A Systematic Review of Studies on David Almond’s Young Adult Novels

Abstract

This systematic review examines existing research on David Almond’s young adult novels, aiming to identify scholarly gaps in the field and guide future research. This review demonstrates that critical attention predominantly focused on the following aspects: magical realism, narrative complexity, radical space and landscape, religious and theological dimensions, the construction of age, and educational issues. Emerging interdisciplinary approaches offer promising avenues for future exploration. These include digital humanities methods, and the integration of age studies, life course studies, and literary studies to investigate the construction of age and intergenerational relationships in Almond’s works, particularly evident in research published in 2024. The review concludes with specific gaps in Almond’s scholarship that may guide future research.