YA AUTHOR JOHN GREEN: STORYTELLER, MUSE

http://thefaultinourstarscovers.tumblr.com/

Here is a link to some fan mockups of a cover for John Green's new YA novel The Fault in Our Stars, due to be published Summer 2012. If you have not read Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines,WillGraysonWillGrayson, or my favorite, Paper Towns, you should. They are well-written, great fun and offer astute observations of high school life. Green did not solicit these covers, but the excitement surrounding the book has inspired his readers, the self-named "nerdfighters,"  to create their own works of art. This is why I promote YA  in my classroom, even as I teach primarily British Literature.  John Green writes great fiction that goes beyond my major complaint about most YA fiction, that it is all plot. This is what great writing does, it prompts readers to take the story one step further, to create the next chapter, to write his/her own story. Did I preorder The Fault in Our Stars? Yes, I did--I want my signed copy too.
This would be a great project that could replace a traditional essay assignment, but still provide practice for analysis and argumentation. I am adding it to my list, perhaps with the Art Department for my BritLit class next year. More later.

http://nerdfighters.ning.com/