'2022 Guide to Children's and Young Adult Literature' made available online by Mondragon University

The Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of Mondragon University has made available online a new publication that analyzes the 225 publications published in Basque in 2022 and aimed at children and young people: the 2022 Reading Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature. The work group responsible for creating the guide consisted of 14 professionals who read and analyzed the year’s publications and grouped them into three categories: recommended books, highly recommended books, and a special list. Books on the special list were also reviewed.

• Download publication: 2022 Reading Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature (pdf).

Work group of 14 professionals

As the authors point out in the prologue of the guide, “this work is the result of continuous group work and of reading many books. With this guide, we aim to help parents, teachers and library professionals.” In the words of the team responsible for this edition, “the guide cannot replace reading itself, nor the pleasure that comes from reading. This guide is simply the result of the readings that this group carries out.”

The creation of the 2022 guide saw the participation of 14 people associated with children’s and young adult literature and hailing from eight different entities, including librarians, school teachers and experts from Mondragon University. Specifically, the reading group of the current edition included Olga Jauregi (Municipal Library of Aramaio), Laida Zubia (Municipal Library of Bergara), Oskar Loiti (Municipal Library of Eskoriatza), Jasone Erostarbe (Municipal Library of Legazpi), Marina Etxegoien and Arantzazu Ibarrondo (Municipal Library of Oñati), Gurutze Urrutia, Edurne Urbiztondo and Aitziber Arrese (Kurtzeberri School in Aretxabaleta). Itziar Murua (former teacher at the Kurtzeberri School in Aretxabaleta), Ana Etxeberria (Luis Eceiza Public School in Eskoriatza), and Nerea Alzola and Eunate Arebiotorre (Mondragon University); the coordinator was Marikarmen Apraiz from Mondragon University. The cover of this edition was designed by Arizmendi School student Elene Magunazelaia.

Rating: Recommended Books, Highly Recommended Books, and a Special List

In the prologue to the guide, the authors explain how they worked and the criteria they followed to classify the books: “the group’s work technique is based on reading what has been published in Basque on children’s and young adult literature in 2022, contrasting our readings, assessing the use of the language, the literary quality, the treatment of the subject, etc.” Once all the books were read, the team grouped the works into three categories: recommended books, highly recommended books and a special list. Books on the special list were reviewed.

Regarding the age that they have added to each book for guidance, the authors of the guide note that this number is “solely for guidance,” since “children’s rhythms, passions, etc., are unclassifiable. We believe that children’s free choice of books is basic and essential to generate a passion for reading.”

It should be noted that the Reading Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature is a long-awaited collection, and proof of this is that every year this guide is one of the most downloaded of all works published by Mondragon University.

Since 1990, the Haur Liburu Mintegia seminar of the Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences of Mondragon University has been promoting the creation of these reading guides for children and young people, together with representatives of municipal libraries and teachers from different schools. Volumes published from 2001 onwards are available online.

• Download the 2022 guide (PDF): 2022 Reading Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature.
• See the complete collection (PDFs): Reading Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Literature: from 2001 to 2022.