Ready for the (Mockingjay) Revolution

©2010 Scholastic, Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay
A short follow up to my previous post on dystopian YA fiction from a couple of weeks ago, to note the release of the third installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, last night at midnight. While not as massively popular as "mega"-series like Harry Potter and Twilight (a comparison that will likely make any fan groan, as it's

It's Officially CFP Season: Another Childhoods Conference!! (Updated)

© Sesame Workshop, Image of Panwapa
From the looks of all these CFPs flooding my Inbox, 2011 is set to be an AMAZING year for children's studies...which is very fitting, seeing as this year has been proclaimed the International Year of Youth by the UN. This next CFP comes out of Rutgers University in Camden's Department of Childhood Studies, home of several of my favourite academics, including

Dystopia...Now for Kids!

© 2008 Disney/Pixar, Film still from Wall-E 
I read a great article in The New Yorker a couple of months ago, written by Laura Miller, exploring the role and rise of dystopian fiction in children's and YA lit. The article describes the recent boom in the genre, focusing on Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy (the 3rd installment comes out in 22 days...and yes, I am counting), but also