Pairing YA Lit with the Classics

Since taking the Young Adult Literature class at Wright State, I have been deeply interested in pairing young adult (YA) books with the classics. Let's face it; the classics are hard to read. Even I find it hard to sit down with some classics and read them strictly for pleasure. What makes these books hard to read for students? Well first of all, almost all the classics were written specifically for an adult audience. The majority of them contain archaic language, adult characters, and situations that teens just can't relate to. This is where YA books come in. YA books, written specifically for teens, with teenage characters and relatable situations, can be paired with any classic and used as a tool to help students read the harder texts. There are many ways to pair YA books with the classics; however, I think the easiest way to do so is to pair books according to their similar themes.

I did a final portfolio project for my Young Adult Literature class on YA books to pair with George Orwell's, 1984. The YA books I chose to pair with 1984 were the following: The Declaration, by Gemma Malley; Candor, by Pam Bachorz; and Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. Each of these novels contain dystopian societies where the themes of mind control, the abuse of power, and conformity are explored. These themes can also be found in Orwell's 1984. By having students read one of these YA books, before reading the classic, they will be able to experience similar themes in a context which is easier for them to understand and relate to. In this way, students will be prepared to read the harder text and will hopefully find reading the classic to be much more bearable.