her many fans, Patty Campbell, editor of the Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature series, has selected some of her best essays, articles, columns, and speeches in Campbell's Scoop. These pieces define the boundaries between children's and adult literature and review the trends, censorship, problems, and glories of the genre. Other essays address some concerns and interests of young adult literature as it has matured: the verse novel, ambivalent endings, violence, the sometimes dubious value of awards and honor lists, the graphic novel, and the difficulties of the genre's recent overwhelming success. A section titled Inside ALA looks at the author's many years of service to that organization with, among other pieces, a firsthand look at the Best Books committee at work and a report of Campbell's attempt to unite booksellers and librarians in common cause.

Patty Campbell is editor of the Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature series and the author of several books, including Robert Cormier: Daring to Disturb the Universe (2006) and War Is: A Hard Look at Warfare by Soldiers, Survivors, and Storytellers (2008).