Since 2009, Young Adult (YA) literature has been on the rise in the Netherlands: bookshops and libraries have set up separate sections for young people, publishers have specialised in books for young people, and there is a special Book Week for young people. YA literature has now become a clearly visible and popular market segment. Commercial interests (YA literature is a booming business) and motives for promoting reading are constantly interacting. This makes YA literature an interesting cultural phenomenon. Developments in YA literature in recent years raise questions about the position and status of this literature. For example, can YA books be read for the reading list? Are they discussed by literary critics, and if so, how? And what role do young people themselves play in assessing and promoting the books intended for them? This thesis shows that YA texts receive less recognition and attention than literature for adults. This has consequences for their appreciation and acceptance in literature education. At the same time, YA literature encourages young people to read. The thesis provides an overview of the historical background and development of YA literature in the Netherlands, analyses how YA literature is treated by various players in the literary world, and presents possibilities for using YA literature in education.
In addition to being a literary scholar, Linda Ackermans is a secondary school teacher of Dutch and a teacher trainer in higher education. She has published her research in both peer-reviewed academic journals, such as Nederlandse Letterkunde and Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde, and popular science publications. In 2022, her research report “Young Adult literature on the reading list and in teaching practice” was published by Stichting Lezen. Ackermans is a member of the Editorial Board of Literatuurgeschiedenis.org, editor of LitLab and co-founder and editor of Nederlands in het Klein, a book series that makes topics from Dutch language and literature accessible to a wide audience. In 2023, Ackermans initiated the first postgraduate continuing education course on Young Adult literature and regularly speaks and advises on promoting reading among young people. In 2024, she founded YALezen (www.yalezen.nl) to translate scientific insights into practice and to inform and inspire reading promoters about literature for young people.