SUMMARY
The articles, reviews, and other publications in this issue primarily discuss books that address complex themes and issues intended for both younger and older teenagers as well as young adults, with particular attention given to problem-based prose. In her introductory article “The World is Not a Safe Place”, Editor-in-Chief Džiuljeta Maskuliūnienė underscores the need for children’s and young adult literature to respond to the turbulent realities of the world and to engage young readers in open discussion of issues that are both timely and painful. Inga Mitunevičiūtė analyses the works of American author Sharon Creech, which portray the complex and troubled world of teenagers (in commemoration of the writer’s 80th birthday, in the rubric “The Anniversaries”). In the rubric “The Articles”, Eglė Baliutavičiūtė explores the notion of the ‘sensitive reader’ – a new phenomenon in the literary field that defies straightforward evaluation. How should writers address such readers? What words or expressions should be avoided? And can the classics be ‘rewritten’ in the spirit of political correctness? This rubric also includes the article by Emilė Lenartavičiūtė and Kristina Vaisvalavičienė “The Search for Self in the Prose of Akvilina Cicėnaitė, Kotryna Zylė, and Ignė Zarambaitė for Teenagers”. The novel Baltoji paukštė (“White Bird”) by R. J. Palacio and Erika S. Perl explores the painful theme of the Holocaust. It is discussed in an article by Gražina Skabeikytė-Kazlauskienė. The novel Visas mano įniršis (“All my Rage”) by Pakistani-American writer Sabaa Tahir, which is currently being translated into Lithuanian, is an example of contemporary problem fiction. In it, the main characters, Noor and Salahudin, come of age in a world that shatters their innocence. This article is written by Aleksandra Strelcoca. In the rubric “The Contexts”, Daiva Rudytė discusses the problem of dyslexia and a possible solution: publishing books specifically created for such readers. In the “Conversation” rubric, Laimutė Adomavičienė interviews writer Laura Varslauskaitė, whose work Mano didelis mažas Aš (“My Big Little Self”) portrays a teenager with Down syndrome. The issue also includes other traditional rubrics. In the “Retro” rubric, Rita Karpavičienė writes about the magazine Moksleivis (“A School Student”). Published monthly from 1958 to 2001, with a one-year break, it was aimed at secondary school students and covered topics related both to school life and to the wider interests of young people. During the Soviet era, it was an important educational and youth culture publication, reflecting the social mood of the time, developments in the education system, and the everyday lives of young people. In the “Photos Tell” rubric, Asta Plechavičiūtė, writer and researcher of children’s literature and the great-granddaughter of Vytautas Bičiūnas, recalls his short story Aukšlytė (“A Little Bleak”). In the rubric “The Readings of my Childhood”, journalist Alma Valantinienė talks to artist Sigutė Chlebinskaitė. In the rubric “With a Glose Glance”, Asta Plechavičiūtė analyses Rebeka Una’s dystopian novel Paskutiniai vaikai (“The Last Children”), which explores the end of the world; Lina Bimbirytė reviews Aistė Šopa and Leonardas Šopa’s novel (Ne)kaltas (“(Not) Guilty”), depicting fifteenyear- old Lukas’ challenging experiences during adolescence; and Elžbieta Kmitaitė- Kizielė discusses the book Žirafos širdis labai didelė (“The Giraffe’s Heart is Very Big”) by Finnish authors Sofia Chanffreau and Amanda Chanffreau, which tells the story of Vega’s trials within a family environment. The rubric concludes with Dalia Karatajienė’s reflections on the book Kasparatorija (“Kasparatory”) by the renowned Lithuanian children’s writer and illustrator Kęstutis Kasparavičius. The rubric “Postcards for the Reader” publishes a postcard for readers by the famous Lithuanian children’s literature writer Ilona Ežerinytė. At the end of this issue, a Chronicle is published, prepared by Roma Kišūnaitė. She has also compiled a calendar of children’s literature dates for 2026, which is presented in the form of a QR code. The back cover of the issue publishes Džiuljeta Maskuliūnienė’s article “Palanga Fairy Tale Park,” which showcases an interactive Lithuanian fairy tale park established in 2016 near Birutė Park in Palanga. The author of the idea is Palanga Mayor, Šarūnas Vaitkus; the project was curated by sculptor Andrius Petkus, and the initiative received support from local businesspeople. The modern sculptures playfully blend contemporary artistic forms with traditional folklore.
Žurnalas „Rubinaitis“, 2025 Nr. 3 (115)
