'Being not alone in the world', .exploring reader responses to crossover books

When contemporary readers, both young and old, claim "crossover books" such as Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games as their own (Beckett, 2009; Falconer, 2009), they subvert socially constructed borders that segregate child and adulthood (James & Prout, 1997; Jenks, 1996). Some adults are perplexed and alarmed by this culture-sharing, because it challenges the dominant perception that child and adulthood are, and should remain, distinct states (Danesi, 2003; Postman, 1982). In this dissertation, I identify cross-reading as a critical practice that can encourage intergenerational connections by illuminating a continuum of experience between life stages and facilitating community and conversation between readers of all ages. The research reflects original, interdisciplinary inquiry into the crossover phenomenon by exploring reader response to crossover books. Through self and case study, I address key questions of engagement such as: Why do readers reach beyond socially prescribed reading boundaries in search of story? How do they identify with crossover literature? What is significant about their individual and shared experiences of cross-reading? I hypothesize that cross-readers may be attracted to themes of continuance in crossover narratives that promote a more holistic understanding of life experience and identity that is not segregated by age. I suggest that readers can gain a greater sense of community and experience "grand conversation" (Peterson & Eeds, 1990), more open, honest and equal dialogue with readers in other age groups, by sharing their responses to crossover books. Through methodology that combines children's literature criticism , memory work, narrative inquiry and book discussion, I examine the real world applications of this hypothesis by investigating whether themes of continuance, community and conversation echo in readers' experiences with crossover books. I use literary portraiture to construct reading portraits of myself, and the research participants, to illustrate how readers identify through story, and 'perform' their "storied formation" (Strong-Wilson, 2008) for others. These intimate and detailed pictures of cross-readers in conversation reflect new avenues for researching, representing and understanding the complexity of the cross-reading experience. By focusing on reader response, this dissertation provides critical research on the greater significance of cross-reading, examining not only what crossover literature is, but what it does for readers (Falconer, 2009). In this way, the research complements and extends current crossover studies grounded in children's literature criticism. Because the study illuminates how readers identify through story and bring this understanding to their real world relationships, there are also valuable resonances here for scholars investigating literacy studies, library studies, teacher education, curriculum studies, identity formation, memory work, intergenerational relationships, and the study of young people's texts and cultures.Keywords: crossover literature, children's literature, childhood, intergenerational relationships, reader response, literary portraiture, storied formation, memory work

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