Dystopian tales, both post-apocalyptic wastelands and carefully manicured ultramodern utopias, offer the opportunity to demonstrate what can happen when human rights are not respected and upheld. This paper examines the violations of children’s rights in the novel The Last Book in the Universe(Philbrick, 2000). Using the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child(UNICEF, 1989) as a framework for analysis, the paper investigates how science fiction can communicate children’s rights to them, through negative examples of their violations.
References
[1]
Alexander, J., & Black, R. (2015). The Darker Side of the Sorting Hat: Representations of Educational Testing in Dystopian Young Adult Fiction. Children’s Literature, 42, 208-234. https://doi.org/10.1353/chl.2015.0019
[2]
Ames, M. (2013). Engaging “Apolitical” Adolescents: Analyzing the Popularity and Educational Potential of Dystopian Literature Post-9/11. The High School Journal, 97, 3-20. https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.2013.0023
[3]
Bach, J., Peters, E., & Bourgeois, J. (2019). Teaching Students the “What-Ifs”: Conversations on YA Speculative Fiction. The English Journal, 109, 39-46. https://doi.org/10.58680/ej201930379
[4]
Basu, B., Broad, K. R., & Hintz, C. (2013). Introduction. In B. Basu, K. R. Broad, & C. Hintz (Eds.), Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults: Brave New Teenagers (pp. 1-15). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203084939
[5]
Blomkam, N. (2013). Elysium. Film. TriStar Pictures.
[6]
Bradbury, R. (1953/2013). Fahrenheit 451. Simon and Schuster.
[7]
Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. Scholastic.
[8]
Deyab, M. S., & Elshaikh, E. A. (2022). Am I Not a Child? Palestinian Child Rights’ Violations in Cathryn Clinton’s A Stone in My Hand (2002). Journal of Human Rights, 21, 451-462. https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2021.2011712
[9]
Guerra, S. (2009). Colonizing Bodies: Corporate Power and Biotechnology in Young Adult Science Fiction. Children’s Literature in Education, 40, 275-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-009-9086-z
[10]
Hariharan, L. (2019, January 25). Why the Time Is Now for Speculative YA Fiction? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/dec/01/why-the-time-is-now-for-ya-speculative-fiction
[11]
Hintz, C., & Ostry, E. (2003). Introduction. In C. Hintz, & E. Ostry (Eds.), Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults (pp. 1-20). Routledge.
[12]
Kennedy, B., Hayes, T., Miller, G., Hannant, B., & Gibson, M. (2007). The Road Warrior. Warner.
[13]
Koren, M. (2001). Human Rights of Children: An Emerging Story. The Lion and the Unicorn, 25, 242-259. https://doi.org/10.1353/uni.2001.0021
[14]
Longstaff, A. (2015, May 22). A History of Human Rights Abuses in Fairy Tales. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/may/22/human-rights-in-fairytales-abie-longstaff
[15]
McCarthy, C. (2006). The Road. Alfred A. Knopf.
[16]
Mendlesohn, F. (2004). Is There Any Such Thing as Children’s Science Fiction? A Position Piece. The Lion and the Unicorn, 28, 284-313. https://doi.org/10.1353/uni.2004.0022
[17]
Philbrick, R. (2000). The Last Book in the Universe. Scholastic.
[18]
Sambell, K. (2004). Carnivalizing the Future: A New Approach to Theorizing Childhood and Adulthood in Science Fiction for Young Readers. The Lion and the Unicorn, 28, 247-267. https://doi.org/10.1353/uni.2004.0026
[19]
Shusterman, N. (2016). Scythe. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
[20]
Simmons, A. M. (2012). Class on Fire: Using the Hunger Games Trilogy to Encourage Social Action. The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56, 22-34. https://doi.org/10.1002/JAAL.00099
[21]
UNICEF (1989). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention
[22]
Valls, M. P., & Martin, M. G. (2023). Children’s Rights and Values in Literature for Young Readers. Revista Complutense de Educación, 34, 243-252. https://doi.org/10.5209/rced.77265
[23]
Zipes, J. (2003). Foreword. In C. Hintz, & E. Ostry (Eds.), Utopia, Dystopia, and the Quest for Hope. Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults (pp. 9-11). Routledge.
