Teen fiction, also referred to as “Young Adult fiction”, is books written for the reading population from the ages of 12 through 18. Contemporary themes, in this genre; often deal with coming-of-age, romance, and sexuality. What I am wondering is if the adult writers of these books for teens are getting it right? Are they writing books that teens can identify with? What is your favorite "teen fiction?”
As always thank you for responding, sharing your thoughts, and taking us "between the lines."
2 comments:
I think the question misses the point.
Books like Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Garth Nix's Sabriel were not written as Teen/YA fiction, but both have been marketed to the younger audience and have been very successful. However, books like those found in the Gossip Girls series are also incredibly popular and were written for the Teen/YA reader.
The point is that "the adult writers" and "teen readers" are not homogeneous groups. It's unlikely the twelve-year-old boy is going to have the same taste in reading as the eighteen-year-old girl. Just like Brian Jaques is not going to write the same kind of book as Libba Bray.
The other point is that if a teen (or anyone) wants to read a book, (s)he's not going to let marketing get in the way. At the age of 12 I was beginning to step outside the YA/Teen target books, and I'm not alone in that age. Yet, at the age of 17, I can still be bothered to read a really good children's book like Neil Gaiman's Coraline, and that is a bit more uncommon.
So really, Teen/YA is a very fuzzy label that a lot of teens ignore anyway.
Personally, when I find a novel bad, it's not because I can't identify with it. Normally it is because the writing is poor, or the plot is rather poorly thought out. So, while there are bad Teen/YA novels out there, it's generally not due to the age gap between author and reader. Though I'll have to admit teen novels tend to be more lacking than novels that are written for teens. After all, there has to be a book before there can be an audience.
Well, there's my ¢2.
I appreciate the idea that if one is open to reading a broad range of literature and willing to step outside the "marketed genre", more possibilities for "good reads" await them. . .
As a high school librarian, I read many books from the "teen fiction" genre. They often take me back to my own high school days and can be just as inspiring as books I have read that have been marketed to "adults." But I must admit that if I wasn't in this job position, I would most likely not be reading teen literature and be missing a great deal.
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