Between Tales and Spells: Literary Mediation and Student Authorship in Middle School Classes

Abstract

This article analyzes a literary mediation experience carried out during a teaching practicum in 6th and 7th-grade classes at a municipal school in Dourados, Brazil. The proposal sought to bring students closer to contemporary children’s literature through shared readings of Cinderela e o baile dela by Janaina Tokitaka (2023) and A bruxa do breu by Mari Bigio (2022), combined with creative writing activities and the use of educational board games. The practices included discussion circles, student rewritings of traditional tales, and games specially designed by the authors, which expanded student engagement and fostered critical authorship. Analysis of classroom records revealed that racial representation in the illustrations, as well as the problematization of beauty standards and bullying, emerged as central themes in the discussions. The theoretical framework is grounded in Andruetto (2017), Bajour (2012), Cosson (2021), Rojo (2009), Zilberman (1984), Machado (2002), Freire (1979), and Candido (2004), reaffirming literature as a human right and cultural practice. Results show that, when mediated critically, creatively, and playfully, school-based literature can become a space of belonging, resistance, and transformation.