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What Are They? Retold Fairy Tales Fractured Fairy Tales Cinderella Tales Arthurian Legends Robin Hood Legends Websites More, More, More For Parents & Teachers For Librarians References		Everything Old is New Again: Retold Fairy Tales & Legends FOR LIBRARIANS
		In the United States, young adults (YAs), generally defined as middle school through high school age adolescents, are increasing in number and are also an increasingly multicultural group. There is often a popular and media perception of YAs as both trouble and troubled-a generation in crisis. Statistics show that very few public libraries have YA librarians; the challenges facing school libraries are also well documented. A 1995 survey documented that 89% of public libraries do not have a YA librarian because of a lack of money, staff, and/or space (Jones 38). Libraries and YAs are not a natural match. "YAs often appear to be the proverbial 'bulls in the china shop' with highly varied and unpredictable behaviors. Their interests are equally unpredictable. Adolescents do not know or often care about the unspoken 'rules' of library behavior and usually arrive in noisy groups besides, wanting everything at the last minute while spending the bulk of their time studying each other. As if all that were not annoying enough, they inevitable are interested in topics that make adults nervous" (Chelton xii). A library's first priority is usually promoting reading, but the YA years are when many people stop reading for pleasure or give it a low priority. In addition, "Many YAs come to us out of burden and boredom, which are not the best motivators for a successful relationship" (Jones 29). A significant amount of market research has been done on the YA group and can be applied to their relationship with libraries. Both demographically and economically, YAs are a primary market. Industries from film to fashion to music know that to survive and thrive they must reach YAs. Libraries need to feel this same urgency to provide YAs with what they want and need. Reading research on YA interests is essential because it provides libraries with the information needed to be customer focused-to give YAs what they want and not what we think they want. Surveys suggest YAs do not often turn to librarians for advice in finding new books to read for many reasons, including image, attitude, and YA behavioral factors. Adolescent literacy needs to be encouraged and enhanced by libraries. It is vital to attract YAs to encourage habits of lifelong reading and library use. Jones argues that the YA market is "untapped in most libraries and presents not just an opportunity, but an explosion of possibilities to make a real difference at this critical time in a young person's life" (Jones 13). In researching successful adolescent literacy programs, Davidson points out that is a critical time in the development of the literate individual "as the young person hones important skills, learns new strategies, and becomes familiar with a range of conventions and shared cultural understandings related to our literate past, present, and future" (Davidson 13). Marketing research shows that as a user group, YAs are divided by more than simply age. Issues of geography, economics, social factors, gender, school, academic achievement, clique, use of free time, special interests, working vs. non-working, and college bound vs. non-college bound differentiate them. Issues specific to libraries include: library card holders vs. non-holders, attitudes about the library, amount of library use, reasons for library use, types of library use, reading interest, library knowledge, awareness of library services, time spent in library, methods used to find materials, non-users (Jones 304-310). The more research an individual library does in all these areas, the more successful programming addressed to their YAs will be. Today's YAs often have negative attitudes toward reading and low voluntary reading rates. There is ongoing concern about aliteracy-the ability to read but choosing not to-rates. "One hundred years of research supports the notion that free voluntary reading (the kind of reading you want to do, not have to do)-lots of it-is the best predictor of five essential achievement basics: comprehension, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and writing style" (Loertscher 21). One successful method for improving YAs attitudes and reading competence is to provide an array of materials from which students can choose and read materials that are personally interesting. "Motivating teenagers to read is no easy task. The competition for teenagers' time is fierce, as books battle it out with much more appealing media. Although illiteracy is still a problem, perhaps aliteracy…is even more frustrating….Motivating students to read requires first that their awareness of books be increased, which should then lead them to action, and perhaps over time, cause a change in attitude" (Jones 233). Many YAs choose to be aliterate. Perhaps the best thing libraries can do to change that is to provide materials that YAs want to read-materials that meet their needs and wants, have proven popular, and have peer approval. A subject of a book and/or its genre is one of the biggest selling points for a YA title. Booklists and pathfinders help YAs independently find books that will interest them. In any discussion of YAs, reading, and libraries, Krashen's findings, summarized in Power of Reading, must be kept in mind: Access to a school library results in more reading. Having a school librarian makes a difference in the amount of reading a YA does. Larger school library collections and longer hours increase circulation. Larger school library collections means better results in high-reading scores. Access to public libraries positively effects reading. Libraries are a consistent and major source of books for free reading. Magazine reading promotes more reading. Young people's reading choice are influenced by their peers. Young people prefer paperbacks to hardback books. Comic book reading is not responsible for anti-social behavior. General library use increases when comic books are available. Comic books lead to other reading. Reading teen romances generally promotes reading. Television is not the culprit in the 'literary crisis'; rather, the absence of good books is to blame. To improve service to YAs---their right as customers---and to encourage lifelong reading, involves more than just programming changes. Attitude is also key. According to Jones, the attitudes in librarians most highly ranked by YAs are being approachable; a respectful, nonjudgmental attitude; a knowledge of YA interests and materials; patience and persistence; and a sense of humor. "Most YAs feel that adults assume they are going to cause trouble and don't treat them with the same amount of respect, dignity, and patience as they treat others" (Jones 183). YALSA measures the quality of YA service based on how well it does the following: responds to YAs; respects YAs as individuals, readies YAs as they move from being children to adults; reaches out to the community; reaches in to involve everyone on the staff; reacts to changes; involves youth in the library; resists efforts to restrict access; advocates for youth, in particular for equal treatment; and creates raving fans for libraries and reading. There are many ways libraries can work within both Kraschen's findings and the developmental stages and needs of adolescents to encourage reading. Reader's advisory is a key part of programming for YAs. "'Who Am I?' is the basic YA question. What people read helps define them. "Teens define themselves in many ways….The search for identity brings on even more changes as YAs attempt to say, scream, or whisper in what they say, wear, do, and read this question of 'Who Am I?" (Jones 37). This pathfinder is a guide to one YA high-interest genre and will hopefully promote voluntary reading. Fantasy is a popular YA genre, and retold fairy tales and legends is an interesting, often popular with YAs, sub-genre. In addition, as will be discussed, fairy tales are a particularly useful and meaningful tool for addressing adolescent needs. Jones reports results of several surveys that rank fantasy in the top five most read genres of YAs (Jones 103). More boys read fantasy than girls. Since fewer male YAs voluntarily read than females, it makes sense to especially market genres that attract boys. At the same time, the sub-genre of retold fairy tales is attractive to girls. Using reader's advisory techniques can help YAs select books they'll enjoy. Some young adults are overwhelmed with choices; some are overwhelmed with the large number of books in the collection. They may not know where to begin. Reader's advisory can put them at ease. Librarians should ask students what they have read that they enjoyed and suggest genres and titles that have similarities to what they have already read. As with any other library customer, YA librarians should ask questions, listen carefully, suggest titles and authors, read widely, and have many books available. Libraries also can help YAs answer the question "Who Am I?" with genre reading groups, writers' programs, or artists' programs. For example, Jones describes YA programs that encourage YAs struggle to gain independence: having own library card; library instruction; YA volunteer program; YA advisory group; library music collection; and technology. Tools like this pathfinder reinforce the developmental needs of YAs by allowing them to make choices (independence), creating a self-identity by choosing a genre, and sharing with others their reading and opinions (excitement, acceptance). Based on research that shows a friend's recommendation is one of the primary ways YAs learn about books, libraries should encourage YAs independence by finding ways to utilize YA peer reviews. Fantasy reading groups are usually popular. In addition, surveys/book reviews on the library's web page, newsletters, a database of reviews, a simple card file of reviews, and copies of peer reviews put inside books and/or hanging on the shelves will all encourage more reading. "If you liked this book…" ideas work especially well in the fantasy genre. Links on the library web page to YA produced e-zines and sites that review books are also useful. Library displays can be created around themes such as retold fairy tales. Browsing and book covers are also highly ranked by YAs as ways they find books. Therefore, YA sections in libraries need to consider genre separation of books, face-out displays, and other aids to browsers. YAs usually prefer paperback books to hardcover books.
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