Young Adult Literature: Boost Critical Thinking: New Titles for Thematically Based Text Sets

Moss advocates the use of text sets, rather than single novels, to create real engagement in reading. Positing that text sets allow better student–book matches, promote examination of multiple viewpoints on “big ideas,” and support reflection about other people, places, and ideas, Moss suggests books that explore a range of viewpoints, use multiple narrators, depict various time frames, and present themselves in a variety of genres and styles. In Moss’s words, “Through these books and others, teachers can present students with worlds unlike their own, open students’ eyes to new and interesting perspectives, and help them move vicariously beyond their own circumstances to understand and embrace the perspectives of others.”