Comments on: How old am I?

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:21:55 +0000

I took a young adult literature class two summers ago and I discovered Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. That book alone, reintroduced me to YA fiction.

Others:
Stargirl
Anything by Sherman Alexie (I think there is going to be a sequel to Absolute…Part-Time Indian!)

By: Susan Taylor

Susan Taylor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:26:32 +0000

Graceling
Hunger Games
Little Brother

Those were 3 of the best books I read last year, and I handsold them all like crazy through the holidays. I expect I’ll handsell Catching Fire and Fire throughout this holiday season, and continue to sell the first books to those who missed them last year.

Adults who turn up their noses at teen books have no idea what they’re missing!

By: Pam

Pam — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:33:46 +0000

I just finished Sherman Alexie’s book and loved it. The ending came way too soon. Thanks for the recommendation.

By: Daniel Sevitt

Daniel Sevitt — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:21:46 +0000

I have three kids aged 14, 13 and 11, so I try to include YA fiction in my reading so I can make good recommendations.
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was a big success for us as well as The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.
I don’t know if you could count Holes as YA fiction, but it was one of my favourite reading experiences of all time.
Of course back in the day, YA fiction meant Jane Eyre, Great Expectations and Emma and I’d like to think that these books can still be enjoyed by young adults today. I think they are certainly accessible enough to have an impact.

By: Ann Kingman

Ann Kingman — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:05:15 +0000

Sonya,

I understand what you are saying about some of the YA books, and certainly reading *only* anything is not good. I suspect that what you are seeing is based on those two series with rabid fans. I’ve not read a lot of YA fiction, but much of what I have read has been as emotional and nuanced as the best adult fiction. THE BOOK THIEF, for instance, stands up to the best adult literature out there (see earlier post about The Book Thief for more on that). Like anything, I think it comes down to choice. I haven’t chosen to read any of the popular YA girls’ series like Cliques; rather my YA reading is currently guided by booksellers and book bloggers that I trust.

Now as far as Sherman Alexie’s comments go re: Kindle. I suppose they were harsh, but not nearly as terrible as they came across in print. I was in the audience, and he delivered everything he said with wit and humor, even though there was an undertone of real concern. And that is what made me want to explore his work — the combination of seriousness and humor, even self-deprecating at times, made me want to read more. (He has since agreed to take a meeting with Amazon to discuss making his work available in e-book form.)

By: Susanne Malm

Susanne Malm — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:19:08 +0000

Ann…You once said that we were practically soul-mates with our book choices and rating!
Well girlfriend, guess what???
My F2F book club is readinf Sherman Alexie’s book as this month’s selection!
And I’m really enjoying it too?
How could we go from THE ROAD to this?

By: Nan

Nan — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:51:07 +0000

I love love love that book! I read it last year and could not stop talking about it.

I am so impressed with the YA fiction that is out there. I loved to read as a child – I read anything and everything. Now, I teach first grade so I know a LOT about books for young kids. It wasn’t until I took a multicultural children’s lit class last year that I read some newer YA and I am now hooked on YA fiction! (The Alexie book was for that class). Happy reading!

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:01:45 +0000

I got back into YA lit after taking a children’s lit class a couple of years ago. It covered everything from picture books up to YA. I really like the Rick Riordan Percy Jackson series, Michael Buckley’s Sister Grimm series, Harry Potter and some of Garth Nix’s books.

I wonder if the reason we are more aware of all these books is because bookstores have a separate “Teen” area now. Did they have “Teen” areas years ago?

By: Laura (Bookworm)

Laura (Bookworm) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:08:27 +0000

Hi, Ann! I’ve always loved young adult books — Madeleine L’Engle is my all-time favorite author and my shelves still hold A Wrinkle in Time and others I loved as a kid alongside her more adult-oriented books. In recent years I will cop to having read (ok, devoured) the series by Ann Brashares about the group of girls who shared the same pair of jeans. And I also rabidly read, as did many other adults, the Harry Potter series.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:00:43 +0000

Hi Ann! After hearing Sherman Alexie speak at BEA, I also thought I should check out some of his work. Maybe Part Time Indian would be a good place to start!
I love to mix YA fiction in with my adult fiction–I just read my ARC of The Hunger Games’ sequel, Catching Fire, and it was fantastic.
Like Lauren, I also enjoy books for an even younger audience; picture books can be great literature. The way that the authors and illustrators can distill a piece of wisdom into a simple and beautiful form for young children (books like Zen Shorts or Flotsam) is something all writers should study. I also love the humorous books (Skippyjon Jones, Tack the Penguin, etc.) that remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.