"Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults is the first study devoted to this increasingly popular genre of literature for young readers focused on the question of ideal social organization. The collection defines and explores the category of utopian writing and its thematic conventions, offering detailed case studies of individual, works from the eighteenth century to the present day. Ten critical essays, all appearing here for the first time, discuss how imaginary worlds are created, how characters travel there, and how these worlds function as perfect or radically imperfect societies. All address the pedagogical implications of writing that challenges children to grapple with questions of social organization, individual autonomy, and just governance. In addition to critical analyses, the volume includes essays by leading contemporary authors of utopian fiction - James Gurney, Monica Hughes, and Katherine Paterson - as well as an exclusive interview with Lois Lowry, whose award-winning novel The Giver has generated ardent response from adults and children alike. The collection concludes with an annotated bibliography of primary sources, a valuable tool for those readers who wish to pursue further this pioneering exploration."--BOOK JACKET.