This is an important publication for all working in English language education, not only for those working and researching young learner and teenage learning, but for those involved in reading and in the reading of literature ... Bland writes clearly and intelligently and has productively absorbed and applied a wealth of relevant and recent research ... I am convinced [this book] will become widely cited and known as more relevant readers find it, read it and see the need to recommend the author and the title ... and I would be pleased if this review can contribute to a speedier uptake of the ideas found therein

CLELE Journal

Relevant and accessible ... For me undoubtedly [this book's] strongest point is that every approach advocated is exemplified with engaging texts and tasks. The book is very persuasive in that all its major points are supported by relevant references to credible research ... [A] very impressive and valuable book which I really enjoyed reading.

ELT Journal

This is a comprehensive, innovative and thematically coherent book which provides powerful arguments for engaging with a wide variety of genres within children's and young adult literature ... A worthwhile contribution to modern EFL teaching methodology

Maria Eisenmann, Anglistik: International Journal of English Studies

With confident writing on children's literature as a 'highly expressive carrier of cultural meaning', the book contains excellent close readings of many picturebooks and graphic novels ... Packed with good ideas for using selected books as positive resources for literary language learning

Victoria de Rijke, Middlesex University, UK, IRSCL

Bland's volume does indeed fulfil her aim of generating a rationale for selecting works of children's literature for use in EFL classrooms and identifying how certain kinds of literature might empower learners ... I have already added it to my own student teachers' reading lists.

Lydia Kokkola, Head of English and Education, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, International Research Society for Children's Literature (IRSCL)

[An] impressive feature of the book is the close segmental reading of diverse examples of children's literature and graphic novels ... Children's Literature and Learner Empowerment provides a theoretical and practical approach to providing ELL primary and secondary school learners with the use of authentic and engaging materials.

IATEFL Voices