Pat Schmatz's Lizard Radio: A Critical Analysis

Classrooms in the 21st century are continuously evolving into spaces where learning is achieved through a dialogue of texts. The intersection of various texts engages the student in a variety of ways, allowing the individual to become a better problem solver and critical thinker. In a world where technology is expected in the classroom and traditional methods of assessment are slowly fading into the heavily saturated world of the media, educators still hesitate to branch out of their comfort zones and change the social construction of their classrooms (Roberts, Mike, Haskins 101). The argument for teaching Young Adult Literature in the classroom is a branch that some teachers hope will break off of the curriculum “tree” if they continue …show more content…
Kivali, the main character, struggles to understand her sexual identity and often finds herself stuck in the gray area. This novel beautifully takes the issues of sexual identity and generates a language that makes the reader more comfortable and aware of the power behind words. Instead of using the words gay or transgender, Schmatz replaced those words with samer and bender. This language allows a fourteen or fifteen year-old to explore a topic that may be relatively new to them without making them uncomfortable or afraid to speak up in class. The level of sophistication creates a dialogue between the text and the reader while shedding light on a topic that can be painful for some (Schmatz 282).
More often than not, Young Adult novels embrace the uncertainty of life and reiterate the fact that humans are all united in our struggle to define the gray areas of our lives. Canonical literature often dismisses the uncertainty but, authors of Young Adult Literature boldly make the universal transitions in life the main focus of the novel (Dinnison). Reading about certain universal transitions, like childhood to adulthood, can become transformational in the life of the