Week 7

Assignments 1&2

I don’t particularly like the “new adult” label. I understand trying to help people find books in a particular genre, but sometimes it gets a little ridiculous. At one point, you had books for children and books for kids. Then YA came along. Okay, fine. Even that distinction bothers me sometimes, but I guess I see the point. Trying to split adulthood up into different reading categories by age seems ridiculous. My biggest issue with all of it is that I believe people should read what they’re comfortable reading. By over-labeling based on age, you’re also sending the message that those books are ONLY for people those ages.

“The Next Big Thing” article missed on important appeal factor for YA literature: it’s okay for the characters to have no idea what they’re doing! One of the problems with adult fiction, especially fantasy or sci-fi, is that, often, the protagonist needs to be a little naïve for the story to work. They need to be old enough to function on their own, but still willing to accept and move with new situations. Teens are perfect for this role. The teenage experience blends well with any kind of “discovering a brand new world” fiction. Teen protagonists can be likeable idiots because they are encountering things for the first time. Adult protagonists in the same situations, making the same choices, can be hard to like.

Assignment 3

I adore John Green and all that he does. Having a young adult author who is this entertaining and accessible for ALL ages means a lot. A friend of mine is a high school teacher and he is constantly turning his students onto John Green as a writer and personality.

Teenreads is new to me, but I really like it. The blog part is “eh”. I’m not that interested. The rest of the site is good though. It seems like a really good resource for anyone trying to explore more YA reading options.

Assignment 4

After spending some time on HarperTeen and the Macmillan site, it looks like weird is in for YA literature. There aren’t a lot of vampire/werewolf books being highlighted, but there are still some supernatural characters floating around out there. It looks like witches and fairies are popular. Post-apocalyptic stories and general sci-fi mysteries are all over. Of course, they’ve all got a love triangle.