This thesis focuses on the inside and outside of preadolescent literature, a subgenre that has been widely neglected by literary scholars, educators, and book publishers. In Chapter 2, I analyze the themes within The Giver by Lois Lowry and use the developmental stage of preadolescence to define a subgenre of preadolescence, which has distinct characteristics that separate it from the other subgenres of children’s literature. In Chapter 3, I focus on the outside of preadolescent literature, using the results of bookseller and author surveys and research on the history of the tween retail market to uncover the subtle messages being communicated to tween consumers. I consider the liminal position of novels for preadolescent readers within the larger book-producing world by studying the publishing, marketing, and store placement of these novels. By comparing the preadolescents’ roles as implied readers and active consumers, I explore why these readers and their novels are being overlooked and offer some possible solutions for amending this great problem.
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis focuses on the inside and outside of preadolescent literature, a subgenre that has been widely neglected by literary scholars, educators, and book publishers. In Chapter 2, I analyze the themes within The Giver by Lois Lowry and use the developmental stage of preadolescence to define a subgenre of preadolescence, which has distinct characteristics that separate it from the other subgenres of children’s literature. In Chapter 3, I focus on the outside of preadolescent literature, using the results of bookseller and author surveys and research on the history of the tween retail market to uncover the subtle messages being communicated to tween consumers. I consider the liminal position of novels for preadolescent readers within the larger book-producing world by studying the publishing, marketing, and store placement of these novels. By comparing the preadolescents’ roles as implied readers and active consumers, I explore why these readers and their novels are being overlooked and offer some possible solutions for amending this great problem.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fort, Bethany"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ramona Caponegro","Annette Wannamaker"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:27Z","subjects":["Children's book covers","Children's book marketing","Children's Literature","Middle grade literature","Preadolescent literature","Tween","Arts and Humanities","Children's and Young Adult Literature","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/815","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ramona Caponegro","Annette Wannamaker"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fort, Bethany"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-03-08T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Children's book covers","Children's book marketing","Children's Literature","Middle grade literature","Preadolescent literature","Tween","Arts and Humanities","Children's and Young Adult Literature","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/815"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis focuses on the inside and outside of preadolescent literature, a subgenre that has been widely neglected by literary scholars, educators, and book publishers. In Chapter 2, I analyze the themes within The Giver by Lois Lowry and use the developmental stage of preadolescence to define a subgenre of preadolescence, which has distinct characteristics that separate it from the other subgenres of children’s literature. In Chapter 3, I focus on the outside of preadolescent literature, using the results of bookseller and author surveys and research on the history of the tween retail market to uncover the subtle messages being communicated to tween consumers. I consider the liminal position of novels for preadolescent readers within the larger book-producing world by studying the publishing, marketing, and store placement of these novels. By comparing the preadolescents’ roles as implied readers and active consumers, I explore why these readers and their novels are being overlooked and offer some possible solutions for amending this great problem.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Subteen, preteen, tween: Preadolescent literature inside and out"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ramona Caponegro","Annette Wannamaker"],"dc:creator":["Fort, Bethany"],"dc:date.available":["2018-03-08T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis focuses on the inside and outside of preadolescent literature, a subgenre that has been widely neglected by literary scholars, educators, and book publishers. In Chapter 2, I analyze the themes within The Giver by Lois Lowry and use the developmental stage of preadolescence to define a subgenre of preadolescence, which has distinct characteristics that separate it from the other subgenres of children’s literature. In Chapter 3, I focus on the outside of preadolescent literature, using the results of bookseller and author surveys and research on the history of the tween retail market to uncover the subtle messages being communicated to tween consumers. I consider the liminal position of novels for preadolescent readers within the larger book-producing world by studying the publishing, marketing, and store placement of these novels. By comparing the preadolescents’ roles as implied readers and active consumers, I explore why these readers and their novels are being overlooked and offer some possible solutions for amending this great problem.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/815"],"dc:subject":["Children's book covers","Children's book marketing","Children's Literature","Middle grade literature","Preadolescent literature","Tween","Arts and Humanities","Children's and Young Adult Literature","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Subteen, preteen, tween: Preadolescent literature inside and out"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English Language and Literature"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:27Z"}