Bridging the Gap: Three Perspectives on Teaching YA Lit for a Just and Sustainable World

This article considers three perspectives of a research study conducted with seventh-grade students during a unit on social justice and social change. The authors examine the possibilities and limitations of using young adult literature like Carl Hiaasen’s novel Flush, on which the unit was centered, community service learning, and approaches to teaching for a just and sustainable world. Informed by students’ responses to this unit, the authors offer suggestions for bridging the gaps between school mission and practice, narrative and real-life experience, and educational theory and practice.