Engaging Teens with Story: How To Inspire and Educate Youth with Storytelling

Del Negro and Kimball have compiled essays from an excellent variety of contributors for running storytime programs aimed at young adults. One of the strongest chapters, Rebecca J. Morris's "Digital Storytelling," explains how young people can use technology to craft tales by creating book trailers, filming fan fiction videos, and more. Readers can research the "science of storytelling" with a chapter that explains how the brain makes sense of narrative structure or learn how to incorporate folktales (included is an extensive list of fairy tale—inspired books that have been turned into films). Lorna MacDonald Czarnota addresses using stories with at-risk teens (those in the foster care system, in treatment facilities, who have been imprisoned, etc.). With such a wealth of content, readers can select the projects that fit best with their libraries. The bibliography and further reading are essential and offer valuable ideas, and helpful websites are appended.