LIT 3670 Young Adult Literature: This Semester's Authors

The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society. Two rival gangs -- the "haves" & "have-nots"--Fight it out on the streets of an Oklahoma city. When it was first published in 1967, The Outsiders defied convention with its immediate, deeply sympathetic portrayal of Ponyboy and his struggle to find a place for himself in a difficult world.

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price-and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... A convict with a thirst for revenge.A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.A runaway with a privileged past.A spy known as the Wraith.A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction-if they don't kill each other first.

The story of a Chinese-American kid in an all-white school is combined with the Chinese fable of the Monkey King and a send-up of racial stereotypes in this allegory of Chinese-American identity.