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I started reading some YA titles to be able to discuss them with my teen daughter. Having in depth conversations with one's teenager that do not end in lectures, arguing or the silent treatment is VERY appealing!
What's the appeal of the books? Some of today's YA books feature very high quality writing, are exciting, easy reads, with a lot more imagination and inventiveness than a lot of the current very formularic best sellers.
What distinguished them from mainstream (adult) literature? For starters, the protagonists and usually the antagonists are under 25, with most in the 12-20 age range. The language is USUALLY, not always, a bit cleaner (more 'oh crap' and less 'oh f#@&'). There is usually less sex in the romance. More hand-holding and kissing, less graphic sex scenes). Some authors downplay the violence, blood, and gore levels in their books, but many do not. Darren Shan, Suzanne Collins, and Jonathan Maberry come to mind as authors who very heavy in the violence, blood, and gore level. But then, it's hard to write realistically about vampires, demons, fights to the death and the zombie apocalypse without shedding some blood.
Another YA authors I read, even more than my daughter is Rick Riordan. The Percy Jackson books, and the Kane Series, are fascinating and fun.
When I like a young adult book, it's usually because the plot moves forward at an entertaining clip. You get background and character development, but there usually is not a lot of description of things that are superfluous to the story being told. Also, YA books tend to require less effort to read. Sometimes I want to dig into a challenging book and reflect on the beauty of the writing or complexity of the characters and sometimes I just want to read a good tale with obvious heroes and villains.
Personally, the YA books are just plain entertaining. I know some people just turn up their nose at something that seems so juvenile, but I enjoy reading a variety of fiction.
for me, nearly 100% of what i read is fiction, fantasy based, and i use it to escape (same with the movies i enjoy). And while i may be 51 now, that doesnt mean i cant enjoy a good fun read regardless of the original target audience. Heck i really liked Eragon when it came out and that not only was a YA title but written by a teen. And i agree with what was already posted; i fully understand a fantasy epic or vamp/werewolf battle will include violence and bloodshed to be as "realistic" as they could be, but a pg-13 type scene can be filled with just as much tension as an R version.
I actually just took an elective course on Adolescent Literature because I thought it may help with my daughters.
I dont think this is a new phenomenon. I just think that there have been some high profile YA series over the last 15 years that made it seem like it was with HP, Twilight, and Hunger Games.
There are a lot of well-written, entertaining, and just plain fun YA books. Some of the YA books I have read are just as well-written and engaging as a lot of the top sellers you see at the grocery store. The Curious Incident with the Dog at Nighttime by Mark Hadden is one of the best books I have read over the last several years.
Like the others have said, YA fiction is usually fast-paced, entertaining, and easy to read. I've got 2 jobs and I'm going to grad school, so the idea of tackling War and Peace is just not appealing at the moment I just want something that lets me escape without too much mental taxation!
I've been thinking about this, too, and the obvious conclusion is that YA books are easy, especially for people who aren't serious readers.
Well...that depends on how you define "easy" and "serious". Often the quality of the writing is superior - clear, fresh, original descriptive passages and characterization - and can be far better than some of the formulaic slop that's out there in many popular adult novels. I lose patience with writing that's both careless and dull. YA novels tend to be much more creative in this regard, and it appears that many YA authors are far more painstaking in their writing than are many popular adult novelists.
YA novels are usually a little shorter than adult novels, which is nice for those who love reading but find themselves with less time than they might wish to read. Humor is more frequently encountered, and protagonists are often pleasant and appealingly quirky young people - protagonists in adult novels are not necessarily very nice people at all. If I'm going to spend time with someone in real life or in a book, I'd prefer it to be someone pleasant or at least interesting.
That's not to say that YA literature is all sweetness and light - it's not, nor is it watered-down adult literature. Very serious, even dark topics and themes are not uncommon. But YA books are usually a bit more hopeful than many adult novels. Not always - I can think of some major exceptions that were very well-reviewed but not particularly popular with kids - but there's usually a bit of light in even the darkest YA tunnel.
One of the things I've noticed with YA media, not just books, but movies and television, is that while the dialogue is more simple (not necessarily easy), the concepts are more complex than expected. Since someone mentioned the Percy Jackson series, yes, the words/sentences aren't difficult, but you're dealing with abandonment issues, anger, death, and sacrifice. Also, quite a bit of YA media has dialogue/jokes that someone of the same generation as the writer are more likely to "get," though, can still be funny to a tween. I laugh harder at Adventure Time than my son.
For me, honestly, YA books are very entertaining, have hilarious dialogue, and frankly, give me a break from "heavier" things, like life in general. Frankly, I find it to be more interesting than more mainstream adult lit, because it doesn't take itself as seriously. It's not mean to change the world, ideas, beliefs, or even, necessarily, to educate. But if Harry Potter can encourage a generation to read, or the Percy Jackson/Kane Chronicles/The Other One I Forget, can get kids interested in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology, that's always a plus.
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I just want something that lets me escape without too much mental taxation!
