A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor has been selected to serve on VOYA Magazine’s Nonfiction Honors Committee.

VOYA Magazine is a leading library journal dedicated to young adult literature and reading.

As a committee member, Dr. Judith Hayn, professor of teacher education, will help determine the magazine’s choices for the best nonfiction books for teens in 2017.

“I was thrilled to be selected for this committee,” Hayn said. “Nonfiction is a genre that many young readers enjoy. Studies show that by the fourth grade students’ interest in nonfiction grow, particularly for males. Librarians tell us that the most popular nonfiction books require some kind of involvement from the reader, such as ‘how to’ books, skill-teaching books, and sports books. Nonfiction is often the choice when teens read for entertainment.”

Study of nonfiction books is also on the rise in the classroom.

“Teachers are often looking for quality nonfiction literature to introduce into their classroom,” Hayn said. “It’s something that’s being encouraged now that wasn’t before.”

Hayn and co-author Jeffrey Kaplan have a textbook coming out in the fall to encourage young adult reading. The book is titled “Getting Boys (And Girls) to Read: Considerations, Concerns and Strategies for Motivating and Improving Adolescent Males’ Reading Abilities.”

Most recently, Hayn was awarded an AERA (American Educational Research Association, Division K) award for her book chapter, “Teaching, Affirming and Recognizing Trans and Gender Creative Youth D.” She was also featured in the HuffPost article, “How High School Teachers are using Dystopian Books to Explore the State of America Today.”