Nutritious Books- YA books in the classroom

I did it again. I must have been totally channeling Barb's vibe and wrote my little ramble about kids hating English class before this week's assignment was posted. Now that I have read the lecture and articles I can put it into better perspective. Gary Salvner says time is the reason teachers hold onto their curriculum and aren't quick to add YA novels. He argues that there are many worthy, contemporary books that would be wonderful to teach, and perhaps but substituting one at a time, teachers can update their syllabi.

My son and his roommates, home for the holiday from Harvard argued that if students aren't liking Catcher in the Rye, it is the result of poor teaching (they all loved the book.) They were not familiar with the term Young Adult Literature and thought they had only read adult books in high school. (Lolita being a favorite.)

When I viewed the top 10 list of works taught in high school English I was surprised to see they were the same books I read in high school English with the exception of MacBeth (we read I Know why the Caged Bird Sings) Nothing new has come along in thirty years worthy to infiltrate the list? Is this canon untouchable?

I think high school teacher would do well to infuse their classrooms with some fresh material. There is a slew of YA lit that has the relevance, interest level and accessibility to capture the minds of todays teens.