PROBLEM NOVEL

'Problem novel' is a term used to refer to a sub-genre of young adult literature that deal exclusively with an adolescent's first confrontation with a social or personal ill. The term was first used in the late 1960s to differentiate contemporary works like ''The Outsiders'' and ''Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones'' from earlier fiction for adolescents. The term is rather loosely defined. RoseMary Honnold in ''The Teen Reader's Advisor'' defines them as dealing more with characters from lower-class families and their problems; being "grittier"; using more realistic language; and including dialects, profanity, and poor grammar when it fits the character and setting. Sometimes, "problem novel" is used almost interchangeably with "young adult novel"; but many YA novels do not fit these criteria. The term is increasingly used in a negative fashion, and is rarely used by children's literature journals such as ''The ALAN Review''.
Notable problem novels:
''Catcher in the Rye'', often considered one of the progenitors of modern young adult literature, is sometimes considered a problem novel.
''The Outsiders'' (1967) and ''The Pigman'' are the first problem novels written specifically for teenagers. ''Go Ask Alice'' is an early example of the subgenre and is often considered an example of the negative aspects of the form. ''Dicey's Song'' (1983) by Cynthia Voigt was the first problem novel to win the Newbery Medal.

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References

References

★ International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, , Julia, Eccleshare, Routledge, ,

★ Only Connect: readings on children's literature, , Sheila, Egoff, Oxford University Press, ,

★ Shutting the Window: The Loss of Innocence in Twentieth-Century Children's Literature, , Isaac, Gilman, The Looking Glass, 2005

★ That Was Then ... This Is Now, , Alleen Pace, Nilsen, School Library Journal, 1994