Critical Literacy Reading and True Crime Young Adult Literature

Abstract

True crime has become a dominant force in popular culture, captivating audiences through podcasts, television and literature. This manuscript explores how educators can engage secondary students in critical discussions about true crime through the young adult novel A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Drawing on the framework of critical literacy, we examine how true crime narratives, often rooted in inequities, can serve as tools for interrogating power, ethics and representation in secondary English classrooms. Although true crime's popularity offers relevance and engagement, it also raises ethical concerns related to victim portrayal, sensationalism and systemic bias. Using A Good Girl's Guide to Murder as a model, we provide strategies for teachers to guide students in critically analysing authorship, perspective and socio-political systems embedded in crime narratives. We argue that when approached thoughtfully, true crime-inspired young adult literature can foster deeper critical awareness of media consumption, justice and identity. Ultimately, this paper positions critical literacy as a pathway for students to move beyond passive consumption towards reflective and socially conscious engagement.