Emily talks about the immediacy of issues in YA Fiction vs the delicate exploration of modern times, issues, and technology in literary fiction written for adults. Having been a school librarian for 19 years and the founder of this blog, I have always loved YA books - fiction and non-fiction. I always feel like they get to the point without trying to be mysterious or coy or heavy on details and subplots that can quickly add confusion to a narrative (don't yell at me - I like SOME details, just not EVERY detail).
Last week in my Young Adult Literature class we were talking about trends. Even though the adults who read and blog about YA love to talk about Fantasy and Science Fiction and dystopian (have you noticed that most of them also have a heavy level of romance), the real trend we see is on Realistic Fiction. That week's list was much longer than any of the others. My students (7th, 8th, and 9th graders) want to see themselves reflected in what they read - or at least someone who is going through the same things they are, or that they might have to confront. The large amount of realistic fiction available and its popularity with the students seems to point in that direction.
Enough from me. Just go read the article already! ---Cindy
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1 comment:
Interesting. My students want realism, but books that show some hope in the world despite all of the terrible things. And, for the record, if the world needs to be saved from evil overlords, super villains, or other threatening paranormal occurrences, it will be TWEENS who save it!
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